FictionJunction YUUKA - circus album redux

I never mentioned which tracks I prefer. I had completely forgotten, actually, but the truth is I will prefer different styles at different times, much like most people. What I can say is, there are definitely some tracks I will only listen to on occasion, if at all.

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Kouya Ruten has really nothing to gain by the extension of the song. I would stick to the single version if I need an epic cowboy Japan dose. yorokobi is worth the occasional listen if only because it's eclectic, but the contrast is so strong it can be jarring. I think I made it somewhat clear that I'd be avoiding the likes of romanesque and angel gate, and rokugatsu ha kun no eien requires a very specific mindset, and specifics generally don't occur all the time.

At the moment, I like aikoi the more I listen to it. Yuuka's voice has a really nice punch in her accented attacks, in particular to bridge into the chorus. It's emphasized by the elimination of everything but the beat leading up to the accent, the synth interjection in sync with the accent, and then only the beat in the accent's aftermath. What results is a vocal and instrumental rimshot effect that's a staple of genres like big band jazz.

This is not earth-shattering in its originality, but it's been a while since I've heard this technique pulled off with such clarity. You may chalk that up to me not listening to much new music from any genre, so I have a limited sample size.