author: Ruka

Gokutama ROCK CAFE is the first album created by the band's current line-up, including new members takuya and Yu-ki. As such it's being heralded as the corpus of the new An Cafe. The group's characteristic atmosphere - high energy, sparkly and cheerful - is certainly maintained in this latest release, but their sound has gained some additional elements which make it more difficult to define. This album has a more prominent rock sound (hence the "ROCK CAFE" in the title), which the band has explored in the B-side tracks of their recent singles, but not in an album until now. With these harder and even angry sounds, the atmosphere of An Cafe has grown more complex.

Tracks one, three, four and nine adhere to the "traditional" An Cafe sound and the dance rock style they are associated with. In other words, catchy melodies, a bouncy (sometimes disco-like) dance beat, glittery synths and cheery keyboard abound. Additional treats from the album opener Ryuusei Rocket are tatsuya's impressively wild guitar solo and kanon's bass, which runs through the chorus and melts into the beat and beautifully complements Miku's busier melody line. For track three, Cherry Saku Yuuki!!, the coupling of Miku’s rap vocals and a bold, tipsy guitar early in the bridge is one of the more interesting areas.

And as one might expect from a song with the title Nyappy in the world 3, track four is an onslaught of celebratory energy. This is the third in a series of "Nyappy in the World" songs from the band and should put the minds of longtime cafekkos at ease; peace and love and nyappy continue at full strength with the new An Cafe! And the ninth track, Kakusei Heroism, was the first single released after takuya and Yu-ki joined the band. Carried by an infectious danceable chorus, its musical composition is simpler than many of the newer songs - less busy, twinkly and dense.

As for some more unusual tracks, the guitars throughout the second track, SBY, are relatively heavy and give the song a definite rock feel. Regarding the fifth track, Baby King, it's still classic An Cafe: busy, fast, and at times reminiscent of disco. The shocker is Miku's way of singing in the refrain, which is laced with an aggressiveness typically found in darker rock. Although this is an unusual style for Miku, he transmits the sound very naturally and shows us another side of his vocal talent.

Daybreak provides a moment of relief with its slower tempo and more relaxing sounds. It has a pleasant jazzy piano motif and a cheerful, laid back mood. But also apparent in the music are traces of nostalgia and the sort of pain that one hides under a smile. The lyrics describe a situation where one is unable to return to a beautiful moment in the past, and yet unable to forget it.

The next two tracks show a rougher, even darker dimension to An Cafe. Pierce is a rock number exuding rebellion and a sense of urgency. The refrain is catchy and inspiring in a dark sort of way, and the guitar bridge is especially angsty. But Koritsu Hospital is probably the song that most radically diverges from the characteristic An Cafe sound. A fast, driving beat acts as the intro, an arrangement typically found in the traditional visual kei sound. The combo of hard, zany guitar play throughout coupled with Miku's screaming growls during the "Live in Solitude" reprise clinches it.

Regarding the question of its likability? The overall attitude, takuya's unpredictable and wild guitar and even Miku's growls each get a big check in the plus column. In these areas An Cafe was entirely successful in showcasing their versatility. But as a whole, it's not one of the strongest songs on the album. So far the band has mixed various musical styles very effectively, but this time they seemed to have a difficult time melding the two atmospheres. In particular, the switches from visual kei speed metal to a sound more characteristic of traditional An Cafe were awkward.

Koritsu Hospital might be interpreted as an An Cafe attempt at a mainstream visual kei sound, or even a tribute to it, but fans shouldn't worry that the band will completely change their style, as the rest of the album can attest. On the other hand, track ten is a real mélange of musical styles. With heavy, headbanging guitar riffs, a cheerful pop tune chorus, twinkly synths interspersed throughout and a bridge that tentatively inches toward a heavier rock sound, Aijo Cycling exhibits a variety of personalities.

The final track, Orange Dream, is a soft, slow tempo ballad. Teruki's drums are uncharacteristically understated, while the piano remains prominent throughout. The song's calm, classical atmosphere makes it a good track to wind down the album with.

What the more diverse sound of this album means for listeners is that there will be at least some songs you'll like. And if you've never heard of An Cafe before, this might be the perfect album for you, as it shows so many different colors of the band's personality. Ultimately, the new An Cafe sound is cohesive because the "gokutama" (extreme spirit) indicated by the title is present in every song, and we hope it will continue to exist in future releases.