Together Alone is
Dakota Stars first major single, released in the summer of 2006. The band name comes from the state South Dakota, where vocalist
Chiaki spent a few years studying during her school years. Next to the female vocalist
Chiaki, the band consists of the Canadian
Alan Brey on guitar and bass, and
Tasuku on guitar.
The single starts off with the title track, led in by a catchy intro and as
Chiaki starts to sing, it shows that her time spent in the US definitely paid off. Her pronunciation of the English lyrics is perfect, singing about wanting to be together with her lover though it not quite possible. The song is a catchy, poppy rock tune; the instrumentals a little heavy yet the melody gives it a very catchy sound. An interesting note about the song, is that the drums are played by
Eric Zay, renowned for his support work for bands like
FAKE? and
Monoral.
Never Fall From Grace follows and is also totally in English. Starting off with a synthesizer intro, this song is slower paced and in the same pop-rock style. Though its definitely a nice song to listen to, it fails to really grab the attention of the listener and sounds like just another American pop-rock tune.
The last track of the single is the cover
Children of the Revolution, originally by the British glam rock band
T-Rex, released in the 70s. Their cover isnt so much different from the original, though it sounds more 'fresh' and modern. With the guitars and a synthesizer playing a droning, almost looming rhythm, the instrumentals tend get a bit boring but
Chiaki manages to add some luster to the song.
Next to the three tracks, the single also contains three videos: two promotional videos for
Together Alone, a normal and an anime version. In the anime version, the three members are portrayed as anime heroes that go through an adventure, and the normal version shows the band in a very homely looking studio playing the song. The PV for
Children of the Revolution is also included, showing the band playing the song while alternating with footage of the anime version of
Together Alone.
To conclude with,
Together Alone gives a good impression of what
Dakota Star has to offer, but despite the quality of the songs and them being quite catchy overall, the overall single simply lacks
something, making it a touch generic. Though, with this band's talent, we can be sure that they will find their own way soon!
For more info about
Dakota Star, check out their
official website.
