Though it has its good points, Shikisai remains an average single from a band that has come out with better.
Shikisai was one of the seven maxi-singles that indie visual kei band Shichisanshiki released during their short career which spanned only three years. Shikisai was released in two versions, the first version containing three songs and a DVD, the second one containing four songs in total. This is a review of the latter one.
The release starts with the song Sakura, which had been previously released on the single Sakura 73 go shinjuku iki in 2004 and has been re-recorded in a much more polished way. Starting with a piano intro, the instruments soon join in and show the nature of the song, which is that of a laid-back, moderately paced rock song. The guitar riffs add a jazzy atmosphere as well as a ska-like vibe, making it an enjoyable song. Despite that, it’s unfortunately not a very outstanding track and will probably fail to catch your attention.
Yumemi Oohashi, which comes as an extra with the second press of the single, is of the same caliber. Though the guitar riffs have been put together quite well, overall the vocal melody isn’t too interesting. Without the vocals as a prominent guideline, it comes close to being just plain boring.
The third track, Tokyo Hanabi, is much more substantial than the other three tracks. Immediately in the intro, the guitars, bass and drums sound heavy and threatening. This mood continues through the whole song, sometimes becoming a little gentler in the verses to build up to the chorus again. Guitarist Chama has a small moment in the spotlight with a screaming guitar solo in the bridge, and at the end of the song bassist Sho also gets a short solo.
Changing styles again with the last track Hidamari ni saku hana ~sumire~, the band presents us with a rock ballad in which vocalist Aika is able to put the focus more on his boyish and slightly nasal-sounding vocals. It flows nicely and has a catchy chorus, and seems a great way to end the single with.
Shikisai starts in a quite unfortunate way with two rather poor tracks, not because of the musicians' skills but because of the composition, which fails to leave much of an impression on anyone. However, the last two tracks of the single make up for that, and if you find yourself enjoying Shichisanshiki's sound, we recommend you to listen to their album Negai... as well!
