alan - Ashita e no sanka

Whilst alan is not particularly well known within Japan, she has started to draw in listeners from abroad with her clear vocals and flawless beauty. alan is becoming known for her lyrical views on love, peace, hope and more recently, her stance on the environment. alan is definitely someone to listen to for those who enjoy simplistic music at its finest.

Ashita e no sanka begins with a soothing piano track in the background, whilst alan's voice softly utters the opening to the song. The piano is then accompanied by a backing track, which flows effortlessly into its framework. The introduction of traditional Chinese music brings to mind alan's Chinese heritage, which she is clearly proud of. alan's vocals remain at a low pitch throughout, and her fluid delivery make it seem as though she is sharing an intimate secret. The chorus is a beautiful display of alan's vocal range, with the haunting use of traditional Tibetan chanting. The fluctuating notes make what could potentially be a boring chorus into something memorable.

The second track, Sakura Modern, is a similarly simple track. Opening with a traditional Chinese instrument, the song is accompanied by a twinkling melody in the backing track, which remains prominent throughout. alan's vocals remain uncomplicated, uttering the lyrics with a similar conviction to that of Ashita e no sanka. The song then breaks into a slightly more upbeat chorus, accompanied by an almost aggressive bass line in the background. This almost threatens to overpower alan's vocals with its ferocity and acts as a diversion from the song. However, alan's vocals then return to sing a few lines before the backing track cuts short, leaving the artist to sing with only a traditional Chinese instrument for a few words. This puts all the focus on her, and she doesn't disappoint.

Instrumentals of both songs are included on the single.

As a debut single, Ashita e no sanka is widely simplistic, but nevertheless creates a beautiful and somewhat enthralling atmosphere, aided by alan's vocal range. Whilst her Japanese cannot be faulted as a singer, it is clear that alan is not a native speaker of the language, and reader's may be interested to listen to some of her Chinese work to realize her full potential.