INORAN - apocalypse

INORAN’s solo-project is perhaps not as well-known as the works of his fellow LUNA SEA band members, but for the past decade, he has been steadily dropping new releases. This year, the guitarist released two new CDs: a best-of in January, and in late September, his fifth original and newest album to date, apocalypse.

The album starts off with a short instrumental called The beginning and the end. It features a rapper and some DJ scratches, and overall it sounds very trip-hop-like, a style that is often found on INORAN’s albums. Nearing the end, INORAN’s guitar joins in and it’s easy to imagine this song being used as an introduction to a live, with INORAN making his entrance on stage while playing guitar.

The title of the next track, Cheval’s palace is here, seems curious at first. However, after a little research, it turns out that INORAN based the song on the French postman Ferdinand Cheval, who spent 33 years collecting stones and building a 'palace' with them in the 19th century. The lyrics are also about how the Frenchman built something he really believed in. Music-wise, it doesn’t have much to do with France; the song is upbeat rock, and because the instruments have mostly been kept light, it has an breathy, easygoing atmosphere to it.

During the song I’ll, the trip-hop feeling returns with a fast, electronic beat. Distorted guitars bring in a rock vibe again, and the result is a great, energetic mix. Rightaway is rock, this time with an old-school feeling to it. This track is also upbeat and energetic, and despite its not too original character, it's very catchy.

Next up is Sennen Hana. The lyrics are provided by Hiroki Hayama, who has been featured on INORAN’s recordings before and is the keyboardist of Tourbillon. Sennen hana is fast paced with a driving feel, but it has some gentleness to it. Occasionally, a subtly arranged string quartet joins in, which adds some nice tension. Overall, the song is just lovely, and it’s easy to see why this song was chosen to have a PV made for it.

On his former releases, INORAN has shied away from singing by recruiting various singers or using various effects to distort the sound of his voice. With his more recent releases, he seems to have gotten more confidence with his vocals. While his voice may not be incredibly outstanding or the most unique, INORAN sounds deep and strong without any pretentiousness, and that’s what makes him so pleasant to listen to. The laid-back song Hydrangea gives us a good opportunity to listen to his voice, seeing as it has a moderately paced R&B styled rhythm and the focus is mostly on the vocals. The sound of a mandolin tinkling throughout the song adds a little playfulness here and there. The female backing chorus matches very well with his voice and gives it a nice, warm atmosphere.

Though the lyrics don’t really confirm it and it might just be a coincidence, another interesting connection can be found in this title: the hydrangea, or hortensia flower, is one of the symbols of INORAN’s hometown Hadano.

Next up is the first of the three instrumental interludes called Between eyes. The three tracks are numbered, Between Eyes #1, #2 and #3. They all differ in length, #1 being the shortest at hardly a minute, and #3 being a little over four minutes. All of them are electronic lounge pieces. Though they’ve been put together quite nicely, they don’t really add much substance to the album and might not be your cup of tea if you’re looking for more rock from INORAN’s work.

Regret starts out a rather mellow rock-song, but the tension that builds up in the song is splendid and makes it a very intense track - one that definitely stands out on the album. The distorted vocals of Toki no souretsu are reminiscent of the songs on his Fragment album, though the song itself is much gentler and dreamier with an incredibly sorrowful, melancholic tone to it. It might take you some time to get into it, but it’s simply a beautiful, emotional piece.

9th, on the other hand, is a very enjoyable cheerful rock song, and the grand finale of the album Let me down brings even more of this optimistic feeling. It could be that the song title reminds of The Beatles’ Don’t Let Me Down, or it could be the instruments and the chipper piano hammering throughout the song, but it has a big The Beatles vibe to it. The song has this "happily ever after" feeling, and despite its cheesiness, it works perfectly as the conclusion of the album.

It’s needless to say that INORAN is a very talented, skillful musician because over the past twenty years, he has done nothing but prove it time and time again. Through the years, he has worked with many styles and with various bands and projects, but apocalypse is a release that is purely INORAN. It shows us his ‘core’ and the load of experience and musical ideas he has picked up during his extensive music career.

apocalypse is simply a great album that will appeal to both fans that have been following since his LUNA SEA days, and new fans that are unfamiliar with his past. We can only hope he will continue working on his solo career and provide us with more of these great releases, instead of focusing his attention to other projects again.