After releasing two enchanting and successful singles,
still doll and
Suna no oshiro,
Kanon Wakeshima now presents her debut album,
Shinshoku Dolce. The title translates roughly as "sweet violation," which stands for the universe of girl-like purity and innocence combined with gothic darkness that she aims to create. The album has thirteen tracks and includes both singles, including the B-sides. All songs were composed by
Mana (
Moi dix Mois) with
Kanon contributing lyrics, vocals and cello.
So, can the other songs on the album live up to the high standards of the singles? How comfortably do melancholy and dramatic compositions like
still doll,
Suna no oshiro and
Kuroi torikago sit next to cheerful ones like
skip turn step♪? And how well does
Mana, whom the Japanese music magazine Fool's Mate dubbed "Emperor of Darkness," handle purity and innocence?
The opening track, the instrumental
sweet ticket, is a slow waltz with a funfair feeling.
Kanon's cello is joined by a marching drum rhythm and synthesizer, creating a nostalgic mood like a distant childhood memory. This is followed by
Shinku No Fatarythm, a daring blend of bouncy electro pop and classical elements. It opens with a dramatic cello flourish and then develops into a lively pop tune with interesting tempo changes and a hauntingly beautiful melody.
Kanon's urgent vocals alternate with her cello, which is more prominent here than on any other song on the album.
The mood stays lively with
Kagami, which features violins in addition to
Kanon's cello and has even more frequent tempo changes than
Shinku No Fatarythm. The gentle, playful sounds of pizzicato strings and bells alternate constantly with
Kanon's cello and voice, which starts out quietly and then, in the chorus, becomes more dramatic. The lyrics seem to be inspired by the fairy tale Snow White, speaking of poisoned apples and
Kanon seeing her soul reflected in her mirror.
The album version of
still doll is very similar to the
single version, except that it now has an intro, which consists of
Kanon singing the chorus once before launching into the song as we know it. With
Maboroshi, the atmosphere changes completely from creepy and gothic to a luxurious 1960's feel.
Kanon's bright vocals are accompanied by sparkling synthesizer melodies and a vibraphone, with her cello gracefully weaving in and out of the main theme. It is a gentle and charming track that sounds like nothing
Mana has ever written before, although it wouldn't feel out of place on
Malice Mizer's
Voyage ~sans retour~ album.
Ennui Kibun!, a bubbly, avant-garde electro pop number featuring all kinds of whimsical sound effects and yet more vibraphone, is even further away from
Mana's usual repertoire of choice: it's hard to believe that he really wrote something as cute and girly as this!
Kanon's breathy singing style here reminds of
Emilie Simon, one of her favourite artists, but her cello makes this song unmistakeably hers.
The mood of the album changes again drastically with the dark and dramatic
Suna no oshiro, followed by the stirring ballad
Monochrome frame.
Kanon's longing vocals are complemented with synthesizer and gracefully undulating violins, and occasionally a church bell chimes in for additional emphasis.
L'espoir ~Mahou No Akai Ito~ sees the pizzicato strings return and with them a more upbeat, playful atmosphere. Like
Kagami, the song has a symphonic quality and alternates between quiet, ominous sounding parts and a more urgent chorus. The melody is very different though, as is
Kanon's singing style, which is more child-like here. The cheerful mood created by
L'espoir is immediately wiped out again by the dark and dramatic
Kuroi torikago, only to return with a vengeance with
skip turn step♪, the most unabashedly happy song on the album.
Then
Kanon turns thoughtful again with
Shiroi Kokoro. The songs begins like a ballad with only piano and cello accompanying her melancholy voice, but becomes more lively in the chorus when once again pizzicato strings join in. This track may not be as catchy as
skip turn step♪ or as startling as
Shinku No Fatarythm, but like all the songs on the CD, it is beautifully arranged and performed and perfectly captures the mood of the lyrics. Finally, the album comes full circle with
sweet dreams, a music box version of
sweet ticket.
The music box/funfair theme is picked up again in the artwork, which is all red and white and shows
Kanon in various situations, as well as a music box in the shape of a carousel. We also get to see some of
Kanon's drawings: a little cat in the CD booklet and a carousel horse underneath the CD. The European pressing also includes a booklet with English lyric translations, which can help listeners understand the ideas behind each song and show that
Kanon is an intelligent and original lyricist.
Good news for those who have been waiting to get their hands on
Kanon's gorgeous video clips: the limited edition of
Shinshoku Dolce comes with a bonus DVD with the videos for both
still doll and
Suna no oshiro. Both videos are beautifully photographed and picture and sound quality are excellent.
Shinshoku Dolce is a thoroughly enjoyable album, full to the brim with beautiful melodies. There is not a single filler track; each song has its own unique character and
Mana has clearly put a lot of thought into bringing out the emotions within each of them. Moreover, by fusing different musical styles like classical music, ambient, electro and pop, he has created a unique sound that perfectly complements
Kanon's complex personality and imaginative lyrics. He has recently announced that he will step back from producing in order to have more time for his own band,
Moi dix Mois, but he will also continue to write music for
Kanon. Let's hope that we can look forward to many more releases from this great team!
