The Kaleidoscope - nowhere man

Pop/rock band The Kaleidoscope, disbanded in 2004, was a trio made up of Ishida Takuma on vocals and guitar, Kojima Hideo on drums and Tanabe Toshino on bass. Anime fans may recognize them for their song Fish, which was used as an ending theme for "One Piece." Though no longer active, their releases live on and they're certainly worth checking out, as this 2001 single, nowhere man, can attest.

nowhere man starts as a laid back, easygoing song but rapidly reveals itself to be a surprisingly intense piece. Ishida's perfectly smooth and rough vocals deliver beautiful melody lines with building intensity and anguish. Supported with light guitar, the song mixes slow rock with a country style and blues tinged angst for an achy but gorgeous rock ballad.

Track two, Everyone is wandering, is more of a feel good track. Proceeding at a leisurely pace, the song invites you to enjoy its simple beauty moment by moment. The drums, bass and rock feel are more present in this piece, and the main melody is catchy enough to stay in your head for a while. A less emotional song than the previous track, it's still a nice number to just get lost in.

The Kaleidoscope delivers a lovely, heart-wrenching ballad and a fun, easygoing rock number on this single. Carried by winning melodies and Ishida's earnest vocals, nowhere man will leave you looking for other releases from this talented group.