INORAN - Teardrop

Originally planned to be released in March but postponed due to the Tohoku earthquake, INORAN’s new album Teardrop finally hit the market on April 13. The title hints at a sensitive approach to music, but INORAN has opted for the complete opposite. The album contains only seven tracks, but that is far from surprising seeing as INORAN has dedicated a large part of 2010 to the revival of his band LUNA SEA.

The CD starts off with No Name, which immediately sets the tone for the rest of the album with its raw rock sound. Although it’s not particularly heavy, the arrangement and mix of the instruments have been done in such a way that it has a garage-rock vibe. With the repetitive bass riff and "hollow" sounding drums, it is even reminiscent of Nirvana’s grunge. Incidentally, the song carries the same title as INORAN’s fan club. From the lyrics, entirely sung in English, it seems that INORAN simply ran out of inspiration for a title though, instead of implicating a song dedicated specifically to his most faithful fans.

SuperTramp grows in intensity and speed. The fast paced, raw rock sound would fit just as well with INORAN’s LUNA SEA’s colleague J, and all similarities to the carefully balanced rock songs with pop and electronica hints that can be found on the previous album Watercolor have definitely been swept off the table. SuperTramp runs high on angry energy, fitting perfectly with the frustration described in the lyrics, once again fully in English. The energy is dampened a little by the next song, Your Light is Blinding, though the electric guitars add to it and make for a fuller soundscape. Still, the song is rather sluggish, especially compared to the other tracks.

The album contains two instrumental interludes, glow and The Hill. glow is mostly a dreamy track composed by synthesizers and sound effects; the latter features acoustic guitar and INORAN singing ‘la la la.’ Both seem to compensate for the heaviness found in the other tracks, but unfortunately they seem rather pointless and lack much substance.

Parallel Reality brings back the grunge with heavy guitars, and it is slightly reminiscent of Nirvana again. In 2006, INORAN participated on the soundtrack of a Kurt Cobain tribute movie, so that style of sound seems to suit him well. The album comes to an end after seven tracks, with Nasty closing it out. Even though it’s only two minutes long, this upbeat and catchy rock tune is sure to linger in your mind.

Teardrop is a surprise to fans, not only because of its raw, unbridled rock sound but also because all seven songs are sung entirely in English. It’s almost as if INORAN has gone back into the past with this new direction, and even though the change came unexpectedly, it is certainly a welcome one.