In the early 1990's, alternative rock was at it's peak with several different styles and musicians going out over the airways. Grunge, post-punk, noise rock, shoegaze. It feels like a lot of these styles came and went from the general public's eye after a few years, as did the musicians performing them. Nowadays most of the bands in these genres are found in underground circles. There's at least one band that hasn't lost their spirit yet, and still continue to tour the world and make good music, if not better music than yesteryear. Luminous Orange has been a huge part of Japan's underground shoegaze scene since they were formed by Rie Takeuchi in 1992. Although the band has essentially become a solo project of Takeuchi, Luminous Orange has been dazzling fans for almost two decades with their glittering dream pop punctuated by layers upon layers of distorted guitars and beautiful melodies.
The band's sixth studio album, Songs of Innocence was released earlier this month after nearly two years of recording. The album is, simply put, a sonic masterpiece. Takeuchi composes beautiful melodies and makes great use of layering the guitars to achieve the desired sound. Her shimmering vocals only add to the beauty. Most times, her voice is nearly indecipherable behind the wall of sound, but the melodies and harmonies still break through, making the vocals an instrument in and of itself. The rhythm section on this album can't be forgotten either. Many of the drums on the album were contributed by former Number Girl and Zazen Boys drummer, Ahito Inazawa. Wherever there's an opportunity for a drum fill, it's taken advantage of and meshes superbly with the rest of the elements, never taking away from the sweet melodies and harmonies going on.
Lots of great bass going on as well, especially in stand-out track Blaze of Light. The bass line throughout is absolutely mesmerizing, and once the chorus goes back into the verse, the bass takes on a new life and holds it own in a duel with the myriad of guitars. It seems more often than not in modern day mixing, the bass is usually forgotten and buried so deep you have to strain yourself to hear it. You think it would be the same with Luminous Orange, due to the massive layering of guitars. Despite that, the bass comes through during the entire album in perfect clarity. It never fights with the guitar or vocals, or overpowers it. It simply complements it adding even more for the listener to pick out during the auditory onslaught.
From the beginning of the album, the listener will be sucked in from the soft melody of the title track. Synth and a whistle solo add to the upbeat atmosphere of the song, but once it ends, the album really starts to take off. Untold gets to that classic Luminous Orange level, the sound that defines them: roaring guitars and feedback... vocals that will make you absolutely melt... a melody that you just can't forget. It's also amazing how much of a visual you can get in your mind's eye while listening to the album. Sea of Lights, for example, starts off ominously, as if you find yourself floating down a river with the only source of light coming from far down the shoreline. Once the buzzing guitar line kicks in during the chorus, you'd think you were listening to a 90's college rock anthem outside in the school parking lot.
Even stripped down, to the most basic level, the melodies still resonate on the same level. Autumn Song and Dusk, Train, and the Bridge have noticeable acoustic guitar. At some points, the acoustic guitar is the only guitar track present, and here we see that Takeuchi's is not afraid to put her vocals at the forefront for a few lines. In these few moments we hear her pristine voice disproving any small doubts anyone may have had that she was trying to hide her voice. The rest of the album has a multitude of uplifting melodies that hearken back to other 90's shoegazers such as Lush and Pale Saints, the downpour of guitars swirling and wrapping the listener in a blanket of enchantment.
Songs of Innocence stands up to the rest of Luminous Orange's discography, solid through and through. It very well may be the best record put out by the band in the past decade, which makes this a perfect way to open this one. One listen cannot suffice with this album. And it's not that this album is a grower. It's because there is just so much going on in each and every song, it's impossible to fully grasp the entire album in one listen. A good pair of headphones will be the best tool in picking out every musical nuance that Takeuchi has poured into the album. More and more is brought to light with each subsequent listen. It's as if you're peeling back one more guitar layer with each listen, revealing the nature to each song.
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