VANIRU "ISOLΛTION"
Interviewed and written by: Mayumi Tsuchida
Time to welcome the birth of a new workmanship that fascinates you with electro-pop filled with decadent sensuality, well-suited for the mysterious appearance of the front man, LEONEIL. VANIRU is originally the name of the 'place' given by LEONEIL for him to work on music. He explains how it started.
"In the first place, I had a feeling that I wanted to express myself on the stage. Music served as the perfect detonator necessary to awaken and explode the dormant feelings within. In that way, my music is myself. (LEONEIL: all comments hereinafter also)
Guitarist YUTO later joined the unit to form the current duo they are. Having released several materials since 2013 while playing live shows, they have just completed a new mini album titled "ISOLΛTION." While the latest single "DEAD OR DANCE" included a cover of New Order's "Blue Monday", this album welcomes such arrangers as Cube Juice or MIYO-KEN, and offers the duo's distinctive dance-pop in which original new wave flavor and modern inspirations coexist, as if indicating where they are headed to after posing the question - 'dance or die.'
"He (YUTO) had given me some pieces of music and phrases with guitar for "ISOLΛTION" in the past. To be honest, it wasn’t that chord-striking to me at the time, but they suddenly began to take on a glow at a certain moment... All of a sudden, things started to link together... It was the link not only to myself, but also to something much larger. Looking at a variety of different lives suddenly made me feel [Now is the perfect time to sing this song]. Living in this world is never without cruelty or loneliness, so you need to accept it as a truth and continue fighting for your life. However, you should not take it negatively, but more aggressively. This is a challenging song about 'living life.'"
Following the sensually provocative synth pop "ISOLΛTION" is the cosmic, New Romantic-styled "Dreaming Crystal." Described respectively as [challenge] and [relief], LEONEIL says that the two songs are 'a perfect pair.'
"Living life... you need to carry on living despite your hardships while looking for relief, looking for personal relief... But the whole thing starts only when you learn the truth."
Following these two tracks that form the core of the album is the instrumental "ANOTHER DIMENSION" that completely changes the scene midway as if precisely going into another dimension. With that as the starting point, the album enters into a string of updated versions of their past signature pieces, such as "Cosmic Night," "JUST YOUR DREAM" or "LOVE AGAIN." Including the remix of "ISOLΛTION" by YOW-ROW (Vo/Prog. of Japanese electro rock band GALI) that leaves a solemn afterglow, here again, you can see LEONEIL’s take on the relationship between [living] and [music].
"All the past songs included in the album had the potential to evolve into a new one. I wanted to see how far a small change can go into [another dimension]. That said, the version of "ISOLΛTION" subtitled [The Vortex] was substantially changed with aspirations for it to actually stir things up. I think music is multifaceted and ever changing. Just as we keep changing as we live, so does music. Even if you play music as usual, there may be times when you feel different about it or hear it in another tone... That's precisely why I continue playing music."
He and music are ever changing. That may be the reason why the realm of VANIRU's lyrics, in contrast to its strong power that conveys the stark reality, provides only ephemeral relief that passes away like a dream. And such transience is also seen in the pleasure of the sounds this danceable album offers.
"Yes, you can call this album danceable if you’d like. But I think not only does it make your body move, it also shakes the inner side and the bottom of your heart as well."
