Jimanica "GRAND AGE"
Written by: Ariake Tosa
After going through post-rock and electronica, the first solo album in three years by Jimanica arrives in the form of the latest-style AOR!
Jimanica is generally known as the skilled drummer of d.v.d. (drums-visuals-drums), a trio consisting of two drummers, Jimanica and Itoken, and a visual media artist, Takashi Yamaguchi. The group has collaborated and released some works in joint names with Yakushimaru Etsuko of Soutaisei Riron, the experimental pop rock band, while in the meantime Jimanica had been playing the drums for music written or composed by Yakushimaru, such as Tomohisa Yamashita’s “Ai, Texas (meaning Love, Texas,)” Momoiro Clover Z’s “Otome Senso (meaning Girls’ War,)” and Kana Hanazawa’s “Abracadabra Kataomoi (meaning Abracadabra One-sided Love.)” As he always plays steadily and knows the right points to push, the way in which he works is closer to a craftsman. However, “GRAND AGE,” his fourth solo work for the first time in three years, features vocalists such as Anna Yamada, Sachiko Onuki, Yakushimaru Etsuko, Shuta Hasunuma, and Misato Kinoshita, making it geared more towards a melodic collection of songs. The album is more pop and catchy than any other previous solo pieces.
Especially striking is that the essence of various genres of music such as AOR, city pop (Japanese AOR), R&B, is naturally infused into the music. The colorful synthesizer and geometric rhythms are something in common with d.v.d.’s music, but the soulfulness and arrangement which somewhat bears the feel of black music are outstanding than ever. Various innovations are seen as well, like in the tune in which Masaaki Hiwatashi of SUBMARINE, an Okinawan hip hop group, throws down his smooth rapping. The album consists of a lavish lineup structured as if he threw in every single idea that came along, including an electro tune that appears to be his own interpretation of EDM. It is fair to say that this is an ambitious piece of work that would become a turning point of his career.
The title [GRAND AGE] is a coined phrase meaning [the 'adult' that lies within any generation]. That makes sense if you interpret this album, which is rather edgy but still holds an unpretentious heart for music, as a new type of AOR that passed through post-rock or electronica. Here we have one piece of a masterpiece that marks the birth of the newest type of AOR in Jimanica-style and a one that would wow anyone from young listeners who love state-of-art electronic music to appreciative adult listeners.
