【Click here for English translation】
3年ぶりのソロ作は、ポスト・ロック、エレクトロニカを通過した最新型AOR!
Jimanicaと言えば、Itoken、山口崇司とd.v.dとして活動する腕利きドラマーというのが一般的な認識だろう。d.v.dはやくしまるえつことの連名でも作品をリリースしており、Jimanicaは山下智久 《愛、テキサス》、ももいろクローバーZ《Z女戦争》、花澤香菜《アブラカタブラ片思い》といったやくしまるが作詞や作曲を手掛けた楽曲でもドラムを叩いていた。その堅実でツボを押さえた仕事ぶりは職人的という形容がしっくりくるものだ。が、3年ぶり4作目となるソロ作『GRAND AGE』は、山田杏奈、小貫早智子、やくしまるえつこ、蓮沼執太、木下美紗都といったヴォーカリストがフィーチャーされ、メロディアスなうたものに接近。これまでのソロ作で最もポップでキャッチーな仕上がりとなっている。
特に注目すべきは、AORやシティ・ポップ、R&Bなどのエッセンスが自然な形で注入されていること。カラフルなシンセサイザーや幾何学的なリズムなどはd.v.dにも通じるが、本作はよりソウルフルで、時にブラック・フィーリングを滲ませるアレンジが特徴となっている。沖縄出身のヒップホップ・グループSUBMARINEの日渡正朗が流麗なラップを聴かせるナンバーなど新機軸も多数。EDMを彼なりに咀嚼したようなエレクトロ・ナンバーがあったり、湧き出るアイディアを片っ端から投入したようなゴージャスな構成だ。これは、彼のキャリアの中でも転換点となる意欲作と言っていいだろう。
タイトルの『GRAND AGE』は造語だが、“全ての世代に潜むオトナ”という意味が込められているそうだ。なるほど、先鋭的でありながら慎ましやかなうたごころを秘めた本作は、ポスト・ロックやエレクトロニカを通過した新しい形のAORと捉えれば腑に落ちる。最新鋭のエレクトロニック・ミュージックを愛する若者から耳の肥えたオトナまでを唸らせる、Jimanica流最新型AORの誕生。そう呼びたくなるマスターピースである。
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.
