Miss And Hit

Angerme – Kuyashii wa / Piece of Peace ~Shiawase no Puzzle~

Soooo, I’ve been gone a while, eh? And I was doing so good keeping up with the new releases this year, you know, right up until I wasn’t. Ah well, there’s no internet law against late reviews (yet), so I’m gonna play catch-up starting with Angerme’s 31st single. Released three weeks ago, the videos have been live for twice as long, which gives me a slightly different starting perspective compared to the usual few days from which I tackle a song. Of the two tracks, my opinion on one has not changed even a little from my first listen, while the other has grown a lot.

As to the former, “Kuyashii wa” further solidifies that the inclusion of an upbeat pop-R&B funk track on their singles is the official Angerme formula, dating back as it does over two years covering their last four singles. It also continues the good-meh order in which these songs arrive. “Mirror Mirror” is the first and best of this lot, followed by the pedestrian “Hakkiri Shiyou ze”, the vocally powerful “Hade ni Yacchai na!,” and now the off-the-rack pop-funk of “Kuyashii wa.” I think I’d like this a lot more if it were a bit slower, greasier and overall less whimsical. Unfortunately, it’s none of those things, and the over-the-top acting in the video only accentuates the negatives for me. My initial reaction to this was cool, and I haven’t warmed to it much in the two months since. A rare Takui Nakajima-penned miss. (Edit: I forgot to mention that the instrumental break is the best part of this track, and it’s pretty sick. Having the bass copy the vocalized syncopated melody adds a jazzy element that fits the tempo better than the rest of the song does.)

Thankfully this miss is offset by a 50-ring bullseye with the gorgeous ballad “Piece of Peace ~Shiawase no Puzzle~.” I’m an absolute simp for these epic pop ballads, and this one is no different. Is it conventional as fuck? It is! Have we heard a million songs like this already. We sure have! Do I love it enough to marry it and start a family? I do! Okay, I’m overstating it a bit, but the resolution of the tense B-melody into the emotional chorus is so powerfully effective that knowing your emotions are being exploited by a pro composer and pro arranger scarcely matters. Look, if musical manipulation is inevitable, just close your eyes and enjoy it. Leader Akari Takeuchi gets to show off on the final chorus, which is nice considering it feels like were creeping into stoppage-time with her. I used to call songs like these “prom ballads” (being the child of the 80s that I am), and “Piece of Peace ~Shiawase no Puzzle~” would definitely put the chaperones on high alert.

All told, a miss-and-hit release for H!P’s noisiest group, and the miss isn’t terribly off mark, but it’s still a bit of a let down following the knock-out combo of “Ai•Mashou” and “Aisubekibeki Human Life” from their previous single.