Especia -- L'elisir d'amore

I've made some wonderful discoveries on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" over the 6+ years, a number of them through my fellow collaborators and commenters. Through Marcos V., one band which caught my fancy was Especia, which is sadly no longer around.

When I was first introduced to "Kurukana"（くるかな）back in 2014, I just thought Especia was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Yes, I am exaggerating a tad here, but at the time, I couldn't even imagine a contemporary aidoru group singing songs inspired by the groovier side of City Pop of the 1980s. And yet, "Kurukana" had me at the opening riff.

Its trackmate, "L'elisir d'amore" (Elixir of Love) from their 2014 album "GUSTO", has even included some soul and rap into the groove. Written by mirco and Hitoshi Nambu（ナンブヒトシ）and composed by Schtein & Longer, Especia's singing may be on the aidoru level of things but the melody has got that intoxicating nighttime urban flavour. It's definitely the type of song that I enjoyed listening during the wee hours when I was cramming for exams or furiously trying to complete that essay during high school and university. Groove will always be gold for me.