Blue Peppers -- Acacia（アカシア）

 

Discovering the wonders of the duo Blue Peppers（ブルー・ペパーズ）a few years ago, I was more than happy to indulge in their first full album "Retroactive" from 2017. And there were quite a few of us who were wondering if and when a second album would become due.

Well, wait no more. Album No. 2 "Symphony" was released in Japan only a couple of days ago, and in fact, a few weeks back, a brief tasting menu of sorts of the album was put onto YouTube. However, we got that music video featuring one of the tracks from "Symphony" on December 8th.

"Acacia" was written by both Naoki Fukuda（福田直木）and Kaoru Inoue（井上薫）of the Blue Peppers, and Inoue took care of the melody which one commenter said was a throwback to those early 1990s. Certainly that synthesizer utilized in the song is very mindful of that time and I can't help but hear some of Sing Like Talking back in those days. One can't get more light and mellow than this. According to the explanation right under the video, singer Shiori Sasaki（佐々木詩織）, a collaborator on "Retroactive" is helping out on backing vocals, and even Chara lends a cameo via a phone call in the song. The duo's lyrics are also quite wistful as they sound as if they describe a seasoned resident who had once come to town filled with arrogant energy, got knocked down a number of times but found that special someone to find that measure of peace and love.

But may I also talk about the music video? Under the current restrictions of international travel, the video with its scenes of Shinjuku, Ginza and other areas in Tokyo will have City Pop fans who have yet to head over to the megalopolis weeping for joy and/or longing. Meanwhile, there will be guys like me who will happily spout out "Hey, I walked through there!" and "Yeah, I know that place!". In addition, it's also nice to witness Fukuda and Inoue enjoy a pleasant walk through the neighbourhoods as they kinda look like they jumped out of an early 1990s J-drama.

I did find that tasting menu for "Symphony" now out in stores! Both the videos for "Acacia" and this one are courtesy of YouTube channel Vivid Sound Movie, part of Vivid Sound Corporation which helped produce both of the Blue Peppers' albums along with their earlier works.