microstar -- She got the blues (Part 2)

 

Well, it's been over five years since I gave my two pennies on microstar's July 2016 album "She got the blues". Before and since that article, I've additionally given some individual attention to other tracks on this fun release: "Yuugure Girl"（夕暮れガール）, "Tiny Spark", and "Tomodachi ni Narou"（友達になろう）, and I think that it's time to finish everything here with the remaining four tracks that I had yet to cover. Just as a reminder, vocalist Yuko Iizumi（飯泉裕子）took care of the lyrics for all of the tracks while producer Seiki Sato（佐藤清喜）composed them.

"Tsuki no Palace"（月のパレス...Moon Palace） is a rollicking 1970s R&B/pop number about the exhilaration and joy of falling in love. The synths are obvious here but the arrangement and Iizumi's vocals are so cheerful that they cover over any wonders about what could have been if real brass had been implemented.

The arrangement behind "My Baby" is very reminiscent of 1970s Tatsuro Yamashita（山下達郎）when he was in New York City. From what I could get of the lyrics, it seems that a girlfriend has perhaps teasingly accused her guy of being a rather empty fellow but he counters that not only is she an empty vessel as well but that it's great to be in such a state if only that they can be filled up with wonderful things going forward. The horns do come in here only for "My Baby" to suddenly finish up at only two minutes and forty-five seconds.

Speaking of rollicking, that is some percussion rolling consistently and persistently throughout "Watashi-tachi wa Koi wo Suru"（私たちは恋をする...We are Going to Make Love）, a 70s soul number. I've heard that rolling thunder in other songs, Japanese and American, and would like to know whether there is a specific name for the drumming technique. It is quite propulsive as Iizumi's lyrics relate the story of a couple in love who will most likely consider the edges of their bed the borders of their world for the next several hours. 

The final track is "Oyasumi"（おやすみ...Good Night） and it really does feel like something to wrap up "She got the blues". With the lush arrangement including those trumpeting French horns, Sato couldn't get more Burt Bacharach than this. It's a fine tribute to the master who left this mortal coil in February. 

I would recommend microstar's "She got the blues" for those who want to get that sensation of an overall tribute to the urban contemporary as Japanese music saw it over the past several decades. As far as I know, there has yet to be a follow-up album but wouldn't it be nice if Sato and Iizumi could come up with one?