Vogus Image - Mizuiro

It’s already been a few years since the band Vogus Image has disbanded. Though one cannot call them a visual kei band - neither their looks nor their music fits that description - they were leaning towards the scene, appeared at visual kei related events and in magazines related to the style.

Mizuiro, which translates to 'light blue' or 'the color of water,' was the band’s 7th single, released in September 2004. It was one of the last maxi-singles they released before their disbandment, and presents us with four songs.

The single starts off with the title track, an uncomplicated, upbeat rock song which seems to be the band’s forte. Though the guitars mostly stick to simple riffs, Ikka's bass is much more interesting in this song, as he plays some melodious bass lines. Unfortunately, the guitar solo during the bridge lacks conviction and fails to impress.

Ame, rain, is up next. It’s slower paced than Mizuiro and has a sad feeling to it. This time, it seems that the guitars riffs have been arranged more carefully, keeping the overall soundscape of the song in mind as they add to the melancholic feeling. The song is very catchy and seems to be the strongest song of the single.

The following track, Prisoner, is also upbeat rock. The composition itself is not very outstanding and might fail to grab your attention. Though the vocal melody is quite interesting, Sho-ka’s voice is unfortunately rather weak occasionally, and doesn’t seem to cooperate in the way he wants it to. It's a pity because Sho-ka would have had a good chance to liven the song up more with his vocals.

The final track of the single is Sea, which seems to fit more as the title track, as it’s more appealing than Mizuiro. More attention is paid to the dynamics, the vocals are better and so are the instrumental parts. Also, the guitar solo seems to be a little more daring this time.

Overall, the four young men have done a great job with this single. Unfortunately, there are a number of weak spots, but nothing that couldn’t have been made better with the help of a(nother) producer or arranger. The single gives off the vibe that Vogus Image is extremely talented and can create great music, but seems to be unable to dot the i’s and cross the t’s, so to speak. It’s truly a pity that they disbanded, because their work showed that they are truly talented and have a lot to offer.