An Cafe - Shikisai Moment

Any musician’s first album can tell one a lot about them; how they deal with creating a collection of songs can set a band along its path for fame - or for failure. So how did the now popular oshare kei band start out?

The first song on the album, OPU-NGU, is actually one of An Cafe’s first ever releases back in 2003. Slightly altered from the original, it serves as a nice introduction to what follows. Combining traditional sounding music with dance gives it a refreshing quality, which acts almost as a palate cleanser before the rest of the album. The second song, Merrymaking, continues the refreshing feeling, with clean guitar work and a simple bass line. Miku’s vocals, however, don’t seem to be up to their usual standard, but fortunately, this does not mar the song in a big way.

The style changes a little with the next two songs. In Escapism, An Cafe takes a slightly more rock approach with heavier bass, darker lyrics and generally a more subdued feeling, making it an interesting song to listen to. A faster but by no means lighter song follows. Ippatsu gyakuten renai Game showcases some awesome drum work, while Miku’s vocals seem to be back in top form. With some extremely energetic parts, this is a great song to both sing and dance along to.

The fifth and sixth songs are a little on the slow side; they are a good respite from the high-octane tracks both at the start and end of the album, but nonetheless will not stand out as favourites. golden wing is again a very fresh song. Rinne no tsumi is almost ballad-like, but might be slightly too dark for some. Another heavy rock song, Gangu, starts off a series of songs where each member of the band seems to contribute fully - the vocals, guitar, bass and drums can all be heard clearly, giving a rich feel to the music. With a catchy tune and a heavy metal vibe, Gangu is clearly one of the more successful tracks on the album.

The seventh song gives the listener a great taste of typical An Cafe style. Tekesuta kousen is an energetic, playful song with a heavy rock sound, which displays An Cafe’s strong points perfectly - even with what might appear to be over the top sound, one will still listen to it again and again. NYAPPY in the World continues along the same path, although slightly lighter and edging towards a dance track, while the tenth song, ½, is a very different style from the rest of the album. However, it could be thought of as simply another take on golden wing or Merrymaking. An Cafe has succeeded in making a very complete and relaxing song that carries one along with it.

The final song, Wagamama koushinkyouku, is not so much the climax of the album, but rather a fun, simple tune to tie it all up with. As with the previous few songs, all the members are displaying their talent clearly, and each is using the style that works best for him. The song itself could seem slightly stale to some, as the band isn’t trying anything new as it does with many of the other tracks on Shikisai Moment. Even so, the lyrics and style of playing work together well and convey An Cafe’s child-like quality perfectly.

The album also contains a bonus track: Hidden Track (also known as My Favourite Beat), a one-off where Bou, Kanon and Teruki do the vocals instead of Miku. One will definitely be surprised at how well the other members manage the task of taking over Miku’s role. Bou and Teruki especially come off as being experienced singers. The music is also incredibly well done; the brilliant song could have been used for a single release. It is definitely a hidden jewel on An Cafe’s album.

Shikisai Moment was a major improvement from the band’s previous releases and contains some of its best ever work. Each song on this album is both complete and professional while still being incredibly playful and full of attitude. An Cafe definitely shows a large amount of potential with it. Even after so much time, it can be listened to again and again without losing its originality, which is a good thing as each song should be listened to several times to appreciate its richness.