Q;indivi Starring Rin Okawa – Celebration July 13, 2009

Track Listing

1. Air On The G String
2. Pomp and Circumstance
3. Wedding March
4. Salute D’amour
5. Turandot
6. Serenade for Strings
7. Pathetic
8. Gymnopedie
9. Clair de Lune
10. Etude
11. Jesus, Joy Of Man’s Desiring

CD 2

1. Pomp and Circumstance (Long Extended Mix)
2. Pomp and Circumstance (Long Extended Mix-inst)

1. Air On The G String

So the album starts with a pretty piano melody and some birds chirping that leads into a dance track that mixes it with the previous stuff.  Right from the start, Rin clearly has gotten better as singer, but is still airy though.  I really like the light dance mood and the sampling of the piano melody going on. 

2. Pomp and Circumstance

I’m going to guess this was the track that advertised the album, Pomp and Circumstance continues the trend of piano + dance, but it sounds so much more cleaner.  The melody sounds so damn familiar though…like someone took it from a Disney track.  By all means though, this is a very good track. 

3. Wedding March

Hey, I do know the melody of this song immediately, it’s the damn Wedding Song that every marriage plays, but with lyrics.  I’m also starting to notice that so far in the album Rin has been singing in English, which is a bit surprising because Rin is singing clear and fluently.  I don’t know why but adding a dance beat with such a memorable tune, is basically a stab to the original…It’s alright, but don’t make it danceable.

4. Salute D’amour

Our next track, it’s just comes off as a little cheesy because of the arrangement and overall lyrical sound.  The piano melody is once again familiar to me, but it still comes off as a bit meh since its utilizing the same thought process again.  Time for a new change Q;indivi.

5. Turnadot

~This train is taking you away~.  I’ll have to say, Turnadot is so innocent at the beginning…it really made the song work for me really.  The dance beats are a bit more fast-paced here which is awesome.  I do like the other parts of the song that made the piano sound very important.  I don’t know but this might be my favorite song off the album.

6. Serenade for Strings

It’s kind of odd that the song sounds a bit like “Turnadot” actually it sounds like a continuation if anything.  It’s even funnier that there’s a lack of strings period which is so funny.  I do feel bad that it’s a carbon copy of the previous track because of the overly sameish arrangement here that I got bored of the track pretty quickly. 

7. Pathetic

Pathetic is a bit odd title to choose, especially if the song is once again basically summed around the last few songs, how unfortunate.  I do think the song’s regretful nature, but there’s something that doesn’t sit right with me and maybe it’s the lighthearted sound that’s going on through the track.  I don’t know but I guess it’s alright.

8. Gymnopedie

*sigh*…I do like how the song works as more of a fantasy-like track, but I’m starting to feel a little bored with the album since it doesn’t really sound different which is a bit disappointing at this point of the album.  Rin here though is using a higher register this time around and even though it’s airy as hell, it’s kind of in tune and so much better than past endeavors from her.

9. Clair de Lune

So our next track comes in next and it starts off quite nicelt, and to some extent it’s kind of a magicanl and soothing tune, at the same time, it is a bit bland.  It does take a bit before Rin comes in but she’s not singing, she’s speaking the song a bit before the song takes over again, so it’s an extensive interlude of sorts. 

10. Etude

Etude could be the most boring title ever, but the song is actually a ballad unlike the dance hybrids that plague the rest of the album.  It’s simple piano arrangement and distant snaps and lone strings made the song such a good listen.  Rin sounds quite nice though the airyness of her vocals will get to you, but this another good track and I love the climaxes of the song, now this is a ballad done right. 

11. Jesus, Joy Of Man’s Desiring

Kind of like a lullaby, Jesus, Joy Of Man’s Desiring reminds me of like orgel music, but with Rin included.  It’s amazingly more simpler than “Etude” and makes quite the difference.  The lyrics are just as magical and it’s quite nice.  It’s such a fitting way to end the album IMO.

CD 2

1. Pomp and Circumstance (Long Extended Mix)

Pomp and Circumstance is originally a little over 6 minutes, but here they added two minutes here and well, it’s basically the same song with an extended startup and longer times in the instrumentals of the song.  Still it’s catchy and such so I can’t bag on it too much 

Tracks Recommended

• Etude
• Turnadot
• Pomp and Circumstance
• Jesus, Joy Of Man’s Desiring

So Q;indivi is kind of following with what GEO from Sweetbox has been doing recently with the classical mixing and such, and this album really isn’t that much to talk about, even though it’s doing very well on iTunes right now.  Now I’m also like unsure, if this is their 3rd album or just a concept album because; 1. feat. Rin is on the title (is she leaving?) and 2. “It’s Time To Say Hello” isn’t on this album, which was a preview back on “philharmonique;”.  Iono, but since Q;indivi has been doing this longer than GEO, I was expecting something more expressive and memorable, but all in all, it was a bit stale at places, but I really like the melodies that were recognizable.