la la larks – Hallelujah September 23, 2015

Track Listing

1. Hallelujah
2. Q And A
3. Shikisai
4. Hallelujah (Instrumental)
5. Q And A (Instrumental)
6. Shikisai (Instrumental)

1. Hallelujah

That cool electronic opening of Hallelujah made me say that exactly!  The tune is a really interesting one having a different kind of non-sfp sound, but the experimentation continued with the chorus by including brass instruments alongside the band which gave this song an AMAZING and robust sound!  I’m really loving the atmosphere of the song and Yumi just sounds heavenly alongside this very wild and exciting track…there’s even a cool guitar solo!  Yeah, this is definitely a song to keep on my iPhone for sure!

2. Q And A

After being blessed with such an A-side, Q And A comes next and this sounds like something the band would have released.  Very familiar chords and arrangements as the song rolls on by and while that’s not a good thing I still can’t get the feeling that somehow school food punishment never really disappeared.  I think I’m pretty content with this a a B-side because if it was the leading song, I probably wouldn’t be as invested in the single otherwise.

3. Shikisai

It seems that fellow artist Maaya Sakamoto contributed to this song (payment back for having some people from sfp doing her A-side, “Buddy” maybe?).  I’m loving the chaotic chords being presented by the piano/keyboard giving this unsettling feel to the track.  As it continues, more of the familiar sounds of the band return, but the arrangement ends up being this wild and dramatic piece and it’s LOVELY, and the drummer is really kicking ass in this song xD.  Definitely a cool B-side and easily could’ve been a leading song!

I’ve been waiting for a new la la larks single for a while and I’m so happy their 2nd single turned out really well, even better than their debut (well “debut”).  Hallelujah blew me away when I first heard it and the different ideas clashing against each other made such a beautiful end product and easily is their best song yet, it even tops a LOT of their sfp stuff!  Same can be said for Shikisai with it’s own take on it’s wild mixture of sounds and chords…it was very cool and artsy for them.  While Q And A is good, it’s a safe song for them and really is the sound a lot of fans are used to from the band…Overall this was just an awesome single *RECOMMENDED*

la la larks – ego-izm October 12, 2014

Track Listing

1. ego-izm
2. end of refrain
3. earworm
4. ego-izm (instrumental)
5. end of refrain (instrumental)

1. ego-izm

Right from the start with Ryo’s wild keyboard melody and the switch to using strings in the arrangement, I knew I was in for ride with the band.  ego-izm sounds just like school food punishment down to the core and I’m kind of liking the energy of the band together and Yumi sounds just like you would expect her to sound.  Definitely a wonderful song and just a has a lot of great moments through it.

2. end of refrain

The first B-side shows the more experimental side which I was elated to see not lost on la la larks’ debut.  The deep synths mixed with those blips of acoustic guitars are just soothing and really leaves an interesting feel in my mind.  Yumi sounds lively and bright in the song and mixing in the arrangement wonders, I just fell in love with the song!  Some of it reminds me of “Kakenukeru”, but this is pretty impressive!

3. earworm

Interesting that it’s the only song that doesn’t have an instrumental on the single.  earworm is even more lowkey than “end of refrain” with its etheral feel and the light vocals from Yumi.  I’m not sure what that light clanking is supposed to be, but after a while it’s replaced by otherworldly sounds that gives this uncertainty kind of feel about it, but it’s definitely an experimental pull.  Very interesting indeed.

 

 

Did school food punishment really disband though? XD.  What happened was that they did actually disband because Yumi wanted something else, which might not transate well going into la la larks as it’s her, Ryo Eguchi (the main producer that’s done a lot of sfp’s stuff) and three new members (basically dropping the remaining two members from sfp altogether).  As their first single, ego-izm really feels like we never really lost sfp and the core sound remained intact (which is a pleasant thing to know).  All three songs are really nice songs to listen to and hope there’s more in the future from them *RECOMMENDED*