Tsuki Amano - Gomoku narabe

Tsuki Amano, formerly Tsukiko Amano, is a Japanese singer-songwriter, famous for singing the ending theme songs used in renowned survival horror videogame franchise "Fatal Frame". Starting with her single, Chou back in November 2003, Koe July 2005, Zero no choritsu in July 2008 and most recently with Torikago ~in the cage~ which features alongside four other tracks in her latest mini-album titled, Gomoku narabe.

Tsuki Amano: Torikago ~in this cage~

The album kicks off with Torikago ~in this cage~ the theme song to the latest entry into the "Fatal Frame" series "Zero ~Nure garasu no miko~" This deep and very emotional song about a birdcage opens slowly with sombre sounds of piano music and acoustic guitar, followed by electric instruments, drums and strings that combine to add a tone of desperation, the ensemble is then joined by Amano's beautiful and emotional vocals with lyrics that carry with them an air of yearning and hopefulness. At six minuets you may think the track would be a little on the long side, however the varied instrumentation and emotional shifts in tone, combined with Amano's outstanding vocals keep you entertained throughout. For those of you who are interested in checking the song out for yourselves you can find the MV in its entirety linked above.

The next track Swimmy switches things up right away. With an upbeat, lively rock & roll number that explodes right out of the gate with rhythmic drum beats, punchy guitar riffs and joyful, enthusiastic vocals, followed by one hell of an awesome guitar solo that breaks up the verse and chorus. Next up we have Pablov, offering a unique sound that could be described as lounge jazz-esque. The track opens with sounds of piano and trumpet, followed by complementary rich and warm sounding vocals, leading into to an explosive and emotional sounding chorus of punchy electric guitar riffs, accompanied by powerful  expressive vocals.

Hana to mitsu is sung as is a special kind of ballad. The beautiful vocals radiate a joyful air of youthfulness accompanied by pleasant piano music and rhythmic drum beats, the songs run time is a little over 2:30, making it the shortest track on the album. What you get here is a short-and-sweet song that sounds very much like a lullaby, and one that is sure to bring a smile to your face and rhythm in your step. The mini-album is capped off with Zeitaku na hibi, a soothing rock ballad with a rich, full accompaniment that complements the dreamy vocal track perfectly, and offers a great guitar solo to boot.

While I haven't had the pleasure of listening to all of Amano's music - namely her more recent output - I've been a fan of her music, as well as her strong and expressive singing style for some time now. Gomoku narabe has certainly peaked my interest in her, whilst also proving once again that Amano Tsuki is an exceptionally talented singer and songwriter who has created a entertaining and diverse new set of songs, my personal favourite being Torikago ~in this cage~ with Zeitaku na hibi coming in at a close second. I for one am looking forward to hearing more from Amano in the future.


Check out Tsuki Amano's website tsuki-amano.com
Follow  her on Twitter @Tsuki_Amano
Follow her Blog tsuki-amano.weblogs.jp/zatsuon/