Nandodemo Atarashiku Umareru 「何度でも新しく生まれる」
MONDO GROSSO
genre: electronic/ deep house • release date: 2017
while i am not familiar with MONDO GROSSO’s work, i am quite familiar with Nandodemo Atarashiku Umareru ( or Nandodemo for short). the album has found some prominence since for some of it’s stand out tracks. MONDO GROSSO conscipts a number of featuring vocalists to aid his compositions, hoping they will lend each track their own unique idenity. the album is overflowing with ideas and collaborations, but frequently lacks the discipline to wrangle them into a coherent album. on the other hand, when Nandodemo soars, it manages to creates a powerful and deep sense of atmosphere. one that succeeds the surrounding efforts of the album. it might not be enough to save the whole album.
let’s get right in to it, “Labyrinth” is by far and away the best part of Nandodemo. this and “Wakusei Tantra” are carrying the whole album on their back. and their backs ain’t even hurting. when i think of good music, music that i am eager to feel, music that i want to share to others, “Labyrinth” is actually quite up there. the song has a mysterious pull that leads you into its world with a binaural trance. the music warping space as it bounces from ear to ear, the middle presence of the song slowly building its own value. the vocalist here, Hikari Mitsushima, sings with with luscious clarity as her voice echoes off into the dark periphery. there’s a comfort zone in this song, a mental safe space away from whatever currently lies beyond, especially in real life. while the song builds, achieving a cacophony of digital mixes by the end, they never feel too much. not in the way it does on the rest of the album. the atmosphere never breaks, even when it kicks in to full motion. it just feels… like a battery is finally been linked up. “Labyrinth” feels energizing, happy even, by its final stretch. there is a terrific momentum that never lets up but never feels too out of control. the resulting song achieves airtight atmosphere.
“Wakusei Tantra” finds similar success. it manages to match “Labyrinth”s particular energy and find a way to explore it in a new avenue. maintaining an atmosphere, warmth, that i wish the rest of the album had. Vocalist Asuka Saitou is soft enough to lure the listener, yet hits a deeper register giving her voice a sultry quality. the song’s deep bass is a through-line that upholds the various mixes and reverb with ease. upon its shoulders the song experiments with lighter metronome beats and instrument samples that play in near infinite loop. the switch ups along the way are the key to the song’s chemistry. these meandering sections of sounds existing are able to find a foothold to step off in to their next phase. the song thrives in repetition, becoming its most enjoyable when i zone out and just let it wash over me. some of my favorite songs are the longest ones that require little to no effort to enjoy, a guided experience.
there are a small handful of other songs on the album i don’t mind revisiting on my way through the neighborhood. “Outou Seyo” is carried by Etsuko Yakushimaru, but in a way you might only be able to find on this album. her typical style is traded out to better fit with MONDO GROSSO, resulting in a unique way to expereince her voice. her somewhat cutesy and and breathless voice makes for a song that only holds because of her performance. i enjoy seeing featured artists utilized in ways outside of their traditional output. “KEMURI”, the album’s final track, might find a lot of fans as well. a grainy bass tone has a hand firmly holds the song in its submission. it’s a bit filthy, but also enticing. “TIME” also find a bit of clarity among the rest of the album. it feels airy and has room to breath somewhere in the middle sound stage, showcasing MONDO GROSSO’s ability to creatively utilize the location of sound on a driver, not just the sound itself.
among Nandodemo’s weakest points are a collection of the good, which can’t stick the landing such as “Haru wa Towa ni Mezameru”, and the outright bad. “late night blue” is a late album track that feels wholly abrasive. so much, that all of that good will from “Labyrinth” is evaporated to the last drop. it feels unfocused, and too focused on the high end of sound. the result feels like being jabbed in the ear drums. yikes. the sound pulses and spikes, not to mention the confusing inclusion of a short saxaphone sample that adds nothing and confuses my engagement level. “SOLITARY” feels like it wants to attempt something experimental, but ends up feeling disjointed and fragmented. a song that wants to be exotic but ends up tiresome to my attention span. its songs like these that wither the listener’s connection to the album in entirety. the remaining grab bag of songs ranging from an interesting excursion to a pit of tedium. a precipitous drop from what brought us here in the first place.
Nandodemo Atarashiku Umareru (you know i’m at the end of the review, when i’m using the full album name) is at its best when it manages to align MONDO GROSSO’s aptitude of a binaural space along with the featured singers’ efforts. leveraging these skills result in parts that soar far above what is left behind below. it is the contrast itself that leaves the remaining tracks so truly forgettable. if not for powerful exhibitions of music such as “Labyrinth” and “KEMURI” and “Wakusei Tantra” the album would be exempt from notice. the album exemplifies that a small amount of meaningful quality far outweigh that of mild quantity. in any case, the album is not outright worth a skip. i think there are great pieces, a few more pieces worth accidenting in to, and, perhaps, the rest are worth visiting since you’ve already paid admission. the album may lack the complete atmosphere it champions, but even if it gets lost in process, you can always just go revisit what made the magic in the first place.
written by
Marcus Landeros
- highlights -
Labyrinth (Album Mix) 「ラビリンス」 — Vocal: Hikari Mitsushima
Wakusei Tantra 「惑星タントラ」 — Vocal: Asuka Saitō
Ōtō seyo 「応答せよ」 — Vocal: Etsuko Yakushimaru
KEMURI 「煙」 — Vocal: ACO
track list:
TIME — Vocal: bird
Haru wa Towa ni Mezameru (Ver.2) 「春はトワに目覚める」 — Vocal: UA
Labyrinth (Album Mix) 「ラビリンス」 — Vocal: Hikari Mitsushima
Maigo no Astronauta 「迷子のアストゥルナウタ」 — Vocal: INO hidefumi
Wakusei Tantra 「惑星タントラ」 — Vocal: Asuka Saitō
SOLITARY — Vocal: Kei Owada
ERASER — Vocal: Anne Futagami
SEE YOU AGAIN — Vocal: Kick a Show
late night blue — Vocal: YUKA
GOLD — Vocal: Kaori Shimoshige
Ōtō seyo 「応答せよ」 — Vocal: Etsuko Yakushimaru
KEMURI 「煙」 — Vocal: ACO
