Review: Yonezu Kenshi - Pale Blue
Yonezu Kenshi dominated late 2020 with his excellent Stray Sheep album. Since then, it has hardly been over half a year, and he is back with a single not initally from the album. He is arguably best known for his emotional music and lyrics. Lyrically, Pale Blue is the middle of the road for Kenshi, and that means it overshadows most other modern pop. The hope of the lyrics, however, is nothing more than a compliment for the main dish of the music.
Pale Blue plays out like a long-drawn-out opera. The strings and piano center the instrumental conceptually. Other than drums, and occasional productional flourishes, there is not much else to the instrumental. Thus, it thrives more on tune variations. The rest of the song is driven by Kenshi's voice. When it comes to technicality, Kenshi is a weak vocalist. However, he can convey emotion through his music better than many others. I'd argue that he is arguably one of the best vocalists in modern J-Pop solos.
All of this leads to the chorus. The melody is towering, almost too much, as it does not support the whimsical instrumental too much. Each hook is well written, even if a bit choppy at the edges. The song really takes off after the second chorus, where the song turns into a late romantic classical waltz. It is unique, and even if it does not fully work at times, its ambition is appreciated.
Over here, we also get some more rough notes, slightly baroque. It barely comes again, but I found them a song highlight. Even if this song is not perfect, it does well for Kenshi. As the poster boy of J-Pop, Kenshi has often had heavy influence over the industry, probably leading to a lot of pressure. Thankfully, he still makes songs that are uniquely Kenshi's.
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