Wiki
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Release Date
22 November 2016
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Length
10 tracks
Review by Daisuke Kawada @ Mikiki
yahyel have steadily made their quirky name widely known with their past three releases on different formats: 2015 saw an EP appear on Bandcamp before this year’s 7" and Tower Records-only CD single. Now, the Japanese band return with their debut full-length album. Originally formed by Shun Ikegai, Miru Shinoda and Wataru Sugimoto, yahyel have now grown to a quintet with a VJ and a drummer. Here, they draw a soundscape with sharp electronic beats and atmospherics sensual vocals float upon, the band’s creative sense resonating with their contemporaries' futuristic beat music and alternative R&B by the likes of James Blake, The Weeknd and Inc. No World. Their confidence even feels on par with those talents. Despite some uplifting moments like "The Flare," the album depicts a bleak, dystopian world throughout. In contrast, the way the mellifluous melody of "Alone" emerges from the desolate scenery is particularly celestial. Above all, it is delicate yet powerful vocals that lend the album an engrossing charm that stands the test of time.
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