ICONIQ – Light Ahead

September 18, 2010 at 12:24 pm | Posted in ICONIQ | 2 Comments
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  1. Girl Power
  2. TOKYO LADY
  3. Change Myself
  4. Light Ahead
  5. I.D feat. VERBAL (m-flo)
  6. Kiss & Cry
  7. BYE NOW!

Light Ahead is ICONIQ’s second release this year. I was looking forward to this album but then found out that three old tracks were being slapped onto the album. I have no clue why they’re on this mini-album but avex does a lot of stuff that doesn’t make sense so I’m really not that surprised. Regardless, I was still excited to hear some new songs and once again ICONIQ delivered.

My first reaction to Girl Power was “what the heck is this?” This song reminds me of I’m lovin’ you × EXILE ATSUSHI because of its messy sound. It’s all over the place and the synths are spastic. It definitely doesn’t have a typical melody because it jumps around constantly. After trying to wrap my head around this song it started to click with me. I do enjoy the hectic arrangement and even though it continues the sound of her previous album it has a different flavour. ICONIQ’s vocals are vocoded and the English lyrics stand out and make the song catchy. Overall, this track took awhile to sink in but it’s a great way to start things off. TOKYO LADY is my least favourite of the new tracks but it’s been growing on me since I’ve been listening to the album. The arrangement is much easier to grasp than the previous song because it has a constant melody. The chorus is upbeat and has a great bounce to it while the verses are a tad slower but still keeps the hard knocking beats. It does run on for a little too long and if it was a bit shorter it would have been more memorable. The title track, Light Ahead, is absolutely gorgeous and is one of the best songs she’s released. It’s an electronic mid-tempo and it has such an infectious vibe that I can’t get enough of. I’ve heard the album version is different from the video version but I’ve only seen the video once so I can’t comment on any differences. However, I can say that I still love the song just as much as I did when I saw the video. Her vocals are light and the effects on her voice don’t detract from the song at all. They add to the electronic sound and complement the synths perfectly. “Keep on going/don’t look back.” Kiss & Cry is hands down the most addicting song on the album. I love the synth melody at the beginning because it incorporates a different sound than the other tracks on the album. ICONIQ’s vocals match perfectly with the blazing synths especially during the chorus which is the highlight. The chorus demands attention and the vocals along with the melody are completely irresistible. The English used at the end of each line in the chorus makes it so much better.

Conclusion: Despite feeling a bit disappointed that some old songs were included on the album all the new tracks are phenomenal. It’s nice to see her explore more of an electronic sound which is what I was hoping for. The album isn’t as shockingly good as her first one and this could have been prevented if this mini-album didn’t have old songs tacked onto it. I hope avex doesn’t end up screwing her over because she is turning out to be quite a gem.

Recommended Tracks: Kiss & Cry, Light Ahead and Girl Power

Note: The reviews for Change Myself, I.D feat. VERBAL (m-flo) and BYE NOW! can be found here.

Rating

ICONIQ – Change Myself

July 18, 2010 at 5:56 pm | Posted in ICONIQ | 4 Comments
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  1. Prologue
  2. I’m lovin’ you × EXILE ATSUSHI
  3. Change Myself
  4. LoveShineMagic
  5. BYE NOW!
  6. I.D feat. VERBAL (m-flo)
  7. No Distance
  8. Crystal Girl
  9. Like A Virgin
  10. Epilogue

ICONIQ released her debut album, Change Myself, earlier this year and her image for it really shocked me because she buzzed all her hair off. It’s an extremely captivating and unique image that reflects the title of the album.

The words “change myself” are being taught to a child in Prologue which basically introduces the theme of the album. I really enjoyed the instruments in this song and how it gave a little preview of the next track. Following the introduction is the collaboration with Atsushi from EXILE, I’m lovin’ you × EXILE ATSUSHI. ICONIQ and Atushi sound great together and I love the tracks electronic R&B sound. The beats hit hard and ICONIQ’s synthesized vocals sound great. I love how the song is somewhat all over the place because it makes it more interesting. The title track opens up with a lovely guitar and continues the electronic R&B sound from the previous song. Change Myself is a slick R&B tune with a thumping drum sequence and is one of the best tracks on the album. The song has a fresh feel to it and the vocoder effects work perfectly in the song. The chorus is very light and has an ethereal sound to it thanks to the chimes. At first I thought I wouldn’t enjoy LoveShineMagic but when I heard the chorus I was hooked. Her vocal range during the chorus is great and I like the backing vocals at the end of the song. BYE NOW! is one of my favourite songs and starts off with some lovely “oohs” that compliment the arrangement perfectly. This song is crazy good and the production on this track is amazing. The summery vibe to the song is hot and the chorus is insanely catchy. There is not one single thing bad about this track.

ICONIQ joins up with VERBAl for the upbeat track I.D feat. VERBAL (m-flo). This is my least favourite song on the album though it’s not close to being the worst. I was surprised by VERBAL’s rap because it’s great and works well with the song. This a pretty fun track but there are better songs on the album. No Distance, the album’s first and only slow song, is a cool and smooth R&B track. ICONIQ’s vocals are on-point and the production is tight. This is such a chill out track and the vocoded backing vocals are layered nicely. Without a doubt the best song on the album is Crystal Girl. The song immediately explodes into dark and orgasmic synths with ICONIQ’s soft vocals contrasting nicely against them. This is pure electropop goodness and it’s become one of my favourite songs of this year. I love the use of English phrases in the song and the hook is absolutely brilliant. The breakdown in the middle of the song was a nice surprise and kept things interesting. Sadly, this album would have been perfect if not for ICONIQ’s cover of Like A Virgin. I don’t know why she covered this song but she should have made a new song instead because this cover isn’t that impressive. Her English is pretty good but this is her worst vocal performance on the album. At least the production is nice. Epilogue closes the album off with the sound of cameras flashing and is accompanied by a lovely instrumental of I’m lovin’ you × EXILE ATSUSHI.

Conclusion: ICONIQ’s debut album is filled with outstanding electropop and R&B music. The album is cohesive but manages to be diverse with each song sounding completely different then the other. She may not have the best voice but she expresses her self well and has good control over her vocals. I would like to see ICONIQ take on a more electropop sound like Crystal Girl because she really nailed it on that song. I’m going to keep my eye on her because she’s one of the best new artists to debut this year. Change Myself is a contender for album of the year and I look forward to her next release. Give this album a listen because you won’t be disappointed.

Recommended Tracks: Crystal Girl, BYE NOW!, No Distance and Change Myself

Rating

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