First and foremost, I love this album, it has my #1 all-time favorite song — Sentimental Bus. What I didn’t realize until I did a “close listening” session for this album, is that all of the songs in it are about love! Or related to it anyways. Each song on this album is representative of a specific stage in a relationship and it’s aftermath aligning with the track order. And given the title of the last track Wave of the Hand, Goodbye… yeah.

The album has songs that have Mihoko Tanoue and Makoto Igarashi — the duo behind Roly Poly Rag Bear — as the main vocalist, the other backing them in the chorus or refrain. The songs with Igarashi as the main are much bouncier, floatier, and generally more positive in vibe and lyrical content (not to mention higher in number). Her tracks really reach into the band’s inspiration from Shibuya-kei with how upbeat they can be.

On the other hand, Tanoue’s songs are much moodier, deeper, and solemn. They carry a sort of clear but heavy reflection on the relationship central to the album’s plot. His vocals are a nice contrast to Igarashi’s bubblier tracks — though she definitely has some moody tracks — and are a nice alternative if you’re not big on the more Shibuya-kei sound.

Personally? I love the moodiness and deeper sound in Tanoue’s songs. That, along with the lyrics in Sentimental Bus put it at the very top for me.

If you’ll indulge me, an issue I have with a lot of Japanese songs — that’s no fault of their own — is that a lot of them would sound strange in English. Yes I understand, very silly qualm. But take Rainy as an example, I enjoy the song, but the content of the lyrics in English together with the track just don’t mesh together. But Sentimental Bus stands out, with lyrical content that meshes with the track regardless of language, the track becomes timeless. Which now leads me to my fave.

Oh, Sentimental Bus. The bass dominance in this track and how it ties in so closely with the drums is — to be expected and — wonderful in execution. The dominance of the rhythm section allows the vocals to shine through it all, with the backing guitar showing up almost like a period to accent each of the Tanoue’s lines. Then the way the guitar becomes more prominent in the chorus and at the end of the song is beautiful.

Now, the lyrics. The lyrics despite being short and sweet, tap into the ephemeral nature of love and life. Where the singer goes out and does what they will, and as their daily life takes its course, they slowly forget their love and move on with life. With the seasons going by, life moves on and so do we. The lyrics really stuck with me when I first heard them 9 years ago in high school, and they ring truer now.

Alright, my verdict on this album? Yes. If you like Indie rock and can get down with the bounciness of Shibuya-kei, you should definitely check out this album. And in-case you’re not too into the Shibuya-kei bubbliness, still check out the tracks that mainly feature my man Tanoue on main vocals: Sentimental Bus, and Stripe. You won’t regret it.

— J