Review: AIMYON Shunkanteki Sixth Sense
/Does AIMYON have the Sixth Sense? Let’s find out!
AIMYON is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter who got her start in 2015 and made her major label debut in 2016 with the single “Ikite Itanda yo na”. However, today, I will be breaking down AIMYON’s second major label album Shunkanteki Sixth Sense, which was released on February 13, 2019 and includes one of the most groundbreaking songs “Marigold”. Shunkanteki Sixth Sense peaked at number 2 on the Oricon charts and stayed on the chart for a total of 81 weeks. This album was a huge impact on AIMYON’s career pushing her into the Japanese music spotlight. I am going to dissect this brilliant album track-by-track. Let's get started!
“Mangetsu no Yoru Nara” - A nice relaxing way to start off this album. This track shows off AIMYON’s powerful vocals. The guitar plays a big part in this song and helps bring out her vocals with the melody. The music is very relaxing and is the perfect fit with AIMYON’s vocal capabilities.
“Marigold” - This is the track that put AIMYON on the map and it is glorious. Marigold is the perfect spring/summer track. The guitar work, composition, and AIMYON’s soothing voice brings this song together. The lyrics make it easy to follow along to and sing along with. The guitar break is a nice compliment before it gets to the final chorus. This was one of the best songs of 2018 and it continued into 2019 and still lives up to it in 2020.
“Ra, no Hanashi” - This song starts off with the guitars and adds in the piano and drums. The composition with the guitar strume flows so perfectly. It has a nice flowing feel that AIMYON takes you through it like a walk in the park. Her vocals aren’t heavy and that is the reason why this track flows perfectly with the tune of the song.
“Futari dake no Kuni” - A slower melody compared to the first three tracks. AIMYON does the perfect job of matching her vocals to the beat of the guitar. Once the song enters the chorus, the song picks up along with her singing. The chorus is the highlight of this track while the verse builds up to it with their slower pace. The composition switches are fantastic.
“Purezento” - This track starts out with an upbeat air to it displaying the nice composition which includes the guitar, piano, and drum work involved. AIMYON’s vocals are beautiful as she matches it with the composition giving it an upbeat note. She shows off her vocal range in many ways, such as how she can pair her voice with the composition. This makes for the perfect easy listening track especially with the composition.
“Hikari Mono” - This is another easy listening track although carries a slower composition than the previous song “Purezento”. Due to this being a slower track, AIMYON matches her vocals with the composition, showcasing that she can lower her voice quite nicely. This is a tune that makes you want to sway back and forth to and is an easy one to sing to as well.
“Koi wo Shita Kara” - This track has a very simple composition that contains only a guitar, AIMYON’s beautiful voice, and brings in a violin. Once the violin starts up, you can feel this is going to be a peaceful ballad. The melody enhances this beautiful ballad and AIMYON’s powerful vocals bring it out, especially with the final verse. A beautiful love song and ballad.
“Yumeoi Bengaru” - This track starts out with a bang due to its fast pace and amazing guitar work. The very fast paced composition and vocals make for a memorable track. The composition makes for a cutesy track as well, especially when you hear “Hashiru Hashiru”. Once that chorus hits, it gets stuck in your head. This song consistently stays upbeat throughout and does not slow down.
“Konya Kono Mama” - This is a mid-tempo pop tune with a nice composition. The guitar work is very nice and mixes perfectly with AIMON’s voice. This is another track that is easy to follow lyric and vocal wise. AIMON utilizes her compositions to the fullest as she knows how to match her voice with them and this is no expectation. “Konya Kono Mama” is catchy, has great vocals, and a magnificent composition. The mid-tempo beat makes you want to sing along.
“Ashita Seka ga Owaru Toshite mo” - This is another easy listening pop song that shows off AIMYON’s utilization of her voice with her composition. I love how the guitars comes up then it stops and switches to just AIMYON’s voice and it goes between that several times. This is another nice relaxing track by AIMYON.
“GOOD NIGHT BABY” - This is a very interesting composition and it stands out more than her usual songs. This is a more mid tempo track and it is not as catchy but it has a great flow vocally. It’s an easy track to listen to and stands out on the album.
“From Yonkai no Kadobeya” - AIMYON does something very interesting with her singing on this one. Its not her usual smooth vocal style, they are more urgent. The electronic guitar screaming helps push this sense of urgency in her singing style. It’s a very short track but it stands out as it sounds more experimental and new for her.
Since AIMYON was first introduced to me through the Oricon charts with the track “Marigold”, I was hooked. When the impending release of Shunkanteki Sixth Sense was first announced, I immediately pre-ordered my copy. This was one of the most anticipated albums of 2019 for myself and it did not disappoint. Shunkanteki Sixth Sense includes your expected mid-tempo tracks, a wistful ballad, and unexpected high energy ones. AiMYON shows she is no one trick pony and that she has the immeasurable talent to rise as one of the Reiwa’s leading Japanese pop artists.
Luna’s score: 4 out of 5
★★★★☆
