Review - Message

Welcome to the first in my series of reviews Sakura Gakuin and related artists discography until like everything else it eventually peters out and I give up!

Today I will be reviewing Sakura Gakuin's first full-length album, Nendo 2010's Message. Seeing as how it has been out almost five years, it may seem strange to be reviewing it. That's something you'll get have to get over. I'll rate each song on a scale of 1-10, and then conclude with an overall album rating.

I've been hearing for years that "the album is dead" thanks to the resurgence of a single-driven industry facilitated by iTunes & the advent of downloading music. I still believe that a well-crafted album is more than just a random collection of songs, no matter how good, and offers the listener a transcendent experience.

So, diving in...

Su, you brought spatulas...what the hell?

FLY AWAY - The album opens with a soaring number ( just a little joke for the TA's in the room), and sort of a bold choice for the opening track of a debut album, sampling briefly from the tracks that come later. It's powerful and energetic, and really gets the listener pumped up for what's to come. FLY AWAY is a magnificent selection for an opening track, although in all honesty any of the first 3 songs would have been excellent choices. (9/10)

Hello! IVY - Lots of people have told me that this is the best song in the album. While it's so clearly not, it is absolutely an infectiously catchy song. I initially was not so taken with this track - I blame the guitar solo, which felt a little to studio-corporate (even for Japan) - but it has grown on me over time, no doubt to all the video of lives I've seen. (7/10)

Chime - This song is a little different from the first two, less traditional and with an unexpected sound. It's as powerful and inspiring as the album's opening track, but with a more mature and self-assured calmness to it. There's no denying that Chime has become one of the songs most ingrained into the institution of SG; the song's opening notes are the go-to sound track for introducing new members and merch at live shows. Chime is simply baked into Sakura Gakuin's DNA. (8/10)

Happy Birthday - This song is the first appearance on the album of an SG sub-unit. Let me just say this to get it out of the way: I Love Sub-units! What a great way for the individual girls to better showcase their unique charm points!! They are like the funnest thing ever!!! Okay, that said, Happy Birthday is one of the weaker sub-unit songs; it's great for when your friends on Facebook have a birthday and you can post the video on their wall, but for day-to-day listening, it gets a little repetitive. A good, not great, song. (6/10)

Princess a la Mode - I'm so glad they put two Mini-Pati songs on this album. This one is the obvious superior to Happy Birthday. The 8-bit effects are a bit stronger and more nuanced. It really hurt me bad in my soul to give an average rating to a Marina song, so I'm glad to give this an (8/10)

Brand New Day - Unfortunately, this is Scoopers only song. However, they went out on top. This song is amazing! It has a bit of an 80's Joe Jackson meets the Cars feel to it. But it's better than either of them. Way better. I would have thought that Ayaka's voice would overpower the soft-spoken Airi's, but it turns out they complement each other incredibly well. (9/10)

Dear Mr. Socrates - The Twinklestars sound has always seemed a little redolent of Ben Folds for some reason. Whatever, it works well. Upbeat as hell, it's impossible not to tap your foot along or drive aggressively but joyfully through the streets well above the posted speed limit while listening. (8/10)

Medaka No Kyoudai - Definitive Sleepiece masterpiece. Just try to keep your hands from moving during CHUNCHUN. (10/10)

Doki Doki Morning - By the end of the first chorus, it's obvious Suzuka has found her calling. Even if this wasn't an incredibly great song - which it totally is - it's game-changing importance to the landscape of modern music (especially the stagnant metal genre) as the beginning of BABYMETAL earns it an impossibly high rating. (11/10)

Yume ni Mukkate - Another uplifting song is the vein of Chime, but with more importance placed on all the girl's voices coming together in a stirring chorus. Good stuff! (8/10)

Message - Finally at the very end we get to the title track. If there was an official SG school song, this would be it. I don't usually go for ballads, but with this I cri evrtiem. (8/10)

Overall, I think you can make a pretty good case that Message is the best SG album ever. Hell, I certainly wouldn't argue with you. The tracklist almost plays out along the chronology of a nendo: the early excitement and energy towards the beginning, getting involved in clubs and academic life in the middle, and then finishing with a bit of weepy-eyed sentimentality and nostalgia at the end. Especially given that this is a debut album by a bunch of young and (for the most part) inexperienced singers, Message is close to perfect. (9/10)