Current mood:	tired
Current music:	Still Doll - Kanon Wakeshima
Entry tags:	album, electro, gothic, kanon wakeshima, neoclassical, review, shinshoku dolce

Review: Kanon Wakeshima - Shinshoku Dolce

Album Title: Shinshoku Dolce
Artist: Kanon Wakeshima
Genre: Neoclassical, Gothic Electro-pop, Dark Ambient
Rating: 3.5/5

Kanon Wakeshima is a bright, cute, 20 year old Japanese girl with a huge talent - but if your parents named you after a famous musical term (canon) it’s hard to not think otherwise! From the age of 3 she has been classically trained and been playing the cello, it wasn’t till she entered Junior High school when she was introduced to other musical genres (such as J-pop) and decided to write her own music and lyrics, using inspiration from both musical influences. From her teen years she gained a rare ability to sing whilst playing the cello and had taken part in the Sony Music Auditions, she became a finalist and was eventually given a record contract with DefSTAR RECORDS. Since then her first 2 singles have gone on to become the closing themes for the gothic anime series; Vampire Knight and her debut album was released back in February. Like most of my music collection these days; I was introduced to her via the anime series and became enchanted by her unique sound which contained her beautiful cello playing with gothic electric under tones. I only found out her album was out last month, and didn’t hesitate to download it when I had the chance. So how does her debut album hold out?



1. sweet ticket
We start off the album with her signature instrument; the cello, which is beautifully played and really draws you in with its somber tone. About 1/3 of the way into the track a marching drum beat starts with chimes and a ‘fun fair’ atmosphere being introduced within the latter half of the track. By then you feel like you’re in a Carnival at night. The song is purely instrumental but it does a good job of introducing Kanon’s musical ability combined with the style of music – an innocent persona with gothic undertones. Nice fitting entry to the album.


2. 真紅のフェータリズム (Shinku no FATALISM, Crimson Fatalism)
The first song with vocals comes with a strong programmed track and an energetic cello following not far behind, the two intertwine throughout the track – it sounds like an odd combination upon first listen but it eventually grows on you. The song has a fast pace and gives a chance to show Kanon’s vocal range and strength of her voice. I like the way the song kept me on my toes, like after the 1st chorus when Kanon’s voiced is echoed and the whole backing track comes to halt for a few seconds. A good opening track and example of Kanon’s style throughout the album.


3. 鏡 (Kagami, Mirror)
Kagami had a ‘haunted house’ tone to it, but its light-hearted – in many ways it reminds me of the ‘Casper’ franchise, the haunting vibe mixed with child-like innocence. A ‘twinkle’ track and deep cellos welcome the listener and about 30 seconds in the light & playful vocals come in. The lyrics make several references to fairytales such as the last line of the first chorus; “Mirror Mirror, who’s the most beautiful on Earth?” and the surreal music compliments that. Good track for the album and nice follow up from Crimson Fatalism.


4. still doll (album ver.)
Still Doll was Kanon’s debut single and the ending theme for season 1 of the anime series; Vampire Knight. This version of the single is slightly altered, with Kanon singing the 2nd chorus to open the track accompanied by what seems to be a harpsichord, instead of the powerful cello opening in the single version. Apart from that nothing else has changed, which is slightly disappointing as I was hoping for more; a longer cello solo in the middle of the track or an alternative ending would been nice, but sadly no.
Still Doll shows Kanon’s strongest musical elements in a nice package. Her cello takes the centre stage here with it being prominent throughout the song, there is some programmed track in the background but it mostly just assists the cello rather than overshadowing it. Kanon’s voice isn’t stretched to its limits but has a dark, chilling tone to it, plus she demonstrates her English skills with the first line of each verse “Hi Miss Alice” and the last line of the song “Still, you do not answer”. She seems to speak with a slight British accent when speaking English, I especially noticed it when she said ‘answer’ but it could just be me! Overall I prefer the ‘single version’ of the song rather than the ‘album version’ as the new opening doesn’t do anything, whilst the single version gets right to the point.
Hear the single edit of the song, along with the PV, here


5. マボロシ (Maboroshi, Phantom)
Strings open the track but start to drown once the high pitched keyboard track comes on. Kanon’s vocals are very light that go with the ‘twinkle’ sounds that are heavy in the programmed track.
I’m struggling to say much else as, to me, this track isn’t very memorable. In several ways this song reminds me of ‘Kagami’, but lacking her strongest assets – her powerfully cello playing and dark undertones. The weakest track on the album.


6. アンニュイ気分！ (Annyui Kibun!, Bored Feeling!)
This song is the closest you’re going to get to conventional Japanese pop, there’s no cello to speak of, just a pure processed pop track! The track opens and closes like we are in Miss Wakeshima’s apartment; with the sound of tape running, cat meowing, telephone ringing and more. We then enter ‘cutes-ville’ at about 25 seconds in with varies keyboard tricks, like ‘squeaks’ and ‘pops’. Kanon brings out her inner child with cute, high and kiddy vocals – almost what you’d expect from a stereotypical J-pop artist. I’m partial to this track, as it’s unlike anything else on this album, but it doesn’t have a ‘solid’ ending, it just seems to cut off and doesn’t go anywhere.


7. 砂のお城 (Suna No Oshiro, Sand Castle)
From the cutest song on the album, we now jump straight into the darkest song, also known as Kanon’s second single and the closing theme for Vampire Knight Guilty. To summarize this track; if Kanon ever decided to work with the composer of the Silent Hill series; Akira Yamaoka, the end result would not be very far from this track! Suna No Oshiro opens on a powerful, tense cello opening and Kanon pretty much whispering, making it a very unsettling intro. As the cello becomes more involved and additional instruments are introduced; Kanon changes her voice again to a sorrowful singing, and once more towards the end with a more operatic tone to her vocals – giving a ‘Gregorian’ impression that you’d hear in horror based games and films. There are additional ad-lipping in the track and a very powerful cello solo in the middle that works extremely well with the gothic atmosphere. This is my favourite song from Kanon’s so far, and a great choice for a single. The only grip I have about this track is that the song ends with sounds of a beach, the next track opens with a beach sound too – but the two don’t flow into each other, instead there’s a few seconds of silence to separate the 2 tracks. It’s not a deal breaker but it would’ve been nice to hear them flow into each other. See the PV for this fantastic song here...



8. Monochrome frame
The song opens on the sound of the beach, with seagulls and sea sounds, then breaks into a beautiful string ensemble with cellos and violins, mixed with a subtle drum machine. The song is the first typical ballad of the album, and Kanon sings it with a sad yet low and mature voice. She carries a lot of emotion in her vocals that work well with the high pitched violin playing alongside her. There’s a nice build up throughout the song and atmosphere that’s carried with it. I felt that the song was too short, I wanted it to go on so I could absorb more the emotion it was carrying; which is a good sign (better to be go when you’re wanted then stay when you’re not!) This is probably my favourite album track, a lovely song that could be a good ending track to season 3 of Vampire Knight (if they are planning one!)


9. L'espoir ～魔法の赤い糸～ (L'espoir ～ Mahou no Akai Ito, The Hope ~ Red Thread of Magic~)
I missed it with my first few listens of this song, but after looking at the lyrics I was very surprised to see that Kanon was actually singing in French (yes, FRENCH) during the opening and closing chorus, very impressive indeed! And she flows naturally from speaking French into Japanese, double kudos to Miss Wakeshima. Like the previous track, strings and a subtle drum machine make the bulk of this song. L’espoir is high energy, upbeat song; the strings act accordingly and Kanon ranges from a small whisper in the versus to a more powerful performance during the chorus. A nice song, although not her most memorable, it’s differently her most artistic track of the album.


10. 黒い鳥籠 (Kuroi Torikago, Black Birdcage)
Like Crimson Fatalism we’re greeted with a strong processed track, although it’s a lot darker in nature – almost on par with Suna No Oshiro. The strings are quite wild in the track, going against the fast paced track keyboard in the background, but the cello gets it’s solo in the middle of the track. Kanon’s voice is distinctively deeper in this track, whilst also reaching higher notes during the chorus. I’m fond of the pause that happens in the middle of the track (again, similar in Crimson Fatalism) where you just hear a heartbeat and piano, quite chilling. An odd track that shares many elements with every track on the album, whilst still sounding like its own.


11. skip turn step♪
We enter Skip Turn Step, and a ballroom apparently! Strings and a distinctive harpsichord open this song, making the listener feel like doing the waltz. We get a piano and very subtle drum machine later on the track, the good thing about the drum machine is that it’s barely audible, meaning the track doesn’t lose the ‘authentic’ feel at all in this song. Thumbs up for the nice composition and atmosphere. Another thumbs up for Kanon’s vocals; very free flowing like the dance itself yet not short on energy. The lyrics are very cute too, it’s about dancing in the rain and having fun in it!
One of the best up-tempo tracks on the album, and one of the few quite memorable album tracks.


12. 白い心 (Shiroi Kokoro, White Heart)
The first part of the opening is purely piano with an echo-y edge; the piano reminded me very much of the piano in Utada Hikaru’s Stay Gold – both beautiful in sound yet don’t progress much in melody during the track. Along with the piano we have the ever standing strings, a subtle drum machine and Kanon’s voice; building into our second ballad of the album. The style of this track follows on from ‘Skip Turn Step’ – with its free following style and ‘ballroom dancing’ vibe, whilst containing some of the emotional aspects of Monochrome Frame. The song ends rather abruptly, with no indication of it, but what we do get is nicely composed and easy on the ear.


13. sweet dreams
The album starts on an instrumental, why not end on one? Sweet Dreams doesn’t feature Kanon’s famous cello playing however, it’s purely the sound of a music box, giving the album a soft and easy ending to the album. Whilst the sound of the track itself isn’t out-of-place for the album, I would’ve much preferred an alternative track, a vocal one preferable or even just have the melody played by the cello!





The album doesn’t contain any show-stopping ballads or up-tempo sounds that have the catchiest hooks that you’ll find with some of the bigger performers, but what Kanon does do is introduce a new sound which gives a breath of fresh air to the music industry. All the songs share the same musical elements, with the cello and processed track being the most common. Largely due to this, my first listen of the album didn’t leave many songs an impression on me, or many other reviewers I’ve come across. It’s on multiple listens that the songs grow on you and that your favourite tracks start in sink in. Sure, not all listeners are going to give this album more than 1 listen, but I do encourage that you give it another try before giving up. Kanon shows a lot of potential in this album that is only going to develop and improve with time.

Two things stood out to me the most whilst listening to this album; one was her voice. I was very intrigued by the way that Kanon alters her voice with each song. For example in Suna No Oshiro she’s very breathy and low to give that haunting vibe to the track, whilst in the track before it (Annyui Kibun!) she adopts a cute persona and accomplishes this with a sweet and light tone of voice. It’s more than just changing key or singing with her head/chest voice, it’s like she changes her image and character with each song, which very few artists can do (Kate Bush is one shining example).
The second thing that stuck with me is how the song don’t always follow the typical pattern of ‘verse, bridge, chorus, verse, bridge, chorus, bridge, bigger chorus’ and so on. Instead for each track it seems to be different, using Suna No Oshiro as an example again, that song only has 1 verse, the rest is instrumental and repeats of the chorus. Although, as a result of this, some songs lack a dramatic build. Normally in songs you’re introduced to the beat, which then becomes bigger, louder, more complicated & emotional as the song goes on, when you eventually reach the end you’ll know because the emotion carried throughout the song then subsides. However with Shinshoku Dolce; a fair amount of the tracks don’t have that, they seem to carry the same mood and beat throughout the song, giving it an unnatural ending. The best example is Still Doll, a song ending I had to get used to as when I first listened to it, I thought I was halfway through the track before the track suddenly went silent.

If you’re new to this girl, I’d give her first 2 singles a listen, used the PV links I’ve provided above and witness her in action. If you like what you hear then by all means check the album out. If you’re not convinced, none of the album tracks are going to change your mind. The album is available in Japan and parts of Europe (including France where she recently performed). In the UK, you can purchase the album on itunes, but be aware that the album track listing has been altered slightly.


The Good:
+ Beautiful cello playing with interesting lyrics
+ An exceptional and intriguing blend of classical and electro pop music
+ Not all songs follow a set pattern or theme, therefore keeping the listener on their toes
+ Kanon has the unique ability to alter her vocal performance for different songs styles


The Bad:
- Some songs lack dramatic build up
- Not enough album tracks stand strong against the singles
- All tracks share the same musical elements, therefore sound similar
- Her stunning Cello playing is sometimes drowned by the processed backing track


In a sentence: Kanon shows a lot of promise here, not bad for a debut album




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