Two months ago, I would have never imagined myself being addicted to a single music artist. Typically when I discover a new music artist I like, I would just listen their albums but then get bored of their music after a few weeks. Originally, ZUTOMAYO was no exception as I added their songs into my list just like any other artist I listened to. However, as I began to listen to ZUTOMAYO more again, I became more interested. Then before I knew it, I was addicted. Even though I have listened to their songs so many times, every time I try to not listen to ZUTOMAYO, I often say to myself, “This is nice music. But why listen to this, when I can listen to ZUTOMAYO?”. Then I would return back to listening to ZUTOMAYO. And when I do. I always find something that makes me love their songs even more. ZUTOMAYO is a popular music group in Japan, focusing on primarily J-pop and rock, having made three albums in the time of writing this. The reason ZUTOMAYO's music is so great is because of the variety and the creative song writing in their music in both in the vocals and the instrumental.
Note that even though some of the songs names have English names, a few of them only have Japanese names. So for those names, I will use a romanization version of the Japanese name.
First, one of the biggest highlights of the group is the phenomenal song accompaniments. These instrumental parts are very well written. For example, at the end of the first chorus in "Inside Joke", there is very flashy solo part for the strings which is filled with string techniques from portamentos to repeated down bow strokes. As a former string player, hearing it all in combination of triplet rhythm, I could do nothing but to always bop my head at that moment.
Note: Currently, the timestamps are broken so you will have to do it manually. The TLDR; is that Invidious is undergoing technical issues, and YouTube itself doesn't support timestamps (unless they do, though directly using YouTube is a temporary solution).
Another great example is the ending of "Byoushinwo Kamu" where the accompaniment goes insane. As the singer sings the climax, the piano plays the signature driving ostinato of the song while the electric bass plays like a monster in the bass register. The result is simply an eargasm.
For one, perhaps all the layers is too overwhelming. However, these parts make the songs feels so much alive and enjoyable to listen to. Comparing to some of the other J-pop artists, although they might have more catchy parts, their instrumental parts seem mediocre compared to ZUTOMAYO's brilliant writing which I can relisten without getting bored.
For one last example of this, I really love the bossa nova like accompaniment in Kettobashita Moufu.
But how about the vocals?
The singer herself, whom alias is "ACANE" (pronouced a-ca-ne, not "a cane"), is also phenomenal. I find ACANE's singing not only very outstanding but versatile. She can sing very energetically, brining out intensity and force, her voice roaring in climaxes in songs like "Byoushinwo Kamu". However, I think the best song that demonstrates this is "Nouri Ue no Cracker".
However, from the other side, her voice also shines when bringing in emotion. I actually find her voice quite expressive in some of the slower songs like "QUILT" and "Dear. Mr'F'". In "Dear. Mr'F'", ACANE sings from fraglity to soaring heaviensss. You do not need to understand the lyrics to hear the emotion that ACANE sings out of her words.
Yes, she does not sing to her hundred percent in every song, but when she does, it sounds stunning. ACANE’s excellent singing is truly a highlight of the group.
Also the vocals does not fall behind the instrumental when it comes to creativity and detail. I think the best example of this is in the song, "Hanaichi Monnme", where in the chorus ACANE begins with her usual energetic voice. However, midway, she suddenly raises her voice in exclamation before transitioning into the second half of chorus where she sings in a more laid back tone before returning back to her previous voice to end the chorus. These small attention of detail in expression makes the chorus much more enjoyable to listen to.
Another thing ZUTOMAYO songs do a lot of is a call and response, where the vocals switch forth, starting with a phrase as a call and a phrase back as a response, often in different registers. Of course, this is not something that ZUTOMAYO invented, but they execute it really well. This mastery is demonstrated in "Time Left" as the lyrics alternate between the intruding vocals in the high register to a more legato voice in ACANE's normal register.
This perfection makes ACANE's already excellent singing even better. Of course, I am sure there are other great artists can do these things too. However, with the amazing instrumental accompaniment complimenting the vocals, it's difficult to compete with ZUTOMAYO songs.
In other words, their songs are so good due to the creative and diverse song writing in ZUTOMAYO. With these perfection of such elements, every ZUTOMAYO song stands out. From the amazing chorus in "Hanaichi Monnme" to the bass solo in "Byoushinwo Kamu", ZUTOMAYO is able to release instant killer songs. I would give some song recommendations, but I already have given you a lot of songs. From the ones I have not included, "Truth in Lies" and "Hunch Gray" are also among my personal favorites. But if you give ZUTOMAYO a try, be warned that it could possibly ruin other songs for you like it did to me.
Author Note: I am less addicted to ZUTOMAYO than I used to since writing the main draft a few months ago (I wrote this for extra credit for English 101) but I still stand for everything else I have said in this piece.
This work by thairanaru is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International