Adam KennyKaneko Ayano as…kanekoayano
Kaneko Ayano is a Japanese singer songwriter. kanekoayano is the name of the band and comes from the front woman Kaneko Ayano. Kaneko has been around for some time, and has several projects released as a solo artist. She started releasing music under her band name kanekoayano 2 years ago with the album A Towel Blanket is Peaceful. On April 25th of this year however, Kaneko surprise dropped her new album Thread of Stone. This was my first time listening any material from Kaneko Ayano, and I must say I’m really impressed and quite fond of what she and her bandmates have done on Thread of Stone.
Reviewing an album in another language always comes with a difficulty of not being able to fully interpret the lyrics of the album. It’s a shame in some ways, as sometimes concepts can go over your head. You’ll need to either go through the lyrics yourself with something like Google Translate (which isn’t the most reliable) or just accept you’ll never truly know what you’re listening to unless you want to try and actually learn the language. Luckily, one of the most wonderful things about music is that it supercedes language.
Getting to know Thread of Stone and kanekoayano, sonically
Having not experienced work from this artist before, it was exciting to go in with no clue of what you’re expecting, but very quickly I found I liked what I was hearing. Thread of Stone is succinct album, in the sense of that there’s no wasted space. The album isn’t bloated. Each track serves a purpose, and sometimes quite a unique difference in sound. For instance, the first track noise starts off with an accoustic guitar. The tune is so pleasant. It’s easy going and relaxed my shoulders as everything began, but then paired with Kaneko’s vocals? It’s a wonderful thing. Kaneko’s able to jump between laid back relaxing whilst being able to jump up and belt out her line. It’s clear immediately that vocally Kaneko has a ton of range. As the song continues, you hear a subtle organ as her other bandmates jump in to help with some backing vocals. It’s an incredibly charming start to the album.
The next song however, aiming for the sun, goes in another direction. What started off as a quaint singer songwriter album suddenly leans into slacker rock and indie rock, with some alt rock hints here and there. The song drags you into the rest of the album. The first track in hindsight seems like a slight misdirection. Koneko’s vocals continue to help highlight and accentuate the bands performance. Once again, not bloat or empty space. Each slight change holds a purpose. Shimokita-kei specifically accurately describes the sound of kanekoayano. Guitars helping to lead the melody that can jump in and out of focus with the vocalist having much of the same presence. Going from low to loud from line to line.
Following the Thread of Noise
The next song, “sunrise”, continues the sharp vocals and guitar melodies. It tinges on the pyschidelic side at times. It’s not too experimental, but Masayoshi Takanaka’s melodies springs to mind with each song so far. I find with music like this, it breathes of summer. I couldn’t imagine myself listening to this album during the winter. It’s something you’d listen to on your summer walk when it’s cooler and the sun is beginning to set. It’s moody at times, but always finds itself on a lighter note.
The guitars and vocals are the stars of the album. You can really tell that this band gels well. Each song just sounds like something they’re jamming to. Ideas flying and hitting each othher to create a perfectly symphony. The song difficult for instance, it starts off with an alt rock rift from the electric guitar. It fills your ears for the entirety of the verse with the lead vocals. It continues with this until Kaneko’s vocals come in with the rest of the band. There’s a very pleasant chaos to the song, it’s got a lot going on but it all works stupendoulsy well together.
An album full of charisma, joy and chemistry
“WALTZ” is a favourite of mine on the album. It has the quirks and habits that some of the other songs have shown off where the song doesn’t mind stopping suddenly and then kick starts again. The guitars here however have this crunch to them. It’s very dreamy, it has a shoegazey aesthetic to it. It’s a song where I wish it went on for longer, and it’s not exactly short at 4 minutes.
The last 2 tracks of the album need to be spoken about together. The second last track is a near 7 minute extravaganza that feels like the culmination of everything the album has accomplished until this point. I can only describe it as a 7 minute epic that holds your attention throughout. It marked It can only be described as an epic, one that I’d implore everyone to give a listen to. The track ends in an old school fashion, not ending at all and fading into the background as the band jams together. It leads perfectly into the final track, which is very similar to the first track albeit contains. There are more ambient aspects to this track compared to the first. It’s an intersting end to it all, as it feels very much like a thank you. It’s short at 2 minutes long and is a moment of reprieve. You won’t be tired after you finish the album, but you will be content. I think it’s a wonderful and simple way to end an album of considerable depth and promise.
Thread of Stone – Overall
There hasn’t been a shortage of good music this year, but kanekoayano’s Thread of Stone has captured my ear more than a lot of the music that has come out. I think it’s a very special and well put together album that I’ll be recommending not only to you, the reader, but to anyone who’s willing to listen to me. If anything, I’m eager to go through Kaneko Ayano’s solo work along with continuing to listen to Thread of Stone. It’s a wonderful album that has so much personality and care put into it.
