Ling Tosite Sigure(凛として時雨) - #5 Album Thoughts(J-rock)

 

01. Ultra Overcorrection
02. Chocolate Passion
03. Tornado Minority
04. Who’s WhoFO
05. EneMe
06. ten to ten
07. Serial Number Of Turbo
08. DIE meets HARD
09. High Energy Vacuum
10. #5
 

    Most international fans will probably associate Ling Tosite Sigure with the mega popular series called Tokyo Ghoul. the band's frontman preformed the opening theme song(Unravel) for the first season of the anime then continued to release more music after that. This was how I was introduced to Ling Tosite Sigure but I won't sit here like I know everything about this band. They have had a whole successful career in Japan before I even knew who they were. The anime PsycoPass was what really brought the band to fame, earning them their first number one on the Oricon Chart back in the early 2000s. Their popularity has still managed to maintain it's self as their new album titled #5 hit the fifth spot on the charts. It might be because TK has still remained active even though the band was on hiatus.

   I don't have ton to say about #5. You as the listener will either like the album or you won't. The album doesn't seem  too different from the music they did before they took a break. TK's producer influence is still if their music. Made very apparent by how scrambled together the production of each track is. Guitar composition goes wild and all over the place while the keyboards play haunting background melodies to make the whole sound sync. Ling is a band that sounds haunting no matter what they sing about. Their lyrics are mostly about love but it's a love that a person is desperate to keep protected. Their lyrics are really emotional which is one of the things I enjoy about Ling Tosite Sigure. Also, on top of the fact that they are a band that created success for themselves by making music that no other band could copy.

   The vocals are a mixture of soft singing, screams, and two voice harmonies. I don't consider TK a traditional singer that you would be used to hearing on the radio but his high vocal range is the core of what makes Ling's songs sound so dark. Addition of a female vocalist adds a certain charm to their music because it feels like both singers are battling each other to stay on top of the instrumental.


   Ling Tosite Sigure will not be a piping cup of hot tea for everyone. I'll admit that I don't care for every release that TK has put out but he does get it right from time to time. Check them out though if you're a J-rock fan.