( note: if you just want to hear songs that I recommend, check out those in red )
LITE is a Japanese Math-Rock Band which has it's roots in Tokyo....
Left to Right: Akinori Yamamoto, Jun Izawa, Nobuyuki Takeda, Kozo Kusumoto
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Flimlets (2007)
Their first full album, entitled Flimlets is to me a somewhat transitioning period. Introducing and bringing the listener through, from a post-rock sound ("I Walk","Re") to their current math-rock style ("Human Gift"). This album has however, been hailed as one of the best math-rock albums avalible. Sadly, I have to admit this is my least favorite album of their discography.
Songs of interest:
Parallel - An interesting piece. It manages to blend a calm soothing melody of which it seems minimalistic in its structure, with a fuzzied out, upbeat and tightly sequenced section snugly fit in the middle. Certainly a song where multiple influences can be heard.
...Still, it is Quiet Around Here - Something that caught me. A very "airy" piece. The structure feels very regular.
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A Tiny Twofer (2007)
Their second studio album. It is an EP that was jointly released with Funanori. Their sound by now has distinctively changed, showing a clear tendencies to calculated musical madness... In an excellent and tasteful way of course!
Akinori (drums) clearly leads the album here, pulling the band together and keeping everyone on the right track with his precise beats.I feel that this could be regarded as an introduction for Phantasia as can be seen not only from the overall change in sound, but also from their first released version of "EF", of which a second version was later released on their next album.
Songs of interest:
TOMORROW - Starts with an extremely strong entrance, the drum beat remains constantly upbeat whilst the other instruments play staccato-like melodic riffs over it. It feels like running a circle, with the start and the end being similar and the entire middle portion, a different melody. (4/5)
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Phantasia (2008)
I guess third time is truly the charm! A more balanced release, this is a full album. Everyone has their chance to shine in this album.I would argue this as their best album, definitely my favorite album.
Ghost Dance
This is definitely the most played song by LITE, and... dare I say it... overplayed. Definitely lovely however, it is an extremely easy song to like. In its entirety, every member is progressively continuing and pushing the song forward. Jun Izawa's (bass) skills are prominently shown here, his tone is incredible, if i may add.
It starts off with a melody with guitars, the drums enter, and when the bass comes in, you know you're in for one hell of a ride. It builds and breaks and it slowly builds again, when it finally climaxes and you think that it's going to end... it comes alive again. The very first time you feel the song coming back in again, its a weird sense of joy and well, it really makes you remember the song. The melody is very catchy and well, this is the first song I would use to introduce anyone to this band.
Solitude
One of my personal all-time favorites from this band (either this or "Red Horse in Blue"). It starts out as a mass of static. Guitars gently pierce through this veil in a piano-like manner, in a comforting tune. The static continues. Slowly, the drums come in, and the other instruments. It slowly builds up and it slowly dies down... of course, once again it builds up and it fall to a near silence... Finally, we can feel that its about to end... it builds up, climaxes - and then entire song shifts half a key up. My heart melted at that point. Then it ended. Great song.
Fade
Sadly, there is no video available for this song. This piece continuously changes and never really looks back, much less repetitive as the other songs in the album. It starts out as a cloud of organizes noise. It progresses into a section where everyone is simply melodic with slightly choppy riffs, it then continues to a smoother arrangement. It continues to a almost minimalistic sound. As the seeming "darkness" comes closer, a wonderfully written riff seems to reach out for you. From here on, the song climbs on and on a higher note. To a part where it plateaus out, and then you suddenly realize that there had been a build-up. It builds and dies, in an unexpectedly expected way.Other songs
Contra - Very tight piece
Infinite Mirror - An extremely repetitive piece, I somehow seem to like it. The drum beat draws me in, though somewhat simpler than his other beats, its well executed.
Interlude - Reminds me of TOE
Interlude - Reminds me of TOE
Song Ratings:
Keeping in mind that I would rate the average song a "2", here goes:
Contra 3.5/5
Infinite Mirror 4/5
Shinkai 3/5
Black and White 3/5
Interlude 3/5 [its just a interlude]
Ghost Dance 4/5
Solitude 5/5
Phantasia 3.5/5
Fade 5/5
Sequel to the Letter 3.5/5
EF 3.5/5
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Turns Red (2009)
In this release, LITE has taken a obvious turn to something, well, different. Highly electronic effects are used on all instruments, drums, guitars and bass. Izawa uses more of a slap & pop technique throughout the album. A muffled and twangy sound persists. They do however, continue with their start-stop antic and wonderfully repetitive riffs.
It seems, to me, that the band is just trying out what they could not do in Phantasia. A fun album to listen to, nonetheless.
Being an EP, it only features 3 songs. Of these, I actually do not know which to recommend, they all sound good, if somewhat of a similar progression both of chords and of the song in general. But I do recommend a listen to each, at least once.
Song list (I think it's cute everything follows the "red" theme):
The Sun Sank (3.5/5)
Tomato (3.5/5)
Vermillion (3.5/5)
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Illuminate (2010)
They seemed to have progressed even further in the electronic realm. Experimenting with various effects, and introducing a very electronic beat. The first song off the album, "Drops"clearly shows this, the tracks seems to be toying with everything, it doesn't sound like the band which released Phantasia at all. "Image Game" however, brings us back to their original sound. A good album, probably a little less favored than Turns Red by me though, save for "Image Game".
Songs of interest:
Image Game -Around the middle part, the start-stop style and tightness of the group feels great (4/5)
100 Million Rainbows - The introduction draws you in, just stop for a listen. Interesting title as well.(3.5/5)
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For All The Innocence (2011)
Their 3rd full length release, it strikes a balance between "Phantasia" and "Illuminate" albums. They seem to have returned to their old sound, albeit now with added tools and different tones and sounds that they do not fear to exploit. It seems to have an animal theme - perhaps an album released for the animals in the world, the "innocents" suffering at human hands.
Every song on this album is generally better written than previous albums. However, there are fewer special "gems" as well. I do love "Red Horse in Blue" very much! But... There is no video available for posting. Pity.
Red Horse in Blue
A repetitive song, perhaps its repetitiveness acts like a comfort. The drums are slightly off time from the guitars at the start, but they blend nicely. It then builds up for a few seconds, then the song jumps to a different part entirely. Akinori controls the swap very well. Kusamoto and Takeda then proceed to run riffs over loops and it breaks down where it reverts to a "chorus" where the main riff is played. An effect the spirals into the mix.... the music softens....
And as expected, the effect spirals back up and the instruments fall back into place. A lovely guitar riff picks up from the space and slowly the other instruments come in. A slightly distorted guitar plays lines over the main riff and the effect is spectacular. Very nice piece, listen to this!
Rabbit
The "Ghost Dance" of this album. A nice song, but overplayed in my opinion...Other Songs:
Perican Watched as The Sun Sank - In line with its reference to its previous song, truly a slightly more electronic sound is present here. However, the instrumentals are clearly identifiable, unlike that in Illuminate. The tune is lovely, as usual. The repetitiveness is something I like so I would count that as a boon to the song, though most would a bane, I'd wager. Around the 3/4 mark to the end a really nice riff cuts through though. Somewhat of a similar effect as used in "Red Horse In Blue".
Pirates and Parakeets - Just wanted to note this was one of the first few items i heard vocals (somewhat, anyway) on any of their album. Definitely a tropical feel.
Cat Cat Cat - Quite a piece for those who like continuously changes songs. It progresses multiple times, and it sound like several songs in one. The last bit sound like a "free jam". Instruments used in "Duck Follows an Eccentric" can be heard at the end too.
Duck Follows an Eccentric- Seriously, I can image a duck following an eccentric. Choppy tunes, but somehow, very fun and lively. A weird instrument is being used here. Its either that or effects - gives a slightly higher and twangy sound in a cute duck-like manner. But it does progress into a slightly heavier part. It gets slightly messy. But I do recommend this song.
7day Cicada-Another song I recommend! Ah, it's too many...
Red Horse in Blue 5/5
Rabbit 3.5/5
Perican Watched as The Sun Sank 4.5/5
Rebirth 3/5
Pirates and Prakeets 3.5/5
Chameleon Eyes 3.5/5
Cat Cat Cat 3.5/5
Duck Follows an Eccentric 4.5/5
7day Cicada 4.5/5
Mute Whale 3.5/5
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We've come to the end of this post, hopefully we hear more of this soon! LITE has released a new single [ARCH] on 18 January, however, it is not available outside of Japan as of yet. They are currently on tour in Japan and are quickly growing in popularity. I cannot wait to hear what they have to release next! Definitely a band to look out for, it's at the top of my list.
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