Despite the fact that I'm still waiting for my copy of this album to arrive in the mail, I've (obviously) already listened to it a zillion times.
Whenever there's a new hocc album, I'm always very eager to listen to it. But, at the same time, I always wait until I can give it my "full" attention before I listen, because it deserves my full attention, and because I want the first impression to be fair.
My first listen for this album was in the car, while stuck in traffic. To be honest, on that first listen, I did not find it to be that appealing. There wasn't anything particularly interesting that really caught my attention right away, and a lot of things weren't what I expected.
But, of course, that's how it is with most of hocc's albums. You never know what to expect, and it always turns out to be something different from what you expect. So, at first, there's always a bit of shock and disappointment. But the more you listen, the more it grows on you. And now, I'm loving it.
I've read two detailed reviews of the album so far. The first, from 3cmusic.com was a bad one, which is surprising because that site has generally always given hocc pretty good reviews. The other was on a random blog, which gave an okay review.
And this is my very simple take......
酒精和菸 - People say that it's very typical style of Chochukmo. This I don't know. But, definitely, for hocc, this is something new. The lazy and crazy (and almost drunk?) feel is quite fun. Like in the reviews, it's somewhat close to some of the songs from the Dress Me Up album.
無臉人 - Not exactly new. Music-wise, this is the type of song suitable for radio play. I guess it's the lyrics that are most appealing to me.
如果我們只剩一首歌的時間 - This is the song that caught my attention on the track list, even before I listened to it. The style and the voice she uses to sing this is surprisingly different from what I expected. I was expecting something soft and warm, but it's not exactly that. Regardless, this one's really growing on me.
What Do You Love? - Another fun one. Great driving song. Perfect for a sunny day drive like today.
波西米亞 - I only recently noticed that this one's written by hocc herself. Don't have much to say about this one though. It's nice, but nothing really stands out to me.
對過去的我說 - Another one where the title caught my attention. The lyrics I like (although that's probably an unfortunate thing). Starts out kinda gloomy and grey, but builds up to something sort of motivational and encouraging. Chorus and verses are kinda contrasting, but in a good way
The Science of Crying (眼淚教我的事) - Again, it's the lyrics in this one that gets me. Or, I guess, more specifically, the story behind it. The tune is another radio song. Kinda catchy and easy to remember.
Bye Bye - Not crazy about this one either. It's fun, but not in a way that I like.
在青木原的第三天 - This one's got that spiritual feel to it, which I kinda like. It's almost like those Amy Grant songs that I find strangely peaceful, except it talks about being lost.
彼此 - This is sort of like one of those songs that everyone can sing together at the beginning/end of a concert. It has that positive and encouraging feeling to it.
I agree with what the review on the blog said. With every album that hocc releases, she disappoints some people, to some extent. Depending on when you started listening to her music, you'll expect something different. But in recent years, each album has been so different, both in terms of style and topic/theme, that it's hard to digest. If you don't have an open mind, mentally and musically, you'll never keep up. Unless, of course, you're like all the people who have been following 10+ years, and (as some people say) are part of this "cult". But having said that, I guarantee that the cult does not blindly follow and, in fact, are highly critical.
