Final verdict: 8/10 ★★★★☆
The stars have aligned once again; I am feeling capricious, hence I skipped my prose class today (being an English major is not for the weak), and what better way to spend my self-declared day off than to listen to Yuming, my most beloved of all?
No, seriously. As time goes by, my fondness for Yuming only grows greater. She is possibly my favorite musical artist of all time by this point, and that is a sentiment I cannot help. She did indulge in making subpar music from time to time – but that simply cannot erase the fact she is an impossibly good songwriter.
Case in point; “Cobalt Hour”. This is her third album, and it is certainly less stellar than “ひこうき雲” and “Misslim” (its predecessors, both of which were dizzyingly good), but it’s still a great ‘un! I mean, it is hard to create an album as good as “ひこうき雲” once, much less twice; so I shall let this one pass.
Or actually, no, I will not – because this is too solid an album to merely let pass. Did you hear that? “ルージュの伝言”? It is one of Yuming’s signature songs, and for good reason. It is a Brill Building-shaped song, complete with girl group vocals; AKA heaven. And I suppose the rest of the faster-paced songs fit the bill, as well – title track “Cobalt Hour” sounds exactly like how chunky silver glitter looks, “Chinese Soup” is an incredibly endearing song about the role of… soup… in a relationship? I don’t even know. And “少しだけ片想い” is another really sweet pop song! “いつだって I love you more than you love me… 少しだけ片想い!” (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
Notice how I skipped “アフリカへ行きたい”? Yeah. That was entirely purposeful, seeing as I really don’t like that song. The chorus boundlessly pisses me off. Sorry.
But well, for the slower, more ballad-y songs, I am glad to report I like most of them! “卒業写真” is a much covered classic – clear to see (or rather hear) why – and “何もきかないで” is a remarkably good rainy day ballad focused around a chromatic motif. “航海日誌” features a very elaborate arrangement with particular emphasis on vocals and strings, and “雨のステイション”, while absurdly long for what it’s worth, is entirely dominated by its really pretty melody. These songs have accompanied me on so many lonely tea parties… It is hard not to have a soft spot for them.
Where Yuming’s previous two albums felt more focused (“ひこうき雲” being characterized by its disarming simplicity and “Misslim” bringing in the big guns songwriting and arrangement-wise), “Cobalt Hour” is more run-of-the-mill, girly retro pop. And I respect that! While it falls short compared to the other Yumi Arai-era albums, it would be unreasonable to suggest this nifty little record is by any means lacking; I hereby rate it a 8/10.
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