Final verdict: 8/10 ★★★★☆
Yes, I have decided that I’m going to be reviewing all the Yuming in existence. Cry about it.
Or actually, please don’t – I’d hate to see pretty little you cry. Cheer up, beautiful! Because what we got here, is another Yuming album to live, love, and laugh to (but not at. If you make fun of any Yuming album I’m going to be tracking down your precise location and doing very devious things to your property; and that is not a threat, it’s a promise!)
So, “The 14th Moon”; the last album of Yuming’s Yumi Arai era, and a damn good one at that! Given the unbreakable solidity of her last three records, no one is surprised. But what I am mildly surprised by, is the direction taken with this record. She went full out of the 1970s cheese. The arrangements here are orchestral, they’re maximalistic, they’re distinctly Middle-of-the-Road (MOR), they’re full, they’re obnoxious, and most of all, they are here; all in a fairly unexpected turn of events. But another thing they are, is so good. The real keepers here are the more upbeat numbers, but there is gold to be found in every corner of this record.
The first three tracks constitute a legendary run – the holy trinity, if you will. “さざ波” is a brilliant opener that accurately sets the tone for what is it come, with its bouncy piano rhythm and its seemingly endless quality; but it does leave the listener longing for more. And that is precisely where the power-pop title track, “14番目の月”, comes into play. Loud, fast, enthusiastically unrelenting, this song takes the listener along on a full emotional rollercoaster, before by some random whim leaving them stranded, alone and scared. But that, too, is intentional; it’s no coincidence that it happens just when “さみしさのゆくえ” is prepped and primed to take force, with its electric piano foundation that is guaranteed to make just about anyone’s day better in an instant.
Then you got a slow song, and that’s cute and all, but it doesn’t leave much room for relaxation before hitting you right where it hurts the most with “中央フリーウェイ” – another Yuming classic that does not refrain from giving you whiplash.
Side B isn’t quite as one-two punch in its pacing, but it’s still plenty strong. The opening ballad is more focused on the depth of the arrangement before all else, and it features Yuming’s own piano chops (a pleasant flashback to her 1973 debut LP, “ひこうき雲” – which, if you haven’t checked that out already, you need to, trust me), “天気雨” is a simply brilliant song, “避暑地の出来事” is a fun upbeat number with a big horn section, “Good Luck and Good-bye” is another brilliant song (are you picking up on a pattern here?), and finally, “晩夏 (ひとりの季節)” is a nice, bittersweet song to seal the deal.
As a whole? “The 14th Moon” isn’t Yuming’s best work (which is kind of bonkers, considering just how good it is), but it is a magnificent closer to the absolute party that her maiden years were, musically speaking. My opinion? 8/10. It is a really well crafted album and one I sincerely enjoy. I usually put it on every Friday evening; case in point, I listened to it yesterday (it is currently Saturday as I’m writing this). Pure bliss each and every time. That said, I do prefer the soft rock/folk pop stylings of her first three albums, and part of my soul was destroyed to pieces when she let that sound go (though she didn’t ditch it entirely for a few more years). And I’d love to give this album a 9/10, but I have got to keep that extra half star out of spite, and as damages payment for the heartbreak I had to endure when I realized Yuming’s out of her yee-haw attitude for good, starting with this exact effort. </3
Silia 
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