Final verdict: 8/10 ★★★★☆
Trust me when I tell you that I really wanted to kick this review off by cracking a joke about how this album is just outtakes from “紅雀” that failed to make the cut due to being too interesting for that project – but man, this is just not that. What this is, is an oddity record masquerading as normal, and to the truth of that I am convinced. One might briefly glance at it and be quick to categorize it as “just another Yuming LP”, but nay; this is a quite uneven collection of songs, “uneven” in more senses than one. Of course, “流線形’80” was a November release, so we could not have done without the mandatory yet disposable Christmas-themed opener. That is immediately followed by a life-affirming anthem, a very good piece that suspiciously resembles “12月の雨”, a boring ballad, an upbeat piece with big horns, the second coming of “Laundry-Gateの思い出” except better, a boring ballad made slightly-less-boring by the delightful presence of the great Takao Kisugi, another song that is suspiciously similar to “12月の雨”, a boring ballad and – you guessed it – another ballad, that is however surprisingly fine-tuned to my liking. Thanks, Yuming!
No, that’s seriously it. I called it “uneven” precisely because it is at parts transcendental and at other parts passable at best – look at tracks A2, A3 and B5 for examples of the former, and at A4-A5 and B4 for instances of the latter. But it is also unreliable in its claims – sure, Yuming has never exactly been a concept album person and there is, indeed, a vague winter theme overarching this entire project, but other than that, it is quite all over the place in a way previous Yuming LPs have not been. I think what really sells it that way to me is the out-of-left-field Christmas opener, which I suppose wasn’t entirely unprecedented, but wasn’t called for either, as well as track A5, which is quite clumsily leaning into the joyful City Pop trend of its time. The song itself does feel organic in its ways, however its presence on this album I do feel is somewhat redundant – maybe “forced” is the word? Midtempo ballads roam about in abundance all about this record, and of course, that is the Yuming special, so no one can claim surprise, but the odd tracklisting choices on this album do make it feel like an outlier in new and strange ways.
But do not let all my nagging fool you into thinking this is by any measure a bad album – remember, this is Yuming we’re talking about. I have no choice but to like it. The same goes for you as well, my dear reader. Maybe free will doesn’t truly exist after all, because how could one resist this delicious musical salad presented before them? And who cares if half the croutons are moldy? Yuming salad is, has always been, and will forever be Yuming salad. All heretics are welcome to leave.
What I’m getting at here is, while this album is quite prone to decaying into utter sonic nothingness every so often, the highs on it are astronomically high. Like, taller-than-my-uncle-who’s-7-feet-tall high. High-as-a-kite high. Beyond-the-stratosphere high. Just take one good look at “埠頭を渡る風” – how could you possibly deny that this is a generation-defining piece? The sound of an epoch, the mindset of the masses, wonderful in ways I cannot express with due eloquence. It takes a while to seep in, but once it does, it becomes one with the self. And that, ladies, gentlemen and gentletheys, is the glory of this song. Next in line, please!
That would be “真冬のサーファー”. “12月の雨” the second, what could go wrong? Absolutely nothing, and that is your answer. This song is damn near perfect, with lush backing vocals from none other than Mr. Tatsuro Yamashita and pretty acoustic guitar work taking the lead. The same couldn’t be said of “12月の雨” the third (that is, “入江の午後3時”), though. Sometimes the formula just ceases to work, I don’t know.
The rest of the songs come and go like the mist, and while there are some moments of note, it is sort of a through-one-ear, out-the-other type of deal. However I do want to make a point about the closing ballad, “12階のこいびと”, which is really, really good in its own right. The lyrics explore themes of suicide and the lonesome arrangement fits the bill quite effortlessly – it is slow, it is sparse, and most of all, it is beautiful. To veer into a personal life experience of mine (because mere “vibes” are overplayed, and facts are necessary), I love listening to this song while walking along the beach on cold January mornings. How do I know? I listened to it while walking along the beach every cold January morning this fleeting year. It stood the test!
Can’t wait for January to come all over again. Cheers. 8/10.
Silia 
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