REVIEW: Satsuki - LUMINOUS

    After being in Rentrer en Soi for a long period, Satsuki is now a solo artist, in the band Moon Stream, and is the Satsuki that makes up KISAKI PROJECT featuring Satsuki. He has certainly made his rounds in the underground Visual-Kei scene, however, this will be his first solo full-length album release. So, how does it sound? How good is it? Is it another attempt of a Visual-Kei solo-project to simply cash in?

            First off, let me give everyone the track listing:

1. LE TEMPS AVEC...

2. DETERMINATION

3. ROMANCE

4. TWILIGHT

5. INSIDE

6. NVN

7. In a Lucid Dream

8. FATE

9. SYMPATHY 10. AFTER GLOW 11. MALACHITE

            As is immediately noticeable, this is not a mini-album, it is a true LP, which I find impressive, given the sheer amount of work Satsuki has taken upon himself, in regards to being active in two other units also. Because of the general history of Visual-Kei solo-projects, and the fact that Satsuki has so much he is involved in currently, I really did expect this album to *not* be good. But, I was wrong.

            I find it almost comedic that Satsuki is involved with Kisaki, as the two of them are very similar, in terms of their importance to the underground Visual-Kei circuit. Obviously, Kisaki is in harder-edged bands in general, and he runs Under-Code Productions, but, the two have similar dressing styles, and they certainly work together swimmingly.

            The album jumps right in with “LE TEMPS AVEC…”, after slowly fading in, and the song then sets the tone for the rest of the album. The opening of the song is reliant on Satsuki’s beautiful voice, refined by years of practice.  Between the piano and melodic guitar riffs, Satsuki’s voice is like a sort of musical stream of consciousness; Satsuki’s voice progresses the song, and his voice completely envelops you.

            “DETERMINATION” follows after, and shows a harder, rocking Satsuki, which he pulls of with equal expertise. The song maintains the tone initiated by the opening track, and even this early on, it clicked for me that the album has a very consistent flow and style, something remarkable when you consider that Satsuki may have been the only person that appeared on every track. Satsuki emerges as a master of composition with “LUMINOUS”, as he implements all the instruments effectively and parlays them off of each other, including his own voice.

            “ROMANCE” is a song that seems to me to be beholden to Satsuki’s visual style. It is a very clean track, in terms of exercised minimalism, yet, aggressive in the buildup to the chorus. The lyrics and sound of this song just seem to fit with Satsuki’s images, which I can imagine factoring into his choice of the song for being a PV.

            “TWILIGHT” and “INSIDE” both have a more restrained, meditative tone to them, especially “TWILIGHT”. “TWILIGHT” slowly drifts, and is noted for Satsuki’s voice during the chorus, which especially shines on this track. It is definitely one of the slower tracks on the album, but, it is just as phenomenal. “INSIDE” has slow, contemplative verses, and a rocking chorus, with Satsuki’s voice soaring over all the other instruments after they kick in.

            “NVN” is more of a jam, one that makes you want to raise your hand in the air and rock out with the band. It is one of my favorite tracks on the album, and makes me want to shout out the chorus with Satsuki in the café I am sitting in, and bang my head during the breakdown. This track is pure fun and delight, with dirtier riffs than the rest of the album, and angrier vocals.

In a splendid balance, “In a Lucid Dream” follows, and is soothing, to say the least. The track is very soft and elegant, and Satsuki made the perfect sequencing choice by placing it here, given the sound of “FATE”.

“FATE” opens with a sort of club invocation, and begins to break into the song with techno synths, and a crowd shouting “FATE” in the background during certain points of the song. Despite being a style of song similar to “NVN”, “FATE” manages to stand on it’s own ground, as “NVN” is harder, and more of a jam, where “FATE” seems to be asking for direct vocal participation at lives, and is more upbeat.

“SYMPATHY” is a sort of return to the style of songs earlier on in the album, just with more synths, and cleaner guitar riffs, something that “AFTER GLOW” maintains. Both tracks, while using the stylistic outline set forth at the beginning, have smoother guitar riffs, and rely more on occasional, pronounced notes on the guitar, and the keyboard. “AFTER GLOW” is more of a positive song, and “SYMPATHY” would be the weaker track, although with how strong this album is as a whole, that is not saying much.

The album closes with “MALACHITE”, the most epic track on the album. It is simply a grander song than any of the other tracks, with the keyboard sounding like it is straight out of a more decadent Visual-Kei group, and the song maintains a very aggressive tone as it rolls straight through.

As I have noted, the album establishes a style early on, and has a remarkable flow for a solo album. This is a result of Satsuki’s flawless sequencing of tracks, and masterful composition. His management of the different instruments, and his recognition of the sound and potential of his own voice is honestly stunning. This album is a great debut from an artist who has been a part of many other important bands in the Visual-Kei scene. This album establishes Satsuki as one of the great composers, lyricists, and artists in the Visual-Kei scene, and this is an album everyone should listen to.

For disclosure purposes, James, as a staff member of Visual Kei Heaven, was given a review copy of Satsuki’s “Luminous” for free, on the condition of the production of a review.

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