Do As Infinity – Brand New Days [album review]

Do As Infinity has had a long history having just released their 15th Anniversary concert DVD and already in their 16th year. They lost their founder/composer in the process, came to a halt during the 3-year hiatus and reformed with just the vocalist, Van Tomiko (Ban chan) and Owatari Ryo (guitarist). After the reformation, there was a clear distinction between the old and present DAI. As we fans see it, the cause was none other than the absence of mastermind Dai Nagao who was largely responsible for the unique DAI sound they were famous for in the past. However, let’s not put down the new DAI so easily because from what I observe, they’re still releasing decent music. Sure they’ve lost a number of fans along the way but that’s something we see in most artists at the moment, sales dipped and whatnot. After releasing their 10th album named X, they took 3 years to produce a new studio album, Brand New Days (their 11th). If you noticed, after Time Machine (2012), they didn’t exactly follow the shiritori game for album names anymore. Some may say X can be interpreted by ‘ex’ but the way I see it, they’ve broken the pattern and though fans would’ve loved them to continue, I think it’s time to start anew. Brand New Days has 11 tracks and besides Mysterious Magic (Fairy Tail Opening theme) and Brand new days (title track) which was included in the USB they gave out to club members last year, we actually have not heard the rest of the album nor do we know what to expect. So let’s get into the album right away.

Mysterious Magic is one those songs that I initially don’t feel much about and ends up liking it. It’s a grower. That said, I’ve come to love it more now. I’ve also watched the live version from their 15th anniversary and I have to say, it’s the kind that sounds a lot better live. Afterall, for an anime theme, I didn’t put high hope for it to sound amazing, although before this, they had a number of great tracks for Inuyasha like Fukai Mori and Shinjitsu no Uta, not forgetting Rakuen as well. But those were the days where we expected no less from Dai Nagao. I think we can all agree that his absence plays a role in causing DAI to exert different sound now.

EDGE continues in the similar vein as Mysterious Magic, in it being a fast-paced pop/rock. I see this as a grower too and will definitely pump the audience in concerts. I like that it has a proper guitar riff during the bridge but still lacks a vocal one.

Brand new days is somewhat a surprise especially for old DAI fans. For us, this sounds a lot like American pop that we never expect them to make. However, I’m sure the lyrics still bring forth the message of a reborn Do As Infinity, perhaps? To be honest, it’s not a bad song at all. Like Mysterious Magic, it’s a grower, though I wish they actually put more bass in the song because it’s lacking it. It’s got too much treble and sound thin, at times grating on my ears. I blame the production at this point.

Sousei is beautifully amazing. Nuff said. Okay, this song deserves more than just two lines. This is the first ballad in the album and it begins with this guitar melody followed by Ban chan’s lower bittersweet vocal. God, I miss her lower register! I haven’t really analyzed the lyrics in detail but I think it’s about appreciating life and there’s also a subtle message about love and peace. I should also mention that this was written by Ban chan. Yup, I can always count on her for heartfelt lyrics. I’m also quite surprised to see that this was composed by foreigners. Do As Infinity never fails in making touching ballads. Just go through all of their ballads and you’ll get what I mean.
Listen to Sousei here.

Rapunzel reminds me of Tasogare. This track is quite odd because the pacing is kinda awkward in some sections and doesn’t quite flow smoothly, I didn’t even realize the first thing she sang was the chorus itself. Once you get down with it though, this song is sweet. I think this style is slightly different from what they’re used to. It’s probably worth mentioning that accordion can be heard and so it gives the track a very folk-ish sound.

Yume no Owari is still pop/rock with a tinge of blues. The beginning sounds like something you’d hear in those blues clubs (guitar riff especially), before the chorus gains more pace. Sadly, as groovy as this is, it’s not my type of song. I can’t find myself listening to this more than once and it’s more like a filler for me.

Marionette immediately reminded me of mainstream American pop/rock again I’m not sure why. It’s definitely the Ahh Ahh Ahh part in the beginning which sounds similar to something in the early 2000s by singers like Michelle Branch (don’t ask). That being said, it takes away the uniqueness I was hoping from DAI but I end up quite liking this as it progresses. The riff is proper and quite nicely done too.

Route 16 is like country pop. It’s not my cup of coffee and so I have a hard time loving this twang. It’s a light-hearted song and the nature of it makes me feel a bit meh about it. Hard to believe this is composed by the same person who did Marionette. On the hindsight, it might not be much of a surprise the fact that I think COZZi was somehow inspired by Western pop/rock. This song might work well in come cowboy town xD

Always, the second ballad is sure to capture your heart. Unless you’re not into slower songs then this won’t work. Anyways, I’m sold by this track, quite effortlessly too. It’s a step lower than Sousei but it’s up there. The chorus reminds me of that anniversary song they did before, heartwarming.

song for you has quite a promising intro and verse but it falls short of expectation when the chorus hits. It’s a bit disappointing because if the chorus was done in a different way, perhaps this would’ve been a solid track. The chorus makes everything collapse thereafter. The only good thing is that it has a proper bridge and riff.

Hajimari no Basho has a pretty intro and I believe they used some traditional instruments similar to what our ethnics are using (I forgot the name of the metal thing they used though). Now this feels more Japanesey and filled with hope.
Listen to Hajimari no Basho.

Overall, this album is better than I expected because I really wasn’t putting a lot of hope having not heard anything new from them for the last 3 years, except for the recent Mysterious Magic release which was to hype the release. If I were to compare though with the post-Dai Nagao releases, I still think Eternal Flame is my favourite and some of the track here remind me of that album. Especially the slower tracks. This album lacks the emo tracks present in Eternal Flame, which I loved so much lol *don’t mind me*. What this album is lacking though is experimentation, in fact, it’s playing on the safe side and I don’t feel like they’re pushing to the edge. I think the strength of this album is on the slower songs followed by the energetic ones. The filler-ish tracks should’ve been replaced with maybe darker vibe ones or harder rock. I miss rock and roll DAI. That said, the style is not much different from the previous album, X, if anything they’ve probably slowed down a bit. I’m not sure what producer Seiji Kameda was planning for the image of this album, it doesn’t sound like Brand New Days to me tbh, I was expecting something more drastic but overall, it’s on the more mainstream side. Regarding Ban Chan’s vocal, I think it sounds similar to the previous albums, I’m not sure if it has naturally just gone higher or what, but when she hits the lower notes, I’m instantly reminded of her True Song days where it was pure bliss. Her vocal has transformed over the years and it may have to do with the technique she’s singing now. I just know quite a number of fans (international) were commenting on it. It’s just something I’ve probably gotten used to but I still wish her vocal will someday magically go back to the way it was during True Song period xD

Still, it’s hard to hate this album when it has some actual solid tracks. In fact, I can’t bring myself to hate any of their albums because they have clear gems in each that you can’t ignore. It still exceeds my expectation and I think I’ll be churning some tracks on repeat for the next few weeks xD

Score: 8.5/10
Highlights: Sousei, Hajimari no Basho, EDGE, Rapunzel, Always.