23ji no ongaku

I’ve heard of HOME MADE Kazoku, and even encountered a few of their songs in passing, but I really wasn’t very interested when I heard they would be releasing another album, CIRCLE, this week. Then the tracklist came out, and ended up on a particular band’s website while I was visiting, and I became EXTREMELY interested. Why? Because one of the songs, “Hanabira,” features the vocals of Yukko from noanowa!

If you’re still in the dark about this group despite my neverending attempts to make them popular, noanowa is a five-piece pop group. Their sound is an eclectic and adorable mix of Japanese pop, classical elements (lead singer Yukko also plays cello), and the occasional touch of cutesy or gritty. Their closest comparison is now-defunct band reach up to the universe–also relatively unknown. They are my favorite Japanese group at the moment, and while band breakups have put me in tears before… I will probably be too distraught to function if they call it quits anytime soon.

Anyway, CIRCLE is out and “Hanabira” is everything I hoped it would be, and more. While it will probably be an introduction to noanowa (or at least Yukko) for most people listening to it, it’s the opposite for me: it’s the first time I’ve really sat down and listened to anything from HMK! Maybe I’ll check them out after this…

Give “Hanabira” a listen and see what you think. The rapping is clean and positive, in my ears, and Yukko… Yukko just kills me, here. Her little quiet line at 3:20 (“ne, hontou wa ne…”) is just perfect! I only wish I understood more Japanese so I could know for sure if this song is as sweet as I think it is.

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This one’s definitely a keeper. But… when’s the next noanowa single coming out, Yukko?