Track listing
- 1 Planets 4:06
- 2 Temptation Talk 4:17
- 3 Holy Triangle 5:38
- 4 World Standard 4:18
- 5 Couples 3:56
- 6 Sunday Impressions 5:11
- 7 The Swim 4:09
- 8 Seventeen 3:50
- 9 This Can't Be Love 4:48
- 10 The Work of God 4:34
- Total length: 44:47
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4 Issues
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Bellissima! [p]
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Bellissima! 33 rpm
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Bellissima! Exclusive, Limited Edition, Remastered
6 Reviews
A delicious sweet red velvet served with classic monogrammed silverware.
I'm still impressed about how overlooked this album is within Pizzicato Five discography. I know it might feel a little neutral at first, but after a few listens you might find yourself craving for more of this soul, classy and bubble-free side of them. Indeed, this is one of the albums that more have grown on me throughout the years.
Songs are just equally nice. Smooth soul blended with shibuya-kei. In retrospect, 'Couples' is still a jewel, with those deep choruses that remain memorable on their discography. The splendid ballad 'The Work of God' is a hidden gem: melancholy turned into a rocket to the stars (featured in Most Emotional Songs in Japanese).
Now this might be an unpopular opinion... but I prefer this album over any of their later ones (except of their compilation Singles). It is fair to think of P5 with 野宮真貴 [Maki Nomiya] as lead vocalist, but we should praise their past material with 田島貴男 [Takao Tajima] too. He is one of my favourite singers in j-music, with a seductive, velvety and soulful voice that led me to follow his band Original Love. I feel that Maki Nomiya's voice is also distinctive, but somewhat flat, lack of nuances. Nonetheless, I guess that her allure is the sweet that doesn't make anyone bitter: a perfect fit for the commercial bomb they became after Tajima's exit. Don't get me wrong, I love P5 hits with Maki, it's just that I haven't found any of their albums as gentle and elegant as this one. A delicious sweet red velvet served with classic monogrammed silverware.
The Best: Couples / The Work of God / Planets / Temptation Talk / Sunday Impressions.
Audio: Pizzicato Five - Couples
[YouTube p2MDHcC2mKw]
[YouTube p2MDHcC2mKw]
Published
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I've held off on getting into this band because I am still honestly terrified of going down the shibuya-kei rabbit hole, but scyle has shown me the way--shibuya-kei, it turns out, can be pretty much whatever you want it to be. Case in point, this album, which is basically a straight-up early 70s smooth soul record, albeit with occasional forays into other equally gentle genres such as sophisti-pop ("World Standard") and city pop ("Sunday Impressions"). And it's good! But also strangely unmemorable, maybe because this is the kind of music where you need a Luther Vandross or Barry White or Marvin Gaye on the mic and this just has some nerdy guy.
Published
this album has grown immensely on me over this past year - I'd probably go as far as to call it my favourite album of 2016. don't get me wrong: even despite the influx of musician deaths it has been a fine year for new releases, but I haven't returned to any of those as often as I did to this one (except for Blond(e), maybe?)
I do realize that Bellissima! is probably noone's favourite Pizzicato Five record and that like most works by Japanese musicians it is more of a display of craftsmanship than, for lack of a better term, ramshackle immediacy. nevertheless, the Japanese are like the master craftsmen of the world, and these 10 tracks are yet another display of that - ersatz soul they may be, but it's the very best ersatz soul there is. also: the seeds of Shibuya-kei are sown somewhere on "Couples", which would be reprised on "Baby Love Child" with Maki Nomiya singing that wordless refrain.
the lyrics, on the other hand, are quite affecting - more melancholy than on P5's later, bubblier stuff. (check out "Sunday Impressions", where the narrator ponders suicide while shaving!) however, even if you don't know the language, you'll hear the poignancy in the singing, which should be more than enough. in a way, this is a reflection of Japan's entire thing - a glossy surface obscuring something sinister.
so basically, I see Bellissima! as the valley of sadness between two colourful peaks, City Pop and Shibuya-kei. if you like any of that, give this a listen.
Happy New Year!
I do realize that Bellissima! is probably noone's favourite Pizzicato Five record and that like most works by Japanese musicians it is more of a display of craftsmanship than, for lack of a better term, ramshackle immediacy. nevertheless, the Japanese are like the master craftsmen of the world, and these 10 tracks are yet another display of that - ersatz soul they may be, but it's the very best ersatz soul there is. also: the seeds of Shibuya-kei are sown somewhere on "Couples", which would be reprised on "Baby Love Child" with Maki Nomiya singing that wordless refrain.
the lyrics, on the other hand, are quite affecting - more melancholy than on P5's later, bubblier stuff. (check out "Sunday Impressions", where the narrator ponders suicide while shaving!) however, even if you don't know the language, you'll hear the poignancy in the singing, which should be more than enough. in a way, this is a reflection of Japan's entire thing - a glossy surface obscuring something sinister.
so basically, I see Bellissima! as the valley of sadness between two colourful peaks, City Pop and Shibuya-kei. if you like any of that, give this a listen.
Happy New Year!
P.S. the vocalist on this album is Takao Tajima: his main band, Original Love, are more of the same, so if you end up liking Bellissima!, check out their stuff too. or at least Sunny Side of Original Love
Published
A tribute to soul music. I can hear motifs inspired by Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Smokey Robinson among others. "World Standard" and "The Swim" make good breaks but I think the best songs are the beginning and ending ones. "Planets" and "The Work of God" are both incredibly gorgeous tunes.
Published
Smooth Japanese crooning...some songs sound the same, but most are soothing to hear.
Published
The last release with Sasai, not a very good or very interesting one. Just typical 1980s Japanese pop. _Couples_ is much, much better.
Album highlights: "World Standards", "Couples", "Sunday Impressions"
Album highlights: "World Standards", "Couples", "Sunday Impressions"
Published
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Catalog
7 Jun 2024
4 Jun 2024
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1
Planets
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2
Temptation Talk
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3
Holy Triangle
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4
World Standard
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5
Couples
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6
Sunday Impressions
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7
The Swim
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8
Seventeen
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9
This Can't Be Love
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10
The Work of God
30 May 2024
13 May 2024
7 May 2024
23 Apr 2024
16 Apr 2024
8 Apr 2024
8 Apr 2024
7 Apr 2024
6 Apr 2024
1 Apr 2024
25 Mar 2024
18 Mar 2024
7 Mar 2024
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