The Allure of ClariS (the duo)

Today I embarked on a grand journey, or something dramatic like that. Not too long ago I was listening to death metal outfit Gojira, which allowed me to expand as a listener and fear for my hearing simultaneously. Today I listened to ClariS' discography, which consists of the three albums Birthday (below), Second Story, and Party Time.I decided to do this band's music, though they are actually a duo, because they are quite well known. Having several of their songs as opening or ending themes to various anime shows (Nisemonogatari, Nisekoi, and Oreimo, among others), ClariS is a very popular J-pop band. I have heard and liked some of their songs, so I decided I should hear their output in context. To be ehonest, I expected standard fare upbeat pop music merged with mild electronics for most of the albums; J-Pop as a style seems to structurally favor filler pop music. Trying them out, however, I was quite enthralled, something that simply cannot happen with dead variety.Though ClariS can make really catchy and uptempo songs, they are also talented with slower pieces including balladesque songs. I enjoyed my first true encounter with J-pop. (Hush - Babymetal does not really count because it's fusion to the extreme.) None of the songs ever felt like a chore to finish, something I cannot say for many bands. I think that ClariS' ability to make a diverse set of songs that are fun yet emotional makes them very strong. Their approach to making music never stagnates, even though one would expect the freshness to fade after the first two hours (albums). My personal favorite song was "Irony," which features a rather layered sound for a ClariS song. Somehow it feels the most urgent and pulling. I cannot pinpoint a clearer reason other than the singing, which feels just a touch sadder than the usual ClariS vocals. The members of ClariS - Clara and Alice, though now it's Karen and Clara - are younger than I am, which really makes me wonder what I'm doing with my life. (Even more than usual.)


Figure 1. The album cover of Birthday  by ClariS. The single "Irony" is the second track on this album.