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Sol-fa (album)
Encyclopedia
is the second full-length studio album by Japan
ese rock
band, ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION
, released on October 20, 2004.
. The urgency of the songs were complemented by the balanced nature of the overall album, creating their most mature release as of late. Gotō
credited this outcome as the result of sharing his songwriting duties more evenly with bandmates than ever before. The album was equally praised for its high production quality, which thoroughly nullified the language barrier that frequently impeded non–Japanese
speaking audiences.
Upon its debut, the album topped the Oricon
charts for two weeks straight and produced four singles, with sales reaching over 600,000 copies by its third week. Its success can be partially traced to two tracks that the band produced, "Rewrite
" and "Haruka Kanata," were featured in the opening themes of the highly popular anime series Fullmetal Alchemist
and Naruto
respectively. With the LP, AKG also finally succeeded in outreaching to international audiences, a goal they had attempted in earlier English indie releases but were met by little response. The album peaked at number three on the World Chart while "Rewrite" went on to win Best Anime Theme Song at the 2007 American Anime Awards
. Following its domestic release, fans from around the world petitioned for Sol-fa to be distributed outside of Japan. The support for Ajikan eventually resulted in Tofu Records
striking a contract to release Sol-fa in the United States on October 18, 2005.
except:
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band, ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION
Asian Kung-fu Generation
, typeset as ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, is a Japanese rock band formed in Yokohama, Japan in 1996. For nearly its entire career, the band has consisted of vocalist Masafumi Gotō, guitarist Kensuke Kita, bassist Takahiro Yamada, and drummer Kiyoshi Ijichi...
, released on October 20, 2004.
Reception
With the LP, AKG fully realized and honed the upbeat tempo but hard-edged and emotionally-charged sound first expressed within Hōkai AmplifierHokai Amplifier
is the major-label debut EP by Japanese rock band ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, released on November 25, 2002 on Under Flower Records.-Background:After six years since its inception and three independent releases, Asian Kung-Fu Generation contributed to the Under Flower compilation album, Whatch You...
. The urgency of the songs were complemented by the balanced nature of the overall album, creating their most mature release as of late. Gotō
Masafumi Goto
is the lead vocalist, main songwriter and rhythm guitarist of the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. Masafumi met fellow band members Kensuke Kita and Takahiro Yamada while attending a music club of Kanto Gakuin University. The three formed Asian Kung-Fu Generation in 1996, with drummer...
credited this outcome as the result of sharing his songwriting duties more evenly with bandmates than ever before. The album was equally praised for its high production quality, which thoroughly nullified the language barrier that frequently impeded non–Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
speaking audiences.
Upon its debut, the album topped the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
charts for two weeks straight and produced four singles, with sales reaching over 600,000 copies by its third week. Its success can be partially traced to two tracks that the band produced, "Rewrite
Rewrite (song)
is a song by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. It was released as the third single of their second full-length studio album, Sol-fa, on August 4, 2004.-Reception:...
" and "Haruka Kanata," were featured in the opening themes of the highly popular anime series Fullmetal Alchemist
Fullmetal Alchemist
, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. The world of Fullmetal Alchemist is styled after the European Industrial Revolution...
and Naruto
Naruto
is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of...
respectively. With the LP, AKG also finally succeeded in outreaching to international audiences, a goal they had attempted in earlier English indie releases but were met by little response. The album peaked at number three on the World Chart while "Rewrite" went on to win Best Anime Theme Song at the 2007 American Anime Awards
American Anime Awards
The American Anime Awards are a series of awards designed to recognize excellence in the release of anime and manga in North America.The first annual American Anime Awards balloting was supervised by Milton Griepp of industry website ICv2. The first gala awards presentation was hosted in New York...
. Following its domestic release, fans from around the world petitioned for Sol-fa to be distributed outside of Japan. The support for Ajikan eventually resulted in Tofu Records
Tofu Records
was a US record label of Sony Music Entertainment Japan that was launched in 2003 to distribute Japanese Sony artists in the United States, and that closed in 2007. Their first signed artist was T.M.Revolution, and they used the anime fandom community to spread the word. T.M.Revolution's U.S...
striking a contract to release Sol-fa in the United States on October 18, 2005.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Masafumi GotōMasafumi Goto
is the lead vocalist, main songwriter and rhythm guitarist of the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. Masafumi met fellow band members Kensuke Kita and Takahiro Yamada while attending a music club of Kanto Gakuin University. The three formed Asian Kung-Fu Generation in 1996, with drummer...
except:
- "Siren" and "Re:Re:" written by Masafumi Gotō and Takahiro YamadaTakahiro Yamada (musician)is the bass player and backing singer of the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. Yamada met fellow band members Masafumi Gotō and Kensuke Kita while attending a music club of Kanto Gakuin University...
B-sides
| Song | Length | B-side of |
|---|---|---|
| "Siren#" | 6:15 | "Siren" |
| "Entrance" (Live) | 4:12 | "Loop & Loop Loop & Loop is a song by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. It was released as the second single of their second full-length studio album, Sol-fa, on May 19, 2004.The song was used as the theme song for the drama Dame Nari!... " |
| "Rashinban" (Live) | 2:37 | |
| "Yūgure no Aka" | 4:17 | "Rewrite Rewrite (song) is a song by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. It was released as the third single of their second full-length studio album, Sol-fa, on August 4, 2004.-Reception:... " |
| "Hold Me Tight" | 4:06 | "Kimi no Machi Made Kimi no Machi Made is a song by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. It was released as the fourth and final single of their second full-length studio album, Sol-fa, on September 23, 2004.-Music video:... " |
Personnel
- Masafumi GotōMasafumi Gotois the lead vocalist, main songwriter and rhythm guitarist of the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. Masafumi met fellow band members Kensuke Kita and Takahiro Yamada while attending a music club of Kanto Gakuin University. The three formed Asian Kung-Fu Generation in 1996, with drummer...
– lead vocals, guitar - Kensuke KitaKensuke Kitais the lead guitarist and backing singer of the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. Kensuke met fellow band members Masafumi Gotō and Takahiro Yamada while attending a music club of Kanto Gakuin University. The three formed Asian Kung-Fu Generation in 1996, with drummer Kiyoshi Ijichi...
– lead guitar, background vocals - Takahiro YamadaTakahiro Yamada (musician)is the bass player and backing singer of the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. Yamada met fellow band members Masafumi Gotō and Kensuke Kita while attending a music club of Kanto Gakuin University...
– bass, background vocals - Kiyoshi IjichiKiyoshi Ijichiis the drummer of the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. Ijichi credits the origin of his drumming ability to playing in marching bands in junior high....
– drums - Asian Kung-Fu GenerationAsian Kung-fu Generation, typeset as ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, is a Japanese rock band formed in Yokohama, Japan in 1996. For nearly its entire career, the band has consisted of vocalist Masafumi Gotō, guitarist Kensuke Kita, bassist Takahiro Yamada, and drummer Kiyoshi Ijichi...
– producer - Michihiko Nakayama – executive producer
- Rieko Ohkura – production coordination
- Fumihito Yokono – drum technician
- Kenichi Nakamura – engineering
- Toru Takayama – engineering, mixing
- Stephen Marcussen – mastering
- Stewart Whitmore – editing
- Yusuke Nakamura – art direction
Album
| Year | Chart | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Oricon Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
1 |
| World Chart | 3 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| Oricon Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
||
| 2004 | "Siren" | 2 |
| "Loop & Loop Loop & Loop is a song by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. It was released as the second single of their second full-length studio album, Sol-fa, on May 19, 2004.The song was used as the theme song for the drama Dame Nari!... " |
8 | |
| "Rewrite Rewrite (song) is a song by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. It was released as the third single of their second full-length studio album, Sol-fa, on August 4, 2004.-Reception:... " |
4 | |
| "Kimi no Machi Made Kimi no Machi Made is a song by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. It was released as the fourth and final single of their second full-length studio album, Sol-fa, on September 23, 2004.-Music video:... " |
3 |
External links
- Sol-fa at MusicBrainzMusicBrainzMusicBrainz is a project that aims to create an open content music database. Similar to the freedb project, it was founded in response to the restrictions placed on the CDDB...
- Sol-fa at Last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....