Reviews

Modal Soul

Nujabes was without a doubt one of the most unique artists, masterfully and gracefully combining hip-hop and jazz. Modal Soul is arguably their best release in a discography that is pretty much perfect in this nieche subgenre of hip-hop.

1 - Feather

★★★★★

Piano keys elegently open this track and in turn open this album beautifully. They're quickly tended to by very heartfelt rapping about letting go of life's worries. This perfectly sets the tone of the album and shows how competent Nujabes is at weaving gracefully complex jazz samples with a heavy rhythm and strong vocals.

2 - Ordinary Joe

★★★☆☆

3 - Reflection Eternal

★★★★☆

Similar to Feather, this is a majorly piano driven track. Here Nujabes expertise in creating blissful soundscapes brings out memories perfect for reminiscion. The subtle vocals really add to the calm yet uplifting nature of this track, makes the runtime fly by in a good and effortless way.

4 - Luv (Sic), Part 3

★★★★★

Immediately this track stands out in this album, the sample of an Isaac Hayes drum beat is gracefully yet quickly matched by an elegant piano sample. Shing02's vocals really shine bringing out a combination of uplifting emotions which are further complemented by the complexely brilliant harmonies created by Nujabes. `I see clear when the world doesn't show it to me`

5 - Music is Mine

★★★☆☆

6 - Eclipse

★★★★★

What at first seems like a simple drum intro unfolds into a magnificent pairing of Nujabes immense choice of piano sampling and Substantial's heartfelt vocals. This song truly shows a match made in heaven, the lyrics and the beats just complement eachother so perfectly. The meaning of this song is important it seems to be about at long distance relationship where `distance makes a heart grow fonder` This song is just beautiful. `even the toughest man on the planet need loving and nothing tames the wild like a woman's embrace`

7 - The Sign

★★★★☆

I absolutely love the messaging behind this song and the way it's delivered but I can't help but feel like this track drags on for what it is. It lacks those chunky Nujabes drum beat I love so much but I absolutely am nitpicking.

8 - Thank You

★★★★☆

Pacing on this track never ceases to amaze me, this is one of the faster songs in the album with many different sounds from violins to acoustic guitars woven in and out. There's a break in this track always keeps me coming back but what truly stands out to me every listen is how during the break the acoustic guitar effortlessly stays and fits with the rest of the song which is such a rare thing to hear and only truly gets appreciated on consecutive listens.

9 - World's End Rhapsody

★★★☆☆

10 - Modal Soul

★★★★★

This track definitely earns it's self titled status with its complex harmonies. Though this track may come across quite simple upon a first listen, successive listens reveal the many instrumental layers this track contains. This plus the fact that it was co created by Uyama Hiroto who is considered the only person Nujabes taught is the icing on the cake.

11 - Flowers

★★★☆☆

12 - Sea of Cloud

★★★★☆

Possibly the most dream sounding song in this entire album, there are few layers to this track considering Nujabe's style. Make no mistake however that the samples used absolutely give an almost shoegaze level of bliss due to the smart sparsity of them.

13 - Light on the Land

★★★★☆

Fittingly, this feels like a brighter alternative to sea of cloud. Still creating a dreamy and charming atmosphere but this time an atmosphere more reminiscent of a sunny morning drive through the country-side.

14 - Horizon

★★★☆☆