In a sea roiling with wave after wave of icy salt water, it's understandable that a person would eagerly grasp at any handhold proffered up by the briny deep. In the sea of idol after frigid, vapid idol, the cello slinging Kanon Wakeshima is a welcome life-preserver.
Allegedly only 18 or 19 years old, Wakeshima started out her career with hopes of being a singer. She had a lifetime of training with the cello, but almost let her unique talents fall to the wayside when she was preparing a demo. She reconsidered and used her cello playing along with her singing, and Song snatched her up.
Don't let the slightly dark/vis-kei look fool you though. She is first and foremost a pop idol, just in a slightly different setting. Her 2009 debut album Shinshoku Dolce is pure pop with a layer of dark chocolate and lace. Her singles also give a slightly false impression, being the more gothic of the songs offered. Sure, they are full of the requisite organs and reverby hallways, but the production makes it obvious that her songs are about her voice above all else. Produced by vis-kei god Mana (Malize Mizer, Moi dix Mois,) the album is also jam packed with his disdain for "real" instruments and is instead rife with his usual cheesy pallet of fake drums, stings and hokey synths. This drains much of the lifeblood out of what might otherwise be very rich and pretty songs.
Stripped down to the bone, when Wakeshima is allowed to flaunt her unique traits, i.e. her lower register voice and her cello playing, the songs really do shine with a dark light. All too often it seems like she is being pressed into the standard j-pop mold. While she is guaranteed to appeal to those with a darker world view, the shallowness and overall low-rent production might turn off those with truly refined pallets.
Suna no Oshiro
Official Site
MySpace
Albums:
Shinshoku Dolce 2009
Still Doll
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