A(Ace)’s Night of the Knights Packs Adrenaline and 70s Riffs
A(Ace) keep on going from strength to strength. Currently one of the most promising young bands around, they have yet to release a dull single and Night of the Knights is no different.
The title track, “Night of the Knights” is a smashing song packed with adrenaline. Opening on gothic piano notes, a faux choir sets an ominous tone but once the airy violin of Rookie Fiddler come in, together with the pounding guitars, it picks up into a fantastic rock piece. Nimo should be lauded for his vocals which are sung deftly and at such a pace that they leave you breathless; the moments of lightness offered by the violin come as welcome relief. The song is rather complex instrumentally with layers of synth and piano, together with the violin and a rather elaborate guitar solo. The elements shouldn’t work, but somehow they do, proving that A(Ace) are the rising stars to watch right now.
The second track, “Fool’s Gold” is a bit weaker. A(Ace) like to push the boundaries and bring different music styles into their visual kei but where the varying elements in “Night of the Knights” worked, here they sound a bit too much of a mishmash. “Fool’s Gold” opens on a heavy promise with a rather killer ‘70s riff. The subtler verse is a lovely contrast to the ‘70s riff with a sole, bright violin accompaniment to the vocals but the sudden intrusion of the funky guitar line and the poppy sing-along chorus don’t seem to work well with these more delicate moments to make a cohesive whole. While the ‘70s vibe that pops in and out gives the song some retro cool, it’s hard not to think that the composition took a bit of a wrong turn somewhere. Not their finest work, yet with so many different aspects at play, a dull song this is not!
If A(Ace) is not yet on your musical radar, we couldn’t recommend more than to give Night of the Knights a listen. While “Fools Gold” lets the single down a bit, this is still a strong release. A(Ace)’s unique visual music will go far.
2 Track CD + DVD
Tracklist
CD
- Night Of The Knights
- FOOL’S GOLD
DVD
- Night Of The Knights (PV)
Sarah began her journey into the world of Japanese music courtesy of L'Arc-en-Ciel back in the year 2000. Since then, she has combined a love of music and music journalism into writing for European Japanese music magazines and assisting with Japanese interest events in the UK. After graduating in Law from the University of Nottingham, she put 'the law-thing' on the backburner to dive into the live scene in Tokyo for 3 years. Sarah returned to the UK in September 2010 to do that 'law-thing' and now works for a Japanese ｂank in London. Her heart is always in the music and fashion in Tokyo and her life is balanced between her time in the UK and Japan. When she has time, she also blogs at http://lifeismerodii.blogspot.com
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