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I’m satisfied with most of the music I buy. However, every once in a blue moon, I pick up a CD and within moments of listening know I’ve struck gold. Today was one of those days; this post is a review of:

夢中夢　ー　イリヤ
Muchuumu (Band) – Ilya (album)

Normally, I try to make articles about albums I like somewhat suspenseful, filling them with metaphors and colorful language. Not today. I’ll tell you flat out—this is album is a masterpiece. Muchuumu, which in Japanese means a ‘dream in a dream,’ is the most creative band I have come across in years, and this is one of the best albums I have ever heard.

To be honest, I knew well before buying this album that it was going to be good—I just didn’t know how good. I discovered Muchuumu through one of the three music blogs I regularly read. The sample song was a youtube video that I’m not going to post, yet, because it might deter you from the greatness of this album. It was basically a guy who somewhat resembled Hellraiser screaming into the camera. Not interested, right? Well, needless to say, I wasn’t terribly fascinated in yet another metal band without flare or sense of contrast, and about 30 seconds in my attention span was at its limit. But then, literally as I go to pause the video and begin reading the next review, the guy disappears and a striking girl begins an eloquent opera backed by strings and guitar. Ok, I thought. Let’s give this a shot.

Turns out the song is decent, I think to myself 30 seconds in. Hold up, this song is pretty good, I think to myself 1 minute in. Wait a second, this is brilliant—as the second piano solo breaks in. I was far too hasty to criticize the screaming; it creates a brilliant dichotomy. Oh, and the piano. Oh the piano! I quickly clicked through to the bands Myspace and checked out some of their other work. I was so moved by the first minute of the first song, I literally had to turn it off; I couldn’t let myself become familiar with only one of the songs. Nearly dying in anticipation, I flew out my apartment and headed to the nearest CD shop. I went to 3 different bookstores that night before returning home with nothing but more anxiety.

The next day, I headed into the city after school in search of the album. Unfortunately, 2 shops later the CD was still out of my grasp. With no other options, I ordered Ilya from HMV and waited until this morning for the CD to arrive. I’ve listened to the album 3 times through already—it’s that good. Muchuumu, in a brief description, is opera meets heavy, instrumental rock. Beyond that, I’m not going to try and describe what this music is like, or how good it is; I’m just going to show you. But, because I don’t want any of you to make the mistake I almost did, I’m not going to start with what almost had me overlooking this CD. Instead, I’ll being with ‘僕たちの距離感 / Toi Et Moi,’ the 4th song on this jaw dropping album. I would like you to intently listen to the entire song before continuing to read the review.

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Pretty good, right? No, It’s more like 7 fantastic songs in one—absolutely wonderful. Now that we have established this is clearly a band capable of painting a room with rainbows of emotion, I’m going to show you the exact song that, for 29 seconds, nearly turned me away from this band.

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The screaming is really brilliant in the overall picture, isn’t it? I’m so glad I had the patience to listen past the intro, because not only is the shrieking an integral part of the song, but because it lead me to give this band a chance—and this band is gold.

I can’t stop listening to this album, mostly because I can’t believe how good it is. By no means am I a fan of opera, or metal for that matter. Screaming is typically the last audible thing I consider music–and that’s coming from a guy who loves Aphex Twin. But, this band is different, and this album is immaculate. Every shriek, which by no means characterize or dominate the album, are precise in their placement and balance. However, what really makes this CD shine are the main vocals, piano, and crescendo. Imagine a much more polished, refined Dragonforce. Then, add a little Phantom of the Opera and you’ve got Muchuumu. Case in point, song 10, ‘祈り / Prayer.’ Remember the song Stairway to Heaven? This is like Stairway to Hell—10 and a half minutes of constantly building pressure, and not a moment of repetition. You’ll think the song has climaxed 4 times before you finally ruin your pants and the song transitions into the best outro you’ve ever heard. I probably shouldn’t be doing this, but here is the full song:

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Here’s how I broke it down.

Intro イリヤ / Intro-Ilya-
5
火焔鳥 / Die Ewige Wiederkunft
5
眼は神 / L’oeil Est Dieu
5
僕たちの距離感 / Toi Et Moi
5
反復する世界の果てで白夜は散る / Repetitional Existence
5
ドクサの海の悪棲 / Doxa Incarnate
5
塵に過ぎない僕は塵に返る / Unforgiven
5
いく度も繰り返されて、言葉は言葉は少しずつ意味を失い、言葉のもたらす痛みも和らぐ / Raidon D’être
5
サッフォー / Sappho
5
祈り / Prayer
5
灰の日 / Hai No Hi
5

Album balance/flow/identity (I’ve decided to add this to my reviews)
5

Total: 60

Divided by (song count (11) + 1) = 5

x 2

Overall Score: 10

Yes, that is a perfect score. This is the only album I’ve ever heard that can honestly rival Shiina Ringo’s Karuki Zamen Kuri No Hana. It has an incredible identity, astounding song variety and complexity, and finally, a unique balance—things never drag on, and the length feels just right at 11 songs. The whole album, from its delicate strings and french whispers, to menacing screams and crashing crescendos, is gold. It goes without saying everything is that much better on a pair of nice headphones.

Don’t even think about it—go out and buy this album now. And do yourself and the band a favor—actually buy it.

Buy Ilya

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