Have you ever seen Detective Conan/Case Closed before? That long-run series now airing episode 600 something, featuring a cool, famous high school detective who maintained his victimized kid form throughout the story. Alone with lively actions, suspending dialogues and all the typical mystery goodness, we have this soft blend of bitterness and romance, surrounding each character’s fascinating history with profound love, faith and determination. It’s been the classic archetype of mystery-romance stories, and no wonder it’s well received by two generations over ten years.

Don’t be confused, you are in the right post. Another impeccable part of Detective Conan is its theme songs. Toho always chooses the best singles of the time. Literally, the best. That’s how I was familiarized with many great J-Pop singers. Today I’m going to introduce you one of those albums that bring you that full greatness. Hundreds of albums are released every year, and it’s common sense that we don’t necessarily love every single song in the track list. Some albums are intended to be balanced for wider audience reception. Some, like this one, are focused on one particular genre, or even composer style. Memories by GARNET CROW, a four-member J-Pop/Rock band formed in 1999, is going to be this one disc where uniqueness is written all over its tracks.

So enough of me attempting to establish this emotional bridge and stretchy connection between GARNET CROW and Detective Conan, let’s get into the songs. But oh wait, before that, I want to dedicate a paragraph to the vocal of this band – Nakamura Yuri. Ordinary name, extraordinary voice. Have you ever heard of a near-perfect, modest combination of bel canto and modern pop music? This is where Nakamura Yuri shines. To put it in other words, I always feel like her mouth doesn’t open “wide enough” to make clear pronunciations. But meantime, her voice is very powerful yet elastic, packaging the “bel” (beauty) of bel canto and the captivation of mature female voice. Great vocal, addictive voice, now let’s talk about this band.

GARNET CROW is one of those few bands whose members list passed the time test. They have collaborated twice with Kuraki Mai, one of my all-time favorite J-Pop artists. This brings forward a somewhat interesting mysterious connection between my two favorite bands/artists. Kuraki Mai, known for her juvenile Japanese R&B style, modest debut and serious attitude, debuted in American in 1999. These four members collaborated on Kuraki Mai’s demo tape and decided to launch their own career by debuting as “GARNET CROW.” So here’s the link: could it be that Kuraki Mai’s undeniable unique stylings inspired the creation of GARNET CROW? Or could it be that GARNET CROW’s great potential inspired Kuraki Mai to write more diverse songs later on? I’d love to interview them both, provided that my Japanese is fluent enough. Regardless of this mystery, we are certain that without doubt GARNET CROW and Kuraki Mai are two of the best, most modest, and well received artists in the traditional pop music industry.

Memories, released on December 7th, definitely should be a four/five-star album in your library. Before your purchase, be sure to check out these previews and song reviews.

Track list

1. Smiley Nation
2. live~When You Are Near!~
3. JUDY
4. Misty Mystery
5. 一緒に暮らそう
6. メモリーズ
7. 静寂のconcerto
8. 創世記 I
9. ロンリーナイト
10. 英雄
11. Blue Regret

Smiley Nation

Nation full of smileys! You know it’s going to be relaxing and upbeat!

JUDY

Featuring manga characters, it’s a light-hearted/sad piece you simply can’t miss.

Misty Mystery

Desperately trying to relate GARNET CROW’s sentimental style to the also sentimental anime – Detective Conan.

Mystery Eyes (Not in this album)

I included this song outside of Memories because of its proven popularity and heat when first aired as the opening theme of Detective Conan.

Over Drive (Not in this album)

Accompanying the great movie The Lost Ship in the Sky, this single rocks too.

Resources

Purchase this album from YesAsia ($37.25 regular, $44.49 DVD Limited)
Download (Megaupload, password: fm1397.com)
Other download sources

Visit GARNET CROW official website
Visit GARNET CROW fan blog (Garnet FANtasy)
Visit GARNET CROW fan blog (GarnetScope)
GARNET CROW facebook page

Don’t you just have a new favorite band now? What do you think about their music and Nakamura Yuri’s vocal? Or even more welcome, Detective Conan and your favorite theme songs? Leave your thoughts and comments below, I’d love to hear what you think!