3 out of 5

Label: Columbia

Produced by: Yuichi Kendo

Following on the electronic, harmonic sounds of Sim City, Susumu’s sixth album, Siren, also chooses a type of simulated life as a narrative, only in this case (again, I nip from the Wiki for a summary of lyrical themes) it’s something more grounded in our day-to-day habits as opposed to the ethereal imagniarum of Sim: kicked off with Hirasawa’s heavenly vocals atop the eponymous sound effect, the disc circles around musical concepts that support the sensation of patterns: of all following a pre-set something.  A lot of engaging gang vocals and sudden bursts of march-like choruses punctuate the disc’s best moments, very much in the album’s former half, which treat said siren like something of a wake up call.

However, as we tipple into the later songs, it would seem that Susumu is treating the experience like a day’s cycle, with the last stretches slower, dreamlike, and, in comparison to the bustle that preceded it, less notable.  The last few songs all tend to blend together.

The bookending moments, a similar trick to Sim City, feel much more in line with the album’s overall flow; Siren fits together very well, and Susumu’s singing and compositional talents are apparent throughout, but the way it picks you up and then lets you drift down to a state of calm lend itself to a playlist that only partially sticks out.