SONG OF SILENCE

Starless. Where to begin? Well, the band is talented. The guitars and keyboards are good. The drumming is kind of basic and unimpressive. And the singer, Mayumi Minematsu, is, how should I put this, irritating.

There is something to like about the band. They play a high energy mix of pop and prog, with a sound that reminds me of the anime cartoons that come from their native Japan. But that singer. To me, her shrill shouting voice evokes Geddy Lee on the earlier Rush album, before he learned to rein in the harsher aspects of his sound.

But even Minematsu is not all bad. On Nigerarenai Yoru ni Tsukamatte she finally settles down and sings in a coquettish voice, sounding a bit like a lesser Kate Bush. But that's not enough for me to raise the rating.