Commemorating the release of his 2nd EP "Forced Shutdown! We delve into the charms of singer-songwriter Kusunoki Tomori! Monthly Seiyu Artists Bulletin Special Edition

I never thought I would meet such a gem of a talent. Tomori Kusunoki's second EP "Forced Shutdown," released on April 28, 2021, is a piece that proves without a shadow of a doubt that she is an extraordinary talent as a voice-over artist and a singer-songwriter, no matter how you look at it.

Her musical life began in her childhood, when she started piano lessons at the age of 3, joined the brass band club in junior high school, and the light music club in high school. 17 years old, in 2016, she won a special prize at an audition sponsored by Sony Music Artists, but at the time she applied as an aspiring singer. In 2017, the year after her debut as a voice actress, she took on the challenge of writing her first song under the advice of her voice training teacher, Mitsuhiro Tada, and has always been close to music in addition to her voice acting career. After releasing two independent albums, she made her major label debut with her first EP "Hamidashimono" in July 2020.

Forced Shutdown" is her first non-tie-up album, and she wrote the lyrics and music for all four songs (one of which was co-written with Natsune Narumi). This is the first non-tie-in album, and she expresses her music as she sees fit, fully demonstrating her rich sensibility. In this article, we would like to explain each of the songs on the album, and unravel Ms. Kusunoki's artistic nature from the three aspects of lyric writing, composition, and vocals.

◆An output ability based on the knowledge common to songwriting and arranging

The title track "Forced Shutdown" is a song meaning "forced shutdown. It expresses Mr. Kusunoki's intention to dare to choose "not to connect" with others in order to protect his own mental realm, as he felt at the Corona Disaster. The track has a post-rock style with a door-locking soundtrack. The "kime" that repeatedly appears in the chorus, and the subsequent irregular beat, are linked to the instability of the protagonist's mind, and as the song progresses, it gradually takes on a chaotic aspect. The soundtrack of the cassette stopping at the end of the second chorus seems to overlap with the feelings of a depressed mind that suddenly breaks out of its color.

The following song "sketchbook" was a remake of the indies release "STROKE. The title of the song was changed from the original "sketchbook" to English, and the lyrics were newly written. The single piano track was arranged by arabesque Choche from "Chouchou," a unit that Kusunoki loves to listen to, and it has been transformed into an ambient sound with an electronica base. In addition, a whopping eight choruses spun by Mr. Kusunoki were dubbed on the track, and there is a behind-the-scenes story about how he went outside the studio to get some air because he was in a half-acid state at the time of recording.

The third track, "Akatoki," was a rich track with brass and band sounds, adding a lot of notes to the city pop style of the original song. The light piano melody, which was purposely chosen for the beat so as not to sound too mature, carries a jazzy taste that drives the overall rhythm. This heart-pounding arrangement was created by Mr. Tada, who has supported Mr. Kusunoki on stage in terms of performance as well. Seeing the excitement of the live performance, he dared to create a bright and lively finish.

The final song is "Vanilla," which was created for his 20th birthday concert in December 2019, and this is the first official release of the song. The meaning of the title is discussed below, but the lyrics were written like a letter to his family, friends, and fans. The distorted guitars, like shoegaze (editor's note: a type of rock), create a magnificent rock ballad.

All of these melodies were conceived by Ms. Kusunoki herself, but what is surprising is that she herself ordered even the subtleties of the arrangements in great detail. This is something that can be clearly seen in the words she usually utters in interviews, on SNS, and on the radio, but it is likely that she already has a near-perfect sound in her mind at the songwriting stage.

She is probably outputting this image to the arranger with the knowledge of music she has nurtured since childhood. Kusunoki himself stated on his official Twitter page that he was unable to fully verbalize his image of the new song "Forced Shutdown," but the aforementioned arabesque Choche was able to "accurately convey the detailed chordal adjustments and compressions during the production process. However, the aforementioned arabesque Choche also recalls that "during the course of production, I was able to accurately convey even the smallest chordal adjustments and compressions.

She also has the ability to pick up reference works that come close to the sound she is seeking at any given moment, and she has the ability to attract creators, of which arabesque Choche is one, whom she would like to bring on board. Her love of music is so palpable that they are willing to support her productions.

However, this is by no means a praise of singer-songwriters alone, nor is it a statement of supremacy. Although there are some who create their own music in the voice-over artist industry, there is no superiority or inferiority between them and singers. There is undeniable value in the songs written by the creators with the singer in mind, and in the process of searching for the direction to take as a singer (I leave this as a note to myself).

◆Vocal with several different colors in each song

When I listened to this EP for the first time, there was one thing that surprised me more than anything else. I was surprised, first and foremost, to hear how many different voices Tomori Kusunoki possesses. The vocal approach is different in each song: "Forced Shutdown," with its wide range of nuances from slightly husky to lustrous high notes, and sounds as if he is spitting out his life-sized worries; "Akatoki," with its core of toughness; and "Vanilla," with its emphasis on low notes and a deep resonance. Each of them is different from the other.

In particular, I still remember the first time I heard "sketchbook" and being surprised by the completely different tones of the vocals. It is one of the most easily recognizable songs on the album, as it seems to vaguely blur the line between the vocals and the track, shimmering so vaguely that it reminds me of a lonely night. Although the mix had some influence here, Mr. Kusunoki himself did not feel particularly embarrassed because of the difference in color from his usual singing voice, and enjoyed the finished soundtrack over several days with a bird's-eye view of the song.

This may be due to the fact that his voice in the "STROKE" days was still a bit strained, but now his shoulders are relaxed, and at the same time the recording environment has improved. However, more than that, her experience as a voice actress must have been a big factor, and based on her past comments, we can imagine that she is very aware of the elements that make up her own voice, and that she is very good at being objective in the act of intentionally combining them in accordance with the music. Indeed, her voice takes on a different resonance with each song.

◆Sensitive and sharp lyrical ability to weave a contemporaneous message

Forced Shutdown," which is the most counterpoint of this EP, is gripped by the sharpness of the words of the falling chorus, "I want to take off your ugly colored glasses, step on them, and smash them to pieces," and "Vanilla," in which we can feel Ms. Kusunoki's affection.

The latter song, "Your voice melts into vanilla and remains sweet to me," is one of the most symbolic chorus lines in the song, and is based on the motif of vanilla flowers, whose flower motto is "eternal. In the first chorus, family and friends express their love for Kusunoki, and in the second chorus, Kusunoki expresses his love for his fans. ...... The sensitivity of choosing vanilla as a catalyst for "calming people's hearts," an image that everyone can relate to, is a real tip of the hat to Kusunoki.

The original song "sketchbook" was a self-cover of a song that had already been released. In her new lyrics, she wrote about the worries and anxieties she felt in the early days of her career as a voice actress. While the world of the song is depicted from the perspective of the same girl as in the original song, the time that flows from morning to evening is reversed to night to morning this time. In connection with the motif of the sketchbook, the new lyrics seem to fill a void in the original song, whereas in the original song, the artist wished to add complementary colors to make her loved ones smile. The new lyrics are about filling a void. Although the different arrangement adds to the atmosphere of the track, the song seems to sing an alternate story from the original, depicting the perspective of a completely different person, even though they are living in the same world.

Although the order of the songs was back and forth, the punch line of the chorus in "Akatoki" (Let's update it, starting with the little things that no one notices) is heartbreaking. The lyrics are full of forward-looking power, full of the kind of propulsive energy that encourages not only listeners of all ages, but especially young people of the same generation as themselves. In addition, in the part where she says, "From small things that no one notices," she specifically indicates what kind of efforts should be made, and in the part where she leads us to the first step, "from small things," rather than "even small things," we can see her kindness and attention to detail in the nuances of her phrasing.

It is true that many artists sing songs with this kind of message. However, the fact that she sings them so beautifully and smoothly without giving a preachy impression may be because she is a "lyrics-first" artist who composes songs based on the lyrics. In any case, the song does not merely follow the lyrics, but conveys a power filled with hope.

In addition, many voice-over artists are gradually catching up with their voice-acting abilities, but in Ms. Kusunoki's case, perhaps due to her experience as an independent artist, she has already achieved a high level of both voice-acting and artist abilities. I think this is because of her love and passion for music. This is probably because her love and passion for music give her songs the greatest persuasive power. I can imagine that her ambition for improvement is still unbounded, and listening to this album has strengthened this impression once again.

Again, I am not suggesting that a singer-songwriter style of songwriting is the best for voice-over artists. What is certain is that "Forced Shutdown" is a wonderful work that presents the values of a new generation, including the contemporary themes it deals with and the message it conveys.

And Tomori Kusunoki will surely continue to make her presence felt as an artist of the times in the years to come. I would like to see more and more moments in which something is born from her.

(Text by Kota Ichijo)