Review | Akito Sakisaka “Down to Zero”

PERFECTION NOISE
Review | Akito Sakisaka "Down to Zero" 2

Akito Sakisaka arrives with the imposing pop-meets-trap “Down to Zero“, song that adds more depth and flair to NOISE NOVA.

PERFECTION NOISE counts with the dance and vocal unit, NOISE NOVA (Shoya Chiba, Soma Saito, Ryohei Kimura and Kaito Ishikawa).

For more details on this new 2D music project, please refer to The Hand That Feeds HQ’s introductory guide to PERFECT NOISE.

Review

PERFECTION NOISE vol.3 Akito
Title: PERFECTION NOISE Vol.3 向坂秋人
Label: Spica / TEAM Entertainment Inc. 
Release date: 27/01/2021
Genre: Pop / Trap 

Tracklist:

1 - 新人マネージャー
2 - 今の俺じゃダメだから
3 - 息抜きなんて
4 - アニバーサリーが終わったら
5 - 悲劇は突然に
6 - NOISE NOVAの秋人だから
7 - ゼロになれた自分
8 - Down to Zero (solo song)

Track analysis:

8 – Down to Zero

Down to Zero” has quite the old-school sound, channeling a bit of the edgy pop sound in the 00s, bringing guitar riffs into the mix, adding cheeky synth stabs and a deep bass drum-centric beat in the background.

The verses are focused on a tough, urban pop sound in which guitars take center stage, leaving much of the background open for Kaito Ishikawa’s vocals to explore.

The chorus invites trap into the mix, with orchestral hits exploding in the background as a tight beat hits in an imposing way.

I quite enjoy the chorus to this song. It really does channel the classic 00s J-pop sound that I am most familiar with – you know, that time when pop groups thought that sounding tough meant having guitar riffs in their music – and, almost 20 years later, it still works pretty well, of course, with a new coat of paint on top from EDM and trap.

In comparison with Narumi’s sweet R&B in “Deep” and Sena’s enticing and explosive “Turning Point”, Akito’s “Down to Zero is quite the slow-paced song.

This is, of course, a deliberate choice to reflect the character’s attitude or vibe, so nothing unexpected here.

What was unexpected was the throwback j-pop sound in the chorus and how good the song sounded as a whole.

Now, let’s talk a bit about the vocals.

Kaito Ishikawa delivers quite the interesting performance. His singing has improved a lot, I must add, a whole lot since I last heard his singing (2018).

He holds himself pretty well in the verses yet he still sounds like he’s opening his mouth a bit too much to sing notes that do not require that much effort. This may have been a performance that strained his jaw in result of that much effort.

Still, massive improvement (and I can see – hear – him improving even more in future releases) and, in the chorus, he sounds the part, imposing and powerful like expected of Akito Sakisaka’s image.

All in all, “Down to Zero” is an unexpected surprise. Addictive, imposing sound, clean mixing, good vocal performance.

I continue to be entertained by the music released in the PERFECTION NOISE franchise. Their unique sound among 2D groups – blending a wide variety of music genres – makes every single new piece of music coming from NOISE NOVA (and their members) quite unpredictable.

I love this about the franchise and sure hope this will be the way to go in upcoming releases. Unique music, fresh, unexpected performances and a whole lot of good music to enjoy.


PERFECTION NOISE Vol.3 Akito Sakisaka is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.

Perfection Noise / Drama CD (Kaito Ishikawa)
Drama CD (Kaito Ishikawa)
Vanessa Silva
Vanessa Silvahttps://www.handthatfeedshq.com
The Hand That Feeds HQ founder, content creator, and music reviewer. Basically, the only person managing everything at The Hand That Feeds HQ. Stumbling upon Mamoru Miyano's "Orpheus" in 2011 was the start of this journey. If music is thought-provoking or deep, you may find her writing almost essays (not limited to, but it happens a lot with Soma Saito's music). She's the producer and host of the male seiyuu-centric podcast, SEIYUU LOUNGE (see Spotify link in this profile).

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REVIEW OVERVIEW

Down to Zero

SUMMARY

NOISE NOVA's Akito Sakisaka (CV: Kaito Ishikawa) delivers quite the powerful and imposing performance with his solo track "Down to Zero". Trap meets 00s j-pop to create a unique, slow paced and intense song that will make your jaw drop (and your finger hit the replay button). Kaito Ishikawa goes for a solid performance, with his singing showing clear improvements in comparison with previous iterations in singing (i.e. Ensemble Stars!!). Unique song with an intimidating edge that I believe will attract a lot of people to the PERFECTION NOISE franchise. If you're on the fence, give it a go. This is a song worth your time.

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NOISE NOVA's Akito Sakisaka (CV: Kaito Ishikawa) delivers quite the powerful and imposing performance with his solo track "Down to Zero". Trap meets 00s j-pop to create a unique, slow paced and intense song that will make your jaw drop (and your finger hit the replay button). Kaito Ishikawa goes for a solid performance, with his singing showing clear improvements in comparison with previous iterations in singing (i.e. Ensemble Stars!!). Unique song with an intimidating edge that I believe will attract a lot of people to the PERFECTION NOISE franchise. If you're on the fence, give it a go. This is a song worth your time.Review | Akito Sakisaka "Down to Zero"