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The most radical contrast can be heard when comparing an all-electronic, mystical ballad by the programmer, keyboardist, percussionist extraordinaire, Iizuka Keisuke and a guitar-heavy, hard song by the man with the predestined name and musical inspiration by hide and SUGIZO, Song Rui. Fukiko, on her part, can compose songs from both extremes, and well.
Also, she breaks barriers in the way she sings and talks in English. With many Japanese artists, the English segments of songs that include both languages are nonsensical and weirdly pronounced. Fukiko on the other hand, speaks it better than I do, and in her songs, both dialects merge together with perfection with lyrics that reflect her strong faith and love. Fukiko also composes the music to most of the works with Song Rui, who is responsible for the core of songs. This core is most of the time a relaxed bass line and his heavenly acoustic guitar, which is used in conjunction with a heaps of samples provided and arranged by Iizuka Keisuke. Those two complement each other really well. When they decide to try individual experiments and only one of them is heard, songs are a little bland. But when they are together the other ninety-nine percent of the time, watch out, the catchy main lines of one combined with the added depth of the other makes for haunting melodies. Pardon the easy analogy, but I can't help to feel all three members of CORE OF SOUL act as one of the three needed dimensions to a song.
A few months later, they sign a more permanent contract and start their roll in the major leagues with Photosynthesis, a re-mastered Full Moon Prayer and Natural Beauty (both the single and album) out February 27, 2002. Six promotional months later, the band's new and growing fan base is blessed with a second wave of CORE OF SOUL goodness with singles Flying People and Hanawa and the album Over the time, Time is Over released a year after Natural Beauty.
And yet, probably due to the Project J curse, CORE OF SOUL were officially disbanded in March 2006 after playing in Osaka, the city that gave them their break. They were never giants in the music world, but those who enjoyed COS did so intensely. I will be keeping my eye out for more of their contribution in music, even if the chemistry will most likely not be matched again.
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Natural Beauty
Most of their album are currently out of print, which is too bad because this one was very good and very cheap. It chains soulful songs from beginning to end while the other releases, while great, have a few that I could cut out. Their compilation album, The Best, was released at the end of their career so it is definitely worth getting to get a little of everything.
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Because Rui's acoustic guitar sounds so well with Keisuke's samples. Because I always have to close my eyes when Fukiko sings the third chorus only accompanied by violins. Because I keep whistling this song. Just because... |
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Official Site: http://www.coreofsoul.com
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This
trio has been on the rise ever since they debuted from scratch in Osaka.
With a style that I can try to describe as sometimes "electric meets
electronic" or others as introspective and relaxing. But that is
taking the easy way out. With all songs into account, it is hard to depict
CORE OF SOUL as a whole. They are not afraid to dip into uncharted
territory even if most of their songs could easily appeal to the vast
majority of radio-listeners. I'm all for pleasing the masses when it is
with good music.
I
cannot picture any substitute for Nakamura
Fukiko's angelic voice. It may be hard to believe, but Fukiko
looks even prettier after you have heard her singing; it has an incredible
level of charisma. She's
obviously not the most experienced vocalist, with few little microphone
habits like
inhaling loudly before strong verses, but seems to understand
very well how passion is often more important than technique. She could simply sing from the throat and not aspire to anything
more, but instead, her voice comes from deep down in the studio and on
stage. 
CORE
OF SUN, now known as CORE OF SOUL, was complete when international student
Song Rui from Beijing met Nakamura
Fukiko and Iizuka
Keisuke at a school in the city of Osaka, Japan. Representing
their hometown in the Teen Music Festival in November 1999, they receive
an honourable mention and are awarded the chance to have one of their
demos distributed by a major production company. That crucial demo tape released
February 11, 2001 consisted of Full Moon Prayer and Angel, and even if it
was only available in Kansai (the region of Osaka) it sold out very
quickly.
