MORE RELAX

ABOUT THIS ALBUM

Released in 1984, MORE RELAX finds Tomoko Aran moving away from the colder new-wave edge of Fuyū-Kūkan toward a smoother, more technically polished fusion-AOR sound. The change is largely driven by Minoru Mukaiya of Casiopea, who handled sound production and arrangements. His presence brings an elite fusion rhythm section into Aran’s music, with Tetsuo Sakurai on bass and Akira Jimbo on drums, while players including Makoto Matsushita, Kakuo Okamoto, Nobuo Kurata, and Kenji Takamizu broaden the studio palette. The result is warmer and more fluid than the album that preceded it, with electric keyboards, clean guitar, detailed bass movement, and tightly controlled drums supporting Aran’s characteristically cool vocal delivery. What makes MORE RELAX particularly interesting is the tension between singer and band: Aran’s detached tone remains almost motionless while the musicians underneath her are highly active and technically sophisticated. That contrast gives the album an unusual elegance. Rather than simply softening her sound, MORE RELAX relocates it—from experimental synth-pop into a space where city pop, AOR, and Japanese fusion overlap almost completely.