Anna Banana - "Chulip" track review

by Muki

Published

Chulip cover art

I will start by saying that this is the first time I have ever encountered the tag "baroque pop", and after having listened to the track for a couple of times I can definitely say that it fits the vibe of the song like a glove.

A pleasant accordion intro catapults the listener into a bright uptempo song, where the silvery vocal lines are gracefully accompanied by a catchy instrumental track. The arrangement is chiseled with clear attention to details, all the instruments interact with each other without clashing, and the final result is definitly greater than the sum of the single elements.

Maybe just the drums could have been a bit louder in the mix, in some points they don't feel as incisive as they could be, but that's a minor defect, and I am sure that many listeners might disagree.

The song has an uplifting tone to it, but since I don't speak Japanese I can't tell whether this is reflected in the lyrics.

What is clear is that Anna Banana and all the people who collaborated on this track had a lot of fun doing it, and their passion is evident from every single note.

Overall, a very enjoyable track that could be the perfect soundtrack for a nice walk in the park on a bright spring afternoon.

Listen to "Chulip"

Comments

"Chiseled with clear attention to details" is a great description for this song. I hope to see more from them.

by dXI

Yay! Thank you so much for the kind and thoughtful review!! I was conflicted what genre tags to use for the song since I don't feel like it fits neatly into any one category, but the arrangement in many ways was inspired by 60's pop/rock, especially the Beach Boys Pet Sounds (Album)/God only Knows. I grew up playing violin and listening to classical music, so a little bit of that influence finds its way in my music, no matter what I write.

I was conflicted about the drums too haha, I kept going back and forth between making them louder and quieter...in the end I went with somewhere in the middle!

Also my plan was that I wanted there to be a bit of mismatch between the lyrics and instrumental. I wouldn't describe the lyrics as overtly sad but in many ways it's really a song about death and loss, and an attempt to find the beauty in that.

I'm glad that you could feel the passion and attention to detail though, I've spent easily 400+ hours working on this track over the last 5 years or so, a lot of experimenting on my end trying to get exactly the sound and feeling I was looking for.

I did want it to be a song to listen to while walking around in nature and I'm glad you had the same thought!! I would also suggest listening to it while swinging on a swing set, that is my favorite hehe.

Oh and @dXl , I just saw your comment after I posted!! Thank you so much!! I'm working on my first EP right now and I'll be putting out another song/music video this summer/fall! The next song will also be 60's flavored with strings, accordion, harpsichord, etc. but with a ye-ye girl style that's a bit more upbeat and playful!

@annabanana Thanks for sharing the insight about the lyrics :) and I'm glad you appreciated the review, I'll stay tuned to hear your next releases

by Muki