Photo by Masato Yokoyama
Makiko Suzuki, who also performs as a member of chelmico, held a solo concert of the same title at Ebisu Garden Hall in Tokyo on Friday, July 12th to promote her second solo album “mukuge,” which was released on her birthday, Wednesday, June 26th.
At the appointed time, with a fantastic synth sound ringing out, the support members Ryo Takahashi (Drums), Shinya Inoue (Ba), Naruki Numazawa (Keys, Ob), ESME MORI (Keys), and TiMT (Guitar) appeared on stage. They stood side by side on a raised stage, and cheers of “It’s like Kraftwerk!” rang out from the surroundings. Makiko, who appeared later, was wearing a blue-gray set. As she revealed in the MC later, this was the same outfit worn by dancer SoraKi (THE D SoraKi) in the music video for “Utsutsu.”
After a moment of silence, the live started with “EO”, led by a thrilling bass line. This song, which was the last song on “mukuge”, is a disturbing hip-hop tune that stood out among the acoustic and Brazilian music-influenced albums. It was followed by “19” from the first mini-album “Deep Green”, and the lo-fi and minimalist breakbeats on the original soundtrack were arranged into a melancholic Latin rock flavor featuring organ sounds.
After a lively greeting of “Good evening! I’m Suzuki Makiko. Nice to meet you,” she performed “Utsutsu,” the opening song of “mukuge.” The song was born while she was playing her acoustic guitar while admiring the leaning cactus in her home, and it has a cute yet sophisticated melody that reminds one of Yumi Arai’s early songs. Makiko’s slightly husky voice, carefully singing as if checking each word, penetrates into the folds of your heart.
“Sake wo Nomita Yoru” (A Night of Drinking), which started with TiMT playing acoustic guitar, is an acoustic song in collaboration with Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Mei Semones. The band joined in the live performance, gently supporting Makiko’s singing and gradually building up the excitement. The ad-lib scat, which seems to respond to it, is also irresistibly cute.
Afterwards, she performed a series of songs that clearly demonstrated her talent as a melody maker, including the soul tune “Kumokusei,” which she co-wrote with Percy, aka TOSHIKI HAYASHI (%C), in 2018; the shuffle song “Come and Go,” which features a slightly beatish melody over rhythmic piano; and “Kimochi,” a softly sung song accompanied by the gut guitar of Ryo Takahashi, the band leader for the day and a major contributor to the production of “mukuge.”
The highlight of the album was “May Sea,” one of the most memorable songs on “mukuge.” The first half of the song has an acoustic section that makes you feel like you’re in a vast ocean (though the “sea” in the song title means “pus” and not “ocean”), and then the rap section cuts out scenes from everyday life while also diving deep into the inner self. The dynamic performance, which goes back and forth between “stillness” and “movement” like the ebb and flow of the waves, and Makiko’s vocal expression, which is like that of a storyteller, made me feel like I had just finished watching a movie.
The second half of the show included songs from the previous album, “ms,” such as “Uramimi,” a solo battle between band members, “Somewhere Saturday,” where the audience sang along to heighten the sense of unity, and “Judenchu,” a neo-soul tune in Makiko’s style. There was also a moment when Makiko played a glockenspiel, which she said she “bought just for this day,” in the somewhat exotic song “Kioisabo,” which has a rapidly changing tempo.
The audience was excited by the swing jazz song “Kara Kara” which was further upgraded with a live arrangement, the rock arrangement of “Lazy River”, and the straight and passionate love song “In a Bubble with U” to close the main part of the show. For the encore, she sang two songs from her first mini album “Deep Green”, “Blue” and “Contact”, and concluded the day’s live performance by confirming her “origins”.
It was a fulfilling evening that confirmed where Suzuki Makiko is now, as she continues to grow steadily as an artist, switching between chelmico and her solo activities and gaining a network of trusted musical friends.
As the concert was sold out, an additional concert will be held at Yokohama Bay Hall in Kanagawa on Saturday, July 20th. In addition, a new EP “ati natu ep” containing three summer songs by chelmico will be released on Wednesday, July 24th, and a solo tour is scheduled to begin in September.
【release information】
Makiko Suzuki “mukuge”
Release Date: 2024.06.26 (Wed.)
Label: ziti records
Tracklist:
1. Reality
2. Dry
3. The Sea in May
4. A Night of Drinking – feat. Mei Semones
5. Kioi Sabo
6. Secret Paradise
7. In a bubble with u
8. Feelings
9. EO
【event information】
“Makiko Suzuki Solo Live -mukuge-“
Date and time: Friday, July 12, 2024 OPEN 18:00 / START 19:00
Venue: Ebisu The Garden Hall, Tokyo
Cast:
Suzuki Makiko
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“Makiko Suzuki Solo Live -mukuge- Additional Performance”
Date and time: Saturday, July 20, 2024 OPEN 17:00 / START 18:00
Venue: Yokohama Bay Hall, Kanagawa
Price: ADV. ￥5,000 (1D fee not included)
·ticket
General release: June 29th (Sat) 10:00~
Inquiry:HIP 03-3475-9999
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■ Suzuki Makiko:X (Twitter) / Instagram
