Album Review - “Leftovers and Cherry Blossoms” by Iijima Mari

Oftentimes we throw around the word experimental without setting a true definition of what the term means in the realm of music. Is it expanding your scope that deviates from your normal scope of entertainment? is it a range of sounds that are far too.. Lets say, not traditionally pleasing enough to have a definitive genre? Or is it a sound that explores a mission away from the artist's normal talents, like Lil Wayne’s venture into rock n roll? The idea of experimental has many scopes, but for Iijima Mari album Leftovers and Cherry Blossoms, the term experimental feels right at home. 

However, what makes it experimental? Is it her voice, which I openly admit was an acquired taste for me, or maybe it is the runtime of nine songs, lasting just under 30 minutes? After multiple listens, I admit, the only vision that makes this project experimental is that it feels like a throwback to a time when music felt pure in its essence. It's an innocence that no longer exists in the world of entertainment. This project is an audio equivalent to walking through the park of your childhood neighborhood.  

In the album’s description it reads “The literal translation of the title of Iijima Mari's new masterpiece is "Leftovers and Cherry Blossoms." Songs that could not be included on her previous album, "Airy," due to its sound concept, plus masterpieces written in 1988 and 1989 that never had a chance to be released, have been reborn with new sounds and included on this album. There is a blessing in leftovers.”

"I handled everything from recording to mixing on this album as well. For the mastering, I asked Miles Showell of Abbey Road Studios, who I have worked with and trusted on the last few albums, to handle the mastering. The track "When the Cherry Blossoms Bloom," which is included in the album, expresses her feelings for her beloved Dodgers. This leads to the cherry blossoms. Another of my masterpieces is complete." - Iijima Mari

Songs such as “Hitotsuninarenai” are graceful in their ability to transport you to another realm, and “Fear” taps into a melancholy that words could never describe. By the project’s end, you will find yourself craving this genre of innocence. This music is a genre of a bygone era, a reminder of what music once was and what music could once again become.