Life Cycle (Sakerock album)

Life Cycle is the second studio album by Japanese instrumental band Sakerock. It was released on June 8, 2005, as their first full album under indie label Kakubarhythm. All four members share writing credits, though the majority of tracks were written by guitarist Gen Hoshino and bassist Kei Tanaka. It is an exotica album, incorporating jazz, Latin, and American folk genres. After the departure of keyboardist Takuji Nomura, the band shifted the center of their melodies to trombonist Kenta Hamano, who had previously served as a supporting member on flute and sax. The album was preceded by a double A-side single, "Ana o Horu" / "2, 3-nin", on January 11, 2005.

Upon the release of Life Cycle, Sakerock performed a tour in western Japan and held shows at the Club Quattro live house, which was compiled onto the DVD Guzen no Kiroku on November 16, 2005. Though it did not chart, the album was received positively by music critics, who enjoyed its style and fusion of genres. Hoshino recorded a lyrical cover of "Ana o Horu" for his debut solo album Baka no Uta (2010).

Background and development
Sakerock was formed in October 2000 by students of the Jiyu no Mori Gakuen Junior and Senior High School in Hannō, Saitama, at the initiative of frontman and guitarist Gen Hoshino. It initially consisted of Hoshino, drummer Daichi Ito, bassist Kei Tanaka, and keyboardist Takuji Nomura, who would gather at a classical music cafe in Nakano, Tokyo. They invited Kenta Hamano, who declined in order to focus on work as a vocalist, but still acted as a supporting member, playing flute and sax. Named after the Martin Denny song "Sake Rock" (1959), the band performed instrumental exotica and lounge-styled songs, incorporating elements of kayōkyoku. Hoshino recalled in a 2010 interview that he likely would have formed a lyrical band, but settled on instrumental since he knew no fitting vocalists and was unsure about taking the role himself.

Before performing live, the band first wanted to create a CD and produced one hundred copies of an eponymous demo album in 2002, collaborating with Mihoko Kamimura of the band Momonashi for vocals, placed over melodies based on keyboard and the traditionally Japanese kokyū. They spent half a year recording their debut studio album Yuta (2003) at a bar in Kunitachi, Tokyo, which they described as their first form and "zeroth album". Nomura departed the band shortly before the album's release and Hamano officially joined as a trombonist. After joining Compare Notes, a record label run by editors of the music magazine Map, they recorded the mini-album Ian Ryokō within two days at a studio in Osaka. Lacking a keyboardist, they shifted the center of their melodies to Hamano, who would also become their mascot of sorts, appearing on the front of covers and their website. Invited by the record owner, Sakerock joined the line-up of indie label Kakubarhythm, who then co-released Ian Ryokō with Compare Notes in 2004. By the announcement of Life Cycle, they had built a reputation within the live house scene.

Writing and production
Life Cycle was written about daily life; Hoshino said it embodies "insignificant, interesting livelihood". Out of 13 tracks, Hoshino composed six ("Seikatsu", "Ana o Horu", "Old Old York", Hima to Ame", "Sam", "Korosu na", "Senshu") and Tanaka composed four ("Hiraki Naori", "Happy End", "2, 3-nin", "Tsuwamono Nikki"). They co-wrote "Bon Umauma-kun no Rap" with Ito, and Hoshino co-wrote "Mata Kite ne, Kyoto" with Hamano. Pedal steel guitarist Ren Takada, marimba player Takeo Toyama, acoustic guitarist Ryo Takematsu, and tapdancer Mirai Moriyama are featured as guest performers on certain tracks. Since Hoshino had previously sang during acoustic live performances, he wrote his songs with a lyrical-like melody and had Hamano "sing" with trombone. In addition to his usual ad lib scat singing, Hamano performs freestyle rap vocals on "Bon Umauma-kun no Rap".

The album was recorded at Alchemy Studio in Osaka City. Unlike Yuta and Ian Ryokō – which had been produced at home or with limited time – Life Cycle was their first album recorded steadily. It is an exotica album, incorporating genres such as jazz, Latin, and American folk / roots. CDJournal categorizes the album as Japanese rock and pop; Hiro Murao, editing an interview with Sakerock for Bounce magazine, described it as "foot-worked funk beats" and "drunken jazz", with feelings of punk and pop.

Release and reception
On January 11, 2005, Sakerock released "Ana o Horu" and "2, 3-nin" as a double A-sided single. They announced Life Cycle on March 22, 2005, and was reported to have finished poduction by April. As the sole label, Kakubarhythm released the album on June 8, 2005. To commemorate the release, the band embarked on the Sakerock Chindochu @ Nishinihon (サケロック珍道中@西日本) tour and performed at the Club Quattro live house. A DVD recording of the performances was announced on September 9, 2005, under the working title Tabi de Deatta Guzen-tachi (旅で出会った偶然達). It was released under a renewed title of Guzen no Kiroku (ぐうぜんのきろく) by Kakubarhythm on November 16.

The album did not appear on the Oricon Albums Chart dated within its week of release, indicating that it sold less than the 647 sales of 300th place's Atarashiki Nihongo Rock no Michi to Hikari (2003) by Sambomaster. Despite the lack of commercial success, the album received warm reviews from Japanese music critics, who complimented its style and noted the mixture of genres. The staff of CDJournal called it a high quality sound encompassing jazz, funk, exotica, mondo (Italian for "world"), and American roots. Summarizing the band's atmosphere as "four drunkards", they described it as pleasant jazz and Latin grooves, mixed with comical scatting and dull horns. Writing for Bounce, reviewer Takao Kito praised the album as showcasing a range of musicality, whilst remaining true to the instrumental genre at its core. He wrote that it composes exotic and funky rhythms, with a pleasant mood in the trombone and marimba contrasted by elements of humor. In a retrospective article for Mikiki covering Sakerock's full discography, Mayumi Tsuchida enjoyed sound's focus on daily life, highlighting the group's performance and Hamano's rap vocals.

In the site's profile of the band, the staff of Natalie.mu wrote that Sakerock's appearances in media would rise with the release of Life Cycle, and that more guests would show up to their live performances. Kakubarhythm issued a reprint of the album on September 16, 2009. It was not available digitally until September 22, 2021 – 16 years after release and six years after Sakerock's disbandment – when it was released to streaming platforms alongside the rest of the band's albums and singles. Hoshino recorded a lyrical cover of "Ana o Horu" for his solo debut album Baka no Uta in 2010. Ito assisted him on the two-show touring effort, also performing a cover of "Senshu".

Personnel
Credits adapted from Geo and the album liner notes.


 * Sakerock
 * All members – arrangement (all tracks)
 * Kenta Hamano – composer (9); lyricist (7); scat, trombone (all tracks)
 * Gen Hoshino – composer (1–3, 5, 7, 9–12); acoustic guitar, electric guitar (all tracks)
 * Kei Tanaka – composer (4, 6–8, 13); bass (all tracks)
 * Daichi Itō – composer (7); drums, percussion (all tracks)


 * Guest musicians
 * Ren Takada – pedal steel guitar (8)
 * Takeo Toyama – arrangement, marimba (3)
 * Ryo Takematsu – acoustic guitar (13)
 * Mirai Moriyama – tapdance (2)

Track listing

 * Notes
 * "Hima to Ame" is titled "Shinano-machi" (信濃町) on the original 2005 CD release.
 * "Bon Umauma-kun no Rap" features lyrics written and performed by Hamano.
 * "Mata Kite ne, Kyoto" is a medley.