Kokia Infinity Akiko: Balance
Encyclopedia
Kokia Infinity Akiko: Balance (stylised as KOKIA∞AKIKO ～balance～) is Kokia
's ninth equal studio album, released simultaneously with Akiko Infinity Kokia: Balance
in March 2009.
Two songs from the album feature on Kokia's greatest hits collection Coquillage: The Best Collection II
: "Dōke" and "Kono Mune no Kurushimi ga Itooshii Hodo ni Ikite."
To promote the albums, Kokia embarked on her first world tour, Infinity. The tour, beginning in April in Japan, went for two months, with Kokia visiting Belgium
, France
, Germany
, Ireland
and Poland
.
While Akiko Infinity Kokia is more intimate, Kokia Infinity Akiko deals with larger concepts.
One song features on both albums, "Infinity," however its arranged is completely different on both discs. The version on this album was described "a magnificent arrangement, like running through meadows," as opposed to the intimate tender sound of the Akiko Infinity Kokia version.
While some of the songs on the album were written specifically for it, many of them are older, unpublished songs. On the 6th of January, Kokia replaced three older songs originally intended for the albums with newer tracks she had written.
"Dōke" was originally performed in 2002, and "Kono Mune no Kurushimi ga Itooshii Hodo ni Ikite" was performed at Kokia's special Akiko Yoshida Hikigatari Live: Piano to Akisuke concert in late 2004. "Usaghi" at the neoclassically themed Kokia 2006 Keep Moving concert in November 2006. Kokia wrote "Hana Utage" on March the 13th, 2007, after performing a concert at Minamihokke-ji in Takatori, Nara
. "Hoshikuzu no Vocalize" was written on November the 23rd, 2008, after thinking about her grandparents (her grandmother had died several days before, and her grandfather earlier in 2006).
On January 26, the final song for the album sessions was written ( for Akiko Infinity Kokia), and on February the 6th, both albums were recorded in their entirety.
Kokia recorded musician Mihoko Ono performing the koto
for her song "Hana Utage," the first time she has used the instrument in her career.
. It was released to music retailers and through online distribution services, much like Kokia's previous studio albums (Akiko Infinity Kokia was only released through Kokia's official site and as a digital download). The album was released two months later in France
, during Kokia's European tour. The French version compiled both Kokia Infinity Akiko and Akiko Infinity Kokia together into a single 2CD set.
Kokia Infinity Akiko was re-released in France as a part of a 3CD set called Kokia Collection 2, on December 2, 2009. The box set also featured Akiko Infinity Kokia: Balance
and Fairy Dance: Kokia Meets Ireland
.
Kokia (singer)
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, who performs under the stage name Kokia . She is best known for her songs and "The Power of Smile." She is also recognised for her numerous contributions to anime/game soundtracks, the most notable being "Ai no Melody/Chōwa Oto " for the film...
's ninth equal studio album, released simultaneously with Akiko Infinity Kokia: Balance
Akiko Infinity Kokia: Balance
-Personnel:* Takeshi Arai – guitar * Katsuhiko "Chara" Asano – mixing engineer * Toshihiko Fujimi – publicist* Takashi Furuta – drums * Yuya Haraguchi – acoustic/electric guitars...
in March 2009.
Two songs from the album feature on Kokia's greatest hits collection Coquillage: The Best Collection II
Coquillage: The Best Collection II
Coquillage: The Best Collection II is Kokia's second greatest hits album, released on December 2, 2009.-Background:...
: "Dōke" and "Kono Mune no Kurushimi ga Itooshii Hodo ni Ikite."
To promote the albums, Kokia embarked on her first world tour, Infinity. The tour, beginning in April in Japan, went for two months, with Kokia visiting Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
Conception
When Kokia wrote music throughout her career, she began to notice a division in her song-writing when she wanted to write songs about herself. There was a difference between songs written as "Kokia" (the musician), and "Akiko" (the person herself). Kokia described the simultaneously released album concept as "two different existences that live off of each other."While Akiko Infinity Kokia is more intimate, Kokia Infinity Akiko deals with larger concepts.
One song features on both albums, "Infinity," however its arranged is completely different on both discs. The version on this album was described "a magnificent arrangement, like running through meadows," as opposed to the intimate tender sound of the Akiko Infinity Kokia version.
Recording
The bulk of the album recording took place between December 2008 and early February 2009. Between December 15–17, Kokia recorded five tracks in single takes backed with studio musicians.While some of the songs on the album were written specifically for it, many of them are older, unpublished songs. On the 6th of January, Kokia replaced three older songs originally intended for the albums with newer tracks she had written.
"Dōke" was originally performed in 2002, and "Kono Mune no Kurushimi ga Itooshii Hodo ni Ikite" was performed at Kokia's special Akiko Yoshida Hikigatari Live: Piano to Akisuke concert in late 2004. "Usaghi" at the neoclassically themed Kokia 2006 Keep Moving concert in November 2006. Kokia wrote "Hana Utage" on March the 13th, 2007, after performing a concert at Minamihokke-ji in Takatori, Nara
Takatori, Nara
is a town located in Takaichi District, Nara, Japan.As of October 1, 2007, the town has an estimated population of 7,894. The total area is 25.77 km².-Geography:...
. "Hoshikuzu no Vocalize" was written on November the 23rd, 2008, after thinking about her grandparents (her grandmother had died several days before, and her grandfather earlier in 2006).
On January 26, the final song for the album sessions was written ( for Akiko Infinity Kokia), and on February the 6th, both albums were recorded in their entirety.
Kokia recorded musician Mihoko Ono performing the koto
Koto (musical instrument)
The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about length, and made from kiri wood...
for her song "Hana Utage," the first time she has used the instrument in her career.
Release
The album was initially released in Japan in March 2009, through Victor EntertainmentVictor Entertainment
is a subsidiary of Japan Victor Company that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It was formerly known as...
. It was released to music retailers and through online distribution services, much like Kokia's previous studio albums (Akiko Infinity Kokia was only released through Kokia's official site and as a digital download). The album was released two months later in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, during Kokia's European tour. The French version compiled both Kokia Infinity Akiko and Akiko Infinity Kokia together into a single 2CD set.
Kokia Infinity Akiko was re-released in France as a part of a 3CD set called Kokia Collection 2, on December 2, 2009. The box set also featured Akiko Infinity Kokia: Balance
Akiko Infinity Kokia: Balance
-Personnel:* Takeshi Arai – guitar * Katsuhiko "Chara" Asano – mixing engineer * Toshihiko Fujimi – publicist* Takashi Furuta – drums * Yuya Haraguchi – acoustic/electric guitars...
and Fairy Dance: Kokia Meets Ireland
Fairy Dance: Kokia Meets Ireland
-Japan Sales Rankings:...
.
Track listing
All songs written by Kokia.Japan Sales Rankings
| Release | Chart | Peak Position | First Week Sales | Sales Total | Chart Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oricon Daily Albums Chart | 17 | ||||
| Oricon Weekly Albums Chart | 42 | 4,653 | 7,765 | 4 weeks | |
| Oricon Yearly Albums Chart |
Personnel
- Katsuhiko "Chara" Asano - mixing engineer (#5, #7, #12)
- Takeshi Arai - guitar (#2, #11)
- Chiei - g. guitar (#5)
- Eco - additional arrangement/piano (#1)
- Daisuke Ehara - arrangement/programming (#6, #8)
- Koichi Fujimoto - g. guitar (#7)
- Toshihiko Fujimi - publicist
- Takashi Furuta - drums (#4)
- Yuya Haraguchi - acoustic guitar (#3)
- Shigeyuki Hirano - director, mixing engineer (#6, #8, #10)
- Noriko Inose - photographer
- Hiroko Ishida - violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
(#1, #12) - Nao Ishizaka - hair designer
- Ayako Karasawa - celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
(#1, #12) - Emiko Kato - licence management
- Atsushi Kawahata - additional arrangement (#12), piano (#8, #10, #12)
- Hiroshi Kawasaki - mastering engineer
- Shunsuke Kida - arrangement/programming (#7)
- Kokia - arranger (#10), dress/styling, songwriter, producer, vocal chorus arrangement, vocals
- Masahiro Kuniyoshi - download sales
- Kazuhiro Matsuo - acoustic guitar (#4), guitars (#6)
- Tsuyoshi Miyagawa - drums (#2, #11)
- Kaori Mori - make-up
- Kenji Nozaki - package sales
- Hiroyasu Okada - sikuSiku (panpipe)The Siku , is a traditional Andean panpipe. This instrument is the main instrument used in a musical genre known as the Sikuri. It is traditionally found all across the Andes but is more typically associated with music from the Kollasuyo, or Aymara speaking regions around Lake Titicaca...
(#12) - Mio Okamura Strings (#8)
- Mihoko Ono (Toone) - kotoKoto (musical instrument)The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about length, and made from kiri wood...
(#1) - Yoshikazu Sasahara - mizing engineer (#1-4, #11)
- Ryosei Sato - fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
(#4) - Shin Eai-Sung - violin (#1, #12)
- Hisashi Sutoh - washtub bassWashtub bassThe washtub bass, or "gutbucket", is a stringed instrument used in American folk music that uses a metal washtub as a resonator. Although it is possible for a washtub bass to have four or more strings and tuning pegs, traditional washtub basses have a single string whose pitch is adjusted by...
(#3) - Eiko Suzuki - art work assisting
- Ryoji Takai - bass (#2, #11), washtub bass (#4)
- Gen Tanabe - electric guitar (#5)
- Saburo Tanooka - accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
(#5) - Hanako Uesato - violin (#1, #12)
- Kiyohide Ura - arrangement (#2, #4, #9, #11), keyboard (#2, #4, #11), piano/organ (#9), saxophone (#11)
- Eri Yaguchi - design assisting
- Yasuhisa Yamamoto (Usatrene Records) - arrangement (#1, #3, #5, #12), programming (#1, #5, #12), percussion (#1, #3-5, #12)