Raining Absence
From Clumsy Media
"Raining Absence" is the third studio album by Japanese recording artist T.Max, released online and offline September 15, by Clumsy Media. The album was recorded between August and December 2012, predominantly during T.Max's two year entertainment industry hiatus and filming for his first feature film The Eternal Zero (2013). T.Max was executive producer on the album and worked with several record producers, including his own producing group Moving Ghost and long time collaborating award winning Miss Low, among others. The album featured several guest vocalists, including Dll Ini, JayMi, Kita Hari, Kotone Nakamura, Sumire Kimura and Wyse as well as indie band Plastic Tree.
Upon release it was able to peak on all music charts, the album itself sold more than 80,000 physical copies on the first day. Within a month the sales of digital and offline sales combined exceeded 1,300,000 copies, establishing T.Max as the highest selling male artist of 2013.
Contents |
Concept
Background
In 2010 during the promotion of T.Max's five year absence comeback album "Heidi", long-time collaborator and producer Miss Low said in an interview for Music Lineup that she would not write songs for any other artists except for T.Max unless he confirms he will return to the industry with a third album. Eight months after releasing Heidi, T.Max announced another industry hiatus but began planning his next studio album in secret, only announcing the news to his close friends and manager. Moving Ghost's BeN, said "He wanted to create a record that will leave definite footprints in the music industry - the accomplishments seven years ago." In an interview for MTV Japan, the vice president of Clumsy Media complimented on his brave attempts of drifting into a new musical style and taking creative control of every aspect.
Recording
The album was recorded between August and December 2012, predominantly during T.Max's two year entertainment industry hiatus and filming for his first feature film The Eternal Zero. It was recorded in two seperate recording studios; Clumsy Studio in Japan and East West Studios in Los Angeles, California. Along with artist Dll Ini and producer Miss Low, T.Max assembled a group of new underground songwriters and record producers at the headquarters of his recording company for a month to come up with songs fitting the theme of 'loneliness' and 'absence'; they wrote approximately one hundred songs, ten of which were on the first disc and another ten on the second. To date this is the most quantity of songs ever released by T.Max in one single album.
Composition
Influenced and sound
Raining Absence incorporates up-tempo and pop genres, ranging from dance-pop to electro-R&B, and marks T.Max's return to his dance genre and upbeat music which was prominent during the early stages of his career. In an interview with MTV, T.Max said "I wanted to prove I am still here doing what I do best. I also want to prove to my fans and everyone else that I am capable of an variety of styles, but at the end of the day I am happy doing what I feel the most passionate for." During T.Max's second industry hiatus of two years from 2010-2012 there has been an rising trend of new artists which many he found to be unoriginal and talentless, "[Many of them are] produced singers. They do it for the fame and the rewards that comes with it. If you feel so strongly about singing, being allowed to sing is the best prize you can get back. These days there are too many fillers [in the industry]."
Songs and lyrics
Critical reception
The album received rave reviews from the Japan music critics and aboard. At Oricon Reviews, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the mixtape received an average score of 93, based on thirteen reviews, indicating "universal acclaim" in the industry, establishing Raining Asbence as the highest rated album in his career. Among the reviews the album was heavily quoted to be "sophisticated", "pulsing and expansive", and wrote that T.Max's songwriting abilities has "continued to flourish and upgrade over the years" instead the of the usual decline pattern for artists. Professionals also praised the vocals of T.Max as well as the choice of collaborate artsits, noting each pairing "complimented one another seamingly".
Release and promotion
To kick-start off promotions, the track "Miss Attitude" featuring JayMi was released as a digital single prior to the official release of the album. "Dripping Insanity" is promoted as the title-track.
Tour
Tracklisting
Disc One
1. [ XXX ]
2. Treading on Shadows
3. Did You ___ Me?
4. Girls (So Many)
5. My First Koiyoki
6. The Glow of After Absence
7. Dripping Insanity
8. Tonight... All For You
9. Miss Attitude (featuring JayMi)
10. Light Nights (featuring Dll Ini)
Disc Two
11. BB YY (featuring Wyse)
12. Love Rain (featuring Kita Hari)
13. Miss Sticky Note (featuring Kotone Nakamura)
14. September 0/0
15. A Lonely Musician
16. High Class Society
17. Gum Sour Junior
18. Thank U (featuring Sumire Kimura)
19. Golden Ages (featuring Plastic Tree)
20. A VIP Lullaby
Disc Three
21. Dripping Insanity (PV)
22. Miss Attitude (PV)
23. 'RAINING ABSENCE' P/S VIDEO
24. T.Max Album Production Interview
25. T.Max Absence Tour 2013 Preview Contents
