angela . discograpy . links

Atsuko Yamashita Vocals/Lyrics

Katsunori Hirasato Guitar/Instrumentation

With a name like that, one would think Angela to be a solo artist. This is quite the contrary, as Angela is actually a musical duo consisting of vocalist/lyricist Atsuko and instrumentalist/songwriter Katsu. Angela is, no doubt, most well known for doing the openings and endings of the anime Uchuu no Stellvia. Angela has also started making music for other anime as well. However, one really has to realize that Angela’s roots are much deeper than their recent releases of anime theme songs.

Back in 1991, 17 year old Katsu set off for Tokyo to make music. Soon, he met college student Atsuko at a music event. The two banded together to form Angela. To start off their career, Atsuko and Katsu took to the traditional street gig tactic, gaining them their first fans. In 2001, Angela took a nationwide street tour. Their performances gained them a good-sized fanbase. Finally, in 2002, Angela was given the chance to sign onto the major label Music Wonder Circus. Then in 2003, the releases of an album and several opening and ending songs for Uchuu no Stellvia got Angela even more followers. In their success, they released their second album, Sora no Koe, in early 2004. Angela is currently going strong, releasing singles every few months. In August 2004, they attended Otakon as guest musicians along with Jrock group L’Arc~en~Ciel.

Just because Angela writes anime pieces doesn’t mean that they sound like all those amateur voice actors trying to break into the music scene. (Well, I guess I shouldn't say that, since there are some pretty good seiyuu singers out there these days.) Their music is strong and unique, accented by Atsuko’s strong vocals and the interesting instrumentation that accompanies it. Something that never fails to captivate is Atsuko’s voice, which she uses dramatically. You can tell she’s really putting her all into her singing, and it cuts right through whatever instrumentation might be going on in the background. The slightly raw sound of her voice pierces the music in exactly the right way, making it something worth hearing again and again. While one usually gets bored listening to the same average perfect voice sing pop, Atsuko’s voice is like a splash of fresh water. The instrumentation isn’t lacking either. The background sounds range from anything like jazz to orchestral to ska-sounding. Really, this is one largely underrated musical duo. But seeing that they are on the rise, perhaps people will get over the impression that they only write anime music (I mean, doesn’t everyone?) and start to see them as a talented and unique duo.

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