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Yuka & Chronoship — Ribbon Butterfly
(Cherry Red YCUK-005, 2025, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-06-13

Ribbon Butterfly Cover art

For the fifth Yuka & Chronoship album, the band consists solely of leader Yuka Funakoshi on keyboards and vocals with producer Shun Taguchi, who plays bass and a bit of guitar; both are credited with programming, and as there’s no drummer listed, I’m assuming that refers to the percussive parts. Yoshitaka Shimizu plays guitar, and there are guests providing saxes and extra guitar here and there. Musically, Ribbon Butterfly is very much in line with previous releases — it’s always been Funakoshi’s keyboards and vocals at the core of the sound, so while there’s a lot less guitar here, the overall feeling is quite similar. Her playing is expressive and expansive, full of lovely contrasting tones from piano, Mellotron, and synthesizers, and while she’s not one for showing off with self-indulgent solos, no one will listen to the music and think there’s any lack of technique. The album is built around a story by Taguchi, who also wrote the lyrics, and illustrations by Freyja Dean, though the promotional copy didn’t come with the artwork, so I can’t comment on that. In general, I like my progressive rock to have an edge to it, not just beautiful melodies, and Funakoshi always manages to balance the two — just when I’m starting to think that a track is just pretty, with no teeth, she’ll throw in a twist, like a heavier riff with irregular accents or a more minor sound. That being said, listeners who prefer the more symphonic and melodic brands of prog should love this album. For those unfamiliar with Yuka & Chronoship, there are elements in common with Genesis and Camel, though with more emphasis on keyboards, which are played with elements of both Rick Wakeman and Tony Banks. Vocals take a backseat to the instruments, and are tuneful and blended into lush choirs rather than being up-front and forceful. In short, Ribbon Butterfly is a fine progressive rock album that deserves broad attention among fans of the genre.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Yuka & Chronoship

More info
http://www.cherryred.co.uk/yuka-and-chronoship-ribbon-butterfly-cd

 

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