Mellow Waves

Mellow Waves is the sixth studio album by Japanese musician Cornelius. It was released on June 28, 2017 by Warner Music in Japan and on July 21, 2017 by Rostrum Records worldwide.[1] The album, which received generally positive reviews from music critics, reached the top ten of Japan's Oricon albums chart and the United States Billboard Dance/Electronic Album Sales and World Albums charts.

Mellow Waves
Studio album by
Cornelius
ReleasedJune 28, 2017 (2017-06-28)
Length41:59
LabelWarner
ProducerKeigo Oyamada
Cornelius chronology
Sensuous
(2006)		 Mellow Waves
(2017)
Singles from Mellow Waves
  1. "あなたがいるなら (If You're Here)"
    Released: April 26, 2017
  2. "いつか / どこか (Sometime/Someplace)"
    Released: May 24, 2017
  3. "夢の中で (In a Dream)"
    Released: September 27, 2017

Background and composition

After releasing his fifth album under the Cornelius moniker, 2006's Sensuous, Keigo Oyamada worked on a number of projects, including a collaboration with J-pop singer Salyu which, using the name Salyu x Salyu, resulted in the 2011 album S(o)un(d)beams. Oyamada composed soundtracks for educational TV programs and the Ghost in the Shell: Arise anime series. He toured with Yoko Ono and Yellow Magic Orchestra and produced remixes for Philip Glass and Sakanaction. He also joined the electro supergroup Metafive, whose lineup includes Yoshinori Sunahara, Yukihiro Takahashi, Towa Tei, and others.[2][3]

Oyamada explained to The Japan Times in 2016 that he was interested in recording a new solo album because, among other reasons, he did not have many opportunities to sing within the collaborations.[2] He was also inspired by the amount of time that had elapsed since Sensuous.[3] Still, between projects, Oyamada had found time to work on his solo project. One track, "Mellow Yellow Feel", dates back to 2012.[4] Lyrics for two of the album's songs, "If You're Here" and "Dear Future Person", were written by Shintaro Sakamoto. Another track, "The Spell of a Vanishing Loveliness" was written by Miki Berenyi, who Oyamada learned a decade earlier was a distant relative.[3][4]

Distinct sounds have been used to represent sonic themes on previous Cornelius albums—a glass wind chime for Sensuous, and water for 2001's Point. Oyamada said the tremolo served a similar function on Mellow Waves, likening the sound to that of a continuous wave.[3] Similarly, Oyamada chose the album's cover artwork because of its wavy appearance.[4]

In advance of the album, two 7-inch singles were issued.[4] The first single, "If You're Here", was released on April 26, 2017,[5] and its music video, directed by Koichiro Tsujikawa, was released in May.[6] "Sometime / Someplace" was released on May 24,[7] followed the next month by its music video, directed by Yugo Nakamura.[8] A third 7-inch single, "In a Dream", was released on September 27.[9] A music video for "Dear Future Person" was released in January 2018.[10]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.1/10[11]
Metacritic74/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
The A.V. ClubB[14]
Financial Times[15]
The Independent[16]
Mojo[17]
Pitchfork7.7/10[18]
PopMatters7/10[19]
Record Collector[20]
Uncut7/10[21]
Under the Radar8/10[22]

Mellow Waves received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 74, based on 18 reviews.[12]

Reviewing the album, AllMusic's Heather Phares wrote, "Despite its calm demeanor, Mellow Waves is nearly as intricate as Cornelius' previous albums, and its masterful ebb and flow just gets richer with each listen."[13] Andy Gill of The Independent found that "it's the overall cool/warm Tropicalismo tone that's most engaging" about the album.[16] Stephen Wyatt of Under the Radar observed that "what it lacks in frenetic playfulness it makes up in melody and orchestration."[22]

Pitchfork's Jesse Jarnow called it "as subdued an album as Oyamada has made", while adding that "thankfully 'subdued,' by Cornelius’s standards, still entails unceasing rhythmic invention, perhaps the central musical theme of his career."[18] Tanner Smith of PopMatters said: "Mellow Waves’s mellowness is more in the eye of the beholder. As nice as the vibe is, there is a high level of mental activity here that definitely put it into a more experimental arena than the soft sounds might imply."[19]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."あなたがいるなら (If You're Here)"
6:12
2."いつか / どこか (Sometime/Someplace)"Oyamada3:49
3."未来の人へ (Dear Future Person)"
  • Oyamada
  • Sakamoto
4:38
4."Surfing on Mind Wave Pt. 2"Oyamada5:34
5."夢の中で (In a Dream)"Oyamada4:14
6."Helix/Spiral"Oyamada3:35
7."Mellow Yellow Feel"Oyamada4:38
8."The Spell of a Vanishing Loveliness"
3:01
9."The Rain Song"Oyamada2:49
10."Crépuscule"Oyamada3:29
Total length:41:59

Charts
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[23] 10
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[24] 8
US Dance/Electronic Album Sales (Billboard)[25] 10
US World Albums (Billboard)[26] 7
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References
  1. Yoo, Noah (May 12, 2017). "Cornelius Announces First New Album in 11 Years Mellow Waves, Shares New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  2. Hadfield, James (July 5, 2017). "Cornelius opens up a little more on his latest album, 'Mellow Waves'". The Japan Times. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  3. St. Michel, Patrick (June 15, 2017). "Q&A: Cornelius On His First LP In 11 Years, 'Mellow Waves'". Stereogum. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  4. "Cornelius Talks 'Mellow Waves,' His First New Album in 11 Years". Billboard. July 21, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  5. "コーネリアス、11年ぶりシングルのタイトルは『あなたがいるなら』。作詞に坂本慎太郎". Rockin'On Japan (in Japanese). March 23, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  6. Thiessen, Brock (May 11, 2017). "Hear Cornelius's Striking Return with "If You're Here"". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  7. "コーネリアス、本日アナログシングル発売＆7月にリリースパーティ開催決定". Rockin'On Japan (in Japanese). April 26, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  8. Geslani, Michelle (June 9, 2017). "Cornelius reveals video for shapeshifting new song "Sometime / Someplace" — watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  9. "Third Single – 7inch Vinyl". Warner Music Japan (in Japanese). August 3, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  10. Thiessen, Brock (January 26, 2018). "Cornelius "Dear Future Person" (video)". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  11. "Mellow Waves by Cornelius reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  12. "Reviews and Tracks for Mellow Waves by Cornelius". Metacritic. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  13. Phares, Heather. "Mellow Waves – Cornelius". AllMusic. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  14. Purdom, Clayton (July 21, 2017). "Cornelius' Mellow Waves is just as nice as it sounds". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  15. Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (July 21, 2017). "Cornelius: Mellow Waves — 'older, calmer musician'". Financial Times. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  16. Gill, Andy (July 20, 2017). "Album reviews: Dizzee Rascal – Raskit, Chris Robinson Brotherhood – Barefoot In The Head, Cornelius – Mellow Waves". The Independent. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  17. Prior, Clive (September 2017). "Cornelius: Mellow Waves". Mojo (286): 96.
  18. Jarnow, Jesse (July 20, 2017). "Cornelius: Mellow Waves". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  19. Smith, Tanner (July 31, 2017). "Cornelius: Mellow Waves". PopMatters. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  20. Bowler, Paul (August 2017). "Cornelius – Mellow Waves". Record Collector (469). Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  21. Wallace, Wyndham (September 2017). "Cornelius: Mellow Waves". Uncut (244): 24.
  22. Wyatt, Stephen (July 20, 2017). "Cornelius: Waves (Rostrum)". Under the Radar. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  23. "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2017-07-10" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  24. "Billboard Japan Hot Albums [ 2017/07/10 付け ]". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  25. "Cornelius Chart History (Dance/Electronic Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  26. "Cornelius Chart History (World Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
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