Search - Mr Children :: Everything

A competent first effort from a promising band

05/29/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Japanese quartet Mr. Children's (Or "Mischiru" as they are affectionately known by their fans) first E.P., Everything, is a pleasant album to listen to. It is by no means their best album, but for something that's really little more than a demo tape, it's well worth listening to.This album marked the beginning of a relationship with producer Takeshi Kobayashi (of My Little Lover, who are a group well worth checking out if you like Mr. Children). It lacks the maturity and deftness with words of later albums, but the first signs of it are already there.The catchiest song on this record is the centerpiece, dually titled, "Kaze/The wind knows how I feel". It's a folky-sounding song with an intro that's vaguely reminiscent of Canadian band Great Big Sea.If you're a fan of Mr. Children, this album is a must-buy item. If you've never heard them before, it's worth looking at, but you'd probably do better looking for some of their more mature releases, like 1996's Shinkai or 1997's Bolero."