Overview

Following their successful collaboration on Air, songwriter Jun Maeda and vocalist Lia teamed up several other times. One of these was Spica / Hanabi / Moon, a mini-album featuring three original songs. While one of the lesser-known items in Key's discography, it is nevertheless an impressive one.

Body

The headlining song "Spica" captures all the magic of Key's songs. The melody is a wonderful blend of bright and dreamy, and absolutely suits Lia's classically-tinged voice. Whether the beat-supported verse or the immensely catchy chorus, the song develops in a delightful way and features several highlight sections. Anyone who enjoyed Air's theme songs should love this. Simply put, "Spica" is right up there with "Bird's Skies" and "Little Busters!" as one of the best songs Key have produced.

"Hanabi" isn't quite as catchy as the opener, but makes up for it in a number of ways. Beautiful timbres are created by the combination of Lia's voice, soft acoustics, and ethereal synthpads. The flowing melody during the verse showcases the sensitivity and range of Lia's voice, while the chorus at the 2:05 is quite sudden but wonderfully exuberant. Lia brings out the meaning of every note and word here with another standout performance. Note that this song was re-recorded in even better quality on the Key + Lia Best album.

"Moon" has a spiritual hymn-like quality. Opening a capella with Lia's radiant voice, it grows more elaborate with a range of acoustic instruments and worldly infusions. The emotional scope of this one is astonishing — it manages to touch, haunt, and ultimately inspire all in one. It's something very different from Key, but highly successful nevertheless. The release ends with a remix of "Spica" featuring warped electronic backing. While competently produced, the style doesn't convincingly fit with the vocals.

Summary

This release is a modest jewel in Key's discography. While there are only three songs here, each is excellently produced and fulfilling on a number of levels. Those who enjoyed Air's vocal themes should seriously considering purchasing it.