Baka no Uta

Hoshino, then known as the leader, guitarist, and marimba player of the instrumental band Sakerock, began work on the album after being approached by Labels United's parent company Daisyworld to make a solo debut.

Covering topics of everyday life, Baka no Uta is a Japanese rock and pop album with a sound that was described as calm and lonely.

The album compiles new tracks, two lyrical Sakerock covers, and re-recordings of songs Hoshino had released on a 2005 CD-R disc and 2007 CD-bundled photo booklet.

Hoshino hosted live performances and autograph shows at Tower Records stores to promote the album, and embarked on a small tour visiting Tokyo and Osaka.

[1] In 2000, Hoshino formed the band Sakerock with other students of the Jiyu no Mori Gakuen Junior and Senior High School [ja], serving as the frontman, playing guitar and also marimba.

[4][5] The band's appearances in media would rise with the release of Life Cycle, and they subsequently composed the soundtrack to the Isshin Inudo film Kiiroi Namida in 2007.

[6] In addition to his activities with Sakerock, Hoshino worked as an actor and, musically, began composing songs for stage plays and held acoustic live performances.

Coincidentally, Hoshino was around the same time approached by the label Daisyworld – owned by Yellow Magic Orchestra's Haruomi Hosono – asking if he was interesting in making a debut.

[1] Hoshino wrote and produced all tracks on Baka no Uta himself and performed on vocals, acoustic guitar, marimba, mandolin, banjo, glockenspiel, and toy piano.

Sakerock drummer Daichi Ito, former band member, pianist, and organ player Takuji Nomura, and acoustic and electric bassist Suga Dairo provided instrumentation on the album, with Ren Takada featuring as a guest performer on pedal steel and resonator guitar.

[12][14] Critics noted aging as a theme on the album, present in songs such as the second track "Goo" (グー, Gū), the fourth "Chawan" (茶碗, lit.

"Habit Song") was described by Emi Sugiura of Rockin'On Japan as "envoking a sense of loneliness", giving the impression it was born from Hoshino "facing music alone at night".

Composed with E-flat and based in the Japanese yonanuki  [ja] scale, in which F and C notes are excluded, the song is built on diatonic chords, with an expection of Am7-5 as the transitional.

[22] On 26 March 2010, it was announced that Hoshino was in the process of recording an untitled lyrical debut solo album, with a band consisting of Daichi Ito on on drums, Takuji Nomura on keyboard, and Suga Dairo on bass.

In late April, he was set to unveil select songs from the album as a guest performer on the Tokyo and Osaka shows of the concert Springfields '10.

[29][30] From 12 July to 13, Hoshino toured for Baka no Uta with two shows at the Club Quattro venues in Shibuya, Tokyo, and Shinsaibashi, Osaka.

The tour featured Ito on drums, Nomura on keyboard, and Dairo on bass, with Takada also guest starring on the performances of "Rōfūfu", "Ana o Horu", "Kyōdai" (兄弟, lit.

[14] Site staff member Nozomi ranked Baka no Uta as her third-favorite album of the early half of 2010, finding that it "quitely conveyed the deep genius of Gen Hoshino".

[40] Shinji Hyogo, the editor-in-chief at Rockin'On Japan, wrote that, despite featuring calm vocals, instrumentation, and melodies, Baka no Uta has a "fantastic" feel of solitude.

The Club Quattro in Shibuya, Tokyo, as pictured in 2005.
To promote Baka no Uta , Hoshino performed at Club Quattro venues in Shibuya, Tokyo , and Shinsaibashi, Osaka (Shibuya location pictured) .