despite my personal objections to heart (since sakura isn't on it at all), it's probably the most musically diverse and talented of all of laruku's albums so far ^_^ . the contrast between the first five songs is just amazing - ranging from the pop-ish (winter fall) to the epic (niji)...and it's a lot more mainstream, so it's easier to get used to the sound of (unlike dune, which took me 2 weeks to love *smile*). eerm...well, it's not MY favorite album, cuz my tastes seem to lie more in the alternative laruku direction, but it's a really good choice if you're just getting started. hyde's vocals are great, the drumming's even better than before (*wistful sigh*), tetsu's bass is KAKKOII, and ken's guitar solos are *wow* ^_^
2. winter fall (mid-speed,
pop-ish)
this is a nice contrast to loreley...it's got a light, pop touch, with
pretty guitars ^^ . i heard hyde and ken talking about the lyrics for this
on some MUT special, and hyde said at first ken wanted the lyrics to be
happy and summer-ish, but then hyde listened to the music ken had written,
and he got the feeling that this was definitely a winter piece...so he
insisted and wrote the lyrics his way ^^ . i think the result's really
spectacular...i'm still not sick of this song *smile*. the clip was shot
in death valley, california, on this salt plain thingy...it's all white,
but it definitely ain't snow =P. they're all wearing beanies (cute!) at
the beginning of the clip...but it's in a desert...*grin*. and watch
out for ken's jeans! *drool*. there isn't really anything spectacular about
the jeans themselves, but... *mwaha*...that little hip swing he does when
he's playing is soooo hot ^^ . ooh...yeah, and listen to the lyrics right
near the end...*evil laugh*...it took me a while to figure out what hyde
was saying, but it's, "pieces of you, pieces of you lie inside me inches
deep". ^_-
3. singing in the rain
(mid-speed lounge music)
ooh...this is the cutest song! ^^. waaaiii...it's so
cool *beam*. it has this really neat jazzy, funky beat...kinda lounge music?
the combination of bass and drums give that cool rhythm, and the guitar
and piano intro's just adorable *grin*. but that bass line...*drool*...it's,
like, inspired ^^ . the overall effect of this track is pure boppy funk...and
it rocks! *grin*. if you only get to hear one song from this album...it's
this one! ^^ . it's different from usual laruku songs...cool stuff.
4. shout at the devil
(fast rock)
hyde sounds pretty cool when he does the "one two three GO" thing at
the start...^^ . i think yuki's drums are really good on this track (even
though i hate to admit it O_o;; )...and the guitars are great speedy rock.
a head-banging song...^^
5. niji (slow, but not quite ballad)
6. birth! 7. promised land 8. fate 9. milky way (mid-speed,
pop-ish)
10. anata (slow
ballad)
yup, it's niji (meaning "rainbow", like l'arc en ciel), and it's...epic.
it's also on the rurouni kenshin soundtrack
somewhere (doesn't that anime get all the best songs? ^_- ). the interesting bit
is hyde's voiceover in the middle section...uh...meaning approximately something
like "my heart's a stone on the seashore" etc...but it doesn't sound cliched...it
sounds really nice ^^ . the clip is...weird *laugh*. filmed in germany
(think windmills), it's all dark and hyde's wearing this odd uniform (i
don't think it's a nazi one, but i could be wrong)...and ken and
tetsu get nailed to a cross (really neat...you gotta see it!...and i'm
not being sadistic, here *grin*). oh yeah...watch out for ken's cool red
guitar...*teardrops*...it's evil to treat a guitar like that, even in
a clip O_o;; .
hm...it's okay, i guess. not really memorable...i didn't like it that
much...
*grin*. oh, this is an interesting one ^^ . the lyrics are all dark
and depressing...those lines that go something like, "in this world of
endless ruin, who will you believe in?" and "wishes that have been broken
down into ashes"...or something like that...don't believe my translations...*wince*.
oh...and the cool chorus, (in english) "devils walk in the strawberry fields"...cool
imagery, ne? hm...but did anyone else know that the end line said by the
devil is actually, "come to the wonderland!"!? i seriously thought he was
saying "two men for every woman!"!!!!! shows how my mind works...*sweatdrop*.
a pretty guitar intro, but it's not the most inspired...and you don't
really hear much from ken during the whole song O_o;; . the bass line and
the cool drum beat make up for it, though...and the orchestra's good...not
too overwhelming ^^ . the chorus is neat...^^
another nice bass line...this is such a nice song! ^^ . the melody's
so cute...and the harmony's good, too *smile*. oh yeah...and the backing
vocals by tetsu are adorable...*grin*. the guitar solo's a bit more muted
than usual...but...i like this song. ^^
meaning "you". hm...the big orchestra intro's okay...but i think it
gets overwhelming during the rest of the song. you can hardly hear hyde
sometimes! ^^;; . the whole song has this cool, sorta big sweeping sound...kind
of reminds me of some of their previous songs ^^ . hm...there's not a big
emphasis on the guitars, although tetsu's bass is a nice counterpoint to
the vocals, which are kinda high...done pretty well, though. the melody's
musically well done...i think that's what saves it...
