KAT-TUN 2 Me

This entry is for a couple random odds and ends that I’ve been meaning to post. But first…

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION!!!!!!!!!!!

I’ve figured out a way to acquire KAT-TUN tickets for one of the Ishikawa performances (7/20 or 7/21). The catch is that it’s spendy. What I want to know is if any English-speaking fan close to my own age (22) would want to accompany me. I’ll warn you, it’ll cost you at least $200, probably more. I have never paid that much for concert tickets before, and I swear that never will again, but this may well be my only chance to see KAT-TUN live, and if that’s the price that I have to pay, so be it. The problem is that I have to buy the tickets in a pair, and it’s just too expensive for me to justify paying for two and then dragging along a friend who isn’t even a fan. If you are willing to pay that and you are SURE you will be able to be in Ishikawa, Japan on the designated day, leave me a comment. I’m very serious about this offer, and I’m looking for a commitment here.

Next-

So, have you seen Cartoon KAT-TUN lately? There seems to have been a major format change. No word as to whether or not it’s permanent, but it looks like they’ve built a fairly elaborate set, so it might be. So far we have Ueda working out shirtlessly, Koki looking at weird pictures with some guy, Jin being shocked and scandalized by girls who tell him that they date 3 guys at one time (Jin: I don’t date a girl unless I think I could marry her some day… Girl: Hahahaha! You’re so young. *Jin looks worried and confused*), Junno reading love letters and then writing one…to himself, Kame wandering around asking random people “What is love?” (Baby don’t hurt me. Don’t hurt me. No more), and, the best part, Maru being horribly horribly embarrassed by the lady he’s interviewing about “adult love”. It’s so fun to watch him squirm. The boys are all separated now though, so I kind of miss them interacting with each other. Here’s a picture about the show.

Finally-

I feel like I’ve been neglecting Arashi lately. Here are some very cute and love-filled pictures to make up for that.Thumbnails, so click for bigger.

Rabu rabu rabu rabu!

Leave it to group whore Satoshi to make a sly grab for Sho’s crotch.

You know how in middle school girls sometimes write, say, “Ashley x Jason= <3″ all over their binders. They left out the =<3 on these shots, but given the theme, I think it’s implied. Also, it really weirds me out when they call Nino “Kazunari”. It’s almost as bad as when they call Aiba “Masaki”.

Damn it Aiba, raise your hand! Someone has to volunteer to be the girl tonight.

Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!!

Wow. This entry was all over the place, wasn’t it. I’m working on a sort of project right now, so I promise that the next entry will be more coherent.

Later,

~Celestia~

“Making of” videos are the best. The DUES footage is about 40 minutes long, so I’ve taken the liberty of splicing together the parts that I found amusing for a much more manageable 6.5 minute video. This ‘making of’ isn’t quite as amusing as Lips, but there is tons of great stuff. Best of all, everyone seems awake and cheerful in this one. If you want to see how the PV was made, this isn’t the video for you. If you want to see the boys messing around and being silly behind the scenes, then you’ll probably enjoy this.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Some quick explanations for those of you who don’t speak Japanese. When Kame burnt his hat, the others are complaining about how it (and he) stinks. Oh, and before that they were making fun of his stupid girly socks. When Koki is yelling “Hora!” it’s because he’s so excited that his name is on his water bottle. Later, a group of them are doing a skit and Kame’s talking all weird because he’s bringing back a horrible horrible impression that he does sometimes.

There are two traditions in KAT-TUN “making of” videos. One of them is Koki trying to spin something. First there was the wheel-barrow in Keep the Faith. Then there was the chair in Lips. DUES features his most successful attempt yet, a garbage can. The second KAT-TUN ‘making of’ tradition is Junno falling asleep in a chair. He explains that he’s not tired today, but he’ll pretend to be asleep for a bit to keep up tradition.

Bye-zors,

~Celestia~

I should have known I’d give in and end up doing this… It’s the full album, for your listening pleasure. I would encourage you to buy the full album though, mostly to assuage my guilt for uploading this before it’s even released. Well, I ordered a copy anyway. Oh, and for the record, that is actually KAT-TUN on the cover, not just models of them. They intentionally put them in plastic wigs and special plasticy makeup to make them look like dolls action figures. Kinda weird, but more effort than Johnny’s usually puts into their covers.

There’s a new poll up asking for your opinion about the album. The price of downloading from here is voting in the poll.

KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates

Happy Listening,

~Celestia~

Oh glorious day! Queen of Pirates has been leaked onto the internet a few days before its official release!

I think what impresses me most about this album is the incredible diversity of styles. Sure, the majority of KAT-TUN’s singles fall into the same general sort of genre, but if you look at their B-sides and albums, this album in particular, you’ll find everything from angsty power ballads to sugary sweet love ballads, from big band style to boy band style, and from almost hard rock to almost techno. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, KAT-TUN’s versatility is one of their biggest advantages over some of the other Johnny’s groups. I cannot imagine Arashi or NewS successfully pulling off a song like Lips, but I have seen KAT-TUN successfully pull off songs similar to Arashi and NewS’ usual fare many a time. KAT-TUN’s other big advantages are named Jin and Kame, but we’re not going to be focusing on that one right now, because it’s time for a track by track review. I’ve also assigned ratings from 1-5 with 5 being the best, mostly just based on how much I like the song.

1. Taboo- The introduction to this song is awesome. It’s kind of a combination of ‘Le Ciel’ and ‘DUES’. The song has a mysterious and exotic feel to it. I couldn’t think of a better track to open this album with, or a concert for that matter. The musical section at the end is sweeping and builds tension for what is to come. My main complaint is that it ends a bit too suddenly, which is why I prefer it as an introduction to something rather than as standalone song. 4/5

2. Keep the Faith- A single. I’m not going to review the singles since I’ve already written about them, but suffice it to say that that it’s in my top 5 KAT-TUN songs. 5/5

3. Affection ~Mou Modorenai~ Hmm. I was expecting a ballad, but this is more of a relaxed mid-tempo song with an R&B feel. There are some interesting points, like the prominent female background vocals (very unusual for Johnny’s!). Overall though, I think this is set too high for most of them except for Jin (his lines at the bridge are great!). I think I would have liked it a lot better as a Jin solo actually, because of both the higher register and the Western feel of the song. It’s pleasant enough I guess, but not one of my favorites from this album. 2.5/5

4. Hell, No- First, can I say how amused I am that they released a song called “hell no” immediately after a single with a prominent “hell yeah” line? That aside, I quite like this song. It really really reminds me of earlier, pre-debut KAT-TUN stuff. It is one of my favorite new tracks from the album. What can I say, I’m a sucker for “catchy” and I love old-school KAT-TUN. 5/5

5. Distance- Powwwwwwwer ballad! And the opening lines go to…Junno? Really? You can probably count the number of KAT-TUN songs where either Jin or Kame don’t have the first solo lines on one hand. I’m glad to see them mixing things up a bit here. As for the actual song, I’ll have to admit, I kind of love power ballads, as uncool as that is. Emotional music will always win me over faster than clever lyrics or artistic composition. I suppose that makes me a very poor music critic in most people’s eyes, huh? Anyway, KAT-TUN has always been good at being loud and angsty, so I fully approve of this one. 5/5

6. Mother/Father- Aw, it’s a sweet and simple little ballad. This time Ueda gets the opening lines, again breaking away from the typical KAT-TUN “pattern”. Ueda has a good voice for soft ballads. Let’s see, the song is nice and touching, but it doesn’t particularly grab me, and the rap section at the end seems out of place. There are better KAT-TUN ballads out there. 3/5

7. Lips- Another single, and perhaps the most hard rock of anything KAT-TUN has produced. It grows on you. 3.5/5

8. Yorokobi no Uta- Two singles in a row? *shrugs*. A fun happy song (happy in the KAT-TUN sense, not the Arashi sense. There is a difference). I like to sing along to this one. 4/5

9. “Un-“ Don’t be confused. The dash is part of the song title. Yay for Japanese songs and their random punctuation! Where was I? Oh yeah. The song. It sounds like a boring filler track from an Arashi album to me. After listening to it I couldn’t even remember the chorus. It reminds me of “Rush of Light”. Unfortunately, I really don’t like “Rush of Light” Next. 1/5

10. Our Story ~Prologue~ Not to bring up the punctuation again, but this is the second title featuring unnecessary tildes. Not that I can talk *clears throat*. I don’t know why they put this song right after “Un-“. The feel is way too similar. “Our Story” is much less boring, but the chorus is just a bit too sappy for my tastes. I’m reminded of Disney music. That’s how sappy-sounding we’re talking here. The key change towards the end almost saves it for me though. Almost. 2.5/5

11. Nannen Tattemo- The last song of the regular edition album is a disco-flavored dance number. Again, they’re playing in a range that’s a bit too high for most of them. *sigh*. I wish they would stop doing that. There’s nothing too special or outstanding about this song for me. 1.5/5

12. Shot- We’re in limited edition territory now, and out of nowhere: big band sound! How cool is that? I’m especially impressed with all of their singing here. The song is catchy and unusual. A winner in my book! 4/5

13. 12 o’clock- Oooh. Once the music starts the introduction for this song is veeery sexy. The song itself utilizes vocal distortion for a techno sound though the instrumental isn’t pure techno at all. This is yet another creative and different sound for KAT-TUN, and the song makes me feel like dancing. I guess it could be a bit weird for some people’s tastes, but I like it a lot. It ends with a kiss, bringing back the sexy. I wish I knew who it’s from! 4.5/5

14. Ai no Command- With lots of heavy guitar and a dark feel, this is the most “rock” of the new album tracks. KAT-TUN’s playing to their strengths here, so it’s pretty good, though I find myself wanting something more from the chorus. I’m not sure what. Just… something more. 3/5

15. Six Senses- Why this song didn’t get a proper studio release before this is beyond me. Everybody loves it, don’t they? Then again, what better way to end an album than by giving fans something they’ve been wanting for quite a while? It makes me very happy to have a high quality version of this now. All I can say is that they had better perform it on their concert tour. 4.5/5

Excuse me for fangirling for a minute, but Jin’s voice might be the best thing about this album for me. He can be inconsistent in singing live on occasion, I know this, but in studio recordings there’s no one in KAT-TUN who can even come close to his vocal ability and his silky smooth tone. His solo lines are the stand-out point of almost every song almost every time. Even if Jin wasn’t half as hot as he is, I swear upwards, downwards, backwards and forwards that I would still be in love with his voice. The Cartoon KAT-TUN II U album really suffered from lackluster song composition, but the absence of Jin’s voice was the nail in the coffin for me. Needless to say, I much prefer this album to that one. I can’t rank it over KAT-TUN’s first album though. It represented the best of 6 years of collected songs, and I doubt they will ever be able to top that in a single album. So, Queen of Pirates is now my 2^nd favorite of the 3 KAT-TUN albums.

In summary, the album started off strong, loses steam towards the end of the regular edition, but finishes off with a bang with the excellent limited edition tracks. If you buy this album, do spring for the limited edition. Overall, it’s strong and varied with a little something for everybody and very few tracks that sound like filler. I was not disappointed, and I don’t think you will be either. Highly recommended listening!

Yarrr,

~Celestia~

PS. Do you need downloads? I’m sure you can find them if you look hard enough, but if people ask nicely I suppose I could upload it here.