KAT-TUN 2 Me

I know I’m a week late, but here’s a review of Arashi’s latest single release, another double A side.

Crazy Moon- Kimi wa Muteki

Song- I’m trying to be objective about this, but the truth is, I would like this song a lot better if I hadn’t heard “Believe” first. This song is like “Believe”’s little brother. It’s not a bad song, but “Believe” was just SO great, that it pales in comparison. The sort of chanting part is kind of lame, but the rest is good. Somehow though, I just can’t get excited about this song.

PV- Wow. A glorified dance-shot PV from Johnny’s. Really?? What are they in a gym or something? The only thing that saves it a bit is the fact that this song has an awesome dance. In fact, I’m tempted to call it Arashi’s best single-paired dance ever!

Ashita no Kioku

Song- Pretty good, as far as Arashi ballads go. I’m not a fan of Arashi single ballads in general. In fact, I can hardly name one that I like.  Their album ballads are better for some reason. Anyway, this one has a very nice melody and background instrumentation, and they put a lot of emotion into their singing. It’s not going to go down as one of my favorite Arashi songs ever, but I’m sure it will fit comfortably around the middle of the list. The only thing that bugs me is the random saxophone at the end. It feels cheesy.

PV- So all of the creativity and artistry that was missing from Crazy Moon’s PV is present in spades in this one. WOW!! This PV is just perfect. The guys are adorable and emoting like crazy, the setting is clean and simple, but with some nice little touches to add interest, and the thing with them taking pictures and the pictures ending up showing something different is really clever. I’m still trying to figure out what it all means, but in the end,  I think it’s meant to be partially up to the viewer to interpret.

Oh, and by the way, Arashi’s next single has already been announced, so look forward to that! I was kind of hoping for an album, but 3rd single of the year is nice too!

~Celestia~

KAT-TUN`s new album came out today! Here`s my non-expert opinion in the form of a track by track review.

Don`t U Ever Stop- Should be no secret that I`m been a big fan of this song right from the first listen. 5/5

Sadistic Love- Intro is great, verses are good, bridge is good, chorus really really needs more punch.  Still, certainly a solid album track in proper KAT-TUN style. 0.1 in bonus points awarded for amusing Engrish. 4.1/5

Rescue- Much like DUES, I`ve already written up my thoughts on this single. In short, this one definetly finds its way into my top 5 favorite KAT-TUN songs of all time. 5/5

Water Dance- Odd beginning. Piano mixed with weird little synthesizer popping noises. I think I don`t quite get this song. It can`t decide if it wants to be a ballad or not, the rap feels terribly out of place, and the chorus is a bit annoying to me. It has its moments, but feels like it`s trying to go in too many different directions at once. 2/5

One Drop- Unfortunately, this is one of those songs that I`ve started to like less the more I listen to it. I mean, it`s not bad by any means, but it`s not one of KT`s best. 3/5

White World- Maru solo. Pretty straight forward pop ballad, but much better than his last solo, which bored the crap out of me. Nothing special or particularly memorable, but I do like Nakamaru`s voice a lot. 2.5/5

Care- Yes, I am among the fan girls who completaly freaked out when it was announced that we would be getting a studio recording of Jin`s solo, Care. Looooove this song! Also, it`s certainly a change to have Jin`s solo be something so sweet. There`s such vulnerability in his voice. 5/5

1582- Strawberry underpants! Lololol. But in all seriousness, a great, dark, sexy solo from Kame. Thank God, because his last solo seriously sucked. Nice use of distorted vocals, `church bell` sounds, violin, and sexy sighing. Catchy chorus too. Might be my favorite new song from the album, in fact. I`m really looking forward to seeing this one live. 5/5

Pierrot- There is a real trend here of improved solos. Koki`s is no exception. I don`t love it, but “Parasite” is one of my least favorite KT songs ever. Still a bit too screamy for my tastes, but at least this one has something resembling a melody. 1.5/5

Hana no Mau Machi- When you hear the opening you think it`s going to be yet another slow Ueda ballad about flowers… and then it turns out to be a somewhat faster than usual Ueda ballad about flowers. Nice, but rather bland. 2/5

Wind- This is Junno`s first solo that he wrote his own lyrics for, right?  Starts out like a ballad and then transitions into some sort of lounge number? The jazz piano is interesting, but other than that, the song doesn`t really stand out to me. 2.5/5

Kimi Michi- This song really reminds me of [un] from the last album. Happy pop certainly isn`t KAT-TUN`s usual territory, so it`s good that they put tracks like this on the album. I like it, even though it`s a bit difficult to convince myself that it`s really KAT-TUN that I`m listening to here, and it sufferes a bit from generic-itis. 3.5/5

Haru Natsu Aki Fuyu- Another unfortunate sufferer of generic-itis. This mid-tempo track feels like filler to me, but maybe I just don`t care for this particular style. 1/5

White X-mas- Lalala lovely. 4.5/5

Neiro- 100% ballad, but with a positive and hopeful feel to it. Feels like a “last song before the encore” candidate. Very pretty. 4/5

Moon- Starts with traditional Japanese instrumentation, and then moves into a tense rock sound, still mixed with shamisen (koto? can`t tell the difference). Now, this is the kind of intense song I want from KAT-TUN. It feels like the theme song for an action thriller set in historical Japan or something. 4.5/5

Overall, I`m having a hard time choosing between this and Queen of Pirates. I`d definetly put it above the second album, but still below the first. I have some issues with the track order though. It seems like they put all the powerful songs first and all the ballady songs last (except for Moon). This makes it so there`s just a big downhill slide in energy level as you listen to the album. Also, all the solos mean that there are far less group songs, so the group songs should all be great. There`s great stuff there, but also the not-so-great. So overall, lots of really good and enjoyable individual tracks, but a bit lacking as a cohesive “album”.

~Celestia~

Full PV! Full PV!

Let’s have a bit of a review.

First, the song.

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. I LOVE IT!! I don’t want to be so overly enthusiastic so soon… but it’s definitely in my top 5 Arashi singles right now. I’m going to wait a while and see how I feel about it in a few months or so before I decide exactly where it fits in on my top list though. The song has a great build up to the chorus, which is exciting, catchy, clever, and to pull out a cliche, really makes you want to dance. I especially like how everything gets all quiet and still after the bridge, only to launch you back into the energetic chorus with a key change. You can almost see the confetti/fireworks flying, were it a concert performance. Sure to be a crowd pleasing moment. Everyone’s has solo lines too, which is a nice bonus.

As for the PV, I can’t be quite as enthusiastic about it. Yes, the guys look good, but the whole feel of the PV seems a little too subdued to me. I wish there was more color, less formal clothes (Jun, I’m looking at you, and you look like a penguin), and just a brighter feel over all. I mean, the nature images with the water and the grass are nice with the “brand new world” theme, but I really don’t think the almost black and white color scheme fits. I do like the solo shots in the hallway with water running down the walls, that’s a nice effect. The dance looks pretty cool too, though I wish they had shown more of it.

Rating-

Song: A+!!!

PV: B-, I want more color, damn it!

Download Song (hq radio rip): HERE!

It’s a brand new world,

~Celestia~