The Digitalian is here~
It arrived! Finally after four weeks The Digitalian reached me...
the first round of listenng was on my bicycle on the way to work& back
the second time while lying on my couch & scribbling along my thoughts:
here they are~ condenced after two, occacionally three or four hearings
took me three hours & I guess it's full of writing mistakes but bear with me ^_^
overall: this album manages to bring along a few of the BEST song-intros Arashi ever had (and pretty much from the music I know)
it's a danceable, fun album, with some incredible songs, song-parts & innovations in Arashi-sound-land
it's also a solid Pop-album with almost allover perfect production (my exceptions will be cleared later) & a wide margin of influences brought together to a great round sound
1. Shake it
damn I love this song so much!!! shake is much along~
Tension UP for a good start
2. Wonderful
love the beginning & every time it repeats: Girl you wonderful... ♥
love this rhythm & beat - drums & sax & trumpets are just great! Or to say it the right words: wonderful
also when it changes into a electric beat & back to real instruments ♥
3. Tell me why
- oh wow... honestly, I have a thing for ballads & this is not even a real ballad - but it's hittin gme pretty hard
unusual for Arashi & a ballad - especially the refrain
goosebumps everytime the „Baby tell me why“-part starts
the combination of voices... not sure if I hear it right:
1. refrain: main Ohno (+ tiny Neen) - the echo (I mean the japanese singing part) from Aiba (+ tiny J)
2. refrain: main Neen (+ tiny Ohno) - the echo from J (+ tiny Aiba)
3. refrain: main Ohno + Neen (+ tiny Sho) - echo Aiba + J
killer*
I am not so happy about the first part of Sho's rap - the slower part. The second, faster part is more to my liking
the transition after the fast rap-part is god damn great - building up so much!
the song is in parts heavy on piano-emotions & RnB elements~ but the refrain balances it out & creates an incredible tension
lock-style dancing comes into my mind in between
I am especially drawn into Aiba's voice on this track (which is actually true for quite a few songs on this album)
4. Asterisk
I have to admit... it's less great that I expected it to be after all the fuzz about this song~ it's good but... dunno, not as crazy as I imagined it
definitelly crazy is Sho's rap - especially the second part
and I can't help but having a feeling of „I know this part“ sometimes in between~
5. Imaging Crazy - Ohno
LOVE the beginning!
the sound is really Ohno-poi
I have a thing for Ohno singing in a deeper voice (for deeper voices in general) - but you can hear he's not using his deeper range so often - he should go back to it more often, it sounds fascinating in an artificial way I really am drawn to
the „dododo while“-part is great!
Heavy bass me likes
ehm~ are my ears are weird or is he singing „Amazing“ instead of „Imaging“ the whole time?! LOLs
6. GUTS!
*wiggles along & feels young again*
& I really appreciate J's hip-thrust picure right next to the lyrics (RE) ♥
7. Disco Star - cheeky Aiba-pic right next it ♥
laughing & jumping along (imagine me: I am already at school, waitingin front of the classroom for the class before mine to finish & suddenly starting to giggle like crazy~ one of my stundets was already there and looked at me clearly creeped out LOLs)
Miracle boy dance number
I can't decide which part is funnier: „I am a disco star“ or „Boogie Woogie“ XD
the bridge is so damn funky ♥
it's less disco in the sense of a typical „Disco“-sound which I somewhat imagined for this... but nevertheless it's a great bumpy-jumpy-fun
8. 誰も知らない
- loved the intro from the first time I heard the song
it's a good, steady Arashi-song
with a slight Truth-feeling I appreciate ♥
9. TRAP
& once again: I LOVE the intro
breakbeats ♥
the refrain-part is wonderfully arranged (the „I'll take you down“etc.)
for the rest, it's not as strong for me~ I like it but~ somehow there is too much going on...
also: the lyrics? hm... but I guess that's not the important part here
10. Stay Gold - J!!! is the BEST!!!
INTRO - I have to repeat me, another great intro into a song!!!
so much rhythm & funk & fun & POP!
The arrangement is so 90th! XD almost Eurodance-like but with a certain twist into 80th pop & the J-Pop-specialities
J knows what supports him, his voice, his intentions for us to have a good day!
b/w it also reminds me of EXILE - in a good way!
11. Bittersweet
the song with the incredible intro! - and boring rest *orz
too bad...
it took me ages to remember which song I am hearing
why?! It's so promising in the beginning! & than there is this part towards the end where we can hear how great it could have been!
I fear the TV-station didn't like the idea of playing & experimenting with music for a lovey-dovey-drama (which I b/w still haven't finished... damn RL interrupted the lovely kitsch of ShitsuChoco -.-)
12. Merry Christmas
So Neen! So Christmas! So rockish & kitschy ♥
weird - but it a really good way!
Both drummer & piano are great! Especially when they pic up speed into an almst Ska-ish sound & rhythm
- unfortunatelly something weird goes on in the back - dunno why - which is distracting in parts :/
overall a lovely beat-up christmas jumper
13. キミの夢を見ていた
… ehm~ this song is ehm... why is it here? In the album I mean? It seems to me like they've thrown in some electric-stuff in the back to make it fit into the didgitalian-concept - but really, it's a thrown together B-Side-song (don't get me wrong, quite a lot of my favourite songs are B-sides... but sometimes they are so „left over“-sounding...)
bad drama-song? Leftover? Could it be a filler for ShitsuChoco? hm... the lyrics would also fit the drama~ maybe they had to choose back then & didn't want to throw it away completly?
Ahhhh~ no, no favourite of mine - too much all over the place & booring at the same time...
14. One Step
ahhh!!! this time a kimojii-ahhh! So natsukashii, welcome my youth, welcome my early Abba-days, summerish & warm & easygoing- I can see & hear Aiba smiling while recording this song
I love how melody & instrumentation & rhythm „walking“ along the lyrics - one step one step...
so un-digital, Europopish with the J-Pop-twist I love so much
harmonies
the HEYs & YEAHs & Sho's wistling go so well with the flow
relaxing & smilin, a little bit silly, but meaningful
15. Hey Yeah - Sho!
INTRO! ♥
ARGH!!! so much fun XD *sways along*
the gospel-sound/feel reminds me of old Sho-solos
perfect campaign-song for future PM XD
the guitar-solo towards totally rocks!
16. Hope in the Darkness
goosebumps from the first second right into the ohwohohohooo~ INTRO!
Wah!!
I really like Aiba's voice here
again it feels a bit like EXILE - the pompous-parts with heavy drums/bass & strings - again: in a good sense!!
J's voice is lovely here as well
素晴らしき明日へ - reminds me of 素晴らしき世界 - just the words, but it's already enough to make me love it
17. Take Off!!!!!
is great!!!!! ♥
Oh-chan is an awkward rapper - as always LOLs
but I LOVE the tension-building & Aiba's & J's solo-lines pronounciation & rhythm-making (I can't explain it well or rather not at all, but I like it XD)
also... the speed-building reminds me of AKB - in a good J-POP-music-way
♥
that's it...
*uff*
the first round of listenng was on my bicycle on the way to work& back
the second time while lying on my couch & scribbling along my thoughts:
here they are~ condenced after two, occacionally three or four hearings
took me three hours & I guess it's full of writing mistakes but bear with me ^_^
overall: this album manages to bring along a few of the BEST song-intros Arashi ever had (and pretty much from the music I know)
it's a danceable, fun album, with some incredible songs, song-parts & innovations in Arashi-sound-land
it's also a solid Pop-album with almost allover perfect production (my exceptions will be cleared later) & a wide margin of influences brought together to a great round sound
1. Shake it
damn I love this song so much!!! shake is much along~
Tension UP for a good start
2. Wonderful
love the beginning & every time it repeats: Girl you wonderful... ♥
love this rhythm & beat - drums & sax & trumpets are just great! Or to say it the right words: wonderful
also when it changes into a electric beat & back to real instruments ♥
3. Tell me why
- oh wow... honestly, I have a thing for ballads & this is not even a real ballad - but it's hittin gme pretty hard
unusual for Arashi & a ballad - especially the refrain
goosebumps everytime the „Baby tell me why“-part starts
the combination of voices... not sure if I hear it right:
1. refrain: main Ohno (+ tiny Neen) - the echo (I mean the japanese singing part) from Aiba (+ tiny J)
2. refrain: main Neen (+ tiny Ohno) - the echo from J (+ tiny Aiba)
3. refrain: main Ohno + Neen (+ tiny Sho) - echo Aiba + J
killer*
I am not so happy about the first part of Sho's rap - the slower part. The second, faster part is more to my liking
the transition after the fast rap-part is god damn great - building up so much!
the song is in parts heavy on piano-emotions & RnB elements~ but the refrain balances it out & creates an incredible tension
lock-style dancing comes into my mind in between
I am especially drawn into Aiba's voice on this track (which is actually true for quite a few songs on this album)
4. Asterisk
I have to admit... it's less great that I expected it to be after all the fuzz about this song~ it's good but... dunno, not as crazy as I imagined it
definitelly crazy is Sho's rap - especially the second part
and I can't help but having a feeling of „I know this part“ sometimes in between~
5. Imaging Crazy - Ohno
LOVE the beginning!
the sound is really Ohno-poi
I have a thing for Ohno singing in a deeper voice (for deeper voices in general) - but you can hear he's not using his deeper range so often - he should go back to it more often, it sounds fascinating in an artificial way I really am drawn to
the „dododo while“-part is great!
Heavy bass me likes
ehm~ are my ears are weird or is he singing „Amazing“ instead of „Imaging“ the whole time?! LOLs
6. GUTS!
*wiggles along & feels young again*
& I really appreciate J's hip-thrust picure right next to the lyrics (RE) ♥
7. Disco Star - cheeky Aiba-pic right next it ♥
laughing & jumping along (imagine me: I am already at school, waitingin front of the classroom for the class before mine to finish & suddenly starting to giggle like crazy~ one of my stundets was already there and looked at me clearly creeped out LOLs)
Miracle boy dance number
I can't decide which part is funnier: „I am a disco star“ or „Boogie Woogie“ XD
the bridge is so damn funky ♥
it's less disco in the sense of a typical „Disco“-sound which I somewhat imagined for this... but nevertheless it's a great bumpy-jumpy-fun
8. 誰も知らない
- loved the intro from the first time I heard the song
it's a good, steady Arashi-song
with a slight Truth-feeling I appreciate ♥
9. TRAP
& once again: I LOVE the intro
breakbeats ♥
the refrain-part is wonderfully arranged (the „I'll take you down“etc.)
for the rest, it's not as strong for me~ I like it but~ somehow there is too much going on...
also: the lyrics? hm... but I guess that's not the important part here
10. Stay Gold - J!!! is the BEST!!!
INTRO - I have to repeat me, another great intro into a song!!!
so much rhythm & funk & fun & POP!
The arrangement is so 90th! XD almost Eurodance-like but with a certain twist into 80th pop & the J-Pop-specialities
J knows what supports him, his voice, his intentions for us to have a good day!
b/w it also reminds me of EXILE - in a good way!
11. Bittersweet
the song with the incredible intro! - and boring rest *orz
too bad...
it took me ages to remember which song I am hearing
why?! It's so promising in the beginning! & than there is this part towards the end where we can hear how great it could have been!
I fear the TV-station didn't like the idea of playing & experimenting with music for a lovey-dovey-drama (which I b/w still haven't finished... damn RL interrupted the lovely kitsch of ShitsuChoco -.-)
12. Merry Christmas
So Neen! So Christmas! So rockish & kitschy ♥
weird - but it a really good way!
Both drummer & piano are great! Especially when they pic up speed into an almst Ska-ish sound & rhythm
- unfortunatelly something weird goes on in the back - dunno why - which is distracting in parts :/
overall a lovely beat-up christmas jumper
13. キミの夢を見ていた
… ehm~ this song is ehm... why is it here? In the album I mean? It seems to me like they've thrown in some electric-stuff in the back to make it fit into the didgitalian-concept - but really, it's a thrown together B-Side-song (don't get me wrong, quite a lot of my favourite songs are B-sides... but sometimes they are so „left over“-sounding...)
bad drama-song? Leftover? Could it be a filler for ShitsuChoco? hm... the lyrics would also fit the drama~ maybe they had to choose back then & didn't want to throw it away completly?
Ahhhh~ no, no favourite of mine - too much all over the place & booring at the same time...
14. One Step
ahhh!!! this time a kimojii-ahhh! So natsukashii, welcome my youth, welcome my early Abba-days, summerish & warm & easygoing- I can see & hear Aiba smiling while recording this song
I love how melody & instrumentation & rhythm „walking“ along the lyrics - one step one step...
so un-digital, Europopish with the J-Pop-twist I love so much
harmonies
the HEYs & YEAHs & Sho's wistling go so well with the flow
relaxing & smilin, a little bit silly, but meaningful
15. Hey Yeah - Sho!
INTRO! ♥
ARGH!!! so much fun XD *sways along*
the gospel-sound/feel reminds me of old Sho-solos
perfect campaign-song for future PM XD
the guitar-solo towards totally rocks!
16. Hope in the Darkness
goosebumps from the first second right into the ohwohohohooo~ INTRO!
Wah!!
I really like Aiba's voice here
again it feels a bit like EXILE - the pompous-parts with heavy drums/bass & strings - again: in a good sense!!
J's voice is lovely here as well
素晴らしき明日へ - reminds me of 素晴らしき世界 - just the words, but it's already enough to make me love it
17. Take Off!!!!!
is great!!!!! ♥
Oh-chan is an awkward rapper - as always LOLs
but I LOVE the tension-building & Aiba's & J's solo-lines pronounciation & rhythm-making (I can't explain it well or rather not at all, but I like it XD)
also... the speed-building reminds me of AKB - in a good J-POP-music-way
♥
that's it...
*uff*