Impressions: アンド宣戦布告(Sensen Fukoku)
OMG I'm so late at posting this impressions. I know the album came out like... a month ago, but I've been so freaking busy I haven't been able to post it until now. So sorry! This isn't gonna be as indepth as I was originally hoping, but I was able to find all the songs on youtube, so you can listen to them too! (if you haven't already listened to them) So without further ado, LET'S DO THIS >:D
So, starting off. I ADORE this album. It works really well together! Granted, three of the songs are their first three major singles (BLAZE, Liberate, and Muyu no Kago). However, they work with all the other songs, espeically the main single in the album, Diabolus. I was actually in Japan when all three of their major singles were released and I enjoyed seeing both the musical growth and visual growth. After liberate they stepped away from the glitter and sparkles and into almost suit like outfits. The outfits for Muyu no Kago and Diabolus are actually pretty close, but are each different in their own way.
Mission: Mission is just an opening sequence that most albums, regardless of artist, seem to be doing these days. Unfortunetly, I couldn't find a rip of it, so it's rather difficult to explain. The composer was PECO and I believe he's the one doing the heavy breathing in the beginning. It's also been debated that it's Ikuma. Either way, there's some rather heavy breathing in the first song haha. This albums seems to stay true to the "mission" and "agent" feel. There's a count down included, however the countdown is....off. It's not in order at all. After six, it jumps around in random numbers. It sets a good tone for the rest of the album.
daybreak: This song was composed by Ken and the lyrics were done by Ikuma. This song is acutally one of the most popular songs on the entire album next to Diabolus. Though this song is good, it's not one of my favorites. I love the style that Ken decided to use in terms of the hazy and gritty sound to Ikuma's voice, while still keeping the essence of AND there.
BLAZE: This song was also composed by Ken and the lyrics by Ikuma. However, it has an entirely different tone than daybreak. It's darker and more intense. LOTS of screaming and growling, but that's what makes this song so fun (this song is AWESOME live). Kaji has some awesome drumming in this song that makes you want to throw yourself around like a fool...which I have done on occassion.Cool little fact is that this was AND's first major single!
Diabolus: Switching it up! The composer of this song was Kaji and the lyrics by Ikuma. This song was their major "single" in the entire album and had a PV along with it. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly suggest seeing it. It's actually pretty different from their previous three major PV's, in my opinion. Having been in Japan when all three singles were released, I was able to see the gradual change from their previous releases. This song is pretty close in style to a lot of songs, but the way I put it is that if daybreak and Code B had a baby, Diabolus was the result xD Though this is the major single on the album, still not my favorite haha. But it's good. I wish I could have heard it live ;A;
つぼみ/Tsubomi: The composer for this one was PECO and the lyrics were done also by PECO! Yay PECO love! PECO rarely writes any music, let alone ballads, so this was a huge thing that he wrote this. This is one of my top three songs for this album. It's ranked this high because the first time I heard it, I cried. Only two other songs from AND have been able to do that. AND is actually the only band that has been able to make me cry so many times with their songs. Granted I cried a lot during the GazettE lives and other lives, that was because I was finally seeing them, not because of the song in particular. Moving on! There's quite a bit of acoustic in this song, and soft guitar. And Ikuma's voice is just beautiful because he has a lot of deep notes to hit. If Danshoku no Sekai and Anemone had a baby, BOOM Tsubomi would be it. I just adore this song :3
dione: Composed by PECO, lyrics done by Ikuma. MORE PECO LOVE~ This song is also in my top three for this album. It's kind of considered a ballad but not really. Kind of how like Muyu no Kago was considered a ballad, but it was rather heavy for a ballad. That sort of ballad. The feel behind it is close to Muyu no Kago, but the chorus is something all on it's own. I think PECO did a great job on this song. This is also one of the more popular songs on the album. Guitars get a lot of love in this particular song. In a way, I feel that the lyrics are the supporting sound in this song, while the guitar is the star That's just me though, I know a lot of people consider lyrics the star no matter what, but this song really speaks to me in the sense that the guitar was the star.
夢遊の籠/Muyu no Kago: Composer was Kaji, lyrics by Ikuma. Wow, Ikuma's just on a roll isn't he? This song is amazing. I love the idea behind it, the subtle imagery (that took me nearly 20 listens to understand completely), and the depth of this song is just WOW. I was surprised when this song first came out because AND doesn't really do ballads, however, this is considered what they call a "hard ballad". It has the lyrics and main feel of a ballad, but underlying tone of hard visual kei. This was their third major release and this song has made me cry on two occasions. When I heard this for the first time, it was at a collab live in February, right before the announcement of a new single. I was in tears when I saw the pure raw emotion Ikuma put into this song. Though I didn't understand the entire song, I got the underlying message and it spoke to me. The second time was during the Zeal Link live in Nagoya and I had better understanding of the song. However, whenever I hear this song just on my ipod, I don't flinch. It makes me think about the live performance, but I haven't cried to this song since. Seeing songs lives can defs change your views on it, believe me. Overall, this song rocks my socks.
Vanishe: Composer Kaji, lyrics by Ikuma. For me, this song is really close in tone and feel to Liberate which, incidentally is right after this song on the tracklist for the album. It's a little slower in pace than Liberate, but the way he sings it is similar. I don't know if he did that on purpose, but that's how I see it. There was some use of an electronica (slight), but it fits nicely. I really do like this song and it was super close to making my top three, but it was like, four lol. Good good song though :3
Liberate: Composer Kaji, lyrics by Ikuma. Like I said above, Vanishe was close to Liberate in the way that it was sung, though slightly faster. Granted there is harsher beats of the drum and guitar chords, but to me, they're pretty close in most ways. This was their second major single and actually, my least favorite. I'm not sure why, I think it's because I didn't like the topic they were singing about, or the way the song was. It's strange becaues Vanishe ranked so high and Liberate didn't even though they're close in style (IMO).
Suicidal Dance: Composer Ken, lyrics by Ikuma. Holy crap I love this song. I think it's because it has a somewhat similar feel to a lot of my favorite songs. If you meshed Code B, Sensen Fukoku, Blackout, and Bluff into one song, this was the result. Effing amazing right? You might have a different opinion, but I adore this song. It's in my top three if you were wondering lol. There's quite a bit of English in this song, even if it doesn't seem like it. Ikuma doens't like speaking English (cause he's not good at speaking, but reading/writing is great), let alone singing in English, so I was surprised that he had so much in this song. It's a fun song to dance to by the way. And when the released the furisuke to it in their most recent ANDTV show, it's even more fun now. You know how I am with my furisuke haha.
end of the world: Composer Ken, lyrics by Ikuma. This is one of those songs that just opened a whole new door for AND. I can't place any song that would be even close to this song. It's that diverse. It's not one of my favorites, but I really like it. The opening reminds me of Marylin Manson's Beautiful People, but that's about it. After that, it's all AND and their vision for this song. Kaji's just wailing on those drums during this song. Out of everything in this song, the drums are what hit me the hardest. I always find myself focusing on them more than the acutal lyrics haha.
Feather: Composer Ken, lyrics by Ikuma. This is one of those songs that I just have a really hard time explaining. I can't find the right song to compare it to, even though it has that kind of feel. It sounds like ballad, but not hard ballad, however it's not considered an actual ballad. So I'm not really sure what to categorize it as haha. It is a great song, and if I had to compare it to a song...I'd have to say a mix of Voices and another face. But that's just me. And sometimes I'm known to be crazy lol.
Lycoris: Composer Kaji, lyrics by Ikuma. Last song in the tracklisting! And in my opinon, this was a great song to end on. A lot of people have said that it has like a...country-ish feel to it and I actually have to agree. That or it sounds like generic pop music, but they put their own personal AND twist on it. I really like it, but it's not a favorite of mine. When I first heard it, I was like "da fuck is this?" Then after listening to it a few more times, I really began to appricate it, even though it sounds like my most hated musical genre.Sadly, there was no audio for this song, so you'll have to find it on your own, so I wish you luck lol.
Well there you have it, my impressions! And holy cow it was terrible. I'm sorry if it wasn't as good as you thought it was going to be, but yeah...that's the best I can do right now with how much time I have on my hands. I'm juggling a lot of classes, assistant in a Japanese class, holding positions in a few clubs and gah, so much to do. I've also started translating blogs, nau posts, and tweets for both Kaji and PECO, so that's been taking up time too. But I shall press on~ Hope you all enjoyed :3
So, starting off. I ADORE this album. It works really well together! Granted, three of the songs are their first three major singles (BLAZE, Liberate, and Muyu no Kago). However, they work with all the other songs, espeically the main single in the album, Diabolus. I was actually in Japan when all three of their major singles were released and I enjoyed seeing both the musical growth and visual growth. After liberate they stepped away from the glitter and sparkles and into almost suit like outfits. The outfits for Muyu no Kago and Diabolus are actually pretty close, but are each different in their own way.
Mission: Mission is just an opening sequence that most albums, regardless of artist, seem to be doing these days. Unfortunetly, I couldn't find a rip of it, so it's rather difficult to explain. The composer was PECO and I believe he's the one doing the heavy breathing in the beginning. It's also been debated that it's Ikuma. Either way, there's some rather heavy breathing in the first song haha. This albums seems to stay true to the "mission" and "agent" feel. There's a count down included, however the countdown is....off. It's not in order at all. After six, it jumps around in random numbers. It sets a good tone for the rest of the album.
daybreak: This song was composed by Ken and the lyrics were done by Ikuma. This song is acutally one of the most popular songs on the entire album next to Diabolus. Though this song is good, it's not one of my favorites. I love the style that Ken decided to use in terms of the hazy and gritty sound to Ikuma's voice, while still keeping the essence of AND there.
Click to viewBLAZE: This song was also composed by Ken and the lyrics by Ikuma. However, it has an entirely different tone than daybreak. It's darker and more intense. LOTS of screaming and growling, but that's what makes this song so fun (this song is AWESOME live). Kaji has some awesome drumming in this song that makes you want to throw yourself around like a fool...which I have done on occassion.Cool little fact is that this was AND's first major single!
Diabolus: Switching it up! The composer of this song was Kaji and the lyrics by Ikuma. This song was their major "single" in the entire album and had a PV along with it. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly suggest seeing it. It's actually pretty different from their previous three major PV's, in my opinion. Having been in Japan when all three singles were released, I was able to see the gradual change from their previous releases. This song is pretty close in style to a lot of songs, but the way I put it is that if daybreak and Code B had a baby, Diabolus was the result xD Though this is the major single on the album, still not my favorite haha. But it's good. I wish I could have heard it live ;A;
つぼみ/Tsubomi: The composer for this one was PECO and the lyrics were done also by PECO! Yay PECO love! PECO rarely writes any music, let alone ballads, so this was a huge thing that he wrote this. This is one of my top three songs for this album. It's ranked this high because the first time I heard it, I cried. Only two other songs from AND have been able to do that. AND is actually the only band that has been able to make me cry so many times with their songs. Granted I cried a lot during the GazettE lives and other lives, that was because I was finally seeing them, not because of the song in particular. Moving on! There's quite a bit of acoustic in this song, and soft guitar. And Ikuma's voice is just beautiful because he has a lot of deep notes to hit. If Danshoku no Sekai and Anemone had a baby, BOOM Tsubomi would be it. I just adore this song :3
dione: Composed by PECO, lyrics done by Ikuma. MORE PECO LOVE~ This song is also in my top three for this album. It's kind of considered a ballad but not really. Kind of how like Muyu no Kago was considered a ballad, but it was rather heavy for a ballad. That sort of ballad. The feel behind it is close to Muyu no Kago, but the chorus is something all on it's own. I think PECO did a great job on this song. This is also one of the more popular songs on the album. Guitars get a lot of love in this particular song. In a way, I feel that the lyrics are the supporting sound in this song, while the guitar is the star That's just me though, I know a lot of people consider lyrics the star no matter what, but this song really speaks to me in the sense that the guitar was the star.
夢遊の籠/Muyu no Kago: Composer was Kaji, lyrics by Ikuma. Wow, Ikuma's just on a roll isn't he? This song is amazing. I love the idea behind it, the subtle imagery (that took me nearly 20 listens to understand completely), and the depth of this song is just WOW. I was surprised when this song first came out because AND doesn't really do ballads, however, this is considered what they call a "hard ballad". It has the lyrics and main feel of a ballad, but underlying tone of hard visual kei. This was their third major release and this song has made me cry on two occasions. When I heard this for the first time, it was at a collab live in February, right before the announcement of a new single. I was in tears when I saw the pure raw emotion Ikuma put into this song. Though I didn't understand the entire song, I got the underlying message and it spoke to me. The second time was during the Zeal Link live in Nagoya and I had better understanding of the song. However, whenever I hear this song just on my ipod, I don't flinch. It makes me think about the live performance, but I haven't cried to this song since. Seeing songs lives can defs change your views on it, believe me. Overall, this song rocks my socks.
Vanishe: Composer Kaji, lyrics by Ikuma. For me, this song is really close in tone and feel to Liberate which, incidentally is right after this song on the tracklist for the album. It's a little slower in pace than Liberate, but the way he sings it is similar. I don't know if he did that on purpose, but that's how I see it. There was some use of an electronica (slight), but it fits nicely. I really do like this song and it was super close to making my top three, but it was like, four lol. Good good song though :3
Liberate: Composer Kaji, lyrics by Ikuma. Like I said above, Vanishe was close to Liberate in the way that it was sung, though slightly faster. Granted there is harsher beats of the drum and guitar chords, but to me, they're pretty close in most ways. This was their second major single and actually, my least favorite. I'm not sure why, I think it's because I didn't like the topic they were singing about, or the way the song was. It's strange becaues Vanishe ranked so high and Liberate didn't even though they're close in style (IMO).
Suicidal Dance: Composer Ken, lyrics by Ikuma. Holy crap I love this song. I think it's because it has a somewhat similar feel to a lot of my favorite songs. If you meshed Code B, Sensen Fukoku, Blackout, and Bluff into one song, this was the result. Effing amazing right? You might have a different opinion, but I adore this song. It's in my top three if you were wondering lol. There's quite a bit of English in this song, even if it doesn't seem like it. Ikuma doens't like speaking English (cause he's not good at speaking, but reading/writing is great), let alone singing in English, so I was surprised that he had so much in this song. It's a fun song to dance to by the way. And when the released the furisuke to it in their most recent ANDTV show, it's even more fun now. You know how I am with my furisuke haha.
end of the world: Composer Ken, lyrics by Ikuma. This is one of those songs that just opened a whole new door for AND. I can't place any song that would be even close to this song. It's that diverse. It's not one of my favorites, but I really like it. The opening reminds me of Marylin Manson's Beautiful People, but that's about it. After that, it's all AND and their vision for this song. Kaji's just wailing on those drums during this song. Out of everything in this song, the drums are what hit me the hardest. I always find myself focusing on them more than the acutal lyrics haha.
Feather: Composer Ken, lyrics by Ikuma. This is one of those songs that I just have a really hard time explaining. I can't find the right song to compare it to, even though it has that kind of feel. It sounds like ballad, but not hard ballad, however it's not considered an actual ballad. So I'm not really sure what to categorize it as haha. It is a great song, and if I had to compare it to a song...I'd have to say a mix of Voices and another face. But that's just me. And sometimes I'm known to be crazy lol.
Lycoris: Composer Kaji, lyrics by Ikuma. Last song in the tracklisting! And in my opinon, this was a great song to end on. A lot of people have said that it has like a...country-ish feel to it and I actually have to agree. That or it sounds like generic pop music, but they put their own personal AND twist on it. I really like it, but it's not a favorite of mine. When I first heard it, I was like "da fuck is this?" Then after listening to it a few more times, I really began to appricate it, even though it sounds like my most hated musical genre.Sadly, there was no audio for this song, so you'll have to find it on your own, so I wish you luck lol.
Well there you have it, my impressions! And holy cow it was terrible. I'm sorry if it wasn't as good as you thought it was going to be, but yeah...that's the best I can do right now with how much time I have on my hands. I'm juggling a lot of classes, assistant in a Japanese class, holding positions in a few clubs and gah, so much to do. I've also started translating blogs, nau posts, and tweets for both Kaji and PECO, so that's been taking up time too. But I shall press on~ Hope you all enjoyed :3