[Album Review] Arashi - Love
The time of year has come around again to review Arashi’s new studio album! This year the theme is ‘LOVE’. While I’m not good at analyzing lyrics, I’m okay with love songs so yeah? Everything’s cool!
A week before the album was due some song leaks can be found floating on the vast ocean of the Internet, apart from the little teaser bits of P.A.R.A.D.O.X. PV. Of course I watched the PV and thought it was very K-Pop-ish, but it’s not a bad song. As for the leaks, I graciously refrained until I can get my hands on the album.
Was it worth the wait? Let’s check it out.
01. Ai wo Utaou (4:07)
The opening track to the album, Ai wo Utaou begins with a soaring orchestra intro that makes you think of cliffs and open skies. It’s a song on a very grand scale. As I listened I was transported to quiet landscapes, and then to crashing waves, a battlefield, then to a calming landscape that fades into a sense of completion and peace. My Japanese is only so-so at best, so it’s safe to say the feelings I experienced was purely from the composition.
While the melody itself is strong, it became a drawback when we put the vocals in. Ohno and Ninomiya’s voices had the quiet conviction and vibrato, though not the sonorous quality - enough to fit the parts they had to sing. Aiba’s voice was drowned out. Sakurai’s singing voice was jarring on the first listen… but then again I always maintain that Sakurai’s voice takes some getting used to. Matsumoto mercifully was not given a solo part. As much as I adore the man his nasally voice can really kill a song.
Pro: Excellent composition
Con: Might have actually been better as a final song? I keep thinking this as a final song in their concert.
02. SAYONARA no ato de (4:03)
Following Ai wo Utaou, SAYONARA no ato de is a relatively quiet number though quite fast-paced. And as I listened I got this weird feeling… like I’m not listening to Arashi. Indeed once I got to the chorus I realized why - the song seemed like a Utada Hikaru song. Specifically, ‘Colors’ . I had this weird vision of them singing this as a duet with Hikki . Don’t ask me why, the vision just happened.
As a whole the song gets your attention from the first echo phrase and takes you comfortably through. Nothing particularly stands out here - it’s a pretty solid album song. Though the potential to be a single is there. It’s almost Love So Sweet should a HanaDan 3 come out.
Pro: Nice, sweet, comfy
Con: Too common.
03. CONFUSION (3:20)
Hang on hang on hang on. Did I listen to the wrong album? Oh no, it’s still Arashi but what’s with this song?
In Popcorn I was knocked off my feet by ‘Tabi wa Tsuzuku Yo’ - the chirpy, piano-bar honky tonk-ish number that was as out of place as a Picasso in a rose garden. CONFUSION is aptly named - I was thoroughly confused by the end of the first minute. The song is… well to describe it simply - Orange Range. I actually had to check the booklet to see if Orange Range composed it.
It’s fun, fresh, summer-y song that easily stands a few replays on a loop. Lots of ‘woooh’s and ‘yeahs’ that will make it a hit at karaoke gatherings. My only gripe is the repeated ‘I’m a love fool’ which, to my ears, sound suspiciously like ‘love foo’. Though by the fifth listen you’d probably disregard it and just enjoy the fun. You’d think after over 10 years of listening to Japanese English I’d be desensitized.
Pro: I love Orange Range. This song rocks my boat.
Con: The pronounciation.
04. Hit the floor (4:53)
We come to the first solo song in the album - Ohno’s. From the very beginning you already get the 80’s vibe here especially with the choice of synthesizers. This song was leaked before the album was released and I had heard things like ‘heavily autotuned’. Well sure, that’s almost a certainty, isn’t it? But is it bad?
Like ‘two’, this song is on the high side but nothing his vocal range can’t reach. Given the almost George Michael feel of the song, it’s quite fitting. Unlike the beseeching notes of ‘two’, ‘Hit the floor’ is a confident dancer, seducing his reluctant partner to take his hand. While I wish for a serenade, ‘Shizuka na Yoru ni’ song, this is quite nice too. And I just want to laugh every time he sings ‘let’s go to another world’.
Pro: Ohno’s vocal range is displayed well.
Con: If you’re picky about it, the liberal use of autotune. Also it’s high. Be careful when attempting to sing this.
05. P.A.R.A.D.O.X. (3:20)
Let me say this first off - typing the song title annoys me. This track is the promotion single for the album and it’s a good song for a single. The melody layering is a bit heavy - I would have liked an instrumental version to appreciate it properly but alas.
P.A.R.A.D.O.X. opens with Ohno’s grand entrance and Aiba setting the tone. MatsuJun’s voice suits the song well - conversely Aiba and Sakurai feels out of place. But the balance of high and low notes works well here - Aiba and Sakurai chant ‘P.A.R.A.D.O.X’ while Ohno and Ninomiya catches the rebound phrase. Surprisingly while watching the PV online I noticed there was an awkward transition between the hook and Ninomiya’s ‘Baby’ screech, yet the transition glitch was not present in the DVD nor the actual song. An encoding glitch perhaps?
All in all I look forward to this song being performed live.
Pro: Good, catchy
Con: Very heavy melody arrangement
06. sugar and salt (4:31)
The second solo track in the album, this one belongs to Sakurai. After the high that is P.A.R.A.D.O.X., sugar and salt is quiet and slow. Abruptly so. Listening to it I felt a little empty. I advise skipping this track after P.A.R.A.D.O.X. and listen to track 07 first before this or you might feel like your soul is missing.
It’s a jazzy number, suitable to Sakurai’s singling style and rapping. Unlike his previous solo, Fly on Friday, sugar and salt is not danceable. It’s Sakurap through and through, which may be good or bad. For me it’s neither.
Pro: Displays Sakurai’s rapping very nicely
Con: Nothing… except I’m disappointed that I’m not capable of singing it.
07. Breathless (4:59)
2013’s first single and tie-in to Ninomiya’s movie ‘Platina Data’, Breathless is gorgeous. It is dark, dangerous and yet sad at the same time. As you listen to the song you get the impression that this song is looking for a way out - an escape if you like. The PV is stylish without being overtly trying, the dance moves are fluid and graceful.
The song composition itself is beautiful. Each instrument can be heard clearly over the simple thumping beat and lends itself well to piano arrangements (search Youtube and you’ll find quite a few). Everyone’s voices also lend well to the song, giving it a magnificent, soaring quality.
Pro: Gorgeous
Con: At 5 minutes of awesome there isn’t any.
08. 20825 Nichi Me no Kioku (4:18)
The third solo piece in the album, this hard-to-pronounce track belongs to Ninomiya. It’s a Tabi wa Tsuzuku Yo style, though if you listen closely the instruments used give the song a French feel.
The song opens like a bar song from the 40s. Ninomiya takes us on a jaunt all the way to the chorus, where the melody swells into a full lungful of strains and then down back again.
Pro: A fun, lovely tune.
Con: Ninomiya’s voice seems to be stretched to reach the full bar in each line. Even if he ended each line shorter, it wouldn’t disrupt the song. Might actually make it more fun to sings
09. Rock Tonight (4:17)
A rock number? Hoyeah! But wait, here it is again!
ORANGE RANGE
Or is it?
After the intro the song lapses into a distinct anime feel. Seriously, this is a song to some bright shounen anime. How cool would that be though?
Back to the Orange Range allusion, the intro and ‘La la la’ is right up the Okinawa band’s alley. Specifically, ‘Champion’. But the first verse is pure anime… the part where the anime title / logo is introduced… I can totally see it. Then the heroes are introduced standing in a field, staring up at the sky… or running… By the hook you have the heroes doing their thing, maybe some melancholy scenes, then a slight pause before the chorus and it’s a full out action scene, with some cut-ins of the villains.
Try it. Watch an old Naruto intro on mute while listening to this song. I’ll bet someone on NicoNico already mashed this song with Bleach or something.
Pro: Catchy, fun, clappable
Con: None, unless you count being anime-ish as a con.
10. Endless Game (3:58)
The third single of 2013, Endless Game is the theme song to Sakurai’s drama ‘Kazoku Game’. It’s slightly sinister, slightly unbalanced, slightly crazy. You can feel it as you listen that this song is really alluding to the main character in the drama.
Unlike Breathless the composition for Endless Game moves from thumping to bouts of sanity, then insanity kicks in and the violins do a number on your brain. A refrain of drums that initially feels out of place reinforces the ‘disjointed’ feeling of the song.
Pro: Catchy, Memorable
Con: Might drive you crazy!
11. Calling (4:00)
The second single of 2013, Calling is the theme song to Aiba’s drama ‘Last Hope’. A rock song that sounds regretful. While the composition is typically rock-ish, again it has an anime-feel to it, but this time more suited to action animes like Attack on Titan. Or maybe Bleach in its current incarnation.
The opening is misty, swelling into a mirror-shattering intro. The verses are quiet (the reminiscing) and then goes into a ‘realization’ tone in the hook. The chorus is the conviction and the conclusion, and then the cycle repeats.
Pro: A hard, edgy song that can be a little unsettling
Con: Being a song focused on Aiba, it might be a strange choice as Aiba's voice and rock is a strange combination.
12. Yozora E No Tegami (4:48)
The final solo in this album belongs to Aiba. This is a slow slong infused with uplifting vibes. Something I’d love to listen to at the end of a workday. Right of you’d notice Aiba’s voice complements the song, though in the chorus his voice struggles to be heard. I’ll say this - Aiba’s voice and a full string ensemble do NOT mix. Though I love the bittersweet melody, every time I reach the chorus I think “why why why oh WHY?”
Pro: Beautiful, heartbreaking
Con: Aiba’s voice, like Sakurai’s, have the same danger of being drowned by a melody. In this case it’s 50-50.
13. Dance In The Dark (3:49)
The thirteenth track in the album is Matsumoto’s solo piece, a piece featuring a bar piano and jazzy notes. It’s quite low, which is something he doesn’t do often. It also comes off as somewhat wooden during the verses until it reaches the chorus, at which he goes into high gear. Regardless it’s a better song than We Wanna Funk. At least I don’t mind listening to it.
The piece is quite fast, catchy, but like Tabi wa Tsuzuku Yo there are some dissonant parts that do not seem to go well together. But I suppose that’s art for you.
Pro: Comfortable to listen to
Con: The change is rhythm between the verses and chorus feels jerky
14. Starlight kiss (4:00)
Another danceable number - I’m so using this song in my next aerobics class. In terms of memorablity though, this is an album song through and through - I probably would have trouble recalling this song with just the title.
Having gone this far I have to make this observation - this song takes you back to the 70’s/80’s… but then again a lot of the songs in this album does that. Is that why the album art is in black and white?
Pro: Fun, danceable
Cons: I’d forget this after the next track plays.
15. FUNKY (4:02)
Saturday Night Fever, anyone? The retro allusion continues. This song and Starlight Kiss have the same vibe… actually I can’t tell them apart.
Pro: See above
Cons: See above
16. Tears (4:35)
The final track in the album. If listening to this is a journey then we set off at dawn on the cliffs by the sea, hiked some hills, stumbled over some roots, enjoyed some games, laughed, and now we sit on a hillside overlooking the moonlit valley with the setting sun in front of us.
Tears is a quiet, dusky song that evokes fond memories. It’s the kind of song you’d want to sing in a duet, holding hands as you smile wistfully. If you are familiar with Koda Kumi’s ballads, then this is not far off. I could imagine her singing it actually. What, first Utada Hikaru and now Koda Kumi? Really? That’d be a dream come true.
Pro: Beautiful, could actually cry.
Cons: Why end the album with this? Ai wo Utaou would have been a nicer goodbye.
And thus we have reached the end of the album. To sum it up, it’s a pretty good album with some sparkling tracks, however I can’t help observing that the truly unique and memorable songs were all arranged in the first half. Listening to this, I can’t help but compare it to Maroon 5 - Arashi appears to have reached a plateau and can no longer grow unless they take a new direction. Whether the new direction will bring them success remains to be seen.
A week before the album was due some song leaks can be found floating on the vast ocean of the Internet, apart from the little teaser bits of P.A.R.A.D.O.X. PV. Of course I watched the PV and thought it was very K-Pop-ish, but it’s not a bad song. As for the leaks, I graciously refrained until I can get my hands on the album.
Was it worth the wait? Let’s check it out.
01. Ai wo Utaou (4:07)
The opening track to the album, Ai wo Utaou begins with a soaring orchestra intro that makes you think of cliffs and open skies. It’s a song on a very grand scale. As I listened I was transported to quiet landscapes, and then to crashing waves, a battlefield, then to a calming landscape that fades into a sense of completion and peace. My Japanese is only so-so at best, so it’s safe to say the feelings I experienced was purely from the composition.
While the melody itself is strong, it became a drawback when we put the vocals in. Ohno and Ninomiya’s voices had the quiet conviction and vibrato, though not the sonorous quality - enough to fit the parts they had to sing. Aiba’s voice was drowned out. Sakurai’s singing voice was jarring on the first listen… but then again I always maintain that Sakurai’s voice takes some getting used to. Matsumoto mercifully was not given a solo part. As much as I adore the man his nasally voice can really kill a song.
Pro: Excellent composition
Con: Might have actually been better as a final song? I keep thinking this as a final song in their concert.
02. SAYONARA no ato de (4:03)
Following Ai wo Utaou, SAYONARA no ato de is a relatively quiet number though quite fast-paced. And as I listened I got this weird feeling… like I’m not listening to Arashi. Indeed once I got to the chorus I realized why - the song seemed like a Utada Hikaru song. Specifically, ‘Colors’ . I had this weird vision of them singing this as a duet with Hikki . Don’t ask me why, the vision just happened.
As a whole the song gets your attention from the first echo phrase and takes you comfortably through. Nothing particularly stands out here - it’s a pretty solid album song. Though the potential to be a single is there. It’s almost Love So Sweet should a HanaDan 3 come out.
Pro: Nice, sweet, comfy
Con: Too common.
03. CONFUSION (3:20)
Hang on hang on hang on. Did I listen to the wrong album? Oh no, it’s still Arashi but what’s with this song?
In Popcorn I was knocked off my feet by ‘Tabi wa Tsuzuku Yo’ - the chirpy, piano-bar honky tonk-ish number that was as out of place as a Picasso in a rose garden. CONFUSION is aptly named - I was thoroughly confused by the end of the first minute. The song is… well to describe it simply - Orange Range. I actually had to check the booklet to see if Orange Range composed it.
It’s fun, fresh, summer-y song that easily stands a few replays on a loop. Lots of ‘woooh’s and ‘yeahs’ that will make it a hit at karaoke gatherings. My only gripe is the repeated ‘I’m a love fool’ which, to my ears, sound suspiciously like ‘love foo’. Though by the fifth listen you’d probably disregard it and just enjoy the fun. You’d think after over 10 years of listening to Japanese English I’d be desensitized.
Pro: I love Orange Range. This song rocks my boat.
Con: The pronounciation.
04. Hit the floor (4:53)
We come to the first solo song in the album - Ohno’s. From the very beginning you already get the 80’s vibe here especially with the choice of synthesizers. This song was leaked before the album was released and I had heard things like ‘heavily autotuned’. Well sure, that’s almost a certainty, isn’t it? But is it bad?
Like ‘two’, this song is on the high side but nothing his vocal range can’t reach. Given the almost George Michael feel of the song, it’s quite fitting. Unlike the beseeching notes of ‘two’, ‘Hit the floor’ is a confident dancer, seducing his reluctant partner to take his hand. While I wish for a serenade, ‘Shizuka na Yoru ni’ song, this is quite nice too. And I just want to laugh every time he sings ‘let’s go to another world’.
Pro: Ohno’s vocal range is displayed well.
Con: If you’re picky about it, the liberal use of autotune. Also it’s high. Be careful when attempting to sing this.
05. P.A.R.A.D.O.X. (3:20)
Let me say this first off - typing the song title annoys me. This track is the promotion single for the album and it’s a good song for a single. The melody layering is a bit heavy - I would have liked an instrumental version to appreciate it properly but alas.
P.A.R.A.D.O.X. opens with Ohno’s grand entrance and Aiba setting the tone. MatsuJun’s voice suits the song well - conversely Aiba and Sakurai feels out of place. But the balance of high and low notes works well here - Aiba and Sakurai chant ‘P.A.R.A.D.O.X’ while Ohno and Ninomiya catches the rebound phrase. Surprisingly while watching the PV online I noticed there was an awkward transition between the hook and Ninomiya’s ‘Baby’ screech, yet the transition glitch was not present in the DVD nor the actual song. An encoding glitch perhaps?
All in all I look forward to this song being performed live.
Pro: Good, catchy
Con: Very heavy melody arrangement
06. sugar and salt (4:31)
The second solo track in the album, this one belongs to Sakurai. After the high that is P.A.R.A.D.O.X., sugar and salt is quiet and slow. Abruptly so. Listening to it I felt a little empty. I advise skipping this track after P.A.R.A.D.O.X. and listen to track 07 first before this or you might feel like your soul is missing.
It’s a jazzy number, suitable to Sakurai’s singling style and rapping. Unlike his previous solo, Fly on Friday, sugar and salt is not danceable. It’s Sakurap through and through, which may be good or bad. For me it’s neither.
Pro: Displays Sakurai’s rapping very nicely
Con: Nothing… except I’m disappointed that I’m not capable of singing it.
07. Breathless (4:59)
2013’s first single and tie-in to Ninomiya’s movie ‘Platina Data’, Breathless is gorgeous. It is dark, dangerous and yet sad at the same time. As you listen to the song you get the impression that this song is looking for a way out - an escape if you like. The PV is stylish without being overtly trying, the dance moves are fluid and graceful.
The song composition itself is beautiful. Each instrument can be heard clearly over the simple thumping beat and lends itself well to piano arrangements (search Youtube and you’ll find quite a few). Everyone’s voices also lend well to the song, giving it a magnificent, soaring quality.
Pro: Gorgeous
Con: At 5 minutes of awesome there isn’t any.
08. 20825 Nichi Me no Kioku (4:18)
The third solo piece in the album, this hard-to-pronounce track belongs to Ninomiya. It’s a Tabi wa Tsuzuku Yo style, though if you listen closely the instruments used give the song a French feel.
The song opens like a bar song from the 40s. Ninomiya takes us on a jaunt all the way to the chorus, where the melody swells into a full lungful of strains and then down back again.
Pro: A fun, lovely tune.
Con: Ninomiya’s voice seems to be stretched to reach the full bar in each line. Even if he ended each line shorter, it wouldn’t disrupt the song. Might actually make it more fun to sings
09. Rock Tonight (4:17)
A rock number? Hoyeah! But wait, here it is again!
ORANGE RANGE
Or is it?
After the intro the song lapses into a distinct anime feel. Seriously, this is a song to some bright shounen anime. How cool would that be though?
Back to the Orange Range allusion, the intro and ‘La la la’ is right up the Okinawa band’s alley. Specifically, ‘Champion’. But the first verse is pure anime… the part where the anime title / logo is introduced… I can totally see it. Then the heroes are introduced standing in a field, staring up at the sky… or running… By the hook you have the heroes doing their thing, maybe some melancholy scenes, then a slight pause before the chorus and it’s a full out action scene, with some cut-ins of the villains.
Try it. Watch an old Naruto intro on mute while listening to this song. I’ll bet someone on NicoNico already mashed this song with Bleach or something.
Pro: Catchy, fun, clappable
Con: None, unless you count being anime-ish as a con.
10. Endless Game (3:58)
The third single of 2013, Endless Game is the theme song to Sakurai’s drama ‘Kazoku Game’. It’s slightly sinister, slightly unbalanced, slightly crazy. You can feel it as you listen that this song is really alluding to the main character in the drama.
Unlike Breathless the composition for Endless Game moves from thumping to bouts of sanity, then insanity kicks in and the violins do a number on your brain. A refrain of drums that initially feels out of place reinforces the ‘disjointed’ feeling of the song.
Pro: Catchy, Memorable
Con: Might drive you crazy!
11. Calling (4:00)
The second single of 2013, Calling is the theme song to Aiba’s drama ‘Last Hope’. A rock song that sounds regretful. While the composition is typically rock-ish, again it has an anime-feel to it, but this time more suited to action animes like Attack on Titan. Or maybe Bleach in its current incarnation.
The opening is misty, swelling into a mirror-shattering intro. The verses are quiet (the reminiscing) and then goes into a ‘realization’ tone in the hook. The chorus is the conviction and the conclusion, and then the cycle repeats.
Pro: A hard, edgy song that can be a little unsettling
Con: Being a song focused on Aiba, it might be a strange choice as Aiba's voice and rock is a strange combination.
12. Yozora E No Tegami (4:48)
The final solo in this album belongs to Aiba. This is a slow slong infused with uplifting vibes. Something I’d love to listen to at the end of a workday. Right of you’d notice Aiba’s voice complements the song, though in the chorus his voice struggles to be heard. I’ll say this - Aiba’s voice and a full string ensemble do NOT mix. Though I love the bittersweet melody, every time I reach the chorus I think “why why why oh WHY?”
Pro: Beautiful, heartbreaking
Con: Aiba’s voice, like Sakurai’s, have the same danger of being drowned by a melody. In this case it’s 50-50.
13. Dance In The Dark (3:49)
The thirteenth track in the album is Matsumoto’s solo piece, a piece featuring a bar piano and jazzy notes. It’s quite low, which is something he doesn’t do often. It also comes off as somewhat wooden during the verses until it reaches the chorus, at which he goes into high gear. Regardless it’s a better song than We Wanna Funk. At least I don’t mind listening to it.
The piece is quite fast, catchy, but like Tabi wa Tsuzuku Yo there are some dissonant parts that do not seem to go well together. But I suppose that’s art for you.
Pro: Comfortable to listen to
Con: The change is rhythm between the verses and chorus feels jerky
14. Starlight kiss (4:00)
Another danceable number - I’m so using this song in my next aerobics class. In terms of memorablity though, this is an album song through and through - I probably would have trouble recalling this song with just the title.
Having gone this far I have to make this observation - this song takes you back to the 70’s/80’s… but then again a lot of the songs in this album does that. Is that why the album art is in black and white?
Pro: Fun, danceable
Cons: I’d forget this after the next track plays.
15. FUNKY (4:02)
Saturday Night Fever, anyone? The retro allusion continues. This song and Starlight Kiss have the same vibe… actually I can’t tell them apart.
Pro: See above
Cons: See above
16. Tears (4:35)
The final track in the album. If listening to this is a journey then we set off at dawn on the cliffs by the sea, hiked some hills, stumbled over some roots, enjoyed some games, laughed, and now we sit on a hillside overlooking the moonlit valley with the setting sun in front of us.
Tears is a quiet, dusky song that evokes fond memories. It’s the kind of song you’d want to sing in a duet, holding hands as you smile wistfully. If you are familiar with Koda Kumi’s ballads, then this is not far off. I could imagine her singing it actually. What, first Utada Hikaru and now Koda Kumi? Really? That’d be a dream come true.
Pro: Beautiful, could actually cry.
Cons: Why end the album with this? Ai wo Utaou would have been a nicer goodbye.
And thus we have reached the end of the album. To sum it up, it’s a pretty good album with some sparkling tracks, however I can’t help observing that the truly unique and memorable songs were all arranged in the first half. Listening to this, I can’t help but compare it to Maroon 5 - Arashi appears to have reached a plateau and can no longer grow unless they take a new direction. Whether the new direction will bring them success remains to be seen.