:+: No Music No Life :+:

Monday, April 27, 2009

CD Review :: KAT-TUN - Break the Records -by you & for you-

CD Only Regular Edition :

CD Only Limited Edition :

Tracklist :

1) DON'T U EVER STOP
2) SADISTIC LOVE
3) RESCUE
4) WATER DANCE
5) ONE DROP
6) WHITE WORLD (Nakamaru Yuichi's Solo)
7) care (Akanishi Jin's Solo)
8) 1582 (Kamenashi Kazuya's Solo)
9) PIERROT (Tanaka Koki's Solo)
10) Hana no Mau Machi [The Town Of Dancing Flowers] (Ueda Tatsuya's Solo)
11) WIND (Taguchi Junnosuke's Solo)
12) Kimi Michi (Your Road)
13) Shunkashuutou (The Four Seasons : Spring , Summer , Autumn & Winter)
14) White X'mas (Album Version)
15) NEIRO
16) MOON (Regular Edition Track)

Break the Records -by you & for you- is KAT-TUN's 4th studio offering . This's their 3rd original album & it's scheduled for release this coming Wed .

4 singles made the cut in the guys's brand new album & this comes almost 10 months since their last studio album KAT-TUN III -QUEEN OF PIRATES- .

The limited edition comes with a 36 page booklet while you have to make do with a 15 page booklet & a bonus track MOON for the regular edition .

This's the 2nd time their album feature solos material for each of the members , the 1st time such a thing happened was for their 2nd album offering cartoon KAT-TUN II you .

As such , I will review the solos separately from the singles & the group album efforts .

DON'T U EVER STOP is the band's 7th single & I think it's quite a fitting way to kick things off with it & here I was real worried on whether will their 'oldest' single in Break the Records -by you & for you-will make the cut as you're able to find the extended -LIMITED EDITION- video of the song pertaining to the DVD contents of KAT-TUN III -QUEEN OF PIRATES- so thank goodness it was left intact !

I have a soft spot for DON'T U EVER STOP because this was the 1st single that I heard of the guys in full & it's frankly interesting that they made use of glass breaking noises for the melody .

My only grouse about the song's that the guys should have included the -LIMITED EDITION- version of the song since after the 2nd chorus , there's an extended version of Nakamaru's beatboxing which was fantastic but other than that it's a good start for an opening tune .

SADISTIC LOVE is the 1st new album group offering & yes I still stand corrected in the fact that it should have been either an Ueda or a Tanaka solo haha .

Other than that , it really does sound like a cross dimension of 7 DAYS BATTLE & T∀BOO . I think it's great that Ueda was able to sing the lead in most parts of SADISTIC LOVE because I frankly don't think it's fair to just keep letting the 2 co lead vocalists Kamenashi & Akanishi to keep doing that all the time so it's nice for a change .

RESCUE is the group's most recent / 10th single prior to the release of their new album offering . This was used as the opening theme song for Nakamaru & NEWS's Masuda Takahisa's drama of the same name titled RESCUE - Tokubetsu Kodo Kyujotai .

To me this's their most experimental & heavily English influenced single that they have released to date . I frankly was shocked that the chorus were in perfect English & for them to able to execute this , it's pretty something & their dictation's clear which's great .

While their other singles have a more rock based influence , it doesn't qualify for RESCUE . Instead what you get's a mean mix of futuristic electro tune which's so insanely catchy , I dare you not to listen to RESCUE without humming along with it .

The fact that there's rapping done by Tanaka & beatboxing done by Nakamaru on RESCUE just step things up to a whole new level , music wise & both the song & the drama go in synch with each other extremely well . You can hear the sound of heartbeats & fire in the beginning of RESCUE .

Just like DON'T U EVER STOP , I felt that the guys should have included the video version of RESCUE as after the 2nd chorus rolled out , it has a really great extended instrumental mix that I simply adore but oh well sometimes you can't always get everything that you want so this will do .

WATER DANCE is KAT-TUN's 2nd group album track & I really loved the preview when I 1st heard it & for me to be able to finally hear the full version , it was worth the wait .

I love it that it's such a lushed chilled out piece of no. . I don't know if I can consider this as a ballad but I suppose so ? & it's nice to hear Nakamaru leading in most parts of WATER DANCE . I like that because I honestly think that he can sing really well .

I can't help but compare WATER DANCE with Splash ... (aside from association of the song titles) except in this case WATER DANCE's a lot more better in every single aspect as Splash ... frankly creeps me out to a certain extent .

ONE DROP is their 9th single which the song was used as the opening no. for co lead vocalist Kame's drama Kami no Shizuku .

Because of the fact that ONE DROP was used to promote a drama that placed heavy emphasis on wine , you're able to droplets of it in the introduction of the song .

I still think that this song sounded like an slightly upbeat version of their 4th single Yorokobi no Uta & it's quite on the mellow side which's quite rare as usually when you think of rock influenced music where it should have fast & thumping beats , it doesn't go for ONE DROP's case .

People might not like it as it probably sounds generic but I have no problems with ONE DROP . It's funny that I tend to overplay the song a bit more than RESCUE :O

I jump all the way to track #11 Kimi Michi (Your Road) since I mentioned before I will review the solos separately from the group's singles & album tracks's counterparts .

I still stand corrected in the fact that I find Kimi Michi probably to be the weakest album track in Break the Records -by you & for you-. In fact I had to take a lot more listens than before finally remembering how Kimi Michi sounds like .

I did had deja vu vibes of 「un-」when I 1st heard Kimi Michi as I can't help but realise how both tunes had the same opening bridge .

But after that's out of the way , I think Kimi Michi's a decent group offering . It does sound like RUSH OF LIGHT to a certain extent too . Just that I will not consider Kimi Michi as my fave album track in this context .

Shunkashuutou (The Four Seasons : Spring , Summer , Autumn & Winter) is probably their less rock inspired tune in here & it's a bit more on the poppy side but not full blown guitar pop like their 2nd single SIGNAL .

For me I find Shunkashuutou real cute on 1st listen as it sounded like a cross dimension between YOU & I LIKE IT . It's pretty much those kinda songs that will put you in a really good mood & tend to get you humming along to the melody & beats as you listen to Shunkashuutou .

White X'mas is the final / 8th single that made the cut & in this case , you have an album version & it's the guys's 1st Christmas holiday inspired ballad & it's their 2nd ballad released as a single after their 3rd one Bokura no Machi de except in this case , it's their 1st commerical ballad to feature co lead vocalist Akanishi on vocals .

Honestly , I really thought that the guys was going to re-record or maybe even re-arranged the song after I saw the words (Album Version) on the album tracklist but it turns out it's exactly the same thing as what you will hear in the single version of White X'mas .

The only difference's after the guys delivered the 2nd chorus of the song , there's an apperance of Tanaka's rapping . As such I was a bit disappointed cos here I was assuming that it might be something different overall but there were only minor adjustments involved .

But other than that , I still love White X'mas . The melody is just beautiful to boost & the tune that accompanied Tanaka's rapping is ain't 1/2 bad either & I hope this will not be the last ballad that the guys will release as a single .

NEIRO's the 2nd last / last song (depending whether you get the limited or regular edition) & this's a very nice ballad .

I love the way that the guys's vocals were able to harmonise really well together . Even though the melody's nothing fantastic to shout about , they more than make up for the lack of it with the harmonisation of their voices .

MOON's only found in the regular edition of the album & this's still 1 of my fave album tracks simply because I never expected that KAT-TUN's able to do an fusion mix of Enka meets hard rock no. .

I was frankly shocked when I 1st heard MOON because the opening of the song caught me by surprise & I was thinking would it be the 1st full Enka tune that they have done ? but HELL NO .

After the 1st 20 secs of MOON is out of the way , the song made a 360 degree U-turn & in comes an angsty mean mix of hard rock which brings you in mind of their previous hard rock tunes such as HELL , NO , Ai no Command & LIPS .

I still think that it's something that Evanescence might have delivered except in this case , KAT-TUN has no problems executing this & I think it's fantastic to close the album with such a big bang , literally .

Ok I have finished reviewing the singles & the new group album offerings , it's time for me to talk about the solos , 1 by 1 .

1) WHITE WORLD (Nakamaru Yuichi's Solo) - this's an amazing ballad that Nakamaru delivered . After key of life & SMACK , I really thought that he might sing another uptempo tune but turns out in this case , it's a ballad which's a nice change .

Initally I was a bit disappointed that he didn't had a hand in writing WHITE WORLD cos I was really looking forward to another solo that he might write but not anymore .

This somewhat Christmas inspired tune is sad & somewhat nostaglic , you definitely can tell it from the melody & the lyrics & I wouldn't be surprised if you can call it a distinct cousin of White X'mas .

Nakamaru has once again proven to me on why I really love his solos a great deal & this time round , it's no exception in the form of WHITE WORLD .

Lyrics , music & arrangement : Katsuhiko Sugiyama

2) care (Akanishi Jin's Solo) - the only 'old' song to make the cut in Break the Records -by you & for you-, it's the 2nd co lead vocalist Akanishi's solo which's titled care .

A fan favourite , care was performed by Akanishi pretty much a lot of times before the group's official music 3 years ago .

Frankly I was surprised when I 1st heard care & I treated the song as a totally new no. on my end since I only just got onboard their music last April / May .

It's a very simple & sweet guitar pop/rock no. which's a sharp contrast to the otherwise Americanised & dirty gritting sounding LOVEJUICE & I like this type of music , there's no way you will not like it at all .

The only grouse for care's that I find it a bit too short . He should have extended it by a few secs or so . But other than that , he definitely should sing more of such tunes in future as I think it fits his voice well & kudos to him for having a hand in cowriting it .

Lyrics ：Akanishi Jin / Kazunari Ohno　
Music & Arrangement ：Noriyoshi Matsushita

3) 1582 (Kamenashi Kazuya's Solo)

The only song be it group album offering or solo to have no.s as a song title , it's the 1st co lead vocalist Kame's no. , 1582 .

I honestly wasn't expecting much at all before I heard 1582 . However all that changed when I found out that the person who wrote it was the very same person who wrote for Kame's w/o notice ?? as I was real worried on whether will 1582 sound like a w/o notice ?? part 2 .

As much as I find w/o notice ?? cute & amusing , I really wanted him to release another serious tune but thankfully , after I finally got the chance to listen to 1582 , I throw every assumption I made outta the window .

He's probably the last person that I expect to try out a mean mix of experimental futuristic fusion blend of electro meets trance/rock tune with a violin thrown in for good measure & as a result , you get a really great catchy somewhat angsty tune which I absolutely adore .

The only turn off about 1582's after he sang the 1st chorus of the song is some weird panting/sucking sounds which really freaked me out but other than that , 1582's fantastic & it's such a great listen . It's hard for you NOT to get hooked onto it as each listen goes by .

It frankly still doesn't match up to the brilliance that's of Kizuna but 1582's more or less on par , alongside with someday for somebody which's great & Kame more or less has proven to me on (again) why he deserved to serve as co-lead vocalist in the group alongside with Akanishi .

Lyrics : n
Music ：M.Y　
Arrangement : Yuichi Hamatsu

4) PIERROT (Tanaka Koki's Solo)

This's honestly my least fave solo on Break the Records -by you & for you- because there's just something about Tanaka's solos that I either like or dislike .

I was actually laughing when I finally had the chance to listen to PIERROT & the fact that my younger sister said that it sounded like a Pokemon or a Beyblade tune's not helping matters either -_- .

But in due respect , I definitely prefer this charged up explosive hard rock tune as compared to PARASITE which still freaks me out cos of the lyrical content & it's commendable on Tanaka's part in writing & co-composing PIERROT .

I don't think he has sang a solo ballad before . I think he should do that in the future because I think he has a good voice to carry out a ballad on his own .

Lyrics : JOKER
Music : Atsushi / JOKER
Arrangement : Atsushi

5) Hana no Mau Machi [The Town Of Dancing Flowers] (Ueda Tatsuya's Solo)

Ahh such a nice mid tempo piano influenced no. delivered by Ueda .

According to a broadcast of radio show R-ONE KAT-TUN that's hosted by him & Nakamaru , Ueda said he wrote & composed his new solo during the period of his 1st stageplay Romeo & Juliet .

Hence , the content of the song fits the world of his debut stageplay .

Ueda's solos are something that I always look forward to because I consider him as the most musicially gifted in KAT-TUN .

After last year's superb Ai no Hana , it's nice that he delivered another Romeo & Juliet inspired no. in the form of Hana no Mau Machi . Mood wise , it's more cheerier & carefree as compared to the latter which's awesome .

I'm still hoping for the day that he can put Love in snow on a CD as that's a song that's long overdue to be given the CD studio treatment .

Lyrics & Music : Ueda Tatsuya　
Arrangement ：kao

6) WIND (Taguchi Junnosuke's Solo)

The very 1st solo that Taguchi had a hand in writing & co-composing , is titled WIND .

I wasn't really expecting that much for Taguchi's case since this's the 1st time that he did everything hands on except for arrangement so I went with an open mind for his .

I like the opening which's a nice piano introduction & after that's out of the way , WIND became a very chilled out lounge inspired tune & this's probably something that Ken Hirai might do .

Not that it's a bad thing but I can sense that Taguchi had a fun time singing WIND & considering that it's his 1st solo composition , it's commendable .

Then again his previous solos efforts like Natsu no Basho & SAMURAI☆LOVE☆ATTACK are also equally worth listening out to .

Lyrics : Taguchi Junnosuke　
Music : Taguchi Junnosuke / Gin Kitagawa
Arrangement : Gin Kitagawa

===

Wow what can I say ? after last year's superb album offering KAT-TUN III -QUEEN OF PIRATES- , I really thought that KAT-TUN wasn't able to live up to music exceptations with Break the Records -by you & for you-but they have proven me wrong once again with this solid new offering of theirs .

Compared to KAT-TUN III -QUEEN OF PIRATES- , you definitely can tell that their new album's more experimental in that they dabbed in music genres that they have never done before as compared to their previous studio offering .

Music genres like electro , trance & even enka were dotted across the songs in Break the Records -by you & for you-. Combined that with their signature rock sound , it takes you on an extremely wonderful music joy ride from the start to the end .

All the solos are very well defined in their own respective right which shows to me that they know what their vocals strengths & weaknesses are & how they work them for / against their advantage .

Unlike cartoon KAT-TUN II you where the major drawbacks that the album suffered were inconsistency & shaky music direction route/grounds , you don't find them in the guys's latest album .

It's a good thing in a way that I decided to keep exceptations for Break the Records -by you & for you-as low as possible before its commencement release date this Wed because I know for a fact that KAT-TUN -QUEEN OF PIRATES- was so amazing that it probably be hard to top things or even sound more superior than the other .

But I'm really glad to say that Break the Records -by you & for you-has really exceeded my music exceptations & this has immediately gone straight to the top of my fave album of the 1 1/2 of 2009 , Johnny's wise .

It's great to see that as each album goes by , KAT-TUN's able to try out different music genres & also in the process experiment as time goes by , be it whether the final ending product's bad or good & also the overall production for Break the Records -by you & for you-is more sleeked & polished .

Do yourself a favor & buy a copy or 2 of Break the Records -by you & for you-, you'll be glad that you did so . You wouldn't regret listening to this latest album offering of 1 of Japan's most talented Johnny's boybands .

If experimentation & rock meets other music genres songs are your thing , then Break the Records -by you & for you- will be the album for you to listen to .