Japanese, Reviews

New-ish Aqua Timez Single: Ehagaki no Haru (Review)

November 26, 2010 | | 1 Comment Share thison Facebook New-ish Aqua Timez Single: Ehagaki no Haru (Review)on Twitter

Last time I checked in with the band Aqua Timez, it was when they were singing about Velonica for Bleach. This time around, we’re looking at a single and two B-Sides that have no associated anime. It’s just straight up J-rock for the sake of J-rockin’ out.

Are you into rockin’ out? Do you mind that your rockin’ out session will feature beautiful, melodious male vocals? If your answers to those questions are “yes” and “no,” respectively, continue on after the jump. You may just be intrigued.

track / Romaji title / (English translation)

01 Ehagaki no Haru (Spring Postcard)
02 Ryuusei no Uta (Song of the Meteor)
03 Sora Ni Chikai Machi (Town Close to the Sky)
04 Ehagaki no Haru -Instrumental-

I love the cover art for this single. You can actually see the outer edges of that “Spring Postcard.” Ever received a postcard with a beautiful, inspirational photo from a loved one? The feeling you get, though you may look back on it and say “that was sappy in the worst of ways,” is important to you in that moment. That original feeling is that is conveyed in the song: as an inspirational, moderate-tempo J-rock ballad, it succeeds.

The first b-side, “Ryuusei no Uta,” is my favorite on the disc. It’s my favorite song I’ve yet heard from the band, in fact. Relatively short (just barely 3 minutes), this song builds in intensity with each repetition of a verse, or a chorus, or any other defined melodic line. By the end, the drums and guitar are going double time. It’s totally nuts, but the pacing is perfect. Noting the title’s meaning, “Song of the Meteor,” you can imagine this song being the soundtrack for a short film documenting a meteor’s flight through space and eventual destination: crashing into a planet, destroying both itself and the mass around it.

Though “Town Close to the Sky” is my least favorite piece on the single, it still trumps “Velonica.” This is a slow rock jam where melody trumps all: not just in the vocals, but in lead guitar as well. Well-produced, and well-written.

I’m becoming more attracted to this particular band. The last single hadn’t really won me over, but I’ve found a lot to love on this little disc. Makes me want to learn more about the band. Check out the single, published by Epic Records (catalog number ESCL-3361).

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