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ALBUM: GREEN [B'Z]
I had a rather hard time reviewing this album because all of the tracks on here are absolutely great. This could probably be labelled "the ultimate summer album," as all of the tracks are obviously geared towards that happy, carefree, feeling of summer sun, the beach, loud music and cool drinks and cute girls. =P But here goes...
[1] STAY GREEN
The faint chorus of "Stay Green...owaranai green" kicks off this song like the preliminary echo of "testing...testing..." on a microphone at a picnic or fairground. After repeating a few times and pausing for a moment, the song kicks off the party with a great rocking beat and tons of guitar. Makes me want to jump on stage with the band and start jamming.
[2] ATSUKI KODOU NO HATE
Already reviewed this song, so look down in the archives if you want a more detailed thingy. ^_^
[3] WARP
From the title, I was expecting something fast and driving, but this actually starts out kind of mellow. Once Koshi comes in, the beat gets harder but the mellow feeling remains. The whole song reminds of the feeling you get after a friendly game of beach volleyball or frisbee, when your lungs are pumping and you feel incredibly alive.
[4] SIGNAL
A lot of electronic effects in this song, which is even mellower than the previous song Warp. The beat is bouncy and a lot more relaxed than in the songs before it and actually reminds me a lot of Yamaguchi Yuko's Walking in the Sunshine (from GTO). You get that image in your head, too, of talking a long walk in the sunshine.
[5] SURFIN' 3000 GTR
Oh boy, the surfing song. Every summer album needs one, and I suppose this works well as a surfing song, though it reminds me more of a sports-car/convertible driving song, with the heavy power chords and distortion effects and the rough sound of Koshi's voice combined with the almost discordant melody. Other than that, there's nothing that really sticks out at me about this song, though I really love the wailing guitar at the end.
[6] BLUE SUNSHINE
This may very well be my favorite song on the album. If anyone has seen the Japanese drama Beach Boys, this is the song that reminds me most of the "feeling" you get watching that. It's a little retro in sound, but that only adds to its appeal. There is some nice acoustic guitar in the verse, combined with a strong but laid-back beat, and the chorus is wonderful. "Yasashii kaze ga fuite / aa, anata no kami ga yureteru..." This is one of those songs that paints a true picture in your head of blue skies and water and white clouds and bright sun on the beach.
[7] ULTRA SOUL
Ultra Soul! Err...it's Ultra Soul. Umm...the PV says it all....
[8] UTSUKUSHIKI SEKAI
Some beautiful piano opens this, followed by a poppy, jazzy rhythm that sounds kind of like the one in Signal. This is another one of those lazy summer songs that perfectly separates the intense Ultra Soul from the grandiose Everlasting. Koshi's vocals flow right along with the accompaniment here, like a bubbling stream. This is more of an acoustic-type song, with the piano and the acoustic guitar, and the chorus is just gorgeous.
[9] EVERLASTING
Opening with an epic-sounding fanfare of guitars and synthesizer, it reminds me of an Aikawa Nanase song. The verse cuts to just Koshi and piano, but you can already tell it's going to be a great ballad-type piece, and it doesn't disappoint. "Kimi ni deatta...sono toki kara...itsumademo..." This is probably the most romantic song on the album, providing a perfect balance between the "beach" type songs and the hard, driving electric songs such as Ultra Soul or Surfin' 3000GTR.
[10] FOREVER MINE
For some reason, the beginning of this reminds me of L'Arc~en~Ciel's Trick. Don't ask me why. They don't even sound the same. The beat is (again) the same as Calling (yes I like that song!) I really don't find anything about this song very memorable, other than maybe the disco-like 80's dance beat of the chorus...anyway, moving on.
[11] THE SPIRAL
Another acoustic/piano introduction starts out this song. The verse, with Koshi's rather monotone vocals, doesn't agree with my ears, but when it morphs into a grandiose chorus with a great harmonization, that all makes up for it. Koshi's vocals are especially great here especially in the "chorus bridge" part at around 2 minutes.
[12] GO FIGHT WIN
The last song on the CD is, as expected, a rowdy, punchy, fiesty number that brings out what I really love about this band. Imagine a stadium full of screaming fans at a sports event, any sports event, then insert B'z. Say...the World Cup. ^_~ Consisting of brassy power chords in the guitars and a whole chorus of people yelling "Go! Fight! Win!" this is the ultimate ending to what is already a great album.
Album information:
GREEN
Released: 2002.07.03
BMCV-8005 [3059 Yen]
Vermillion Records
- Gerald -
- Comment -
It's 12:20 a.m., and Kaoru's still playing air guitar.
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