Arashi - Calling/Breathless
Finally opened my Calling/Breathless CDs. I got a bit excited when they were announced and I liked the snippets of them that I saw at the time so I do have all three versions of the single. Time to listen to them all the way through, watch the music videos and make some honest commentary. So here we go, song by song, MV by MV. If Arashi isn't your thing, you might want to wait until next time I post. Warnings: These are my personal opinions so they may be differ from everyone else's, I'm not the best at describing music or what I like about it, and I can't photoshop very well at all. Enjoy!
[Calling/Breathless commentary (click to open)]
Artist: Arashi - Lyrics: s-Tnk, eltvo - Composition: Andreas Johansson, youwhich - Arrangement: Tomoki Ishizuka
Everyone likes music, artists, groups, and idols for different reasons. I like Arashi because they take my mind off the bad things in my day and make me smile. Many of their songs do the same thing for me when I'm walking to work or catching a bus or train somewhere. Music that makes my mind wander, puts me in deep thought, or cheers me up is good music for me. Sadly, only one song on Arashi's last album, Popcorn, really did this for me and that was Waiting For You.
Calling has arrived to fill the gap left behind by Popcorn. I love the main guitar chords that carry the song, the powerful chorus and the echo that precedes it. Apart from the whispered and harshly spoken bouts of English, the verses are growing on me too, but nowhere near as much as the chorus has. Calling sounds very much like a song that could be used in the opening of an action/thriller/spell-caster anime (at least one anime mix has already been made using this song). It actually reminds me of the opening to Miracle Train, Montage. Since I love anime opening songs, or songs that fill me with similar sounds and imagery, Calling is my new jam.
The music video for it is a slightly different story. While I like the neon lighting of the close-up shots, I feel that the music video for Calling detracts a lot from the song itself. The quick flashes between cuts and the fast-moving camerawork do feel somewhat new for an Arashi music video, and it's great to see extras finally return to interact with Arashi (even if it's only to symbolically torment them while they're seated in chairs), but this song is so much stronger without the music video. It's a song for making your imagination race and soar, but the music video grounds you a bit.
Artist: Arashi - Lyrics: HYDRANT - Composition: Takuya Harada, Christofer Erixon, Joakim Bjӧrnberg - Arrangement: Hirofumi Sasaki
This song is upbeat and has me instantly bouncing along to it. I'm not as attached to it as I am with Calling, but it's still a powerful song that really hits me and keeps me along for the ride. That said, the dance beat track backing this doesn't feel like it's matching the song completely, like the music and the dance beat were forced to work together rather than complimenting each other. I guess the high-pitched thump-thump-thump just gets on my nerves a little. The chorus and the backing vocal tracks are the highlight of this song.
That said, I do love the music video for it. The gray and purple coloring works well, the set is full of grungy detail and reminds me of an 80s sci fi movie, the close-up shots taken from a camera that keeps moving in quarter circle turns feel fresh and original, and the dance moves are really awesome to watch and are a good match with the song. I like the music video for Breathless more than the actual song.
Artist: Arashi - Lyrics: Soluna - Composition: Fredrik "Figge" Bostrӧm - Arrangement: Trevor Ingram
The first thing I thought of when I listened to Alright, was the old Pocky commercial where everyone dances to the tune of Ikimonogakari's "Joyful". After listening to it on repeat a few times this song has grown on me too, but it does feel a little dated, like it's an older Johnny's song. (I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing - depends on the listener.) Alright will never complete for my favourite happy Arashi song (the list of which Happiness tops), but it's still a fun little number that has me bouncing around with a smile. I imagine it would be a lot of fun in concert, but as a B-side track released between concert seasons, I doubt we'll ever hear it live even if Arashi decide to do another request concert like Arafest.
Artist: Arashi - Lyrics: Shun, R.P.P. - Composition: Dr.hardcastle, Iggy Strange-Dahl - Arrangement: Taku Yoshioka
Full of Love is a nice new ballad for Arashi and it is great to hear them doing this style of song again, but I'm perhaps not as excited about it as many other Arashi fans on tumblr, twitter, and lj are. I can see myself listening to it on a bus as I'm staring out the window at a rainy day, but I can also see myself skipping it if I'm not in a thoughtful or relaxed mood. I'm not sure how long this gentle song will stay on my playlist and in our memories, but for now it's very welcome addition to this single.
Final word: Calling/Breathless is a great return to form for Arashi and well worth checking out for both Arashi fans and newcomers alike with its great tracks and varying range of song styles. It's a great sample of who Arashi are now and what they can do without the listener needing to dive into a full album. I dare say it far surpasses their entire last album even though it's only a single. I highly recommend the regular edition, but if you really want to have one of the limited editions that come with a DVD of the main track's music video, go for the one with the Breathless music video on it. Calling is the better song, but Breathless has the better music video.
Overall score: 8/10. Welcome back, the Arashi I know and love.
What did you think of the new single? Please let me know in the comments section below! I'd love to hear more opinions on it!
[Calling/Breathless commentary (click to open)]
Artist: Arashi - Lyrics: s-Tnk, eltvo - Composition: Andreas Johansson, youwhich - Arrangement: Tomoki Ishizuka
Everyone likes music, artists, groups, and idols for different reasons. I like Arashi because they take my mind off the bad things in my day and make me smile. Many of their songs do the same thing for me when I'm walking to work or catching a bus or train somewhere. Music that makes my mind wander, puts me in deep thought, or cheers me up is good music for me. Sadly, only one song on Arashi's last album, Popcorn, really did this for me and that was Waiting For You.
Calling has arrived to fill the gap left behind by Popcorn. I love the main guitar chords that carry the song, the powerful chorus and the echo that precedes it. Apart from the whispered and harshly spoken bouts of English, the verses are growing on me too, but nowhere near as much as the chorus has. Calling sounds very much like a song that could be used in the opening of an action/thriller/spell-caster anime (at least one anime mix has already been made using this song). It actually reminds me of the opening to Miracle Train, Montage. Since I love anime opening songs, or songs that fill me with similar sounds and imagery, Calling is my new jam.
The music video for it is a slightly different story. While I like the neon lighting of the close-up shots, I feel that the music video for Calling detracts a lot from the song itself. The quick flashes between cuts and the fast-moving camerawork do feel somewhat new for an Arashi music video, and it's great to see extras finally return to interact with Arashi (even if it's only to symbolically torment them while they're seated in chairs), but this song is so much stronger without the music video. It's a song for making your imagination race and soar, but the music video grounds you a bit.
Artist: Arashi - Lyrics: HYDRANT - Composition: Takuya Harada, Christofer Erixon, Joakim Bjӧrnberg - Arrangement: Hirofumi Sasaki
This song is upbeat and has me instantly bouncing along to it. I'm not as attached to it as I am with Calling, but it's still a powerful song that really hits me and keeps me along for the ride. That said, the dance beat track backing this doesn't feel like it's matching the song completely, like the music and the dance beat were forced to work together rather than complimenting each other. I guess the high-pitched thump-thump-thump just gets on my nerves a little. The chorus and the backing vocal tracks are the highlight of this song.
That said, I do love the music video for it. The gray and purple coloring works well, the set is full of grungy detail and reminds me of an 80s sci fi movie, the close-up shots taken from a camera that keeps moving in quarter circle turns feel fresh and original, and the dance moves are really awesome to watch and are a good match with the song. I like the music video for Breathless more than the actual song.
Artist: Arashi - Lyrics: Soluna - Composition: Fredrik "Figge" Bostrӧm - Arrangement: Trevor Ingram
The first thing I thought of when I listened to Alright, was the old Pocky commercial where everyone dances to the tune of Ikimonogakari's "Joyful". After listening to it on repeat a few times this song has grown on me too, but it does feel a little dated, like it's an older Johnny's song. (I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing - depends on the listener.) Alright will never complete for my favourite happy Arashi song (the list of which Happiness tops), but it's still a fun little number that has me bouncing around with a smile. I imagine it would be a lot of fun in concert, but as a B-side track released between concert seasons, I doubt we'll ever hear it live even if Arashi decide to do another request concert like Arafest.
Artist: Arashi - Lyrics: Shun, R.P.P. - Composition: Dr.hardcastle, Iggy Strange-Dahl - Arrangement: Taku Yoshioka
Full of Love is a nice new ballad for Arashi and it is great to hear them doing this style of song again, but I'm perhaps not as excited about it as many other Arashi fans on tumblr, twitter, and lj are. I can see myself listening to it on a bus as I'm staring out the window at a rainy day, but I can also see myself skipping it if I'm not in a thoughtful or relaxed mood. I'm not sure how long this gentle song will stay on my playlist and in our memories, but for now it's very welcome addition to this single.
Final word: Calling/Breathless is a great return to form for Arashi and well worth checking out for both Arashi fans and newcomers alike with its great tracks and varying range of song styles. It's a great sample of who Arashi are now and what they can do without the listener needing to dive into a full album. I dare say it far surpasses their entire last album even though it's only a single. I highly recommend the regular edition, but if you really want to have one of the limited editions that come with a DVD of the main track's music video, go for the one with the Breathless music video on it. Calling is the better song, but Breathless has the better music video.
Overall score: 8/10. Welcome back, the Arashi I know and love.
What did you think of the new single? Please let me know in the comments section below! I'd love to hear more opinions on it!