Search - Aaa :: 18 Single (Bonus Dvd) (Mlps)

A CD single that deviates a bit form past songs but all in a

Dennis A. Amith (kndy) | California | 09/04/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's been awhile since I reviewed an AAA CD single. As an early listener of their music and reviewing their DVD's, the group eventually grown on me and last year, proclaimed the group as my favorite pop group.



So, when their CD single "Mirage" (17th CD single, rel. Jan 2008) became their first #1 hit on the Oricon Charts, I couldn't help but be happy.



In May 2008, AAA released their 18th CD single "BEYOND" (BEYOND~Karada no Kanata), featuring a song that featured a different musical style from previous CD singles.



This time the vocals seem to feature more of the leader Urata Naoya which is an interesting decision since Nishijima Takahiro is typically used for the male lead for a lot of their main CD single releases.



But when this CD single started to grow on me is when I started listening to it during my summer commutes. At first listen, I felt it was different but during repeated listening of the CD single, I think that the fact the music had that underlying deep groove, the percussion and electric guitars combined with the typical AAA fun, enjoyable track courtesy of Uno Misaki and group especially hearing the chorus of "Burn your blood, felsh and bon, turn your wheel of fortune now" and just finding that portion quite fun, especially to figure out if that was indeed what they were saying.



As for even though Urata for me is not a great vocalist but everyone has their part vocally in the song and somehow I found myself listening to the CD single over and over and really enjoying it.



But it is a departure from their dance music that people enjoy and I can understand if listeners and fans may feel let down by "BEYOND ~Karada no Kanata" for being different but from Shimatani Hitomi to Suzuki Ami to LISA and other avex artists who have gone the experimental route of tackling on variety of musical genres, I'm a bit more open to change.



As for the coupling song, "One Night Animal", we have a dance track arranged my Wall Five, Mase Masao and Watanabe Atsuhiro. It's actually a catchy pop track that you would expect from AAA. Interesting arrangement as it has an 90's J-Pop feel but at the same time employs vocalizer and a hint of digital sounds and electric guitar. All in all, a fun track.



The remaining two tracks are the instrumental versions of the first two tracks.



As for the music video, I'm not sure if the song was used for any pre-Olympics programming but the music video features the group running in a track and jumping CG hurdles. It's a bit corny but somehow I enjoyed it since I'm used to their comraderie and if anything, I found myself focusing on the various clothing styles by each member.



The CD insert features a standard bi-fold with the lyrics and photo of the group on the other side. Included is a promotional for the "Choice is Yours" mini-album released on June 18th ( featuring the male members of the group) and on the other side promoting the group's AAA 3rd Anniversary Live 080922-080923.



Also, a note that there are three versions of this CD single. This CD+DVD version, a CD extra version which features a video of "AAA Gokuhi Club 2 and a CD version that has an extra track (Mirage 83key remix).



I actually enjoyed this CD single after repeated listening and during my long hours of traveling, found myself listening to the main track over and over again.



One thing I enjoy about AAA is the group's camaraderie. Their music, their DVD's and overall, when you see them together, it's just fun to watch and music that I find enjoyable overall.



The music of "BEYOND~Karada no Kanata" was an obvious departure from their pop/dance sound that I'm sure is not going to win fans who enjoy that but already, I've reviewed many CD singles and albums in this past year alone that features artists trying different genres and changing things up a bit.



Even the main cover of this CD+DVD single was interesting to see Ito Chiaki instead of Uno Misaki along with Nishizawa on the main cover. Definitely the label changing things up a little for this CD single.



But overall, I did enjoy the CD single and although not as enjoyable as "MIRAGE", I still enjoyed it nonetheless."