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Old 2007.04.12, 03:42 AM   #10
S_p_h_y
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Barcelona
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Here we go with my favourite album of SR/TJ and one of my favourite albums ever. It's catchy, yet complex, slow and profound, yet aggresive and crazy. It has an almost perfect balance between the instruments and the best of all: it has Ukigumo on it. Maybe he is not the best guitarist who has accompanied Ringo live, but sure he does a kick ass job on the studio. He is not the typical rock guitarist to freak out, he is more jazz and more refined, perfect for this album in my opinion, although I can miss some aggressiveness here and there. Anyway in my opinion he puts real emotion on the songs and I think his guitar play is a key for me to like this album so much.

Ok, this album is not a "singlelish" album, like Kyoiku or Shousho Strip. It's not single oriented, so in my opinion each song on this album depends on the other songs, so when you listen to the whole album you get something complet and heterogeneous. Its like the whole album being a song, if you prefer this way.
I think this album is diametrically opposite to Kyoiku, in the sense that the first TJ album is more rock oriented, and Adult is more..how to say it, more like to listen while driving pacefully in a car at night.

The album begins with Himitsu. I fell in love when i listened to it and its my favourite SR/TJ song. Its just perfect, specially Izawa does a great job here.
The second song, Kenka Joutou fits here perfectly, the freak out song of the album. It really impressed me the first time I listened to it. A must for lives in my opinion.
Now we go with the slow arc of Keshou Naoshi and Superstar. The first is maybe the weakest song on the album, its just too normal and average though it adds some variety to the album with its bossa nova influence. The best part of the song is the "electronic" end. Superstar instead is a great mid-tempo song, specially the job Ukigumo does.

Shuraba (Adult ver.) is the song I would show someone to show what Adult is about. Its maybe the more single oriented song on the album, along with Himitsu. Just great. I also like the single version but i think it was necessary to change it to fit the album.

I don't like Yukiguni at all. An average slow song and as with Kenshou Naoshi I like more the last part.

Kabuki and Blackout are excellent songs and they recover the more fast Tokyo Jihen between all those ballad/mid-tempo songs. Great songs as I said, but not the best of the album though.

The three last songs are three of the best songs of the album, in my opinion. Tasogare Naki is slow but nice, a song to relax.
Toumei Ningen is one of my favourites, its also nice and has a kinda "childlish" feel on it. Excellent chorus :-)
And finally Tegami, which is THE ballad of the album. A typical ballad but I just love it.

Now i'll tell about the musicians. Adult i'ts not the best album for Shiina as a singer in my opinion. She does her job perfectly, of course, but i miss some variety.
Best album for Kameda (finally we can hear it well) and Hata in my opinion, the first adding an infinity of details which fit perfectly, and the same for Hata, who is a beast at the drums indeed, and I think he has a great style between jazz and rock along all the album.
I think i have said everything about Ukigumo on this album. And finally there is Izawa who does a great job with the piano and keyboards, standing out in some concret parts.

I think i have extended myself too much

Last edited by S_p_h_y : 2007.04.12 at 03:47 AM.
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