BEAT out! ALBUM REVIEW
The definitive rock album by GLAY which confirms their talent as a quartet with an awesome ability to produce excellent songs that stand the test of time. Sadly however, it has been pushed to near obscurity by its more popular sibling - BELOVED even though the songs here are among the best rock songs by GLAY. Thus, it is severely underrated. The songs in this album lean more towards rock and features some of the best guitar works by GLAY. Together with BELOVED, this should be an essential album that every GLAY fan should possess. My personal favourite.
Recommendations : More than Love, Yes, Sunmerdays, Genshoku No Sora, Trouble on Monday, Together, Ikiteku Tsuyosa, Miki Piano
MORE THAN LOVE
One of my favourite rock songs from GLAY and this is one of their best works too, being included in their REVIEW album. An explosive introduction to the song by the drums that immediately captures one's attention and this is followed by an excellent showing throughout by GLAY. The basslines and the guitars here just jump out at you and you can't help but be totally taken by the skills of Hisashi and Jiro. This is their song no doubt, giving them the space to show what they are capable of.
Yes, Summerdays
Another one of my favourite rock songs from GLAY. The introduction by the guitars is really great and makes one sit up in attention. Listen carefully to the guitar in the left speaker when Teru starts to sing, it's really an exciting and excellent piece of work! Here also, Jiro reveals his potential that went largely untapped in the earlier albums to put his stamp all over this song with the dominant basslines. I simply love the acoustic and bass combination later joined by the scintillating skills of Hisashi - This song ROCKS! Teru shines too with his forceful singing and with a catchy melody, this is one song you can put on repeat mode for hours on end.
Genshoku No Sora <Cloudy Sky>
Jiro's favourite song and it's easy to know why - he shows some cool bass works here. However, this song is more than just a platform for his talent because the guitars sound great and Teru is flawless as well. This song is exciting because it's a refreshing variation from the other GLAY rock songs in terms of guitars and the melody. The lyrics are also beautiful and frankly, I was surprised that Takuro used the word "requiem' in the lyrics as it's rather a difficult word to use in context. It's cool that he has managed to use it and in the right context too.
Trouble On Monday
A fun and upbeat song. There is a certain bounce to this song that I like. The maturity of the lyrics here belies the upbeat mood created by the melody as it speaks of the stress and the loss of direction that man feels in the 21st century. Teru sounds very boyish and cute here, singing chunks of English lyrics - he does it pretty well too!
Together
A touching and depressing ballad because of the lyrics. Teru's husky voice is just perfect to convey the loneliness and emptiness of a love that is gone and this is one ballad which he sings his lungs out for. As in Curtaincall, the piano here gives it a tenderness that brings tears to the eyes. A Teru and Takuro song.
Tsuki Ni Inoru
A song along the lines of Genshoku No Sora. However, I much prefer Genshoku No Sora than this song and it's probably because the lyrics here is less touching than Genshoku's. The guitars and the drums here are worth noting though.
Ikiteku Tsuyosa
An uplifting and encouraging song, this song really lifts spirits and gives one the courage to live and love with its meaningful lyrics. Interesting basslines too.
Shuumatsu No Baby Talk
This is Teru's maiden effort at song-writing I suppose. You can tell that this is not written by Takuro as his style is way different from Teru. However, to be brutally honest, this is a terrible song! It sounds like a 60's punk-disco song gone wrong. This is made worse by Yuki's (of Judy & Mary) participation and it only serves to make the song even more corny and cheesy. Her saccharine-saturated voice grates on my nerves and I feel that she is totally unnecessary to the song. Nonetheless, this song has a place in my heart simply because, it's written by Teru.
Glorious
A pretty nice upbeat song that gets better the more you listen to it. The guitars here sound refreshing and overall, it's a pleasant song to listen to as you can almost feel GLAY's enthusiasm and hope when they made this song, with Teru singing "I sing my dream forever, I wish you will be happy!" I sing their dream too.
Kiseki No Hate
Although GLAY listed this song as one of their best works in REVIEW, I beg to differ. There is really nothing that caught my ear for this song besides the meaningul lyrics which touches on the price of neglect. Other than that, the melody is not one which I would remember much of after it ends and it really suffers the same fate as Ikigai, which is a pity as both songs hold so much potential by their lyrics. However, the trumpet (trombone?) and tambourine lends colour and pomp to an otherwise bland song.
Miki Piano
A very gentle and sweet song. There is a peaceful silence to it that makes it a fitting song to end off such an excellent album. This song is a stark contrast to the energetic rock number "More than Love" that set the album going. This may be a simple and short song but it's one of my favourite sonfs simply because it's so unassuming that it takes your heart.
*Review dated on 5.6.2000