AAA; Hide-away (Versions A+B+C)
Release Date: October 21, 2009
Language: Japanese
Genre(s): Pop, Pop-Rock, Electronica
Purchase: YesAsia

01. Hide-away [ LISTEN ]
02. Hide & Seek [ LISTEN ]
03. Find you [ LISTEN ]
04. With you
05. Hide-away -dino starr Mix-
06. Hide & Seek -SCR ReVamp Mix-
07. Find you -Super Mix-
08. Hide-away (Instrumental)
09. Hide & Seek (Instrumental)
10. Find you (Instrumental)

AAA returns after their incredibly successful summer dance single, Break Down, with a triple a-side single that explores their talent as a seven-member group, and also in two gender-based units.

Hide-away, the main promotional song and only group song on the single, is a dance song (with some interesting ballad-meets-hip-hop choreography) lead by strong synths and a variety of vocals. Takahiro Nishijima (commonly known by his nickname, "Nissy") and Naoya Urata take the primary lead for the verses, while Misako Uno and Chiaki Ito dominate the vocal bridge and chorus segments. Mitsuhiro Hidaka (commonly known by his last name, Hidaka) raps throughout, but most effectively during the opening of the song, and the bridge. The strong maintains an uncertain, mysterious atmosphere throughout, accentuated by the melancholic lyrics, tinged ever-so-slightly with optimistic hope. "Hiding myself, in an endless labyrinth / Seeking my way, now I can hardly find you." The misguided, lingering vocals also contribute to the mysterious, almost-climactic atmosphere. Vocally, it's a decent song. Arrangement wise, it's a decent song. Nothing makes it incredibly, but nothing makes it horrible, either. AAA has had better, and they've had worse. While it perhaps isn't necessarily an accurate representation of their talent, I do really like the bridge (Misako! ♥) and Naoya's beautifully textured ballad-esque solo after the first chorus.

Although the five boys are present in the music video for Hide & Seek, only three of them actually sing here - Takahiro Nishijima, Naoya Urata, and Mitsuhiro Hidaka. As you may have already noticed, all of the songs on this single take the same base melody, and change the lyrics and arrangement appropriately for differing atmospheres and general interest. Hide & Seek takes a gritty/dirty trance approach with sliding, distorted Shinichi Osawa-inspired house production. It sounds like a "tame" version of an Osawa song, in that it's not completely dissembled or experimental. Overall, it's okay, but the synthetic instruments give me a headache after a while. However, there are a few great parts of this song, namely Hidaka's main rap, and the Takahiro/Naoya vocal bridge; it acts like a shining ray of hope in an otherwise misguided attempt at sounding edgy.

Find you, of course, is the girls' "answer", I suppose you could say, to the boys' song. Or, perhaps you could simply refer to it as the counterpart. Misako Uno and Chiaki Ito get to showcase their vocal talent on what I consider to be the strongest song on the single. The arrangement is fun, multi-leveled, and effectively illustrates the two central sides of femininity - innocence and attitude. The girls' pure, airy vocals sound quite lovely over the always-building pop-rock arrangement. The chorus is definitely the highlight as their vocals are feathered in two central layers; the main melody, and the echo. The climactic build-up right before the chorus is also an awesome lead-in. I can't get over this song, really. It's fantastic. I find the arrangement to be quite intelligently thought-through, and the way that their vocals have been placed is just... perfect. I've always been a huge fan of Misako, so I think she sounds great here (especially during the bridge - she hits the high notes beautifully). I've never been a huge fan of Chiaki's vocals, but I'll admit that she doesn't sound half-bad here, especially during her version of Naoya's ballad-esque solo after the first chorus. Great song.

With you, the ending theme of the newest season of InuYasha (officially titled InuYasha: The Final Act), is exactly the same as Hide-away. The only difference is the lyrics. Honestly speaking, I prefer the lyrics to With you because they're sweeter, and of course, completely suited for the love story in InuYasha. I also think that - for whatever reason - the members sound better here, vocally. So, if you ask me, this is the superior song of the two.

Now, on to the remixes! Hide-away -dino starr Mix- takes almost a comical approach. It blends video game synths with cirus-sounding instruments. It's actually quite bizarre! I don't think it suits the theme very well, although it does a good job of lightening the mood...?

Hide & Seek -SCR ReVamp Mix- is what Hide & Seek should have been. These lively, energetic house instruments definitely suit their vocals much better than the original arrangement, and I absolutely love all of the little details they've thrown into this remix. The extra chords, the Super Street Fighter inspired break-down's, the pumped up yells during the chorus ("Yeah! Come on! Let's go!"), and the overall lovable charisma. Awesome stuff.

At first I shrugged off Find you -Super Mix- as far too wacky for my liking, but after a few listens, I grew to love it. Again, the instruments and break-down's sound like they're right out of a retro video game (Ganbare Goemon, maybe?), but that actually adds a lot of nostalgic charm to it. Sure, the arrangement doesn't fit the theme, but in this case, I think it works. At least somewhat. For some reason I'm drawn to this, especially the rough rap bridge (the contrast between the cute rap and rough instruments is great!) and enlightening vocal bridge. The way the instruments soften with Misako's vocals as they reach their peak, and then swing right back into their normal melody is awesome. I also really like the cut-and-paste addition of a line from their rap at the end of each chorus - "Oh yes, I just find you only." This is a surprisingly good remix, although I still prefer the original.

Ultimately, Hide-away is okay, Hide & Seek tries too hard to be something that it is not, Find you is awesome, With you is sweet, and the remixes are worth listening to.

Overall Score: B

Namie Amuro's two brand new songs, MY LOVE and COPY THAT! have recently leaked from her upcoming untitled album to be released mid-December. MY LOVE is a soft-R&B pop track with dreamy harmonies and sweet vocals, whereas COPY THAT! is a 1960's-inspired swinging-pop number with bold, full instrumentation and spunky vocals. Lots of fun! Both are recommended. :) Her upcoming album is going to be awesome.



安室奈美恵 (Namie Amuro); MY LOVE / COPY THAT! (from Unknown)
Release Date: December 16, 2009
Language: Japanese
Genre(s): Pop
Purchase: --

[ Download Songs » @4shared 192kbps ]

01. MY LOVE
02. COPY THAT!

Tohoshinki seemingly returns to their Heart, Mind and Soul routes with an Eternal-esque tribute to their traditional heartfelt ballads, entitled 時を止めて. Something about this ballad is very special. It's particularly emotional, and powerful, and sweet. I absolutely love it. And I love the use of traditional instruments; they are hidden, but they're there if you listen closely. ♥ I've been listening to it almost nonstop on YouTube since yesterday, so I finally just ripped it and thought I would share it with you guys.


Fanmade cover (c) yamapilovergyal.

東方神起 (Tohoshinki); 時を止めて
Release Date: January, 2010
Language: Japanese
Genre(s): Pop
Purchase: --

[ Download Song » @4shared 192kbps ]

01. 時を止めて (Toki wo Tomete)

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