T.M.Revolution – the force February 6, 2009

Track Listing

1. WILD RUSH
2. UNTOUCHABLE Girls
3. THUNDERBIRD
4. Anadori ga Taki Bokura
5. HOT LIMIT
6. Salsa Bazaar
7. AQUALOVERS ~DEEP into the night~
8. Totteki no Ohanashi ~Shinsetsu Ren’ai Shinkaron~
9. DREAM DRUNKER
10. Burnin X’mas
11. True Merry Rings
12. Promised FORCE

1. WILD RUSH

We begin this wild album, with the wild final single.  WILD RUSH has some fun energy and it really sounds like a fun production as well.  Takanori sounds like he’s yelling more than actually sing which is a little bad, but the music and other such effects sound almost perfect with his kind of singing here.  Good way to start out.

2. UNTOUCHABLE Girls

We start into the B-side from “THUNDERBIRD” and it still has a funky kind of sound to it, but I guess putting it on the album was a mistake because it never really sets itself apart from the other main tracks off the album.  I can see what this song’s worth is since it does sound like his past album tracks, otherwise this was pretty bland on the album.

3. THUNDERBIRD

THUNDERBIRD come up next and still overshines “UNTOUCHABLE Girls” by a huge amount.  It’s got an epic feel to it and how the synths here weren’t overly used and kept a good rock sound overall.  I think I’m over my head when I say that this is the “HEART OF SWORD” of this album.  I prefer this more though, Love this track.

4. Anadori ga Taki Bokura

It’s been awhile since we’ve had an acoustic track from Takanori and this track fills that void on this album.  The main issue here is that Takanori isn’t really meant for singing without  the synths and other instruments.  He sounded really boyish and terribly flat with the music. 

5. HOT LIMIT

This song is just overly awesome.  I mean Takanori’s energy is beyond overkill and the synths are definitly filling the spaces that the guitar isn’t.  Like I said, this song is my favorite of the era for sure and even though we got a bad experience with the cover by HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR, this song still stands strong.

6. Salsa Bazaar

Well, I for one say that this song is bizarre.  For one it’s not the usual style he’s in…It’s in the salsa style and Takanori sounds so different with the song.  The song itself is so weird as the chorus is like ~peek-a-booo~ It’s still one of his freakiest songs on his discography and I loved every minute of it.  ~meooow~

7. AQUALOVERS ~DEEP into the night~

I also loved this song since hearing it originally on “HOT LIMIT” so I was enjoying to see this track on the album.  He captures the feeling of water well with the distant guitar and bubbly synths.  The chorus, though not as exciting still manages to sound great.  Great track.

8. Totteki no Ohanashi ~Shinsetsu Ren’ai Shinkaron~

Sounds pretty adventurous at the start of this song.  It reminds me of “Secret Garden” from Pokemon Heroes which is a wide stretch for sure, but the beginnings of both songs sound a bit similar.  I’m noticing the song is a bit fast and Takanori sounds very much into it.  I was surprised at how good the song was. 

9. DREAM DRUNKER

DREAM DRUNKER begins at what I think is a cafe maybe?  Then the weirdest instrument comes in, a harmonica of all things.  The snapping of the fingers and the bouncy piano melody also makes the song sound so offbeat and strange.  I’m used to Takanori being strange, not the music….this is the 3rd time Daisuke threw a different sound on this album and well this is the least of my favorites on the album.

10. Burnin X’mas

The last A-side to appear on the album, Our holiday track didn’t exactly scream Christmas, but it does sound a bit similar to the other known tracks here, but this one had a more serious pop/rock tone with it and even the synths were lower.  Maybe its positioning was bad on the album, but I found this song just to be fillerish almost.

11. True Merry Rings

Our next oddly 3 name randomness track is True Merry Rings, which is actually the only ballad off the album.  I didn’t exactly connect to the song because his other 3-random-name tracks are more extravagant.  I do praise that there’s actual strings accompanying Takanori here.  Sadly he has better.

12. Promised FORCE

Talk about a devious ending to the album.  It doesn’t feature Takanori so it’s counted as a Daisuke track and he really created such a dark and evil instrumental to end off.  Then when the real synths start up the music seemed to lighten up, still this was just random and stuck out at the end. 

Tracks Recommended

• HOT LIMIT
• Salsa Bazaar
• AQUALOVERS ~DEEP into the night~
• THUNDERBIRD
• WILD RUSH

Song of Avoidance

• Anadori ga Taki Bokura

I remember saying in the “triple joker” review that I wanted them to change up sounds a little bit.  The singles didn’t really show much of difference even though they came out well mostly.  The new tracks though were definitly out-of-left field songs even.  Basically, this album was an upgrade from the last album!