Augie1995 325 Posted September 4, 2011 Thoughts? I think this single is a lot better than BLUE FLAME...a lot! Heart of Gold is a great rock song and the way Tora and Hiroto did the unison playing thus Tora not wanting to add a guitar solo in was great. Ray was a slow song compared to Heart of Gold but once again Tora knows how to compose a song! ハイカラなる輪舞曲 (another version) was a great remake. it's so different than the original and also I loved this song at their TOKYO GALAXY live and i am so glad it has that sick bass solo! This single from me deserves a 9/10. It doesnt get 10 because Heart of Gold didnt have a guitar solo, my guilty pleasure xD Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doaseternity6 93 Posted September 4, 2011 As big a fan of A9 as I am, I've always maintained I don't expect much from their A-sides. At most as long as the song is pretty catchy and listenable I won't be too upset, since in my experience their A-sides outshining their b-sides tend to be anomalies (ie. Rainbows or Tsubasa). Heart of Gold isn't any different and neither was Blue Flame, but HoG in contrast to Blue Flame was for me really catchy and sunny, so it stuck with me immediately while the latter I had to dissect and listen to a few more times before it really got to me. Technically I don't think it's a better song (It's lacking some of the skill set and finer touches that was present in BF) but I think it's a much more effective A-side. Ray is really good. I've been busy so I hadn't been "keeping up" with them so much but I remembered hearing that this was a Tora song. So of course I came in expecting a certain heaviness to the sound and instead it surprised me in how mellow it was, I would've pegged it for Saga...even hiroto first. At anyrate, it's a well put together song and I rather enjoy it. Some of the guitar parts remind me of gin no tsuki... in the chorus giving it that kind of dancey feel but the songs are different beasts in the overall sound and tone. I love shou's voice in this song too, especially in the beginning, I dunno he just sounds really good. I don't think it'll become "like my favorite song ever omg" but I really like it and it's my favorite of the single. Onto track 3: Whereas really came off as almost a different song altogether, Haikara really comes off more like Haikara 2011 version. Which isn't bad at all, in fact the different titling of the 2 remakes clues one in on that imo, but by the same token it doesn't have the holy shiet this is soo killer vibe to it that had when first hearing it. Still it's a pretty sweet remake. The whole breakdown/solo section is so much win and totally makes the song for me. Listening to it and then the old one, the progress the band has made is pretty glaring imo, much more developed. I've never been a huge fan of the vocal styling of the song and they haven't really been tweeked so I'm still not. Actually I will go as far as to say this is one case where I actually think Shou's rough around the edges early vocals actually did a bit more justice, the cleanness of his current vocals kinda don't mesh as well with the way the song is sung. Still like I said it's a pretty sweet update on what's one of their "classics". Yup, pretty good single overall. I think it's pretty much on par with Blue Flame ( gives BF the slight edge)) solid but not drop-dead amazing. Still, as long as they keep up a certain amount of quality I think my curiosity will still be peaked come album time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dannemannen 69 Posted September 4, 2011 I didn't like it very much. I really hate to use the word generic recently, but this one was nothing special. Blue Flame is way better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jigsaw9 6783 Posted September 7, 2011 Finally listened to this! Here's my take on the single: Heart of Gold is a track that I didn't really like at first (having felt that it's pretty bland and simplistic) but over time I've come to enjoy it. The previous single's A-side was more "instant hit"-like, while this one is more of a grower, for me at least. I wasn't sure what to think of that brief screaming part but I guess it's not so bad after all. It's a nice pop-rock song, nothing more. I was looking forward to hearing Ray, since Tora composed it an' all. It's a good song, not too remarkable but it does the job. I think I might enjoy this one more than the A-side. Those occasional chirping sounds irritate me a bit though, it almost sounds exactly like the alarm of my watch, lol. Haikara naru rinbukyoku (Another version) is a magnificent re-recording, a good way to close the single. I've always loved the original of this song and the remake totally does it justice. The solos in the interlude are just awesome. Overall I'm pretty satisfied with this release, even though I liked their previous single better. I'd give it a solid 7/10. Looking forward to their next release! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sai 868 Posted September 7, 2011 Short review: Heart of Gold is a nice song with a nice atmosphere, which is done very well both in the vocals as in an instrumental way. The chorus should've been a bit different for me to rate it 9/10, but for the rest it's really enjoyable. That intro is so damn catchy! 8/10 Ray is also very nice, but not one I would play on itself. I would only listen it in context with the single. Tora did a nice job on this none the less. 7.5/10 Haikara naru rinbukyoku (another version) is practically the studio recording of Haikara Naru Rondo, the new live version of Haikara naru rinbukyoku they've been doing since 2008/2009 or so. It's very nice to hear a studio recording of it, and I really like the little details they've added. Loved it live, love it here! Highlight for me is the bass solo. 9/10 Rating: 8/10. These guys did another great job, nuff said. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
