featured review #79: Dir en grey - 詩踏み

[Zeus 7997]

 

 

Tracklist:
1. 詩踏み (utafumi)
2. 空谷の跫音 (kuukoku no kyuuon) feat. SUGIZO
3. Revelation of mankind [REMIX]
 

| Just your standard Dir en grey single

 

Dir en grey should think hard about not including B-sides with their next single. I haven't heard a convincing original B-side since "腐海 (Fukai)" and that was back in the VULGAR era. I don't want Dir en grey taking great tracks and hiding them in the dark corners of their discography, but I hate feeling like their additional offerings are never worth listening to. Once in a blue moon the band will surprise you with something decent - like the "undecided" remix - only to turn around and punch you in the gut with something like the unplugged version of "AGITATED SCREAMS OF MAGGOTS". A part of me wonders if they even put effort into the coupling tracks, knowing that only hardcore fans would even think of looking there. These complaints don't take away from "詩踏み" being a wonderful single track, but it's a fact that as far as Dir en grey singles are constructed, this is nothing revolutionary.

 

Sounding like a less restrained SUSTAIN THE UNTRUTH, "詩踏み (utafumi)" drops the nuanced groove and focus on atmosphere for pure aggression and it's absolutely amazing. Distilling all the best parts of their last three albums into a three minute songs is a herculean task, but Dir en grey do it right. The loose structure takes a few listens to digest, yet it still manages to create an engaging experience that captures feelings of solitude and anger the band was aiming for. This I attribute to the production; the mix feels full and the bottom end feels heavy and tight as it should, but with a memorable chorus and Kyo's performance overall I get claustrophobic, religious vibes. One thing is for sure is from the distortion laced opening to the creepy interlude, "詩踏み" keeps my attention effortlessly the whole time. The completely mental music video and their accompanying look has quickly become my favorite one of year, perfectly capturing the aggression, energy, and confusion of the song. It is also a clear sign that they're over their rebellious phase as they've taken their visuals back to new and shocking heights. This is one hell of a return to a scene they said they were done with all those years ago! As we approach their 20th anniversary, "詩踏み" is a bold statement that Dir en grey isn't done impressing us yet.

 

If only I had kind words for the rest of the single...

 

I can feel my attention span rapidly depleting as the dull "空谷の跫音 (kuukoku no kyuuon)" makes a reappearance featuring SUGIZO of LUNA SEA fame fiddling on the violin for extra ambience. This is what happens when a good idea hits too late. It's an improvement over the original, but it also doesn't differ by much. Whenever I think of SUGIZO making a guest appearance on a track he usually elevates it to another level. Unfortunately SUGIZO doesn't leave too a large impact on this track. Iit goes in one ear and out the other in five minutes. I'm content to throw out the original album version and slide this in its place because SUGIZO makes it infinitely better, but I'm not going bananas over this.

 

"Revelation of mankind [REMIX]" is very misleading and is the band's newest entry in "garbage remixes no one wanted or asked for". The original track was a passable second attempt at "流転の塔 (ruten no tou)". This sounds like nondescript trance step blasting from burnt out speakers in a seedy Manhattan club, and that's a sentence I never wanted to use to describe Dir en grey music. The upbeat tone, vocoder, and wubs stick out badly in sound and mood. It reminds me a lot of ゆらめき (yurameki) (S.N.Y. Remix) in the worst ways possible, especially in how little it resembles the original song save for some lyrics here and there. Even as the staunchest Dir en grey fan, I say you can do without this.

 

Take the first track and split.

 

 

Purchase:

cdjapan | itunes

[Hakari 282]

I enjoyed the title track. But like Sustain the truth I was only intrigued by this track for a short period of time. Curious to see what they are going to do with their next single/album.

[Furik 832]

I will say that the remixes this time around are at least a little bit more listenable than the past. Still too weird and experimental for regular listens though. 

[TheStoic 176]

I enjoyed the single track and also felt that the accompaniment by Sugizo improved 空谷の跫音 (kuukoku no kyuuon), but the mix made the violin by Sugizo too up front and pronounced, and as a result was distracting.  I wish it was in the back of the mix more, but still was enjoyable.

[Saishu 1589]

I pretty much agree with everything already said. Utafumi is great, Kuukoku with Sugizo ends up sounding like an afterthought; I honestly wish they had just done a "shot in one take" version with Sugizo so it would sound more organic instead of, well, Sugizo playing on top of the original. Revelation remix is awful, and why they chose to WUB WUB a track like this is beyond me. 

 

The DVD that comes with the limited edition is awesome though. 

[ghost 2687]

@utafumi: Yeah, this song rocks! I think it's a much needed return to form. So refreshing to hear. And, it's even reminiscent of their earlier WTD days (to me anyways)!

@kuukoku no kyuon: I don't know if using the same trill throughout the whole song counts as a feat. haha. 

@Revelation Remix: I personally didn't care for this in the slightest.