LUNA SEA

[Pretsy 1343]

In my case A WILL is the worst one too - the album itself overstayed its lousy comeback (my earlier pick would have been SHINE but it has many goodies to be ignored, e.g. singles, ANOTHER, MILLENNIUM)

 

Also, belonging to the minority that STILL loathes "Tonight" and "Crazy About You" to this day :/

[Saishu 1589]

I don't like WISH.

[Takadanobabaalien 3607]

I don't like WISH.

 

[saishuu 3220]

Although I do enjoy a few songs on A WILL (Glowing, Metamorphosis, MARIA, TEOTD) , it's probably my least favorite too, followed by SHINE and perhaps EDEN.

 

If SHINE was only slightly shorter and not so ballad/low-tempo oriented, it'd be among STYLE and MOTHER as their best. The singles + ANOTHER, MILLENNIUM and BREATHE are easily some of my favorites from their discography.

[Takadanobabaalien 3607]

Well, even though SHINE is the album of theirs that I like the least, I still think it's a great album. But then again they are pretty damn awesome. Songs like SHINE, STORM andTIME HAS COME are beyond amazing.

My personal ranking of their album would be:

 

1. EDEN

2. IMAGE
3. MOTHER

4. LUNA SEA

5. STYLE

6. A WILL
7. Lunacy

8. SHINE

 

1-4 are all masterpieces. 

[Jigsaw9 6783]

^ Mine would be something like:

 

1. IMAGE / STYLE / MOTHER (can't choose ok?! xD)

2. EDEN / LUNA SEA

3. LUNACY

4. A WILL

.

.

.

 

∞. SHINE xD

[Ito 2438]

It's kind of interesting for me - Luna Sea is one of the few bands I can't really associate too much with specific albums but specific songs. They were one of the earliest Jrock bands I got into (maybe around 2004-2005?), and that was during the time period where a huge chunk of music sharing was with individual songs. it probably doesn't help that Period was the first full album of theirs that I downloaded.

[Pretsy 1343]

I am not really sure if I would call all of  their first albums as " masterpieces" xD but let's give it a roll once again:

 

1. MOTHER (very obvious choice - Zess summed it up well when he described its unusual, brilliant cohesion (each song feels like it's in own right place))

2. IMAGE (even with ultra-goofy songs a la IN MIND (it's not bad but weirdly unfitting context-wise) it has this nice "dark" vibe around it)

3. EDEN (would have been okay if last songs showed much more effort instead of being, well, "post-punk pop leftovers" as mr. grumpy Gordon from jrocknyc would have put it)

4. Self-titled (Rerec is way too clean and the original, while packing a huge punch of awesome live songs, has this annoying Extasy mastering value I cannot get over anymore)

5. STYLE (I usually snore during "FOREEBA AN EEBBAA", but otherwise - very commercialized rendition of MOTHER...a follow-up but oh well, I liked lives anyway)

6. LUNACY (Packs some good punches, e.g. Virgin Mary, White Out, KISS, FEEL, 4:00AM (awesome trip-hop experiment), but yeah, your good ol' LS in its palatable form...)

7. SHINE (read my statements @earlier comment and add BREATHE (<3)...way too palatable)

8. A WILL (nothing remarkable nor interesting if you are very familiar with their earlier output)

 

phew.

[Saishu 1589]

Yeah, I know, it's a fan favorite. To me it's just a huge blemish on my favorite album.

[saishuu 3220]

I'd rank mine as:

 

1. MOTHER (as much as I love STYLE, the consistency and the flow in this one is just unbeatable to me)

2. STYLE (pretty much the best of both "worlds")

3. IMAGE (SEARCH FOR REASON >>>>>)

4. LUNA SEA (I still enjoy the rawness of the old version more than the new recording)

5. LUNACY (first contacts I ever had with LUNA SEA were through this album, so it still holds a little nostalgia)

6. SHINE (some flawless songs, but not catchy/interesting enough as a whole)

7. EDEN (see below. Providence though)

8. A WILL (meh)

 

I admit I never gave EDEN too much attention though, so it might be around 5~7 once I get to listen to it a little more.

[Takadanobabaalien 3607]

omg i think i havent listened to search for reason for like at least 4 years........ time to give it a spin. love that song

[saishuu 3220]

omg i think i havent listened to search for reason for like at least 4 years........ time to give it a spin. love that song

 

It's probably my favorite LS track. :') Can't get over those guitar riffs and Ryuichi's vocals.

[Pretsy 1343]

I prefer its Suspicious/SFR version off certain lives very beast performances. Also: dat Moon rerecording on IMAGE

[saishuu 3220]

^ I like SFR individually a little better because I've been listening to it the longest (it wasn't until a few years ago that I discovered the live versions with Suspicious). Starting with the punch of the guitar riffs just seems more fitting in my head due to that. But both together are indeed quite magic, to say the least. I wish there was a studio recording of both combined somewhere. ):

[niivozombie 30]

Reviving old topics here. But I just have to say that Claustrofobia is my favourite LUNA SEA song, it just takes me elsewhere. I used to listen to it with the lights out, just to really feel it. I can't really put it into words. I just love that song so much.

[Flame-X 441]

KISS(feat.DJ KRUSH) will always remain as my favorite song, not only as LUNA SEA, but music in general. It's so groovy~ and probably the most erotic song I've heard.

[orange~ 387]

Reading through older posts... I'm surprised people rate IMAGE so high, I thought I was alone with loving that album. In general I greatly prefer older LS. After IMAGE they shifted to more mainstream stuff imo. Ryuichi's more raw voice and darker vibe were really cool back then.

Besides LUNA SEA(original album) and IMAGE i only really like SHINE which I think has this thick cohesive sound throughout the whole album that's sort of sad and melancholic.

[Reiko 75]

Transcendental  Luna Sea is best Luna Sea

 

[K8A 22]

Not really a fan of ranking albums, they all have so many great qualities.. Luna Sea had some of the most outlandish shit they ever made. It's got that raw, dreamy wicked vibe written all over it. Lots of dark green, blue, purple and black feelings, vines spiraling out from a naked body.There was no album as graphic as that one until Mother came along, where the production value and overall atmosphere tied together so perfectly. But if you look at pure musical content, I'd probably say that Image is ahead of the others.

 

Anything after Mother would be my weakest pick. Sure, I love Style. It's like a musical representation of Sugizos magenta hair. LOVE&UNIVERSE all over the place. Just doesn't turn me on as the raw grit they churned out before. 

 

Personal favs: Face to face and Branch Road.

The futuristic atmosphere in Face to face is just insane. It's also a real testament to where they perfectly combined artistic integrity with a new level of songwriting (eg. when the music seamlessly enchances the overall concept of the song).

Branch road? Jesus, it's got so much shit going on. The dynamics between the different parts makes it feel more like a story than a rock song. Toppled with great counter riffing, Sugizos delaybombs, and the overall schizophrenic vocals. I'd say the vocals are the main character of the story. Switches between Ryuichi talking to himself and lashing out at the world builds a great dissonance that is later unleashed in the force of a thousand suns orgasm that is the chorus. It bursts out in some ambivalent scene of "fuck the world, but I'm going to be the one doing the fucking".
 

Dat scream doe.

Edited June 14, 2016 by K8A

[desparejo86 160]

 

I mean, it's alright. SUPER derivative of Providence/Breathe. But doesn't sound like cookie-cutter, lazy poprock bullshit they've been doing since they reunited. 

Edited June 27, 2016 by desparejo86

[saishuu 3220]

^ Hadn't listened to it yet and straight up thought it was BREATHE once the guitars started. lol Don't mind the similarities with BREATHE and Providence myself. I think this is the most effort they've put in a song since they reunited, which kinda gives me hopes for the upcoming album.

[Jigsaw9 6783]

Yeah, both songs off the new single are pretty good (I'm especially fond of the title track). Hoping they keep some killer stuff for the future album too!

[Takadanobabaalien 3607]

Yup, really like the single as well. Looking forward to the new album

[K8A 22]

Really wasn't too fond of the single at first. Felt way too oyaji ROCKERS. But it grew on me. Quite liking it now. Quite alot, actually.

[Ito 2438]

I liked it - for sure an improvement over a lot of their stuff on their last release, but still doesn't really hit me in the way that I wish it did.