BREAKERZ “X” Discussion/Rant
Honestly I just really want to talk about this album to somebody and since none of my friends care about this band neither do most of you, I’mma just post it here anyways.
First of all, I want to say that I’ve been looking forward to this album for roughly two years, aka since the release of their last album, ZERO. Especially after they kicked off their Tenth Anniversary Concert Series. The moment I realized that each band they challenged would have a part on the album, I began anticipating X more and more. Essentially, I love this band with all my heart and I always look forward to their new music. And this album in particular has really caught my attention. Every song is very well crafted and they all sound spectacular. I’m going to go More in depth about how I feel about all the songs later.
I don’t know if it was Daigo who thought of this or another band member or a third party, but Kudos to the double meaning, triple meaning and consistency of puns with the title of the album and songs. If you don’t get it, let’s go over them:
The Title of the Album : X
-X as in the Roman Numeral 10 for this being he Tenth Anniversary of BRRAKERZ as a band as well as having ten songs on the album.
-X as in Cross, because every song is a collaboration with another Japanese musician or group. So BREAKERZ x SKY-HI, for example.
The Song Titles (excluding GOD and She is Devil)
GREAT (pronounced in Japanese as GU-REI-ITU” Ambitious, featuring GLAY (pronounced GU-REI)
RODEO Drive featuring GRANRODEO
Black SKY featuring SKY-HI
GOLDEN Night featuring GOLDEN Bomber
Koi no SUPER EXPRESS featuring 超特急 (which translates as SUPER EXPRESS)
TRIANGLE featuring TRIGNAL
Never Ending STORY featuring My First STORY
Hirari MAI chiru hana no youni featuring MAI Kuraki
Now, these are likely obvious to most of you, but I just find all of these cute play-on words commendable. They certainly put a lot of thought into this album and it shows.
Not only did a lot of thought go into the titles, but to the music as well. Each song was thoroughly enjoyable and beautiful for their own reasons and I adore each one.
GREAT AMBITIOUS was a great (pun intended) way to open up the album. The upbeat rock combined with the violins playing in the higher register felt to me very reminiscent of Ikusen no Meikyuu de, as well as Climber x (ha!!!) Climber. And from just the title I began thinking about WE GO, and I can imagine they both have similar themes. The song is very catchy even without really knowing the meaning of the lyrics. Overall, it’s a fun piece.
RODEO DRIVE. I don’t know if it’s just me, or does this song feel a whole lot like RUN AND RUN from ZERO? Yes, RUN AND RUN was specially written because Daigo was doing the 24 Hour run thing on television, which was huge for him especially since that was the day he proposed to Keiko Kitagawa, but this song is just as upbeat and I can only imagine going on long jogs at sunset when I listen to it.
BLACK SKY. This one is in the running to be my favorite on the album along with two others. The guitar riffs kind of remind me of Daydreamer from the ZERO album. But the addition of SKY-HI’s rapping gives this song a whole different feeling. I’m not even sure how to describe it. The touch of electronic music seems out of place in this song. On the other hand, I absolutely adore the chorus. The pace and the progression of the notes just sounds so beautiful to me.
ゴールデンナイト〜黄金色に抱きしめて〜. Listen up I’m literally obsessed with this freaking song. There are so many musical elements and little nuances that I just UGH love so much, and it just. feels like a BREAKERZ song. But it also doesn’t. And it’s amazing. It’s as if BREAKERZ took 女々しくて (Golden Bomber’s most famous song) and then made a BREAKERZ song. Because it sounds like Memeshikute, but it also doesn’t.
恋のスーパーエクスプレス. I like this one, but it’s not my favorite on the album. And believe me, it’s a nice song. Very j-pop-y, and when you collaborate with a jpop group that’s the kind of sound you tend to get. It’s a cute song, and in a few senses it reminds me Smile 100% and Arigatou Beautiful Day. You know, very pop-rock, sweet. You just really feel like smiling while you listen to it. A nice contrast to songs like She is Devil, Golden Night, And GOD.
Triangle. I enjoy the beginning of this one more so than the rest of it. The instrumental introduction is very pleasing. The clarinet I found especially pretty. It’s quite clever that it’s called Triangle and the rhythm is in 3. I can’t decide if it sounds more like a carnival song or a french drinking ballad. Really it’s a combination of both. Trignal narrating adds a nice touch. Also a sweet song.
NEVER ENDING STORY. I love this song a lot. It feels like BREAKERZ is going back to their roots a bit. I hear a lot of influence from many of their songs from GO and FIGHTERZ. Very fast paced. It feels a lot like DAIGO’s Mugen no Rebirth and other songs which were anime openings. And at the end of the chorus, it sounds like Daigo is referencing the melody from Maria, back in his DAIGO STARDUST days.
She is Devil. The only non-collaboration song on the album. And gosh, when I listened to it the first time, the first thing I thought of was Miss Mystery. She is Devil is written as if it’s the sequel song to Miss Mystery, and boy it brings back memories of classic BREAKERZ, back when I first discovered their music, and I felt like crying. I particularly enjoyed this song because it’s the only one on the album that is exclusively BREAKERZ. I mean, of course it’s great that they had all these collaborators, but it is an album celebrating ten years together as a band, and it wouldn’t be right if they didn’t write a song for them and only them.
ひらり舞い散る花のように. THIS. SONG. IS . GORGEOUS! I was in love with it after only hearing the teaser of it that BREAKERZ posted to YouTube. It’s quite possibly my favorite song BREAKERZ has ever written. Daigo is known for his recognizable voice, so full of emotion in every syllable, and this is a perfect example of the extraordinary power his voice has in carrying melodies, in ballads especially. I notice that while their ballads are never their most popular, they’re always my favorites. The acoustic guitar, the strings! The harmonies, the percussion. They all come together and create this beautiful work of art. If you listen to no other song on this album, make this the one you listen to.
GOD. The first time I read about DAIGO writing GOD and performing it at the BREAKERZ vs. VAMPS concert, I burst out laughing, and saying “aw Daigo, you Hyde super fan.” Only someone dangerously devoted to their idol would write and perform a song in their honor about how they worship them. But listening to the emotion in his voice as I finally got a first listen to GOD, I understand precisely why he wrote it, and I understand the sentiment. This song is written for Hyde, but it says exactly what many of us feel for the artists and creators and public figures that we look up to.
This album revived my love of the band. In the two years between albums, so much happened. I experienced the worst depressive episodes of my life, my anxiety worsened, and I was hating life for a long time. Of course, good things happened as well, I rediscovered my love of musical theater, worked on a lot of shows, became a better musician. Daigo got married, started becoming more popular than ever. So much happened. Along the way, I listened to them less and less. But after this album came out, I feel like I remember the way I felt when I first discovered BREAKERZ, and I remembered what it felt like to really love a band. I’m so thankful for this band and for Daigo and Akihide and Shinpei. And I’m so thankful that they’ve been together as long as they have been. Ten years is a milestone, and while was only on board for four years, I harbor a deep appreciation for the band as much as any other fan, even those who were with them from the beginning.
