L'Arc~en~Ciel: Smile

By Lauren Goodnight     June 28, 2004
Release Date: June 29, 2004



What They Say
The latest album from Rock Band L'Arc~en~Ciel hits stores on June 29, courtesy of Tofu Records. This full length album will include the hit songs READY STEADY GO (from Fullmetal Alchemist) and Living in your Eyes -Hitomi no Jyunin as well as the bonus track READY STEADY GO (hydeless version) so that you can sing along.

The Review!
Content: A
Audio: B+
Packaging: promo -- n/a
Extras: n/a

Packaging:

L'Arc~en~Ciel's American debut is finally here. Tofu's promotional copies consist of cardboard sleeves with the cover of the album on the front and either a track listing or a commercial blurb about the album on the back. This one has a short history of the band (they went their separate ways to do solo projects in the last two years, and this is their first group project since) as well as a listing of anime to which their music is connected (GTO, Ruroni Kenshin, D.N.A.2, and Full Metal Alchemist). Then, Tofu offers a list of selling points, including, but not limited to, their Otakon 2004 concert (animeondvd.com will be pushing for an interview with photos for all of you Laruku fans out there!), their American fans' presence on internet forums, and their place as International Channel's Artist of the Month for July. Also included was a slip of paper about secrecy concerning the Otakon performance. Yup, I've known for a week, fangirls, and so has every other reviewer who has this album ahead of time. The cover is in black, white , yellow and gray, and it features a yellow square face with X's for eyes, sparkling with gray stars. The title of the album, SMILE, is above the face, and the name of the band is below.

Music Review:

L'Arc~en~Ciel is one of the best-selling Japanese rock bands ever. They've been around since 1991 and have survived many member changes that might have broken up weaker bands. All four members, hyde, Tetsu, Ken, and Yukihiro, have been involved in their own solo projects, but when it comes time for them to be a band and not individual personalities, they mesh together so well that its nearly impossible to think of them as accomplished solo artists.

Many Laruku fans agree that this album is not their best, but that it still stands as a very passable way to introduce America to this very special band. Many Americans are already familiar with Hyde for his role in the film Moon*Child, which is now domestically available from Tla Entertainment. . .now they can see how he got famous in the first place. On with the review! Five of The Best, Two of The Rest, and a summary, all for your listening pleasure. Included on this release is a "hydeless" version of READY STEADY GO, for your karaoke pleasure.

The Best! (with two more "bests" because this was just an outstanding album for individual tracks)

1. Kiss
If an album does not start strongly, it can feel awkward and endlessly boring, even when it isn't. Kiss is a lovely track to start with, heavy with guitars and an edgy feel from beginning to end. hyde's voice is really something else. . . I'd heard it on one of his solo projects, Evergreen, and was unimpressed, but here, everything clicks. hyde's falsetto range is used in extreme moderation all throughout this album to great effect. Since the listener doesn't hear it all the time, he doesn't get used to its gentleness and is pleasantly lulled into the song, no matter how hard it rocks. Trust me, dear readers, this song ROCKS.

4. Feeling Fine
"Are you feeling fine?" hyde starts out, sprinkling lots of Engrish through this track afterwards. I like the bounce of this song a lot, because it pulls from so many influences. It feels like a playful X-Japan cover of a Beach Boys song, almost. It feels innovative, even if it isn't. It feels fresh because it is a good indicator of what this best-selling band is capable of doing for its listeners. I'm certainly feeling fine after this song and singing along with its catchy chorus. The bridge is soft and seductive, and it segues remarkably well into a screeching guitar solo.

6. Coming closer
I want to thrash to this in the pit at Otakon. With 10,000 people at a concert, there'd better be a pit, and I'd better be in it for this song. That, or crying and holding up a lighter, old-school style. This verges on ballad-hood, but it rocks just a little harder than that. There's an urgency in the chorus that is seductive and a longing in the verses that begs to be soaked with love. Feedback is creatively woven into the track. Ken's guitar work is exemplary here, and the violin section in the track further pulls the listener into Laruku's world.

9. Living in Your Eyes
This is the only true ballad on the album, and its definitely worth discussing. Its not pop, really; it feels more like mid 1990's middle-of-the-road pre-"new rock" radio fodder. And yet, its more skillfully executed than all that. This feels gentle and coddling. Yukihiro's drumming is the most restrained here, and it really carries the song in its subtlety. I dub this Otakon 2004's official make-out song!

10.Spirit Dreams Within
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within might not have been the best film EVAR, but this song stood out for me then, just as it does now. Spirit Dreams Within was the excellent theme song for that mediocre film, and I'm thankful for its inclusion here. It drives relentlessly through its chorus and verses, to a sweetly delivered bridge and a very nice display of Tetsu's bass playing skills. His bass is the real basis of this song, and it becomes clear why he is the "leader" of the band.

The Rest!

3. Lover Boy
Bored now. Next track. Seriously, however, I found very little here to differentiate this track from most of Japan's other rock bands. It feels like the filler that it probably is. The guitar hook is repetitive and the chorus is, as I've pointed out, boring. Pass over this track, the next track will have you "Feeling Fine".

8. REVELATION
Note to Laruku here: don't try to be Marilyn Manson, because what you do with your own style is so fun to listen to! This sounds like a watered down mix of "The Beautiful People" and "The Fight Song". hyde's voice and Ken's intense guitars almost save this song.


In summary, please buy this album when you see it, and if you don't see it, demand it. If you like rock and roll music, especially the Japanese brand, you can't do better than L'Arc~en~Ciel. Fans might be right, and this might not be the best Laruku album out there. Still, don't be fooled. This is one hell of a band, and SMILE is one hell of an introduction to them.

Features
Kiss ,READY STEADY GO,Lover Boy ,Feeling Fine,Time Goes On,Coming closer,Forever,REVELATION,Living in Your Eyes, Spirit Dreams Inside, READY STEADY GO - hydeless version

Review Equipment