Ok so most of you are probably like “I’ve never heard of Gackt.” And I understand. It’s because he’s a Japanese singer. Yay. I’m a fan of Japanese music. And Gackt Camui is my absolute favorite singer. His voice is just so amazingly original. I have never heard anything like it, and I love it. Well I am in love with him, so all you’re going to hear from me is praise. He’s hot, he has a sexy, fantastic voice, and he is the most talented man on earth. Give him a chance! Just because he’s a Japanese singer doesn’t mean you should not listen to him. You would be missing out. The CD came in a nice slip cover, and there was a hardcover lyric book scattered with pictures. The actual CD had it own little case too.
The first song is Ares. Gackt sings a little bit at the beginning with no music, but soon a guitar begins playing quietly. This song is only 1:34, which is amazingly short. A piano comes in around 1:05, and the music is very nice for this song. This isn’t the best Gackt song out there, though, and it doesn’t really display Gackt’s amazing talent. It’s still a nice song, but not his best effort.
Asrun Dream is a song I immediately took a liking to. How could I not, with the fun, fast paced beat of guitar and drums, and Gackt singing? Yay. This track is sung with a lot of emotion from Gackt, especially during the chorus. “This blurred memory of yours, engraved deep inside of my heart, it is just like an ice.../ It melts away, leaving only a trace of shadow that makes me wonder if someone was ever here/ ...And little by little, the shadow itself will soon disappear without making any sound...” After hearing it once, this song became one of my absolute favorites.
Emu ~For My Dear~ is the third track, and it’s not quite what I expected. It is a love song, but instead of a soulful piano, we have guitar and drums and keyboards, and it makes such purty music. At one point, the music reminds me a bit of a U2 song-just at one part though. “If I stretched out my arms I could have reached your sad and painful smile/ When I close my eyes, you fade away in my dream and I wanted to hold you in my arms once again/ I will never forget the day, the scene we first met... never/ I will never let go.” Such meaningful lyrics. Yay. This song is just a tad over 6 minutes, but it doesn’t seem that long because it’s just THAT great.
Yay a fun, catchy song! U+K is the next song and I love this one too. This song is actually dedicated to Kami, a member in the band Malice Mizer, which Gackt used to be a member of before his solo career, who passed away. The lyrics are sweet and meaningful, and are set to a fast paced beat. “When the spell breaks apart/ Then the farewell would come again/ So if I can show you all of my heart now/ Then I wanna hold your hands and dance with you.” Another touching line is “In my dreams…/ Or maybe in my memories, I’ll see you again, won’t I?” Gackt is such a wonderful songwriter…
Vanilla is the fifth song. YAY!! I can’t even express how much I love this song. It’s actually the first Gackt song I ever heard, and I was so surprised by how much I loved it after one listen. It is a fast song, with trumpets, drums, and guitar, accompanied by Gackt’s amazing vocals. Wee. I think this might be my favorite Gackt song, but I don’t want to say that because I really do love all of them. I was a little surprised by the translation of the lyrics, but ah well. It’s still such an unbelievably catchy song. “Can I make love to you, on this flickering night/ Be just as you are, deeply, and more.../ Your skillful lips drive me crazy, baby let’s melt together/ I’m...your...Vanilla.” DOWNLOAD IT I’m telling you. It made me a Gackt fan; it might make you one too.
The next two songs are Freesia ~op.1~ and Freesia ~op.2~. Freesia ~op. 1~ has very pretty music and is pretty short, but it’s still very enjoyable. It’s so quiet and beautiful, and I love it. There aren’t any words in Freesia ~op. 2~. I was surprised as I sat there listening to it, because at first I was waiting for Gackt to start singing, but then I just began to enjoy the music and when it was over, I was like “Wow. That’s a really nice song even though it doesn’t have any words.” The music consists of violins and piano, and it sounds gorgeous.
Switching from calm, peaceful music, we go to Illness Illusion. I love this song, and the only way I can describe the music is by saying it sounds like carnival music. Except not really. It’s tweaked a little bit and it works quite well, and Gackt sings wonderfully yet again. The guitar sounds great, as are the drums, and even the bell we hear ringing occasionally. Yay~ “In this vanishing world, we will make love forever/ No hesitations, nor vacillations/ ‘Just follow me...’” I love this song, and it seems too short at 3:11.
Mirror is the next song. The music is fast yet again, and Gackt sings a little faster than his other songs. It’s pretty long, about 5:25. Yet, it flies by. The music is guitar, drums, and it sounds like violins and keyboards sometimes, and it’s just so catchy. “If this overflowing emotion in my heart can't be realized/ Then just finish me now/ Deliver me a fatal blow with your own hand/ ...and break my heart into pieces!” I could imagine these lyrics going with a slower song, but it really works well with the fast music.
Now we have Dears. As with Emu ~For my Dear~, this wasn’t quite what I expected. The music is sooo pretty, with guitar and violins, and drums later, and it’s faster than I expected it would be. Now, it’s kinda slow at the beginning but it really picks up about a minute through. Gackt sings this song great as always. This is a very inspirational song. “No matter how much I get hurt/ Or even if I get thrown into despair in the future/ Nothing can stop me/ Just try to find a faintest light in the dark/ It may be no sun around for now but I would say/ The rain will stop someday…/ Yes, there's no such never-ending rain.”
Another wonderful song next: Oasis. There is some weird beeping at the beginning, then the loud, fast music begins. There is some electric guitar in there, along with drums and a regular guitar. About 3:15, the music stops for a second, and I was distraught that the song was over already, but then it started up again. I love the way Gackt sings this song, and the emphasis he puts on some parts of the lyrics sounds great. “Spread your wings and rise to the air/ Become the solitary sun itself before you get burned/ Wind blows, and leads you to the sky/ Before you loose yourself.”
The last song (wah I never want it to end!) is Kono Dare Mo Inai Heya De. This baby comes in at 7:13. That is a looong song, but it is, luckily, a very enjoyable one. The song is actually a pretty sad story, but the song is lovely, with quiet guitar and drums, and Gackt sings this one great yet again, quietly at the beginning, but after the music picks up, he sings with such emotion. Around 5:30, a violin comes in, and the rest of the song is instrumental, except for some voices saying “La la la.” It’s a wonderful song to end the CD with. “The voice of yours, so small and fading away, was calling my name/ And that figure of yours is an unforgettable memory of mine/ When I turn back, I can’t help myself to think you’re right there as you used to be/ Why am I trembling in this empty room/ Tell me…/ Why am I shedding tears, in this lonely room/ Tell me…/ Please, let me embrace her once again…”
I am so happy I have this CD. Gackt is really a very talented singer, and I have not heard one song of his that I didn’t like. And did I mention Gackt wrote ALL the songs on this CD? Such a multi-talented man… I would definitely recommend this to anyone because I am delighted to own it. Yay. Go buy it.
~Lyric translations from: Sawasdee Gackt at http://ca.geocities.com/juggajun/index.html~
Thanks to lambchops for adding this CD to the database!
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