Disco de L'Arc~en~Ciel: “Real [Japan]”

At my first few listens of this album, back when it was first released, the title confused me somewhat. Was this the "REAL" L'Arc~en~Ciel? If so, why was this such an incoherent album?

In the end, that is what plagues REAL. Every song is a jump in a new direction and you're constantly being pulled this way and that. Throw into the mix the fact that most of these songs are just plain noisier than the usual Laruku fare and we get something that seems very un-Laruku. If anything it felt like it wasn't "REAL" at all.

Perhaps it was because they were unsure of where to go after the mega-success of "ark" and "ray" that produced such a wide variety of songs. But nonetheless, what we received was an album full of excellent musicianship and songs - even if they didn't meld together.

Of particular note is yukihiro's only contribution this time around, the opening track "get out from the shell-asian version-". It's a rare yukihiro song that actually has repeat listening value! It doesn't fall into a repetitive trap many of his other songs do and shines as perhaps his best work with the group. It's a strange opener, but exciting at the same time.

The first 8 songs are mostly comprised of fast, noisy, rock songs. There's yukihiro's fierce techno piece at track 1, the loud and aggressive "THE NEPENTHES" at track 2, the noisy and rocking "bravery" at 4, the blaring "LOVE FLIES" at number 5, the clamorous "STAY AWAY" at 7, and the speedy and energetic "ROUTE 666" rounding it out at 8. The musicianship, for the most part, is all there; these are all excellent songs. But this noisy style is not something we're used to hearing from L'Arc~en~Ciel.

Also in the first 8 songs are the excellent singles "NEO UNIVERSE" and "finale", which slow things down temporarily.

The last three songs are all quite slow and very light in comparison. "TIME SLIP" is definitely my favorite of the last three songs; a calming, yet passionate song by ken. "a silent letter" is a rather mysterious puzzle, which reaches a climax towards the middle of the song after a long, quiet section. It's the longest song on the album and perhaps the most difficult to appreciate. "ALL YEAR AROUND FALLING IN LOVE" is a L'Arc-ish, serene song by hyde that's oddly happy. While not as grand an ending as some of their earlier albums, it gets the job done.

tetsu seems to be struggling a bit for inspiration though. "bravery" is rather typical, and "STAY AWAY" sounds like he forced out a pop/rock song. When you compare it to his earlier songs like "DIVE TO BLUE" or "snow drop", it seems outright goofy. Nonetheless it's fairly catchy. "finale" is his best song on here.

The name REAL makes sense now; the sound may seem different and strange, but the songs are definitely L'Arc~en~Ciel, being who they are past all the media attention surrounding ark/ray. I wouldn't recommend this to new fans, because it's a very unique album in their line-up. But nonetheless, it's a solid collection of songs that unfortunately don't mesh very well. I wavered between a 3-star and 4-star rating for this one and had to give it the 4.

Of all of the L'Arc~en~Ciel music I have heard, "Real" is the best, most well-rounded album they have put out. The titles are all in English for the new-to-Japanese-music American and the songs show off the large amount of talent that both the musicians and the wonderful vocalist have. The first song, "Get Out From the Shell," is all in English (on the album) and is a semi-hard rockin' song. It goes directly into the seductive "The Nepenthes." Next is the light-hearted and bright "Neo Universe." The fourth song, "bravery," reminds me of a fifties ballad. (very cute) "Love Flies reminds me of...well...sex. (don't slap me) "Finale" will make you want to cuddle the vocalist. Hyde's voice sounds so full of anguish. "Stay Away" has to be put on repeat at least three times because it's just that addictive. Next we add in a little, evil grin of a song with "Route 666." (NOT DEVIL MUSIC) "Time Slip" will take you to a lounge sort of scene with the band all in tuxes and cool vocals over a smooth, laid-back sound. The tenth song on Real is arguably the best song I have ever heard. "A Silent Letter" still makes me cry every now and then. The Album comes to a close with the joyfull love song, "All Year Around Falling in Love." I HIGHLY recomend Real whether you're a die-hard Laruku fan or a curious listener.

I thought I had scratched my CD when I first heard the 4th track "bravery" playing on my CD player, but I got to listen to another REAL CD and it sounded the same, so I guess it wasn't my player or amplifier or the disc, but the music had something to do with it. I mean, Hyde's vocal was all right, but something about the percussion or something else bothered me in that song. Did such feeling happen to anyone else? Yet don't get me wrong. I love all the songs in this CD, and, yes, they are really Laruku!

This one of my favorite CD's from L'arc. i like many types of music styles including rock, hip hop and pop-rock. This L'arc CD goes under pop-rock. Many people may say their old CD's were better, but that's only to those who go for more of a rock sound. If you like japan and if you like pop rock, you hafta get this CD.