Album Review: 楔-kusabi- KAT-TUN

J-Pop boyband KAT-TUN are back, smaller than ever, with only 4 of the original 6 remaining, and they’ve come to us with their new 10-track album 楔-kusabi-

My first (mini/)album review since Seungri’s. I must warn you, this is my first KAT-TUN release, so I don’t know crap about them. I am being completely honest on this one; there is no bias. Unfortunately, this also means I don’t really know which voice is whose…

                

楔-kusabi-

First track, title track. I love this song. It is perhaps my favourite song off the album. I heard a snippet of it during Henshin Interviewer no Yuutsu (sorry Maru, I don’t think you’re too good in acting) and I knew it was going to be good. It is good. Kind of upbeat, but not too dance, it is the perfect pop. I think it’s a proper track to have as the title. Their voices really suit this one and blend well. I like the mystic theme.

Gimme Luv

(Aargh why not just ‘give me love’?!)

They made a PV for this one too, as it’s such a different track from kusabi- and they wanted to show off the variety in this album. Personally, it’s not my favourite. It’s an upbeat rock-edge song, definitely more moving than kusabi-. I just am not a fan of rock-type pop songs. They all sound very similar and it’s like they take the worse aspects of each genre. Anyway, this one is just not my favourite.

ON & ON

This song will always be quite adored by KAT-TUN fans, mainly because it features Maru’s beatbox. I do like the parts, but the chorus totally killed it for me. It is way too bright and sounds almost kiddish, which is so different from the cool, edgy parts. The parts are great, but the chorus sounds like some kids’ anime OST.

Fire and Ice

This song was just not much liked on the first listen. It has the same problem as ON & ON, though not as extreme: the chorus is disappointing. It’s better though; the chorus still carries the theme. I adore the parts, now that I listen to this song again– they’re sweeter than the chorus.

Bless

I love this song. It’s my favourite song in the album, along with Kusabi. Their voices are gorgeous in this. It’s a rather soft pop song, with a lot of high notes. I will be very disappointed if I find out I’ve been mistaking Junno’s voice. Because he sounds beautiful in this– they all do, actually. These guys are damn skilled.

4U

The heartwarming song, I like to call this. It’s rather generic, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good. I like it, though it’s a letdown after the beauty of Bless. For the first time in a Japanese song, I like the use of English. It lets the warmth of the song’s lyrics come through to non-Japanese speakers (such as myself). The whole song is just perfect for winter.

Phoenix

What a dramatic end to the tracklist. This really should be some opening theme of some mystic, occult series. The chorusing at the start really gives me chills. There is no other way to describe this song other than dramatic and powerful. When I listen to the song I think of witchcraft and black magic.

Bonus tracks:

Boku Naru no Koi

Romantic ballad. Honestly, it’s not too special. Among all the songs on Kusabi, only this and Fire and Ice didn’t get a place in my playlist (Kusabi and Bless are on my special playlist, too). I expect more from ballads, as they can get a little boring if they’re not done right, and unfortunately this one wasn’t too good. I love their voices together in the chorus, though.

Fantastic Planet

I like this song. It was what Gimme Luv (never typing out that name ever again) should have been. It’s a bit more rockish, and is quite interesting. The opening (was that Kame?) was great.

And so to the end:

Favourite Song: kusabi and Bless

Least Favourite Song: Gimme Luv 

Rating: 7/10

And that's all from me for now, I recommend this album, and I suggest you buy it

And I'm so sorry Hoya.