Tracklist

1. TRICK
2. NO?
3. Purple Line
4. Forever Love
5. Summer Dream
6. Ride on
7. DARKNESS EYES
8. Lovin’ you
9. Rainbow
10. SHINE
11. LAST ANGEL -TOHOSHINKI ver.-
12. CLAP!
13. Love in the Ice
14. Forever Love -a cappella version- (CD only)
15. Lovin’ you -Haru’s “deep water” mix- (CD only)
16. Together (Bonus Track)

This is Tohoshinkis 3^rd Japanese Album and it was released on January 23, 2008. It reached #4 on the Oricon Charts and has sold 82,314 copies.

By the way, I can’t find the album scans (mainly because of it’s single letter title), so I just posted some other pictures from their T Tour DVD.

Kay Rochelle, here it is. The review I promised you ages ago!

The album of male erotic starts off with the very confusing song TRICK. It is actually a combination of 4 different songs that were released later on as separate singles. Really, TRICK is a big mess, and very confusing. I know I can’t understand Japanese, but all those “break a trick” lines sung throughout the song confused me. (I’m kinda curious as to what they’re actually singing about). There’s a lot of stuff mashed up in this song. But hey, it’s still a decent opening track. Energetic, danceable, and catchy. I really liked the brass being played at times, although I sometimes wanted to punch some of the guys and their solo lines.

Following the chaotic Trick is NO. I was actually surprised with this song because it’s a very nice relaxing R&B track with a bit of a jazz feel to it. While the music is nice, and the vocals are fine, there is no interesting hook to this song. The verses just seem to go on, and the chorus feels really dry too.

Ah FINALLY, MALE STRIPPERS. Or at least, that’s how I like to think about Purple Line. One of the hottest songs on this album, Purple Line was originally released as a single. It has a heavy urban American feel to it (just think Love Paradox just better). The guys here definitely pull of that really hot sexy feel to the song, and the beats are extremely addicting. However, I think the song could have been way better. The verses aren’t too interesting, and the chorus actually could have been way catchier than it was. I also wished that the energy in the bridge was heard more throughout the song. But hey, at least we all know that one of the guys want to “Touch themselves”. But really, I think we all know this by now. They’re a bunch of “supposedly straight” guys that live/sing/perform together, and I’m sure they miss boobs and va-jay-jay quite a lot since they’re used to seeing abs and penis’s. Seriously guys, just fuck each other already (all of us will be happy).

And now I went overboard.

MOVING ON

Hey, remember when I talked about how Tohoshinki has this strange raspy thing going on with their voice (that my beloved K luckily doesn’t have)? Well, here’s your chance to hear it, as the first guy who sings in this song apparently didn’t drink water before singing this song. Surprisingly though, my very weird taste has made actually enjoy the raspiness of their voices. While Forever Love is filled with these raspy vocals, I still loved it so much. It’s a gorgeous ballad, and it just feels heartfelt. Really, while these guys do need a bit of work with their pop works, their ballads are always gorgeous. I just kinda wish those high notes they reached weren’t as strained and shaky. Plus, the song is a bit too long.

I shall agree with my fellow reviewer from Feel Like Dance, that Koreans sure do enjoy the summer. I mean, hot shirtless guys in the beach dripping wet, what more could anyone with haywire hormones could ask for? At first, I thought Summer Dream was painfully generic. Yeah, it just felt really generic, but after giving it a thorough listen, it’s not as generic as I though. It’s a fun happy poppish summer song from Tohoshinki, and I loved the poppy-ness to their voices. I also loved those little adlibbing parts, although I wished those had more of an “umph” to them. In addition, the rap section definitely did it for me too. Oh, and guess what, someone else here is apparently singing about wanting to be touched. Mmmm…hot Asian shirtless guys at the beach touching each other below the waist. Yum.

HOLY CRAP THEY’RE NAKED AGAIN. If you guys though Purple Line was hot, then you guys are going to find Ride On hotter than the center of sun hot (which is around 15700000 kelvins). Seriously, Ride On is GOD DAMN HOT. The song is filled to the brim with this intense serious hot sweaty man on man action music that sounds a bit Arabian. I especially enjoyed those adlibbing parts sung in the chorus as it really makes the song even sexier than it already is. I just kinda wished they had a tougher feel to their vocals. Like a 5 o’clock shadow kinda sound to it. But they’re Asian men, and most likely have no facial hair (lucky bastards). That, AND WHERES THE HEAVY BREATHING? Britney Spears did it. It worked. Why didn’t these guys sound like they were having intense serious hot sweaty man on man action?

Ah, I remember when I first listened to Darkness Eyes. I automatically fell in love, and actually found a link to a live performance of it. It was pretty damn hot, and I also think they were doing some dancing in a cage. Why is it hot? I have no idea, but it was just plain hot. But moving on, Darkness Eyes is actually a very serious dark pop number from them that they pull of perfectly. I love the constant beats and serious arrangement to it. The arrangement does get repetitive, even to the point where you have a hard time hearing the boys themselves, but they, at least it’s good right?

Crap, the guys finally decided to put their clothes back on. I mean, we all need a wholesome image (wholesome my ass) for the ballad Lovin You right? I remember a friend of mines in Drama Club playing this on the computer, and me and my other friend were like “OMG, IT’S DBSK!”. I’ll admit, Lovin You is actually the first ballad on this album that I automatically fell in love. Mainly, its chorus. While it is repetitive since all it really is is the lyrics “Lovin You” sung over and over, but that’s what makes it easy to remember. However, after a while, I started to get tired of this song, as it seems to drag on for a while. That, and who else found it hilarious that only one guy actually sang the chorus while the guys just did harmonies in the background? It just screams “Morning Musume and Resonant Blue”. Really, DBSK has no hierarchy, so how about you guys try not being like Morning Musume and actually letting some of the other guys actually sing too?

Ah everyone, here it is, the song I was looking for. The generic song in the bunch of good ones. Well actually, Rainbow is really like that. The guys decided to take a break from all the chaos and go for something relaxing. It’s similar to No, but it has a sparkling pop feel to it. It’s a rather simple song that actually puts a smile on your face! The simplicity of the song was nice. You know what, forget about what I said in the beginning of this paragraph. Rainbow isn’t a generic song. I’m liking it quite a lot actually. It’s chill. Although I’m bothered about them singing about “my girl”. Guys, you’re gay. Come on.

You know, I really like to hear songs where the singers actually let themselves belt it out. Surprisingly, I never thought they’d actually “belt it out” in a pop number like SHINE. I finally get to hear the guys try to sing things out, and they do a very good job on it. However, I think Shine wins for the dullest song on the album. The only thing I like about it is the freaky bridge, but other than that, the song could have been more energetic, as it feels like the song is dragging on and on. Plus, it feels like we’ve heard this already. (I actually thought they were going to be singing the Summer Dream lyrics at some part)

I remember fighting with myself about what I thought of Last Angel, the collboartion done with Koda Kumi. However, after listening to The Tohoshinki Version of Last Angel, I have finally made up my mind. The original with Koda Kumi was better, WAAAY better. Seriously, Tohoshinki fails BADLY at singing Last Angel by themselves. While I didn’t mind their raspy vocals before, they totally screw up on this song. They NEED Koda Kumi for this. They overemphasize their vocals way too much here, and a good portion of the time, all the guys sound like their throats are inflamed. Why did Tohoshinki get a solo version, but Koda didn’t?

After that horrid trash, I’m glad to be treated to something I can stand. Clap! is another pop number kinda like Shine, but much better. They truly show their vocals here in this songs by really belting it out here, and sounding quite good. The song is infections, and I just loved how they sang “clap your hands together” with the sound of actual clapping in the background. Plus, the music is rather interesting as it is still pop, but it still sounds like a bit of Ride On rubbed on to it if you listen closely to the song, giving it a slight “jungle adventure” feel to it.

I’m sure that by now, you know I love it when Tohoshinki does ballads, and after listening to Love In The Ice I can say that this is one of their best songs on the album. While Lovin You and Forever Love were pretty good, Love In The Ice truly beats them all. The song is absolutely gorgeous, as the guys really belt out their vocals here. Plus, the arrangement just sounds so grand, epic, and extremely heartfelt. As soon as the chorus burst in from the short pause, I literally experienced goosebumps. I’m surprised at how well Tohoshinki did in this song. Their vocals can make anyone melt inside and out. Especially the end. Seriously, I finally have faith in these guys and their singing abilities. I’m still experiencing goosebumps. <33333333 Truly epic.

You know, I swear to god, I love these men even more now. I absolutely LOVE the Acapella Version of Forever Love. Their vocals are absolutely perfect here, and they really should do more acapella songs. The solos are amazing, and the guys do such an amazing job with their harmonies. They do it so well, and I finally get to hear the vibrato’s clearly. It doesn’t sound like they’re shaking, it just sounds slightly earthshaking. Plus, this song is shorter than the original. Listen to it. Seriously guys.

HOLY CRAP, MORE MELTING BALLADS FROM TOHOSHINKI. The Haru’s Deep Watermix of Lovin You is much better than the original. While I did like the poppiness of the original, I was getting sick of it. I prefer this version as it adds a more serious guitar to the song, along with the sound of water droplets. The music feels a bit empty at times, but that’s what I like about it. I finally get to hear the vocals here even better, and actually, the arrangement is quite interesting.

NO, WHY MUST IT ALL END. WHY TOHOSHINKI! JUST WHEN I STARTED TO HAVE AN ACTUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH ALL 4 OF YOU GUYS, AT THE SAME TIME. But anyway, ending this album is the happy track Together. It’s extremely playful and happy, and kinda feels like BoA’s Kissing You, but not as crappy. The beats are loud and enteraining (they kinda make me think of simple around the house instruments being played). Plus, the song is adorable, REALLY adorable. And adorable with Asian guys always means one thing! HOMOSEXUALITY! The chorus screams it with lyrics such as “lets get together!” and during the verses with lyrics like “I love you” and “You’re my friend!”. I’m sure this song is just saying “Hey, we worked our butts off on this album, lets go to my house and celebrate with drinks, getting drunk, then having a wild sex orgy!” It’s fun way to end the album, and it still proves to me that they’re gay (at least in my head)

So what can I say. I was ready to just say this album sucked overall, just because it came from a boyband. For some reason, I have this habit of thinking that Asian girl or boy bands have a generic sound to their albums (bad experiences). But man was I BLOWN AWAY. Almost all the tracks on here are top notch, the boys do quite a lot. From the hot sexy and sweaty Purple, to the cute happy tracks like Together, to their amazing jaw dropping ballads like Love In The Ice, these guys definitely have talent. I can finally make the conclusion that this is an amazing album, and it’s worth the listen, especially if you are trying to get into them like how I did. Plus, if you’re the kind of person who has a dirty mind like me, you’re going to have fun with this album. TONS of fun.

Overall Rating:

5 out of 5

Thanks to these guys for the scans!