Diamond 15

[zberry]

After the Kohaku performance, I had to reassess Diamond 15. The performance of yasashii kisu o shite blew me away and that song is now officially in the "new DCT classics" category - songs that are destined for a place in the top-tier of DCT songs that you have to listen to over and over again. I also have mascara no matsuge, olai vittoria, hi no ji, and hajimari no la as new DCT classics. Asahi no senrei may be a sixth.
But hey, more songs could join that list. Douzo yoroshiko and love letter are awesome songs too.
The point is, Diamond 15 is a really strong album, IMO. The more I listen to it, the more I love it. It sounds really great when you just play it through from beginning to end. In fact, I'm sure that's what they want (because of the opening and closing themes).
There are so few artists who have the ability to write a collection of great songs, craft them into a cohesive album, and make the album succeed as a stand-alone piece of art on its own.
My favorite tune so far is hi no ji, and I can't even tell you what's about it. But I love it.
One thing is for sure, the upcoming tour is going to be awesome. Talk about strong material for the shows. Can you imagine being there when they sing Ole Vittoria or Hajimari no La? Plus, DCT's recent appearances on TV have been killer. Well, I'll be praying for a tour DVD.

[LosAngeles]

My take on this album is it's got the 'core' of what I love about DCT, especially in the pre-SING OR DIE albums, built on the strength of many good singles, fairly easy to listen end to end, a strong followup to mgo (without the jarring electronica clatter that punctuated mgo & Monster), and the odd silly track thrown in just to prove they're still DCT and Japanese, I guess... ^_^.

I found DIAMOND 15 didn't require the usual 'reassessment' or 'warming up' that I've felt after the last few DCT albums, certainly not the odd alien feeling that I got after spinning the Monster for the first time (I've since partially recovered, but it's still my least played DCT album). Indeed, most of these tracks have at least some element of familiarity about them, perhaps because DCT has weathered a growth-phase and are comfortable in their bigger boots... or maybe I am, I dunno which exactly.

Here's my two-yen tour of DIAMOND 15.

Theme - not much to it, orchestral (all-keyboards) echo of 'Canon' from mgo, this opener is basically a bit of palatable appetizer, sung all in English and transitions pretty OK into...

Asahi no Senrei - for me this heralds this album as a 'return to form' for the group, echoing 'Kessen no Kin'youbi's' R&B spunk very closely... it's a nice 'throwback' to their roots.

Mascara Matsuge - still haven't embraced this song, somehow doesn't totally mesh for me, but it's not bad either, it has brass, nice David Spinozza fretwork, and has some nice sentimental crooning by Miwa to boot...

Douzo Yoroshiku - great blend of punchy pop verse and swinging chorus, I warmed up to this track pretty quickly, time will tell if this one holds up for the long haul...

Love Letter - this has really grown on me in the past month since the video appeared on dctgarden.com... though I agree with others' opines that the video is dead flat boring, this is actually a very sweet song.

Ima mo - somehow evokes Streisand's 'Evergreen' for me, with a little brassy kick in the chorus... sweet, possibly insipid, but fits well after Love Letter and before...

Music Transfers - very slow buildup at intro, but once it gets rolling into it's disco-beat it's catching... great crooning all over by Miwa, nice sax, short and sweet.

Ola Vitoria - what's with all the Portuguese? a football/soccer anthem? I've grown rather tired through repeat listenings of the 'shout outs' in this track, but it's yet another typical leap into 'What hasn't DCT done yet??' waters for them... what next? German polka? OK, it's not really that irritating overall, just that I've listened to it a lot while waiting for the album to come out... certainly though, this is the most enerving track on the album...

Innocent - obligatory(?) dance track; generally not my fave sub-genre that DCT usually tackles, but a listenable track with good use of vocal layering and has that Miwa blend of jazz and pop that holds it together...

Holiday - I love this 'B-Side' of Ola! Vitoria! I warmed to it quickly, and it's now one of my contemporary DCT favorites! If you can, check out the instrumental version on the single too... it's what easy listening should be!

Hi no Ji - nice. Reminiscent of Kerokero, but sweetened up by the "ah-ah" backing vocals and Celtic-orchestral backing. A nice jolt from the previous several tracks, and a good lead in to...

Yasashii Kiss wo Shite - another DCT classic! has everything you expect, good punch, orchestration, lyrically hits home... 2004's equiv of LOVE LOVE LOVE...

Takaku agare! - honestly I haven't spent much time on the lyrics on this track, but the overall feel is pleasant... another 'true to form' track for Miwa and Masa incorporated...

Hajimari no la - yet another sweeping ballad, but a wonderful one! Pure DCT! ...at this rate they'll have their "Best of DCT volume 2 (3?)" in the can in no time!

Hatsuyuki - Nowhere near as artistic or moving as their typical album closers, no Gekkou here, not even Oyasumi no Uta... just a little ditty about waiting for the first snowfall... but it doesn't fizzle either, and given the overall strength and integrity of DIAMOND 15, this works out fine.


I'd love to hear what everyone else has to say about the tracks on DIAMOND 15, somebody else chime in?

[Yom]

hey hey

Typically I had left Japan before Diamond15 was released but a friend of mine sent it over to me. I have to say I love it. Its gone back to how amazing they where, not that the last few albums where bad, just not as good as the early stuff. This is great though. Its all i listen to on my iPod now hehe.