WaT – 36ºC

36ºC was WaT’s 8th single. It was released October 29th, 2008.

Tracklist

1. 36ºC
2. Seishun no Kagayaki
3. 36ºC (Instrumental)
4. Seishun no Kagayaki (Instrumental)
5. Shiosai no Gogo

36ºC begins a tad bit rockier than I was expecting it to, but it’s totally a good thing. Electric guitar, drums and some pleasant strings open up the song before Teppei starts with the first verse, where only a timid acoustic guitar and piano are present. The verses are gentle on the ears and just seem to flow on by thanks to the guys’ vocals. The bridge starts building up on the strings until the chorus arrives. Everything picks up it’s pace and the guys’ begin singing together, which sounds just great. I would consider this song a mid-tempo ballad and I could say that WaT managed to execute it quite well, although the song itself isn’t anything extraordinary.

The first b-side is Seishun no Kagayaki which begins with some fast paced electric guitar and a progressive, soft synth in the background that does a good job of wanting you to await something big all the while you hear the boy’s muffled singing. The true instrumental bursts in and we hear this loud rock inspired pop-rock track. The verse is very instrument minimal with only acoustic guitar and some soft electric guitar in the background. Fortunately it gets slightly more intense as the verse builds on. The chorus proves to be pretty fun and the song itself is more interesting than their other material, still, nothing that will knock you out of your seat.

Last up is Shiosai no Gogo which begins with the sound of a beach shore just before some VERY well played electric guitar comes in. It gives the song this gloomy mood. Verses are as usual short on instrumentals(I never enjoy that) but it’s the chorus that makes the song semi-win. It’s the boy’s vocal performance that make sit enjoyable, as well as the melody and that killer guitar work. The better b-side.

All in all, it’s a very safe single. We managed to get a bit of everything with this single; a ballad, a rock song and a gloomy song. Each managed to stand it’s own but I don’t know if either I’m just not the biggest fan of acoustic music or that WaT’s stuff just sounds too similar.

♦Single Rating♦

WaT – Toki wo Koete ~Fantastic World~

Toki wo Koete ~Fantastic World~ was WaT’s 10th single. It was released April 23, 2008, sold 20,160  copies in it’s first week, 26,279 overall and reached #8 on the charts. Toki wo Koete ~Fantastic World~ was used for Universal Studio Japan’s “Fantastic World” commercial.

Tracklist

1. Toki wo Koete ~Fantastic World~

2. Hana Sakeba

3. WaT Kouhaku Selection

4. Toki wo Koete ~Fantastic World (Instrumental)

5. Hana Sakeba (Instrumental)

Toki wo Koete ~Fantastic World~ starts right off with it’s mediocre chorus.  The ending of it is nice, but the electric guitar that follows it is annoying. The verses are calm but manage to maintain upbeat with it’s combination of acoustic and electric guitar. The overall arrangement is pretty predictable and the song is pretty bland and forgettable, though it does make for an okay upbeat song and the boys vocals were pretty nice as well.

I much definitely enjoyed Hana Sakeba to the a-side. This track is more rock inspired and has catchier verses as well. The electric guitar is restless throughout the song and build up during the chorus, which is quite catchy and features non-stop vocals from the boys. The song has a basic arrangement, but at least it sounds good.

The third track is a medley of three songs the duo performed during Kouhaku 2007, made up of Awaking Emotion 8/5, Kimi ni Okuru Uta and Boku no Kimochi.

Overall, Toki wo Koete ~Fantastic World~ gives us a generic a-side that fails at being at all memorable and an above average, rock inspired b-side. The Kouhaku performance was a nice bonus, but it doesn’t really help in it’s rating.

♥Single Rating♥