http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV-xkGlrQ34

Sawao looks older and sounds younger.

well it doesn't help that there's a spotlight blasting in his face.

anyway the moral of the story is
i came.

Amazing song. I love this version. I just wish the guitars were louder than Sawao, like they were on FLAG STAR.

Wow - this is one of those rare instances where Sawao actually knows what language he is singing in, and therefore gives the song a relevant name in said language. You know, instead of two English words put together that may or may not have anything to do with the song, that may or may not even be mentioned in the song.

I'm not sure how much I like this song. I've never been disappointed by anything the pillows have done, including this song, but this video didn't get me wet in the pants like, say, when "Scarecrow" came out. It seems kind of vanilla.

This is Sawao's way of saying "I'm getting old"

Also
[quote="sheerheartattack"] You know, instead of two English words put together that may or may not have anything to do with the song, that may or may not even be mentioned in the song.[/quote]

I'd sig this

The lower level of the guitars may have something to do with YouTube quality, actually, but we won't know for sure until the single comes out.

I love this song, but I'm not totally feeling Manabe's guitar on this one. It just doesn't feel quite how I expected it to when I heard the acoustic version. It'll probably grow more on me, and there are parts of it that I really like about his part, but it didn't totally grab me the way his guitar usually does on their "epic" songs.

I'm pleased with this song. For me, its probably going to stick more than 1989, and BOTH are great songs. I agree that Sawao's voice is pretty stable in this one, and the instrumentals are pretty sick. But they're a little too Pied Piper-ish for me. Not that I don't like Pied Piper. I'm giving it a 9/10.

Can't wait for the single!

I'll take three!

I agree mostly with Marekenshin. If we received a straight-up conversion from acoustic to electric, I think this song would be hella beast. As it is now, I'm really not feeling the guitars, nor the first 2/3rds of Manabe's solo. They should really turn distortion down for this song.

Let me clarify: I was expecting an epic, soulful ballad a la Strange Chameleon and the like. There are definitely parts I really dig, and I like the effects Sawao's doing on his guitar (just like Last Holiday though, mostly haha), I just was expecting something even more...moving I guess?

EDIT: Cool points include the Hybrid Rainbow airships and the Living Field-esque cactus/black and white coloring.

Mare is right, the guitars are far too soft. Sawao's vocals dominate the entire song.
The solo was soft as well and could have been more powerful if it were louder with more
Distortion. I'm not saying a dominating vocal song is bad, Sawao's vocals are at his best
right now, I mean just listening to the end...

Ameagari ni mita maboroshi is by far my favorite of their latest work. Flag Star was great, but I dig
Ameagari more for its vocals, I just wish the guitars were louder, more powerful you know?

Whoever wins the contest, tell Sawao to go back to the Cyclone! And yeah Alucard, good call on the need for Flag Star crunch here, I thought the same thing

I like the new sound of this song. It does need more volume to the guitar though, as many of you have said.

Also, does anyone find the shot of Sawao looking under his hair at about 4:57 in the PV really creepy?

That was pretty flippin' sweet, I liked seeing the airship from the hybrid rainbow video.

[quote="ladybirdgirl"]Whoever wins the contest, tell Sawao to go back to the Cyclone[/quote]

Yeah, and be sure to tell Manabe to back to his custom Sago, and tell Jun to go back to his black/red Jazz bass, and tell Shin to go back to his standard Tama (or whatever) drum kit?
Learn 2 Fender offset body shapes.

- I'm hoping Maboroshi is the same sort of case as the Kanojo wa Kyou upload on Youtube, where one of the guitar tracks is mysteriously gone. I felt there was too much vocal, too little guitar. Yes.

- The transfer over to the pre-chorus (yeah?) right after the solo, with "Umi hazushita" seemed really awkward and quick.

- I feel like the core of this song is pretty strong. Stronger than Last Holiday, less heavy and belabored. But the way it's presented is a little...hm. It needs more breathing room. Lower vox, and a bit more atmosphere. The energy builds too early, I think. It starts to get tense around [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV-xkGlrQ34#t=1m18s]here[/url], rather than really building up to the ending, although the ending is indeed stronger.

Maybe that's sort of where the pillows' writing style kind of shoots itself in the foot. They show their "big chorus" hand too early, so its effect is lost towards the end. They've only really changed it up in a few tracks. Open up your music player and head over to Something Like a Romance. You know how Manabe teases you at 1:23 with that declining riff and they go back into another verse, before busting out the chorus? It makes you really anticipate the chorus, rather than just giving you everything right off the bat.

Funny Bunny did it too, a few verses before the chorus finally hits at the half way point. It's really effective, and I feel like Sawao is rushing things a bit with this track...

Anyone get me?