I have to say, i'm not really diggin their new style. For some reason, their sound isn't as engaging as their stuff from a few years back, due to the songs on this album being noticably slower than their previous work. A lot of them. I seriously think they were better off with Nakayama. Granted, imo, it is a bit better than their self titled. anyone else listened?

Better than the last album, though barely. The vocals were good. I really liked IdOL and CHOCO. I didn't really mind the slower pace of a lot of the songs on the album, as I'm a fan of the slower, more serious stuff a lot. The guitar work seemed a bit more varied on this one than the last one.

I like the new album quite a bit.

Some of the stuff is pretty mediocre, but a couple songs are really good.

Right now, I think the title album is better, but I only heard the songs with PVs on Maboroshi Forever. Are there any songs that really stand out on the new album?

The slower pace is somewhat nice. I'd put this above SPARTA LOCALS, probably. Though it IS missing some instantly catchy/funky tracks the previous album had, like Heart. I'm liking the title track even more. I thought the live vid of it was pretty lame...but hearing the recorded version, I'm changing my mind slowly.

IdOL is a pretty nice track.

But one thing that's bugging me about this album. The lead guitarist guy really needs to stop being so...showy and metal. As in...distortion, and doing bend-heavy solos all over the place. Maybe I just don't like the sound of his guitar here on this album...though I guess it hasn't changed much.

He just needs to slow it down and restrain himself from being all like: weeeowowow, BEEENND!!!! dugagaaga, WEEEOOOWWOWOWOEE YOWOWOWO, WAHHHPEDALLLL!!!

It's sort of annoying. edit: Ghost Town is the best example of this.

I finally got my copy in the mail yesterday, I pre-ordered it before hearing ANYTHING off of it... I never do that. But I figured what the hell, Sparta Locals fucking rule.

Anyway, I am very dissappointed and I can't believe I'm saying that. Mind you this is upon my first listen/impression, but still... what the fuck happened? This sounds like a completely different band, or at least a band INFLUENCED by Sparta Locals. Maroboshi Forever is probably the only song that stuck out for me, and that's because of the "DUN DUN DUN DUN" buildup thing at the very beginning and then the solo. The drums sound better, less brilliant then they were on "Sparta Locals" and the Mo'some Tonebender dude really isn't bad at all (I was surprised that he gets a 30 sec drum solo intro on the one song, too). But all the tunes are slow-paced, ballad-esque and pretty much uninspired; almost sounds like a soundtrack for a dorama or movie.

I will listen to it more obviouslly, since I put out the money to buy it in the first place, but my point is that "Sparta Locals" DID grab me on first listen and this didn't.

I've listened to this album a very good many times since it came in the mail (where it arrived simultaneously with scarecrow, wee!) and I must say that I am very pleased. I think it compliments the rest of there discography quite well, and I found myself very surprised to be enjoying it on the first listen (which was not quite the case w/ their self titled) Naturally it should go without saying the supremacy of some of their other work, but this is an amazingly pleasing album in it's own right (to me leastwise). There's something about that guitar tone that really appeals to me, and of course abe's voice is incredible...

anyhow, here's a psudo-translation of one of my favorite songs off of the album, 象「ぞう」(zou) (I say psuedo because, while a good chunk of it should be correct, there are also a number of places that are almost certainly terribly wrong that I pretty much took a guess at. I haven't yet asked for help from any Japanese friend, and I would definetly appreciate the help of you more experienced translators (mare) and/or japanese speakers(moonmarguarite), etc. Particularly troublesome portions are marked, though there are many more problematic parts, and I'm sure there are at least a few careless mistakes) :

とても大切な気持ちを忘れてしまうその前に
Before I completely forget that oh-so-special feeling
旅「たび」に出かけなくちゃ
I have to set out on a journey
錆び「さび」ついたオリをぶち抜いて「ぬいて」
I broke in the rusted up cell
仲「なか」前にお別れを告げた「つげた」
and told my friends that I was leaving,
”ごめんね　みんな　げんきで”
"sorry everyone, take care"

関係「かんけい」ない事が積もって「つもって」生活「せいかつ」の　埃「ほこり」り払ってのばせるので
?--> because unrelated things accumulate, and we pay life's dust
もうギリギリだった
things were already last minute

象はゆっくりと国境「こっきょう」をめざして
the elephant aimed slowly for the border
グリーングラスじゅうたんの上歩いた
and walked on top of the green grass carpet

とてもさびしい夜は冷たいから
because very lonely night is cold
あの娘「こ」と同じにおいの青い「あおい」りんごを
blue apples with the same smell of that girl
一つ食べたら少し眠気「ねむき」がきて
if you eat one a feeling of sleepiness will come
満点「まんてん」星空「ほしぞら」の毛布「もうふ」 つつまれおやすみZZZ・・・
and you will be wrapped into sleep by the soft blanket of the perfect starry sky
夢もない
this isn't a dream

「最初はこんな感じじゃなかった」と
By saying "At first it wasn't that sort of feeling"
無い事になってる日々をそう掘りおこしたんだ
you dug up days that are turning to nothing

象はたった今　国境「こっきょう」を越えた「こえた」
the elephant just now crossed the border
ラストシーンはまだハッピーならいいけど
it's good if the last scene of the movie is happy, but...

俺にこれから何がんだろう
nothing will happen to me from now on, will it?
君にこれから何がんだろう
nothing will happen to you from now on, will it?
耳をすまして耳をすましてごらん
strain your ears, just strain your ears

遠く「とおく」の方からトントントン　太鼓「たいこ」の音が聞こえる
a tapping comes from far off, you can hear the sound of a drum

I put off listening to this album for a long time since I was expecting it to suck just as much if not more than their self-titled album. Wow, was I surprised. I would definitely put this album on the same level as Dreamer and Sun Sun Sun. While they do sound a lot different from their earlier albums, I like the new direction they're taking.

Miihaa Her = perfection. I just love it when great bands RTFO. Reminds me of Zensokuryoku de Toomawashi by The Pees. Just loud and rocking.