[2008.07.23] RYTHEM - Love Call/Akari no Arika single review

Yes, it has been months since the release of this floppy collaboration single isn't it? Yes, I'm such a dope because of this indolence inside me, I wasn't able to give a review a week after it's release. Ah well at least, it already stopped charting in the Oricon weekly so it's still kinda advantageous... in some sort of way. ~_~

Tracklisting:

1. Love Call (5:22)
   
2. Akari no Arika (4:05)
   
3. Love Call -instrumental- (5:22)
   
4. Akari no Arika -instrumental- (4:04)
   

Okay, this is RYTHEM's 15th single (16th overall, including their digital single Bitter & Sweet) and their first collaboration single (with a J-hip-hop group called Kimaguren) but this is still released under SMEJ. This single reached #30 in the Oricon weekly charts with total first week sales of 3,678 copies (too few for a 30th position IMO) and charted for a total of 3 weeks so I didn't bet that this one would sell 10,000 copies but only about 7,000 or even fewer because of the decline in single/album sales nowadays. Both A-side songs have drama tie-ins, the former is in a drama called Sukkiri! (which is their 3nd tie-in with the drama after their Negai single way back 2 years ago) and the latter with Hisho no Kagami.

When I first heard that RYTHEM will be having a collaboration single, I got really REAL excited but when I happened to know that they will be collaborating with a hip-hop/R&B group, I'd lost hope with it. Why? Because the duo isn't meant to do rap and hip-hop-py styles and stuffs, not just that I HATE (yes, hate) that genre. They are much more suited into their genre, medium ballad to cheerfully light-hearted melodies just like Harmonia, which the latter A-side is. I didn't expect much since they released a low-quality full version of Love Call in their main website.

I'm not saying the song itself is gross, uncute, and unbearable to hear but it's somewhat dull and kinda boring if you ask me. Just the wrong combo of artist collab and synths/beats. With the R&B-ish intro, it could really attract but when the duo started singing, it was kinda, "oh no..." for me. Its slow beat and unattractive beats started attacking out my eardrums. So much uninspiring... Maybe Kimaguren's up for this style but not RYTHEM. So much for trying out new style, it's not really all that credible and let out the true RYTHEM. I just pretended the track didn't appear on the tracklisting (but it's not all that real! *major bricking*) What's worse is it's longer than the true star of the single so I had to bear and grit out my teeth just to get through since I won't be able to describe the feeling if I won't be listening and close my mind to this song. It's still decent music after all.

Well after this long track, I can break free again and listen to the one of the most nicest, illustrative, relaxing piece of music RYTHEM have ever pulled out in aeons. Akari no Arika is the only "RYTHEM-only" song (Love Call is the only one with Kimaguren so feel free to break free like what I did! ^__^) in this single and just by hearing the intro (in one of my posts), I'd say it's the only one who has an interesting "ring" on it, isn't it? The song itself is poppish and yet (for me) it displays a lot of happiness and creativeness within the song. Whenever I listen to this song, it feels like I'm driving in a peaceful province adorned with beautiful garden wherein you can relax, enjoy and cherish your surroundings. It may not be interpreted in the lyrics but that's the one that I fantasize while going through over the song. Plus the cheerful and great combo of YUI and YUKA's voice is also present (which isn't in the former song). Just gotta love their cheerful and overflowing voice ever since Harmonia! XDDD~ And it even has a faster tempo! The guitar beats and the melody is truthfully amazing.

Overall, I'll grade this 3.5/5 since I didn't really like Love Call but the other powerful A-side overpowered it. 8D