MISS TAKE (+DVD, Limited Edition)

I ordered this back in April as a pre-order, and have been waiting for a long time for it to arrive... and it’s finally here! (outside Japan) I am a BUCK-TICK fan, but I’m very choosy with what I listen to- I don’t agree with ”BUCK-TICK can do no wrong”- I prefer to be more objective. Each individual song of theirs I listen to, I approach as if it were the first time I’ve heard them as a band, and judge according to artistic merit. I feel that as artists, they deserve a firm and fair unbiased critique, and nothing less. Which makes it a pleasure to be able to say honestly that this is one of the best singles they’ve put out in years. I’ve had ”MISS TAKE” stuck in my head since the first time hearing it on NicoNico Live- very memorable. They’ve managed to recapture the elusive spirit they’ve had before, that’s been missing from quite a bit of their work this past decade. The second song, ”Only You” is not quite as good- it’s got a bit of the odd, jarring, geeky, goofy feel that they bring to their music sometimes. (much like the goofy anthem, ”Baby, I want you.”... reminiscent of Tom Jones’s weirdness, but fun if you’re in a playful mood. It makes me laugh into tears every time) But even so, I think that it has the potential to become a favorite for ”lives”... you just have to be in a strange mood to enjoy it to the fullest. The third song- ”My Baby Japanese”- a re-do of one of their ”B” songs from the late 90’s, I was a bit worried about as well from the sound clips I’d heard online; but if you approach it as something new, not re-made, then it’s also got a special spark to it. (a bit of me cringes though, heartbroken that they got rid of the CyberPunk Breakbeat style which I’ve loved) The PV that comes with this limited edition CD single set, ”MISS TAKE”, is much higher quality than their last one, ”Elise no Tame ni”, and very addictive... though the cinematography is still unflattering to the band most of the time. The high-contrast lighting with a bluish-cast is repellent, detracting from an otherwise attractive band. Terrible makeup- especially Sakurai’s： with his eyebrows missing for most of the video, he appears almost expressionless... which makes it harder to empathize with what he’s singing, and pulls you out of the video. (please, eyebrows! bring them back!) The photo book that comes with this set is absolutely lovely- it could easily be published as a full-sized coffee table photo book on it’s own, and sell very well. Everyone looked great, but the photography was especially flattering for Toll. Excellent work. Over all rating for the entire set： ”orgasmic”. This limited edition CD single is definitely worth the money, and then some. Very, very pleased with this purchase!

前回とは逆にメイン曲は最高。しかしCWはいまいち。ONLY YOUは普通ですが、My Baby Japaniesは原曲が駄作なので、どれだけ手を加えても駄作です。もっと六月の沖縄やナルシルなどをリメイクしてほしかった。それと初回盤の値段高すぎ。前回みたいにLIVE ALBUMが付いているわけでもないのに、しょぼい写真集付きで2500円は高いだろう。せめて1800円ぐらいにするべきだ。でもメイン曲とそのPVはGOODです。