Album: Untitled (Arashi/嵐)

Once more, Arashi has graced us with an original studio album!

Before anything, it's important to acknowledge that there was a certain level of quality content reached by Japonism that will be hard to ever live up to and/or reach again. Japonism was the perfect blend of tradition and pop culture -- it paid homage to the insanely unique cultural identity of Japan while elevating Arashi's music without sacrificing a certain level of pop that makes Arashi uniquely Arashi. This blend and balance was exactly what Japonism was intended to achieve, and it succeeded beautifully. That was really something else.

Moving on from that, Arashi released Are You Happy? in 2016, sending fans into an existential crisis over their states of well-being. In contrast with the far-reaching goals of Japonism, AYH was marketed as a way for Arashi to show "the current Arashi according to themselves." I thought this was a great goal, because it showed that at the center of all their success, Arashi is Arashi, and that's really all they need. You can read my AYH review over here.

This brings us to 2017. Arashi has released 「untitled」, with the very deliberately titled 未完 (Mikan/"Unfinished") as its main track. As the theme suggests, this album is meant to showcase Arashi's versatility and is meant as a creative challenge for the members to experiment with different genres, suggesting that Arashi is continuously evolving and changing to adapt to the times. This is a great theme because it allows for space so the members can take more creative liberties and try out things they wouldn't normally try out. It's also great for listeners - fans and casual listeners alike - because it's never boring to listen to and you get something new with every track.

As a general review, I thought this was a great album filled with beautiful music. Each track was a fun surprise. Arashi doesn't go to the extremes with their experimentation, but they give you a taste of every genre in their own Arashi way. What's great is that Arashi's literally a national idol group in Japan - they are everywhere there, and they could churn out boring pop song after boring pop song and the fans would eat it up. But instead, they're taking risks and trying out new things, and in the process, they allow their fans to be exposed to different types of music too. They don't need to do this, but they did, and the result is a really incredible album. ♥

Okay, this has gone on long enough. Let's go to the song by song review! I'm gonna go ahead and stick to my Ninomiya rating system, lol.

DISC 1

• Green Light
  I actually loved this song right from the first time I listened to the promotional cut in the JE website. It's catchy and upbeat, with a serious tone pretty similar to Mikan. This could also have been a good main track I think.
  Rating: 4.5/5 Ninomiyas!
  
• つなぐ (Tsunagu/Connection)
  In my not so humble opinion, this is legitimately the best Arashi single in recent memory. It is an absolute bop from start to finish, it has unexpected Japanese elements to it that makes it fun to listen to over and over again, it has good lyrics, it has a sick beat, a beautiful music video... it's just a really good song overall.
  Rating: 20/5 Ninomiyas. YEAH YOU READ THAT RIGHT
  
• ｢未完｣ (Mikan/Unfinished)
  I definitely belong to the faction that was confused by this when I first heard it on Baystorm. This song has so many things going on that it definitely makes sense to have that title. Still, when I listened to it in its entirety, the song actually flows pretty well and has a catchy hook. Its lyrics also convey the idea of being okay with being a work in progress, which is nice.
  Rating: 4.7/5 Ninomiyas. But fine, I'll give it a 5/5 because of the sick Sakurap
  
• Sugar
  This was not a new sound for Arashi, but it does have a distinct ~album song feel to it. It doesn't sound like a single, it can't be a carrier/main track, but it's still pretty catchy. It actually kind of reminds me of their LOVE- and Popcorn-era album songs, if that makes any sense. The singing of sugar is really what ties this whole track together.
  Rating: A solid 3.5/5 Ninomiyas. It was just a'ight for me.
  
• Power of the Paradise
  I used be meh about this song but it grew on me so much! I love the lyrics and weep a little every time I listen to this song. It's kind of sad that the video was so boring. I mean, I know they were featuring the bridge for the 2020 Olympics and #ArashiRepresent and all that, but it was such a one-note music video that felt like such a waste for what I feel is their best Olympics theme song after Kaze no Mukou e.
  Rating: 5/5 for the song itself, but 3/5 in general because of the PV. Oop.
  
• ありのままで (Ari no Mama de/Just As You Are)
  THIS SONG IS SO CUTE. And it gives me the warm fuzzies whenever I listen to it. Especially the beginning bits with the solo-sung lines ♥ This is just one of those nice, laid-back songs with lyrics that make me feel All The Things and ahhhh. Yes. I can listen to this forever. (Shoutout to my brother, who is tired of hearing "that master piece song" hahaha.)
  Rating: 5/5 for inspiring people to be okay with struggling and taking it slow
  
• 風雲 (Fuuun/Rain and Clouds)
  This the Rock Track of the album and it's actually pretty great! I like the rhythm, the bounce, and the feel of wanting to be in a mosh pit while listening to it, lol. This seems like it would super fun to see and experience in concert because you'd just go crazy. The language the song uses is also distinctly masculine, which is different but it works! This is also a great song to exercise to -- right up there with Sakura Sake and V6's Bari Bari Buddy lol.
  Rating: 3.8/5 because this track kinda gets lost when you think about the album as a whole
  
• I'll Be There
  This single is a strong eh for me, and I always remember it as The Single Whose B-Sides Outshine The Main Track. Seriously, this had Treasure of life and Unknown! I'm gonna go ahead and say Unknown should've been in this album just because of its title, haha. But yeah, aside from the arm dancing they do (which is super fun to watch them practice), this song is  an average eh for me.
  Rating: Eh, 2/5 Ninomiyas. I literally did not even move this track to my phone to listen to, but I moved the b-sides lol.
  
• 抱擁 (Houyou/Embrace)
  THIS IS SO CATCHY I legit start dancing by myself whenever it comes on. It also did the impossible: making me appreciate Jun's voice and have a favorite line sung by JUST HIM (the start of the second verse, but particularly how he sings, "Sore ga kochira kara my love~" W H E W). What a feat! But yeah, this is such a freaking bop and I have times where I just listen to it on repeat because it makes me feel warm and safe. Haha.
  Rating: 5/5 Ninomiyas! And a bonus Ninomiya for making me appreciate Jun's ~unique voice!
  
• Pray
  WEEPS. HOW FREAKING SAD IS THIS SONG. Ballads tend to be extremes for me - I either super love them, super hate them, or forget about them altogether, and this almost fell into the third category for me. Upon really listening to the lyrics though, this just broke my heart and made me feel many things. It's not a religious song (weirdly, that genre closest to that goes to Hikari lol), but it definitely has the feel of wanting to surrender your feelings to the universe. :'( It's sad and hopeful and I love that, because I don't think Arashi has many of these kinds of songs that aren't specifically about romantic heartbreak, so this is a new thing for me.
  Rating: 4/5 Ninomiyas. I subtracted one because this song is so heatbreaking </3
  
• 光 (Hikari/Light)
  I'm so glad they put this song right after Pray because this is so uplifting and joyous and it featured a fucking gospel choir so what else do I even want right now. It has beautiful lyrics and even though it's upbeat, just imagining the pen lights in the concert pulsing to this beat is enough to make me teary-eyed. DELIVER ON THIS, JUN. PLEASE.
  Rating: 5/5 Ninomiyas. THIS WHOLE ALBUM GETS 5/5 NINOMIYAS FROM ME
  
• 彼方へ (Kanata e/To the End)
  This song is full of gravitas. I felt it was a Very Important Song, and it is actually about the power of music. I liked the feel of it - it felt like a strong b-side to a main single, kind of like Sora Takaku, but more ~serious.
  Rating: 4/5 Ninomiyas! It's a good song but it also tends to get lost in the overall scheme of this album
  
• Song for you
  HONESTLY, their Music Station performance of this murdered me. It shot me straight to the heart with Ohno's voice and I could not get over the three lines they sang. They better freaking do this whole song in concert, and they better do it in front a screen featuring a collage of their formative group experiences. I love how many different shifts they did in this song, how much experimentation and creativity went into it, and how the whole thing comes together to weave a great tapestry. My favorite bits are the melodies at the very beginning and the very end, as well as the "Deau bekushite deai / Kanjiru bekushite kanjita" parts. So catchy! So heartfelt!
  Rating: 11/5 Ninomiyas because it should get 1 Ninomiya for every minute!

DISC 2

• バズりNIGHT (Bazuri Night) - Ohno/Sho/Aiba
  ... If crack fic were a musical genre, this would be it. What the heck what this even supposed to be? Just a mishmash of words they drew from a hat? I mean, this is the kind of behavior I'd expect for Ohno and Aiba together, and I'm gonna just go ahead and assume Sho just went with it. I don't know, you guys. This is almost as bad as Bad Boy.
  Rating: ... I don't even know how to rate this in Ninomiyas. Nino would probably give it 0 Ninomiyas so I'll go with that.. 0/5 Ninomiyas for a song I don't hate but I really don't understand!
  
• 夜の影 (Yoru no Kage/Key of the Night) - Ohno/Nino/Jun
  YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. This really outshines everything. It kind of echoes Nino's Kyou to Onaji Asu ga Kuru but it's also so much better. The harmonizing at the "clap clap clap" parts, the sickest beat ever, that freaking first line, just everything about this is so great. I'm weeping you guys. I can't wait to see the performance for this.
  Rating: ALL THE NINOMIYAS
  
• UB - Aiba/Nino
  This felt like a such a simple, sweet, and intimate song. I LOVE that we finally have a song whether Aiba is, by the nature of duets, featured heavily that isn't cracktastic or too annoyingly upbeat. I mean, I enjoyed Disco Star and all that, but once in a while, it's nice to listen to Aiba just singing (there's a sentence I never thought I'd say), and I'm not too surprised this happened because of a duet with the guitar-playing Nino. Thank you Nino for exposing this side of Aiba we rarely get to see!
  Rating: 4.7/5 Ninomiyas! I subtracted the 0.3 because this is about a unit bath apparently. I don't know.
  
• Come back - Sho/Jun
  Ah, yes, the infamous duo that makes everyone weep (because they love them or because they're so awkward with each other, you decided). This was actually a fun song! It's kind of like Fuuun in terms of being upbeat but it's less rock-y. Sho and Jun's voices somehow go pretty well together even if I'm not a huge fan of either on their own. We may stumbled into something great here, staff-san!
  Rating: 4/5 Ninomiyas!
  
• カンパイ･ソング (Kampai Songu/Kampai Song)
  Here's an example of a what-you-see-is-what-you-get song. This song is literally just about the benefits of alcohol, getting drunk, and celebrating good times with your friends over a drink. Japan, ladies and gentlemen. This is the kind of culturally wholesome content we live for. This is the Energy Song of the new generation of Arashi fans, lmao. (Energy Song isn't even that old lol.)
  Rating: 3/5 Ninomiyas just because I keep comparing it with Energy Song, which is just a generally solid pop song that I can never get enough of

That's it! Tune in next time when I try to finally write a concert DVD review lol.