The all new "35XXXV " of ONE OK ROCK
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Hi guys and fellow ONE OK ROCKers!
It all comes down to this. After a several reviews/insights of OOR albums, it's now time for the album, 35XXXV, to be on the spotlight.
35XXXV (read as thirty-five) is the 7th full-length studio album of ONE OK ROCK, which was just released last February 11, 2015. This is the very first album of the band that was primarily recorded in the US, and it was also co-produced by John Feldmann.
Finally, ONE OK ROCK is now on the top of their game! They have been dreaming of this and they have worked so hard for it to come true. Only a few Japanese artists get to have the chance to make it to the US, and ONE OK ROCK is so blessed to make it this far.
So now, I'm gonna do my best to express my feelings with this American-produced album of OOR... and here it goes..
The Tracks:
- 3xxxv5 - Taka said that this was the last track they made before the album was released. Must be because they were trying to figure out the whole story of the album and I can feel a lot of mixed emotions with this intro since this is like a stepping stone for them. I love the part where they mixed the Japanese and English rap together.
- Take Me To The Top - Just like the previous albums, Niche Syndrome and Zankyo Reference, they start it off with a pure English track in this album, and that's not really shocking because I know they are trying to target the American market this time. A very powerful track that showcases all of the band's strengths. There's a lot of screams which is not bad at all.
- Cry Out - This track is one of my favorites because I love the lyrics, but....there's a big BUT! the back up vocals, I find it a bit disturbing and I don't even know why T.T
- Suddenly - It's one of those tracks in the album where I'm so-so. It's not really a bad track, it's actually catchy, plus the lyrics are in English, but this one kinda reminds me of some punk-rock bands in the US. Expect that this track is highly influenced by them.
- Mighty Long Fall - This is the OST of 'Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno'. I find this track very cool. Definitely a ONE OK ROCK original when you hear it, but again something annoys me, must be that there's too much effects in the song. I would've want it to be a bit raw, but hey! Again, they wanted to try new things, right? That's not bad at all. When I heard the acoustic version of this song, I really loved it!
- Heartache - The best track in the album everrrr!!! When I first heard this one, I almost broke down inside (know more about it here). 'Heartache' is the OST of 'Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends', and it's this song the main reason why I am THIS addicted to the band right now! (If you hear it, you'll know why). This is the album's ballad. When Taka was interviewed about their new album, he said that he was tired of singing 'Wherever You Are' during live concerts and that they really worked hard on making a new ballad piece that they can perform during lives, and it's going to be this 'Heartache' track. The part that really struck me most is the chorus.."so this is heartache...so this is heartache".. awww the chills, dude!
- Memories - I like this track from the album. There's full of teenage angst on it, and I was actually expecting that this was going to be a sucky American-influenced track, but once again, ONE OK ROCK nailed it!
- Decision (featured in FOOL COOL ROCK) - Hmmm...Yes, I know this song is one of the best in the album. I actually like it, but I prefer the acoustic version more than the full band. The only thing I hate about the full band version is that it reminded me more of Fall Out Boy, than OOR.
- Paper Planes (feat. Kellin Quinn of Sleeping with Sirens) - Trust me, this is a pop song. I'm a bit disappointed with this track. No offense to Kellin Quinn, I mean he's great, but this song is just too Americanized for me. At first, I thought this track was catchy, but at the end of the day, it's annoying! I was expecting that their collab was going to be something like whoa and not a shitty pop track.
- Good Goodbye - It's one of those tracks in the album where you are allowed to rape the replay button as much as you like. I find this one to be very relaxing. It's like if you're too disappointed with 'Paper Planes', 'Good Goodbye' is going to chill you out. Imagine that one perfect song that you want to play in your car for a long drive in a one Sunday afternoon. Taka's falsetto in the chorus is the thing!
- One By One - Are we going to a war?! haha! These guys are really fighting for their dreams, and they know that it's not going to be easy. When I first heard this one, I was trying to picture something on my mind, like the fight to achieve your dreams. It must be one hell of a war. The screams are just, ugh! Very powerful and I call it as "beautiful desperation".
- Stuck in the Middle - After going to that war, there is always a point where you're gonna think if what you're fighting for is worth it all now that you're left with nothing. I get it all in this song, and this is definitely one of those meaningful songs in the album. If you're in the middle of a mid-life crisis and you want to shout it all out, then this track must be the one for you. Take time to listen to it.
- Fight The Night - What a perfect way to end things. 'Fight The Night' is one of my faves from this album. When you hear it, you can say it's a ONE OK ROCK original, even though the intro is kinda of a Maroon 5-ish. It seems like that they really want to reach out to their fans in the west. Since ONE OK ROCK make songs not just for pure fun, but also to inspire people, they have already accomplished that here in Asia and Europe, and I can really tell that this time, they are hoping that they will also touch the hearts of their fans in America. This song is full of hope, and I know Taka is really good at making lyrics with those kind of songs in Japanese and Japlish, but this song blew me away because it was beautifully written in English.
Overall: 7/10. I love ONE OK ROCK, I really do. It's just that this album was too Americanized for me. But that's okay. I know that the band's goal with this album is to expand their popularity in the US, and I couldn't be more happy with that.
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| ONE OK ROCK: Mighty Long Fall in Yokohama Stadium |
To summarize my thoughts about '35XXXV':
- It's not that I hate it, I'm just so-so with this album. There were great tracks, and there were also not-so-great tracks, but I have a great respect for the band for their craft.
- I love the fact that they have included six (6) English tracks this time to gather more attention to their non-Japanese fans. Those tracks were Take Me To The Top, Suddenly, Paper Planes, Good Goodbye, One By One, and Fight The Night.
- I know most songs from this album have more sound effects compared to their previous albums, and that's what made this album more westernized. But whatever! I know that this band really sound better when they perform live!
...and that's it! THE END.
haha! Just kidding :)
So guys, if you haven't heard about this awesome band, ONE OK ROCK, you really gotta check 'em out. Trust me, you'll thank me one day. :P
And for those who are die-hard fans of the band, what do you think about their new album '35XXXV'? Let me know through your comments below.
check out my other ONE OK ROCK album reviews:
- Zeitakubyou (2007), Beam of Light (2008), and Kanjou Effect (2008)
- Niche Syndrome (2010)
- Zankyo Reference (2011)
- Jinsei x Boku = (2013)
By the way... There's going to be a '35XXXV' Asian tour soon, right? I'm still waiting for the announcement of dates. I really really REEEEEAAAAAAALLLLLLLLYYYYY want to see them perform LIVE! I know it's going to be awesome! I'm sure all fans of ONE OK ROCK are dying to meet them in person, and I'm definitely one of them.
Stay tuned for more blog posts! I'll share my top 10 favorite songs of ONE OK ROCK very soon :)
'till next post! - k*
6 comments
Yes, OOR's latest album is definitely for the American audience. (I wonder how their Japanese fans feel about that.) While I fully support their effort to expand their market overseas, I am a bit wary of the music direction they are headed to. Given the fact that this album finally got OOR to the Oricon chart and record sales are good, it is more likely that we are going to hear more of this "new" sound on their next album projects. For now, 35xxxv still rates high for me but at the same time, I'm hoping OOR will not veer away to much and sound more American than this.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Paper Planes track, the album could do without it. Like what I said before, if I wanted a pop song, I would turn to other acts, not OOR.
Thank you for your album review. Your piece is very well-written. However, you didn't mention that some tracks were co-written with other songwriters that could also help explain their "new" sound.
Till then, keep rockin!
I really love all your reviews of every alum of the band. Recently, I discovered the band, and I never thought I would become attached to a Japanese band. Although I search the translation of the songs (because they are in Japanese, and I DON'T EVEN KNOW JAPANESE) I can feel they have a deep meaning and message. They're incredible. Because of them, I found your blog, I hope to continue reading all your future reviews! <3 Here, they have a new Mexican fan!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much :)
DeleteHello, Kim, nice post! Thank you. I have a question/request. I've been introducing about how the world is reacting to One Ok Rock, though, I just started going it. I wonder how you feel about my introducing your post here in Japanese on youtube. If you have a chance, please let me know. I just did one yesterday and you can see it as a sample. I just go over it, explaining things in Japanese.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLFLZ5pXssk
Thank you for your reply!
Hi there! Sure you can post this on your Youtube channel :) Thanks for informing me right away. You can e-mail me for details at kimberly.marie.gill@gmail.com
DeleteLooking forward to it!
Awesome. I will email you tomorrow my time!
ReplyDelete