Janne Da Arc - Rainy ~ai no shirabe~

author: neejee - translation: jawachu

The fourth single connected to the album ANOTHER STORY is Rainy ~ai no shirabe~, which was released in May 2003. It consists of three versions of title track and two older pieces recorded during the 100th Memorial Live LIVE INFINITY 2002 at Budokan.

The title track is a ballad which despite length – over eight minutes! - doesn’t bore even for one moment. It begins with a gentle, fairly quiet and freely flowing melody. After only a few seconds of yasu’s intensive vocals, clear, high-pitched keys join the main motif. The rest of the instruments take longer to appear. The song's melodic line isn’t very complicated; the simple drum play is distinct, but this simplicity is a strength – not a weakness – of the composition. Solos put in the middle – first on keys, second on guitar – are a great development and make this calm track a bit more dynamic. All these elements create a great piece of music which momentarily amazes. The song ends with a choir singing "la la la" and some bell-like notes played on keyboard, leaving listeners engrossed.

On first listen, Rainy ~ai no shirabe~ (New Vocal Edition) doesn’t seem to be very different from the original, other than being a bit shorter. But after a few times, you get the impression that yasu's singing is less lyrical and his voice doesn’t stand out as much. Other changes are more visible too: for example, new sounds are added here and there, and the melody develops a bit differently. However, the ending is really something new – the motif, played earlier by kiyo, is now performed by a choir.

The third version of title track, Rainy ~ai no shirabe~ (Orgel version), is instrumental and is about a minute and a half long. In this song, the main music motifs are played, as the title indicates, only by organs.

The live versions of Dry? and feel the wind perfectly convey the feeling of Janne Da Arc performances. Both songs have more energy than the versions released on albums, and the listener can superbly realize how much passion the group puts in playing – it’s almost like attending a concert.

Rainy ~ai no shirabe~ is a wonderful ballad that only Janne Da Arc can create. You can listen to it many times and constantly discover something new. Because of that, this single – despite containing three versions of the same song – isn’t tiresome at all.