L'Arc~en~Ciel - MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM

L'Arc~en~Ciel's 2nd single from the upcoming album Kiss is MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM. The single itself features artwork of a white lion with a floral mane, and the CD features the same floral motif, covering the entire surface of the disc. The single contains four tracks, which is a nice reprieve from the two-track singles so many bands are releasing lately, even though tracks 3 and 4 are just vocal-less versions of the two main songs.

MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM starts off with guitar, which lays its claim on this song immediately. The guitar work in this song is simply amazing, and something only someone as skilled and experienced as L'Arc~en~Ciel's own ken could put out. The rest of the band joins in in fairly short order, followed by the vocals. hyde's vocals soar through this song, hitting the high point of his amazing range, and sinking back down again to the lower ranges. He not only gets a vocal work out, but proves what an amazing vocalist he is.

MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM is both musically and lyrically uplifting. The soaring guitar and soaring vocals lend the song an inspirational feel. Perhaps this "feel good" quality to the song is why it was used for a Subaru ad in Japan earlier this year. Commercial use aside, this is a well put together rock ballad style song that showcases the band's ability to play together as a seamless unit.

This single follows the same pattern as the last, featuring a P'UNK-EN-CIEL version of an older song as a coupling track. This time around it's Feeling Fine 2007. Really, there's only one word to describe this track - fresh. This song is so much fun it may be illegal in some areas. This is a bounce along in your seat, clap along, good time song. Heavy on the cymbals and guitar, the guys hold their own musically, even though they all switch roles for the P'UNK songs. Even the bass line, which might seem monotonous if it were in another song, is fun in this one.

Tracks 3 and 4 are hyde-less and tetsu-less, respectively, presumably so fans can sing along with a hairbrush in front of their mirror. The hyde-less version of MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM is an especially nice way to get a better feel for the rest of the instruments in the song. The piano/keyboard stands out especially well in this version and makes for a rather dreamy atmosphere. The tetsu-less version of Feeling Fine 2007 begs for a scream along.

MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM is sure to be a hit with listeners and Subaru owners everywhere. This one is definitely worth checking out.