[Single Review] SCANDAL's "HARUKAZE"

If you are still freezing in Europe or the northern part of America and Canada, I am glad to announce that the first sign of spring has arrived in the form of a song. This song is none other than SCANDAL’s HARUKAZE (which literally means spring breeze). This 15th major single for SCANDAL is also the 15th opening for popular anime Bleach. The single was released on February 22, and is available in regular, limited A and limited B editions. This review will cover the limited edition A and limited edition B.


Limited Edition A Tracklist:
1. HARUKAZE
2. ALONES (original: Aqua Timez)
3. HARUKAZE (Instrumental)


Limited Edition B Tracklist:
1. HARUKAZE
2. * ~Asterisk~ (＊~アスタリスク~) (original: ORANGE RANGE)
3. HARUKAZE (Instrumental)


Regular Tracklist:
1. HARUKAZE
2. HARUKAZE (Instrumental)

Review:
I questioned the release of a regular edition for this single but when I found out that it came with a ticket to SCANDAL’s “Shake Hands Tour”, it made sense. With the regular edition costing only around ¥525 yen (approx. US $6), it becomes a justifiable concert ticket price. We’re not here to talk about how Sony makes money, but how this single sounds. “HARUKAZE” is an awesome rock song. It has all the makings of a good shonen anime series opening. The song has a heavier rock feel to it, which proves to be a nice change from the band’s previous lighter, more pop-rock singles. Putting all these aside, “HARUKAZE” is a very good song, especially since it is their first single in 2012, I foresee a good year for them.

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Whenever artists cover songs, I usually enjoy their new take on the song. This is no different for “*~Asterisk~”, which can be found in the limited edition B. It was originally sung by ORANGE RANGE and the first opening to Bleach. ORANGE RANGE had at least 3 vocals in their songs and Yamato Ganeko with his high vocals made ORANGE RANGE a band with a variety of different songs. Thanks to Tomomi in SCANDAL who sings in a higher pitch, they made a perfect cover/rendition for “*~Asterisk~”. But this brings us to the problem with “ALONES”, the sixth opening to Bleach and originally sung by Aqua Timez. Futoshi being the only singer in Aqua Timez had a very special voice. SCANDAL’s cover was not bad per se, but it just sounded a bit messy.

Closing Remarks:
“HARUKAZE” is a wonderful single and I enjoyed that they covered old Bleach openings that brought back some memories. However, I personally felt that SCANDAL could have covered other openings other than “ALONES”. “Rolling Star” (YUI), “After Dark” (ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION) and even “Ichirin no Hana” (High and Mighty Color) would have been awesome to hear (although the girls might have a hard time with Yusuke’s parts if they covered H&MC). With such a steady single, this release really proved them right for winning five awards in last years JpopAsia International Music Awards!

Rating: 4.5/5 ☆☆☆☆★
(+) “HARUKAZE” is a really really good song
(+) SCANDAL wrote the lyrics to “HARUKAZE”
(+) Their cover of “*~Asterisk~” will make ORANGE RANGE proud
(+) Covering old anime songs is always a plus.
(-) “ALONES” sounds a bit messy with so many vocals

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Buy this single at YesAsia, CDJapan! (Links are to Regular Edition)

Disclaimer: All views and opinions expressed are of the author's own. They are not reflective of JpopAsia as a whole.