AAA - Break Down Banner

Hey people, what’s up? I know, I know… I’ve been slacking off from reviewing stuff for the better part of the year and a half. Since that’s the case, I figure I’ll add some reviews that I’ve been meaning on writing. The first of the series is AAA’s “Break Down/Break Your Name/Summer Revolution” single. This single was released on July 29th, 2009 and it is AAA’s 21st single. Considering that I personally haven’t heard anything by AAA for a while, this is a nice refreshing change of pace in what I’ve been listening to lately (non-Japanese music).

So what’s new with this single? Nothing much breaks (no pun intended) from the typical AAA sound. It’s the same Japanese dance-pop music with techno influence for instrumentals. It’s good stuff though, don’t get me wrong. The beat is prominent and catchy and the vocals are excellent. No slow songs for this single, so for those people that love those lovely AAA balads, too bad. The instrumentals are good for all the songs, but I’d say it doesn’t stray from what has already been done before.

Instrumentals: 8.7

Although the instrumentals and the dance beat along with the techno feel makes this song sound like something from the 90s, I’m not very impressed. I like how well it is blended and mixed, but much of it is too similar to what I’ve heard before from T.M. Revolution and even Two Mix way back when. Everything is crisp and clear with little muddiness. The breaks in the music don’t interrupt with the flow and rather add effect to what otherwise may be boring. In terms of what is used for instrumentals, it’s synthesized beats and computer sounds along with sirens. All of which I think AAA has used before. The effects are fairly typical of the techno and trance genre.

Vocals: 9.5

Everybody sings well in all three songs. Every note sung is sustained well. There is some nasally sounds coming from both the girls, but that is just how they sing. The vocal parts and arrangements were produced and performed well in all three of the songs. Nobody seems to over sing.

01 Break Down

First off, it sounds like “brak down” in the beginning, but they actually sing “break down” in the parts where there isn’t any mixing involved with the vocals. If you can get past that, the rest of the song is pretty good. It definitely is a techno/dance mix with good vocals. The effects are reminiscent of things I’ve heard in the 90′s. I guess you could call it a throw back, but AAA has pretty much been in this area of music since their creation. The rap sections are combined pretty well with the singing portions. The blending between the two is well done. There isn’t much variance except when the rap comes in periodically throughout the song.

02 Break Your Name

This is a guys only song. The instrumentals are pretty much the same from the last song. You could say it keeps with the dance/techno theme of this whole single. The sirens are well incorporated into the song. It’s a fast moving song with a pretty good melody. The beat is strong and mostly in the midrange. Good balance and little break in the music between transitions from section to the next section.

03 Summer Revolution

This is the girls’ song. It keeps with the dance/techno theme of the whole single. It has lighter instrumentals than the guys’ song. The melody is the typical JPop sound rather than the hip-hop rhythms that are rather popular with artists now-a-days. I would say that nothing is really exciting about this song.

Overall:

All of the songs are fast beat and rather good, but not exciting or different from most Japanese dance/techno beat music. You could say it’s a take on JPop in the late 80s and 90s. If you think of it that way, it’s a good retrospect on music, but for the current trend in music it is a little dated. I think AAA could stand to be a bit more creative.

Ratings:

Instrumentals: 8.7
Vocals: 9.5
Replay Value: 7.0
Quality: 9.0
Overall: 8.55 (Great)