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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An exceptional debut from an exceptional band, June 16, 2005
I respect L'Arc a great deal for being able to reinvent themselves and I respect them even more for the wide variety of music they've produced (most of it interesting, check out even the c/w's of their singles), but I can't help liking this album of their's the best.
Dune is in my opinion the best album by L'Arc~en~Ciel, not because their other albums are bad but because Dune was just particularly and consistently good, featuring the band at their most raw, with an unobscured vision of what they wanted to create. Their second album Tierra is also without a doubt world class, however it has a very different mood than Dune. Hyde's singing is very smooth on Dune (on Tierra as well) without the grittiness that his voice gained later. A lot of the songs have a mediterranean feel (the band did go to Morocco once).
The album starts out with "Shutting from the sky" which was a reworked and renamed version of their indies song "Claustrophobia" (from Hyde's lyrics: "shutting from the sky I've fallen, oh, into claustrophobia"). It has a steady beat, set by Ken's guitar line and Sakura on drums. It definitely has an atypical melody but it's very catchy all the same. Despite the song title, this song gives the feeling of flying.
The next song, "Voice" has a simple and immediately catchy melody (like some of their more pop songs) but the band manages to make it interesting and gives it depth. The chorus is just bursting with emotion. This song evokes a strong feeling of nostalgia.
"Taste of Love" is best when performed live, it really shows off Tetsu's bass skills. There's also a nice guitar solo by Ken in the middle. This song has a difficult melody that Hyde makes believable.
When I think of "Entichers" I think of dancing. It's an upbeat song with some guitar syncopation giving it a very mediterranean feel. It contributes to the general dreamy atmosphere of the album.
"Flood of Tears" was the band's first single. A somewhat pop-sounding song, the album version starts out immediately with Hyde singing the chorus of the song. It features some nice drumming by Sakura which beefs up an overall somewhat weak song, though there is a nice guitar section in the middle.
When "Dune" starts out, you think this is going to be a mediocre song but it really grows on you. An upbeat song that contains a lot of emotion. Also best live. It is actually a very nice song to represent the "Dune" era of L'Arc with the low-key more simplistic guitars by Ken and the light, dreamy atmosphere.
"Be Destined" has more a rock feel than the other songs. It has a great chorus and uses Hyde's vocal power and range to great effect (Hyde has dreamy falsettos and he uses them well).
"Tsuioku no joukei" means something like 'recollected scene'. It fits the quiet and low tempo song, and features a poignant chorus and a pleasant acoustic guitar line.
"As if in a dream" is my most beloved L'Arc song ever. They haven't done a song like this again because it is perfect. It's self-contained: the beginning, the middle, and the end all do what they're supposed to, the progression of the song is like a well-told story (check out White Feathers on the album Tierra). The feeling that it evokes is that of heartbreak and loneliness. After it goes into the break in the middle and Hyde wails "ashi wo tomete..." it's heartwrenching. At the end when Hyde goes "as if in a dream...kanojo wa mada nemutteiru darouka?" you feel like all the good things you've ever experienced have been left behind in the dream.
"Ushinawareta nagame" [vanished view]. I think this track set the tradition that L'Arc includes a slow ballad type song at the end of every album. It's a slow song that starts with a piano intro that immediately sets the dark tone of the song. Hyde is at the low end of his range here which creates a fitting feeling of desolation. Nice coda to the album (please note, originally Dune was complete at As if in a dream in the first edition. Ushinawareta nagame was tagged on later, not that I mind.)
This album is emotional without being emo, has enough variety without it becoming incoherent, and is just brilliant music. For a special treat, get the 10th anniversary edition released in 2004. It has 3 extra tracks: Flood of Tears (single version), yasouka, and yokan. Yasouka is outright melancholy (and not in an upbeat way like most laruku songs) which makes it unique in their repertoire. Yokan is a feast for the bass lovers, tetsu was impressive even 10 years ago.
I'd recommend this album to anyone. I recommend the early live performances by L'Arc~en~Ciel even more, if only you could find them!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The start of a legend, September 17, 2005
At the time of DUNE's recording under the Danger Crue label, L'Arc~En~Ciel was at their rawest and maybe even purest form. Their first album was released only after gaining notoriety in Osaka playing for local places; this is truly the indies Laruku.
There are two songs worth mentioning in the album: the aptly titled "DUNE", and "As if in a Dream". If any songs could encompass the spirit of this album, it would be them. Dune is a very down to earth, almost jazzy tune, with strong and emotion filled vocals, as well as astounding guitar riffs. As if in a Dream is almost the polar opposite of DUNE; it is a very emotionally powerful song, which sounds very happy at first, but slowly leads one into a heartbreaking tune and shattering lyrics.
In my opinion, these two songs are worth the price of admission alone; the other songs are just icing on the cake. While this album isn't their best album, it comes pretty close.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Yet more great music from L'Arc-en-Ciel, December 27, 2001
Something about listening to this album just makes me feel happy. L'Arc-en-Ciel have a style that is really unique and contagious with nice guitar riffs/solos, boomin' bass lines and an all together tightly knit sound. Even though my Japanese is pretty terrible, the vocals are clean and well done. If you enjoy good rock, I don't think you'll be disappointed with this album.
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