1. Beautiful Dreamer
This is Glay's first single in over a year, so naturally I was anxious to find out if they still sounded like the band I remember. I wasn't disappointed. This is a very upbeat, Glay-ish song, not quite rock or pop, but somewhere in between. It's not as fast and rambunctious as "Yuuwaku" or "MERMAID," but still has a great beat. Teru's voice is, as usual, kind of harsh but loveable. He puts so much energy into his singing, you can forgive his faults. At least, I can. The drumming is really good in this song; I don't know why they don't make the drummer an official member of the band. The guitarwork is pretty simple but fitting, and both Takuro and Hisashi do an admirable job. The bass isn't that prominent at all, but of course Jiro is great when you do listen. Overall, this song is exactly what I wanted to hear from Glay after a year and a half. Two thumbs up!
Rating: 4

2. Street Life
This is a double A-side single, so you expect "Street Life" to be every bit as good as "Beautiful Dreamer." As you might expect, this is a ballad, and a nice one at that. I always enjoy Teru's more gentle performances, since I think his voice is strangely fitting for this style. For some reason, the mood of this song makes me think of fall, when the leaves are changing. Maybe because it IS fall right now, I don't know. There's a nice, longish guitar solo in the middle that I think really adds some extra emotion to the song. Really though, Teru is the star here. The percussion and bass are very muted, adding just the right amount of small touches. Even the guitars don't play a huge role here. Just Teru and little bit of piano. It's nice stuff, and my favourite song on the single.
Rating: 4

3. CHILDREN IN THE WAR (Live from HIGHCOMMUNICATIONS 2003)
Now, I am not the biggest fan of including live performances on singles, unless they are exceptionally good. This is one IS. It opens with some haunting strummed guitar chords and gentle cymbals. The bass is humming underneath everything, and when Teru enters, his voice is soft and almost... desperate. This is such a sad song. Two minutes in, the pace picks up with some crunchy guitars and Teru wailing... it's very effective as an anti-war song. An orchestra adds some gorgeous strings, and suddenly the song becomes a prayer. I can't get across in words how amazing this song is. Glay really put their hearts and souls into this one. Sure, it's a live performance, so it's not perfect, but it sounds good, and the message is clear. I really applaud Glay for doing something like this, and so I'm going to give this song a five.
Rating: 5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5



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