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SEASON’S CALL Release Date: 2006.02.22 Peak Position: #1 Label: SONY/Ki\oon/HAUNTED RECORDS ISBN: KSCL-944 Limited Edition: “BLOOD+” DVD and jacket-sized sticker (ISBN#:KSCL-942/3) HYDE’s Official Web Site

“SEASON’S CALL” is HYDE’s fourth #1 single, and it’s also the first time he’s had two #1 singles in a row! Like his previous single “COUNTDOWN”, “SEASON’S CALL” is being used as a theme song: this time for the TBS anime “BLOOD+”. What’s interesting to note is that the song is actually composed by KAZ (ex-Oblivion Dust, ex-Spin Aqua). KAZ has been co-producing with HYDE since his fourth single “HELLO” and is also a new addition to HYDE’s solo band as guitarist. So how does HYDE and KAZ fare together? Let’s see…

1) SEASON’S CALL

“SEASON’S CALL” starts off quietly with a few simple notes before drums and guitar set the true mood of the song, which is not hard, but softer than most of his songs. It has a nice tune with nice lyrics and a nice chorus. It’s just a nice song, but nothing that makes you really go “woah, cool!” I seem to go back and forth with this song. Sometimes, it’s only “alright”; other times, I’m completely mesmerized by it. It has some charm that forces you to like it. Whether it’s HYDE’s vocals or the music itself, I’m not sure, but all in all it’s really hypnotizing. And although the song itself isn’t completely catchy, I find the music extremely hard to get out of my head once it’s there!

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2) UNEXPECTED <DIST.>

Following the format of his last single, the b-side is a rocked-out version of one of his ROENTGEN songs. This time, the song is “UNEXPECTED <DIST.>”: the distortion of his acoustic album’s dreamy first track, which has been sung live many times but never recorded. The song has lost its lullaby charm in place of heavy guitar and dramatic vocals by HYDE. Again, HYDE has impressed me by taking a soft and beautiful song and creating it into something completely opposite. The soft coos of “Unexpected…we met” between lines have been replaced by a loud yell of “Unexpected”, which works incredibly well. I especially like the ending of the song, which returns it to the slow state it began with, only to quickly return to a hard-hitting song in which HYDE bellows out all he has. Awesome!

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Conclusion: Well, KAZ didn’t do as well in composing as HYDE did, but perhaps it’s because it sounds different from HYDE’s usual fare. Even so, “SEASON’S CALL” is a song that can make you smile, if you let it. Some unknown force really makes “SEASON’S CALL” sound better than it actually may be. But, the real highlight here is, again, HYDE’s distortion track! Another pleasant surprise from him. I’m happy with this single, and it being the first time he’s had back-to-back #1 singles, he’s reached a level in the industry that many artists wish to reach. Hopefully, he’ll be able to keep that level for his solo activities, even after he’s rejoined with Laruku.

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