Beyond the Sea ~ The Style. Edition

Tracklisting
1. Yume wo Mikata ni (夢を味方に)
2. Koi Kogarete Mita Yume (恋焦がれて見た夢)
3. Kimi ga Iru Kara
     <2009/2/13 Fan Club Live ver.>
  (君がいるから <2009/2/13 Fan Club Live ver.>)
4. Yume wo Mikata <Instrumental>
5. Koi Kogarete Mita Yume <Instrumental>

This is ayaka’s 11th single and it was released on April 22, 2009. The single reached #6 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 48,430 copies.

Yay! ayaka is back for the time being so enjoy it while you can. Everyone knows what’s been going on with her lately so I won’t sweat the details. Anyway, let’s focus on this single. I really like Yume wo Mikata ni now, despite my first impressions of it. At first, I thought the song was nice, but nothing extremely special. After listening to it some more, I’ve become quite fond of this relatively calm, laid back tune. The music has a heartwarming atmosphere that is characterized by fluffy piano chords and light percussion. ayaka sounds great as usual and the background vocals add to the song’s soulful demeanor. It also helps that the chorus is catchy and has a memorable hook.

The other A-side is a lovely ballad that showcases a smooth, harmonious mood. Koi Kogarete Mita Yume is a really pretty song that features a serene and undeniably uplifting arrangement. It’s mostly strings and percussion (with a little woodwinds here and there) so the music stays reserved, minus the elevated bridge. Background vocals appear and ayaka’s voice becomes a lot stronger. I like both of the songs on this single equally so don’t make me have to choose a favorite!

A nice bonus on the single is an awesome live version of Kimi ga Iru Kara, which was one of my favorite tracks EVER off the Sing to the Sky album. ayaka always delivers amazing lives as heard on her previous singles, but this time in the form of an upbeat song. You can go ahead and insert an ~adjective~ here to describe how great this live performance was. lol
The bitch is PERFECT. The End.

Overall Rating

 4½ stars