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User
Reviews 4
Approval 100%
Soundoffs 29
Album Ratings 1164
Objectivity 76%
Last Active 10-08-22 12:15 am
Joined 01-16-18
Review Comments 1,849
| Luna Sea: Albums Ranked
Been thinking of doing this for a while! Luna Sea are one of my favorite 90s J-rock bands. Would love to see how others rank the albums. | | 10 |  | Luna Sea
CROSS
At the bottom of the list falls Luna Sea’s latest effort, CROSS. Perhaps one of the most disappointing album releases of 2019, CROSS is littered with bland songwriting, uninteresting production, and generic J-rock trendiness which ultimately makes it pale in comparison to the band’s other efforts. This is also the bands first album that was not self-produced, having been handled this time by Steve Lilywhite of U2 production fame, and one can’t help but wonder if his contributions held the band back from greatness. An utter disappointment. | | 9 |  | Luna Sea
Luv
Luv suffers from the same problems CROSS does, but still manages to deliver a few interesting ideas which hold it back from being quite as derivative as its successor. There are a few standout tracks, particularly ‘誓い文’ and ‘闇火’ which highlight the band’s continued ability to produce great tracks (both also happen to be Sugizo contributions). Its not quite as daring as its predecessor, A Will, but still stands on its own as a worthwhile listen. | | 8 |  | Luna Sea
A Will
Luna Sea’s first new album after their initial comeback is a triumph if only for the fact that most bands who make large scale comebacks like Luna Sea tend to fail to live up to the promise of their early work. This album proved the band was still worth their weight in gold. It also has ‘銀ノ月’, one of the bands great ballads. | | 7 |  | Luna Sea
SHINE
A fan and critic favorite, SHINE was Luna Sea’s first trek down a more typical J-rock path. It is a great album, filled with great arena rock anthems and tear-jerking ballads which highlight Ryuichi’s fantastic vocal range. What it lacks are the cutting-edge ideas that made the albums that preceded it so great. As Luna Sea’s visual-kei look was fazed out by the band, so too did the bands music seem to lose the exciting spark it once had. | | 6 |  | Luna Sea
Luna Sea
Luna Sea’s stellar debut. This album shows a band who had everything to prove, having been signed onto X Japan leader Yoshiki’s label Extasy Records, who managed to demonstrate all their strengths right from the very beginning. There is a great variety on this album, from the brash and striking Fate to the mesmerizing Moon. While the band later rerecorded this album in 2011, I’d recommend any new listener check out the original version, whose performances and production are much more engaging. | | 5 |  | Luna Sea
Lunacy
The band’s final album before their split in 2000 is an enthralling listen. Titled after the band’s original name, Lunacy, this album, while different from the bands early work, is worth just as much attention. Filled to the brim with ideas, Lunacy packs a hefty punch, and was a great send-off to the band before they rejoined as a group 10 years later. | | 4 |  | Luna Sea
Image
Image is the second album released by Luna Sea, and the first released under MCA Victor, after previously releasing on the indie label Extasy. Unlike their debut, Image is a very theatrical listening experience, beginning with the calming ‘Call for Love’ before dropping the listener into the energetic ‘Déjà vu’. Many of the groups classic songs are on this album, such as the aforementioned ‘Déjà vu’ and Wish, as well as some underrated songs like ‘Mechanical Dance’, ‘Wall’, and ‘In Mind’. | | 3 |  | Luna Sea
Style
The black sheep in Luna Sea’s catalogue, released after Mother. Style is an underappreciated gem that is no less brilliant than any of Luna Sea’s greatest work. This was Luna Sea’s first foray away from the Visual Kei scene which birthed them, and it proved that they didn’t need to rely on gimmicky outfits or shock value to release great music. Right from the first track ‘With Love’ a brilliant track enhanced with some trippy production; it is easy to tell the band knew what they set out to accomplish with this album. | | 2 |  | Luna Sea
Eden
Eden is easily my favorite of Luna Sea’s albums. Often neglected by the band in live performances since their reuinion, the band has since begun to more frequently perform songs from it, to the resounding sheers of many hardcore fans. Eden brings listeners on an ethereal journey, with its heavenly production and great songwriting. Despite my love for this album, there is one album which manages to best it in almost every way. | | 1 |  | Luna Sea
Mother
Mother is the group’s best album. Everything about Mother clicks perfectly into place: solid production, great performances, amazing consistency, and some of the groups’ best songwriting to date. While tracks like ‘Rosier’ and ‘True Blue’ (both amazing songs) often steal the thunder of the other songs on this record, they in no way lessen the greatness of classics like ‘Aurora’, ‘Genesis of Mind’ and ‘Loveless’. An album worthy of its spot in first place. | |
samwise2000
12.08.21 | Been wanting to do this for a while, so I wrote this up quickly this evening! |
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