Arashi - Happiness

2007 has been a good year for Arashi: they performed their first Tokyo Dome concert after a sell-out tour of Asia and have produced stellar musical releases all year. Happiness is their final single release of the year and, well, happily does not buck the form the quintet have found so far.

Happiness sounds just like one would assume it would from the title. With a playful combination of instruments, quick beat, and bright vocals, Happiness is one of those songs which acts as a instant pick-me-up. Interestingly the song entirely lacks a rap from Sakurai Sho, and it benefits from the uninterrupted pace. The boys are not stretching their vocals beyond their limits and the verses (with lines sung by two members at a time) are harmonized well and do not slow down the fun pace of the chorus. The final product is a fantastic and addictive pop song.

The b-sides don't quite compare to Happiness but they are hardly the worst ever heard. Still... features smooth vocals led by Matsumoto Jun and Ohno Satoshi as well as a perky melody with RnB influences. Still... is lovely, but the problem is that it glides by the ears without a clear distinctive feature that would make it memorable. Instead, the song seems to pass by in something of a blurr and the listener finds Snowflake on their speakers before they even know it.

Snowflake provides the token ballad. It is preferable to Still... and will likely sound stunning when performed live. It has a sweet and almost childish innocence to it encouraged by the xylophone sounds that are interspersed randomly with the guitar and strings. The vocals are all strong and clear with the music taking a clear back seat to Arashi. This preference to the vocal work over the instrumentals contributes to the innocent feel and works wonderfully in the song's favour. It remains sweet throughout, never attempting a grandiose climax that would've been out of place, and leaves behind only pleasant memories.

It is unsurprising to find a Johnny's Entertainment single with a strong a-side and weak b-sides; they seem to plough all their efforts into the brilliant a-side for which most will buy the single. The accompanying songs here are good, if a little forgettable, but as a whole Happiness is a single that should put most Arashi fans in high spirits.