Janne Da Arc - Dearly

Dearly is the first of three mini-albums (the others being Resist and CHAOS MODE) that Janne Da Arc released at the beginning of their career. It came out in 1998. Despite its age, the CD includes seven solid rock tracks that are timeless and still played during concerts.

Dearly kicks off with short intro, followed by what is unquestionably one of the strongest tracks of the album - Fantasia. The title suits the song perfectly - the music gives you the impression that yasu is telling some imagined, fantastic story. This sensation is intensified by the sound of kiyo’s keyboard. A brilliant guitar solo from you also garners some attention.

The next song, Judgement ~shinigami no kiss~, is based on hard rock riffs and has a very energetic drumbeat. With hardly a pause, More Deep begins with a very interesting keyboard motif. During some fragments of the song, yasu harmonizes beautifully with himself. The varied melody of More Deep is even more diversified by the chorus' drumbeat inset.

After the slightly softer So Blew, there is another powerful track, Confusion. It stands out from other songs because of yasu’s distorted vocals and shuji’s intriguing playing. The album doesn’t become slower with the next composition, which is aptly titled Speed. Speed is enlivened by repeated, splendid riffs. The last song on the mini-album is the slightly melancholic Yami no tsuki wo anata ni, which perfectly underscores the fast pace of the whole CD because of its rapid ending.

On Janne Da Arc’s first mini-album, the elements that delighted their fans on the group’s later releases are clearly audible. What mainly catches a listener's attention is the musicians’ skills, and all the instruments greatly complement each other. If there is anything to complain about with Dearly, it's that it gets too repetitious sometimes, but this can definitely be overlooked because of the interesting vocal lines and impressive guitar solos.