2 out of 5

Label: Avex Trax

Produced by: (?)

The songs featured on here are mostly great tracks from the completely-great Wizard album, but I’m not sold on them being ideal versions meriting tracking down this single. It’s akin to what I’d consider a “traditional” US or UK single, in that you’re not really getting any B-sides, but rather some remixed stuff. Mileage will vary on such material; for me, it doesn’t get me very far.

Album version of 夏の夢 – a super enjoyable, upbeat bit of jangly pop. And then a “movie version” of WALK, which is essentially like a radio edit – you cut it down to a digestible couple of minutes. O…kay? Sure, for completion sake, fine, but not like I’m going to be thirsting for one version of the other. After that, we get another take on 夏の夢, which is a bit more acoustic, but it exposes it’s “remix” nature a couple minutes in, with a dance beat kicking in. Had this been an unplugged version, that might be worth a go, but unless a mix really drastically rearranges a song – and that’s not the case here – I tend not to find much value. The Black Rover remix is a bit more interesting, since it strips out the rockier edge and goes full dance, but it’s still, ultimately, just adding a beat to the track, rapped verse aside.

My apologies to the remixers if I’m suggesting that there’s no effort in what’s being done, here, as I’m sure that’s not the case, but as a Vickeblanka fan, this single doesn’t offer me anything that feels intrinsic to the artist himself.