insane dream / us (SINGLE+DVD) (First Press Limited Edition)(Japan Version) DVD Region 2

Composed and produced by Taka, insane dream is a powerful rock number with striking arrangement and instrumentation that encompass the listener in echoing vocals, pulsating beats, blaring guitar effects and a mesmerizing bass line. The song's opening and verses have a haunting, dizzingly agitated quality that matches the song's title and lyrics. It floats right into the kind of driving refrain you'd expect from Taka who nearly steals the chorus with his backing vocals.

TK's signature of ambient and progressive rock is also apparent in the dreamy and dramatic us. The song's structure at first seems less complex than his usual, because Aimer sings in a pronounced and momentum-building manner for most of the song, but under her steady voice is a swirl of rapidly changing tempo and transitions that explode in the latter half. Aimer exhibits impressive vocal control and expressiveness throughout the lyrically anguished song's tonal changes, giving a taste of a lighter Ling Tosite Sigure style interpreted by a stronger vocalist.

The single's final track, Aimer's self-penned tone, brings her back into lyrical ballad territory. Carried by Aimer's stirring voice and a lucid melody, the song lingers in lonely notes and sentiments, and gently guides the single to a wistful, eloquent end.