Song of the Week: Anything

"Anything"
D-Side
from the album "Stronger Together" (Avex/Japan, 2004)

D-Side, a moderately successful boyband from Ireland, were originally a five-member group when they released their debut album in 2004. Sporting a bit of an R&B flavor, and armed with a mix of upbeat tracks and ballads (the great dance-pop single "Pushin' Me Out", the scrumptious ballad "Can We Dance"), the album and its five singles performed well, particularly in Japan and Southeast Asia. Up for download today is a B-side from their "Real World" single, which is also a bonus track on the Japanese edition of the album. I love the crunchy guitar-infused sound of this track ... I think I can safely say that this is one of my top five favorite boyband songs of all time.

Unfortunately, when two members left the group in 2005, D-Side shifted its sound into a far more ballad-heavy repertoire for its subsequent albums -- more so than Westlife and perhaps even 98°. I disappointedly resold their sophomore album on eBay just a few weeks after acquiring it, and lost interest in the group after that. It's too bad, really ... although the one album of theirs that I like is filled to the brim with good music, so I can hardly complain.