Mr.Children was never a band known for making small statements. All through the ’90s and 2000s, the Japanese rock outfit had packed its many albums with dramatic passion, whether ripping out rockers or dipping into luxurious power ballads. But nearly two decades into its recording career, the band unleashed what was perhaps its biggest-sounding album to date with 2010’s Sense. Its members were vaunted veterans of the Japanese rock scene by this time, and it feels as if all the experience they had racked up over the course of their hugely successful career comes through in the emotional and sonic heft of the record. The opening track, “I,” sets the tone with an arrangement that alternates between setting the skies alight and coming back down to earth for dynamic contrast. Between the surging, widescreen vistas of “Gitai” and the slamming beats and melodic drive of “Howl,” Mr.Children momentarily evokes the most cinematic-sounding rock titans on the planet, like U2 and Bruce Springsteen. “Rosalita,” however, is not to be confused with the well-known Springsteen rocker, bearing a string-laden ballad arrangement instead. Speaking of string arrangements, orchestration is a major part of the sound on Sense. Mr.Children had made great use of strings on previous records, but The Udai Shika Strings make their presence felt all over this album. The ensemble helps push the point home whether sweetening a soft song or adding gravitas to a rocker. That range becomes clear with a listen to “I’m Talking About Lovin’” and “Fanfare.” The former is completely in the melodic, romantic camp yet maintains an infectious rhythmic drive, and the big, bold “Fanfare” is a huge-sounding rock anthem that unfurls as proudly and loudly as its title would suggest. But Mr.Children has always known how to keep things in balance, and Sense doesn’t have its guns blazing 100 percent of the time. “Ao” and “Haru” are quiet, pretty tunes that provide perfect contrast to the larger-than-life tracks that surround them. And “Forever” closes the album with that signature Mr.Children brand of slowly building drama that stays low-key long enough that you barely notice when things start rising sky-high.