I think she could (should) add some guitars to Sunrise like she did in CDL. :yes Btw, I just have to say after listening to Sunrise a lot today that the bass/-like effects in that song are awesome. :D And I realized that Sunrise is one of those songs that make me feel really good. A few months ago it really would have bothered me but now I'll be glad that it's featured on the album.

But yeah I hope that the album tracks will be on the rock side too, but if they're not, I'm sure they'll still be good. My anticipation has grown so much again within last few days. :cool Microphone sounds like it'll be amazing.

Yes I really thought that there would be the announcement in this week...
And I really want a Rock Album from her!But I don't think it will be one.
I think the album will be like NEXT LEVEL with many different Types, and then I really want a new BLUE BIRD, Fairyland, MY ALL, glitter Type of Song, at least one of those cute HAL Popsongs.
I miss them very much, I don't like Sunrise and I really missed a HAL Popsong on NEXT LEVEL...

wouldn't it be cool if she added a new version of Sunrise in the album? something like the version she sang in Future Classics maybe~

I want her to do more electro/dance songs..

I second that.

BTW IDC what anyone says Rule/Sparkle is her best single ever and those are the two fav songs of hers I have. Especially Rule.

Yes that's what I wish too, but that will stay a dream I think...
NEXT LEVEL even wasn't a "Electro/Techno" Album like some people said, the only Songs with electro elements were "Sparkle" and "rollin' "and that's it!

I wish a new connected-like Song from Ayu but she won't do those Songs anymore except of her remix Albums...
Or a songs like the Songs from her LOVEppears Album like WHATEVER, And Then or immature...

EnergizE did have this electro feel too..

I want her to do another Sparkle or Naturally

I don't hear any really Electro Elements in EnergizE at all...
It's just a Rocky-Poppy Song

It would be awesome!!!

I started to feel a regular feeling to Sunrise but after I heard the live version of it then it totally made it one of my favorite up beat songs by ayu, I really like Sunrise since then and it's not just regular, tacky, generic summer song for me anymore. It's up there with July 1st for me. ^^
(The rest are under). So Sunrise wasn't a weak song for me, AT ALL.

It has many synthesizer and 8-bit sounds

Ahhhh, another week is nearly over and there are still no news of a new album!
AYU, I'm really going CRAZY over here!! ^.^''

I really hope, we'll get some news soon, but then I also wish that she takes her time. She shouldn't rush things, but do a great new album, which I'm sure she will! <3

The hard thing is, we know when it has to be out by, but they still won't announce it x____x

I think Ayu's electro...came in really long ago back in her I am... era? it's fnny that how something that is huge now, was actually a been-there-done-that genre by Ayu..though I would say, compared to current electro, those songs still lie on the safer side.

Sparkle was definitely a fresh one..it was modern but rollin' and EnergizE, with the 8bit sounds...was as though, Ayu wanted her own form of electro and not the electro for dance and clubs.

I keep having this feeling, if AYu is gonna do a rock album, it's gonna turn out like the GUILTY album (which is amazing because of it's emotions). I would love to see her mash electro with rock..and I think Microphone may very well have some traces of that.

and yes, I will NEVER refute rock+orchestra hahha..that's my <3 genre too

NEXT LEVEL wasn't a Technoalbum, it obviously was a videogame concept album, traces of 8-bit music can be found everywhere
Every single new song in NEXT LEVEL except curtain call featured electro elements or even sampled a video game.
If you don't believe me:
Bridge to the sky
- After around 35 seconds the song turns mostly electronic, especially towards the end
NEXT LEVEL
- features an electrobeat through most of the song
Disco-munication
- uses elements mostly found in remixes and samples Super Mario-games
EnergizE
- heavily depends on a number of different eletric beats, samples a game at 0:05(the fast-paced beat in the background) and other places(don't remember the times), however I forgot which game
Sparkle
- obvious xD
rollin'
- beginning reminds of the music played in the "ghost houses" in old Super Mario games, ends with a pacman(?) sample
GREEN
- old song, probably written before she thought about the album
Load of the SHUGYO
- at parts very electronic(~0:00-0:30), same beat appears again for ~1:00-1:15(meaning exactly half of the song is based purely on eletronic sounds)
identity
- 0:48-0:49 and 0:52-0:53 feature a short but prominent electronic part 1:39-1:44 features effects on her voice, the little parts from earlier appear again in the second verse, end of the chorus has effects on her voice, too 2:31-2:50 is a part that should remind everybody of 8-bit-music at least a little, effects on her voice in the beginning of the last chorus again, on her last few words as well
Rule
-single, so it obviously won't be themed after the album
LOVE 'n' HATE
- first effect starts at 0:03, it features typical effects on her voice for a big part(hello robot at the end of the chorus), effects again before the hahahahanono parts, verses feature mostly electronic instrumentals, sample before the first "anata wo" part in the second chorus(dunno from where), ends with guitar+electronics
Pieces of SEVEN
-very electronic all the way through
Days
-single
curtain call
-even Ayu can't put 8-bit into a pianoballad and make it work xD

You now see how this is very electronic?

^Actually, Rule has eletronic elements too, the beat on the music and the effect used on her voice =) Also, it has some video game music elements...

Besides the ballads and Next Level, it's pretty much a eletro+rock album (yeap, there are rock elements on the more eletronic songs)

I just wanted to say that that sound you're referring to in identity reminds me a lot of the "ghost laughter" featured in later Marios. :laugh And to add to your list, doesn't the title NEXT LEVEL say something too? :P

^ I thought that was too obvious to even write it down xD

^LOL okay. xD fail.

Besides Rule's small vocoder, those electronic beats on Days also exist, (it's the thing that goes until ayu starts singing (and there are hard electronic beats before the strong part of it starts/in the middle of it).

I would say that GREEN's beats (the first 3 seconds or the chinese thing afterwards) that goes through the song are also electronic though in GREEN it's the least obvious.

Curtain call is the only song in the album that completely doesn't have anything close to electronic beats, but then it's the closing song and probably it was its purpose.

Great observation noidea!

Though I think that most people took this album really as a "game" and less serious so that's why I think a lot didn't like it or it didn't rise people's interest. It was probably for most "too themed" for its own good and since it had a more easy going electronical arrangements (except for Sparkle which had hard) so a lot didn't like it, couldn't grow on it or weren't interested.
Also most/a lot didn't find GREEN fitting because it barely has a noticable electronical thing and it feels that it doesn't belong there (though there are those chinese or pre-part electronical beats) and Curtain call that had no electro at all and felt dull and people wanted to take it seriously too and couldn't since it's more of a simple soothing ballad and an album closure.

Well, most of Ayus albums have a theme, I can only think of two that don't have one theme going through the complete album and it's visuals and lyrics. Just NEXT LEVEL probably was the most obviously themed album so far.