They had a bunch of different DJs working on ayu-mi-x 7, though.

Same here.

Her albums usually tend to have 10-ish tracks, it's just that the singles and interludes boost it up. Normally the interludes aren't counted when they talk about 'songs'... but this would certainly be strange for her.

I was looking at the mobile version of the discography page and it still has this there:
※ほか収録内容未定

It will have interludes~~ If it was the finalized track list it would be in order.

"what is forever love"? I believe it is a song by X-Japan, ayu! :laugh

As a fandom, it'd be hilarious if we went from bitching about too many interludes to bitching about 0 interludes.

Remember the shitstorm when they revealed that NEXT LEVEL had FOUR interludes?

Oh my, at first I read "What is love" and I thought she was going to make a Haddaway cover lol.

The tracklist looks promising. I hope there will be more than only 10 tracks, but eh if it means there are no interludes, it's ok for me. Or just a intro, like Duty.

The possibility of the album just having 10 tracks is high due to the 全10曲 being present all over the place. Even Japanese fans are thinking "Isn't 10 a little too short?" despite the information being there.

Some previous album announcements:
http://www.hmv.co.jp/news/article/902130110/ - NEXT LEVEL's (CDは全14曲を収録。)
http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/74086/full/ - Rock'n'Roll Circus' (自身初となるロンドンでのレコーディングによるアルバム曲10曲を含む全14曲。CD+DVD、CDのみ の2種類で発売される。)
http://contents.innolife.net/news/list.php?ai_id=125766 - Love songs' (人気シングル曲と米国・ロサンゼルスでレコーディングした9曲の新曲まで、全16曲が収録され ている。)
http://khbean.seesaa.net/article/249721828.html - Party Queen's (新曲のみ全14曲)

I've always liked interludes so I've never had an issue with them really.

Could japan please quit WITH THOSE DAMN SHORTEN TEXT MESSAGING/INTERNET VERSIONS of words in song titles?. YOU ARE MAKING A SONG TITLE NOT TEXT MESSAGING SOMEONE. >_< i hated when GACKT went with P.S. I LOVE U for a f-ing hertbreaking ballad. It makes it look stupid rather than serious to give such titles to songs. PERIOD *thud* STAPH IT!

lol ok i am done with the rant. I'm really liking Lelio as a title.

*Crossing finger for more songs*

It's been a while since LOVE again (which was already filled with leftovers)... I expected more than 6 new songs. And it's not like the album will be a themed one from start to finish. She is not limited by that.

More work seems to go into creating new "interludes" for her concerts lately tbh. I think it's time better spent.

14 track albums weren't a thing until the compact disc was invented. Before then the average # of tracks on an album were 8-11.

I really love Ayu interludes, but I'm not against an album without them.
It'd be something "new" and it'd fit well all this fresh project with re-shooting PVs and unsual release date.

I know right? And there were still only 10 songs. I guess it's a matter of whether people like interludes or not. But I thought a lot of people disliked them so it's weird if I see people complaining about them potentially not being there.

Or about how long the tracklist is. She's been doing around 10-12 full songs for some time now. And then Duty is like 11 songs plus am intro so....

And I love Duty

lol, I'm sure we'll get people coming out of the woodworks claiming "but I've always loved her interludes!!!11111"

I personally don't care for interludes, they take the album's overall quality down for me. I love NEXT LEVEL a lot more if I delete the interludes and can see all those amazing songs in a row.

On the other hand, I want at least an Introduction track. :c or 1 interlude. It's Ayu habit <3

^ more like 1 1/2 months. plus June only has 30 days. It'll probably be out on iTunes a little bit earlier. My guess is that, at the very least, the two tracks on the first CD have already been mixed & mastered.

the release date is honestly very close.

me too... those titles... :dead2

So there'll be a fanclub version after all. I hope someone does another fc buying thread like there was for FTL!

so its been decided that the new album have 10 tracks. With at least 4 interludes to come... hmm I see no different from her previous albums, why getting hype about it?

The official site seems to be telling us that 10 tracks is all that we will get with this album. No interludes. Until we get a bit more information though, all we have to go on are the descriptions we have so far.

It does seem a bit weird that they'll be releasing just about everything beforehand.

Feel the love/Merry-go-round were already in a single, Pray/Hello new me got digital releases, and the other songs will be given away during the showcase.

No way, really?
NEXT LEVEL interludes are my absolute favourites! I'm not too fond of LOVEagain ones, but because they don't make sense in the tracklist for me.

Titles sound like a lot of fun. Even the 4EVA one. A whole new Ayu!

Yeah NEXT LEVELS interludes are her best ever. I thought they were better than all the new album tracks. When I think of next level, I think of the aura that the interludes give off.

I love Bridge to the Sky before NEXT LEVEL and Disco-munication before EnergizE <3

But I don't care if album have or not interludes as long as they flow with the album :D

10 tracks without interludes does seem kind of short, but maybe the dance tracks will be longer? I do like her interludes, but I wouldn't mind it if the album didn't have any, it would be refreshing.

No interlude? Now that's weird. We're talking about full album in here not a mini album right? Its almost no different from Memorial Address... Interestingly weird. Is it that difficult to put some interludes in the album? Gee... talking about getting slack.

I'm positive we will get a full length album with extra songs and interludes. This is just a foretaste. *trying to convince myself*

So, We're getting only 6 new songs. I hope they're good !!!
And if the album is short, ayu could add Tell All without any problems.

I love them too - Load of the Shugyo and Pieces of Seven are bonkers!

I'd be very surprised if we didn't get any interludes (I love my interludes!)

So happy about the original Feel The Love PV not appearing on the Blu-ray/DVD! I'll take the bloody bunny version.

I forgot to mention how insanely excited I am for this album! I like the titles! Even if some of them are tacky, at least they're amusing lol.

I promised myself to never bash a song from the title. I did with NaNaNa and Song 4 u, and they turned out to be amazing.
I'll never judge a book by its cover again.

I remember when "talkin' 2 myself" came out everyone was moaning & groaning about how stupid it sounded. Turned out to be a pretty rocking song, so. I'm with you there - no judgment until I hear it.

Xoxo just makes me think of Koda Kumi's XXX. I also like the name Terminal and angel is ok too.

Lelio most interests me.

I wonder which two tracks will be on the first CD. I'm so excited!

Had the same thought and decided to wait for the covers at least =)

Exactly....

btw XOXO reminds only of EXO's album haha

So... is it confirmed that we are getting 6 more songs (the ones that will be released during her tour) or are these just speculations?

Oh I doubt that. I think it was pretty clear that the tour cd songs will be from the forthcoming album. Like album samplers.

The assumption is that the other songs we're getting are the same ones that have been announced to be on the album. Now that we have titles, we just have to wait to see which of the songs announced end up on what CDs during the concerts. There shouldn't be any additional songs that we don't know of that are going to be released during the tour.

So other than the songs we already have (Feel the love, Merry-go-round, Pray, Hello new me), we will supposedly have the whole album by the time the Yoyogi dates of the tour start. However I wonder if they're just going to be snippets on the CDs (intro-verse-chorus maybe) or if it'll be the whole shebang?

I've been playing mahjong a lot lately, and all I can think of when reading "terminal" is the group of tiles called "terminals" [numbers 1 and 9] W
But I doubt this song will be about mahjong! w

I was thinking this earlier.

Then again, what is really so odd about every song being revealed before the official release? If one truly wants to wait until the release date to hear all the new songs together in one package, one can totally do that. No one's holding a gun to anyone's head saying, "you have to listen to the songs when they leak!"

Or perhaps that's the promotional strategy. If these are indeed KILLER songs, they want 'em to begin circulating around the net early to let people know Ayu is doing new things and snatching the eyelid tape off the other J-pop bitches.

Wow we can really have a play on words from Ayu song titles LOL

Lmao.

Anyway, did they say explicitly the CDs will have new songs from album or songs from album? Cause FLT and merry could be included. Pray and hello new me too. If not FLT and merry, then surely pray and hello new me. I can't see them doing all six of the six album tracks that are left. They could even do 1 unreleased album track with 1 that's been released already.

4EVA EVA EVA EH EH EH EH

Lol that would be such a troll move, but I wouldn't put it past Avex.

Doubtful, but I hope they add in a real drum track for the album version of Pray, similar to what they did for RED LINE. Not a huge fan of Pray, but I think real drums would give the arrangement a lot more body.

We know it's new songs because of this:
At the time of announcement, all of the songs that were to be featured on the free CDs were yet to be titled... until now, that is. If they were putting the songs we knew on those CDs, why list them as "title to be announced"?

Maybe "title to be announced" just means they don't know what songs are going on each CD? Is the kanji for "new" anywhere specifically?

I agree, though. The scenario is probably unlikely. I could, however, -kind of- see them using Pray/Hello new me just because they don't have a ~physical release~ yet.

It's funny how they gave us all the tracklist, but the album title still to be anounce

I can't wait for the album!!!

Terminal sounds sooo interesting.

I bet terminal is interlude

Unless they have producers working on interludes, everything is probably a full track.

I'm really liking how the album tracklist looks so far! My favorite titles are "Angel", "Lelio", and "XOXO". I can't wait to listen to all the new songs & watch all the new PVs. I'm totally looking forward to this album! :)

Yessss~ now I'm watching the music video and bopping my head ahahaha

SOOOOOO happy! cant wait to get this!

I was thinking that if there are just ten songs on this album, and we'll get the other six new songs on each Concert dates, we probably will have the full new album even before its release date. Unless, there are still a number of songs that are to be announced soon.

title yet to be reveal coz mostly they not yet decide to giveaway which song 1st, song quality might affect the sales.

"未発表アルバムから2曲ずつ新曲を収録したCD" means "2 new songs in CD from album that not yet publish/release"

now the info only posted in discography page not in news page, mostly they put on coz hmv exposed 1st. is the 1st time they posted all songs name without new album title.

we shall we soon, the show only left half month to go

Good to know Tell all is not going to be in the album.

Angel reminds me Last Angel
What is forever love sounds like Daishi Dance track

The song titles kinda surprises me this time. And the fact that Feel the love & Merry-go-round to have new pvs, I'm not that looking forward to them though. lol.

Why is that good? We don't have a HQ version of Tell All....

Slightly annoyed that Hello new me is gonna be on it. Apart from the fact that it will probably sound quite out of place, it's one of the worst songs she's put out in a while (that chorus; my balls shrink a little every time it comes on).

At least Pray is actually a good song.

I agree. Pray is an awesome track, with pretty lyrics. Though the arrangement could've been better (richer). While Hello new me has an awesome arrangement, I don't like the lyrics and her singing is just wtf.

Wow some interesting development. So "five new PVs" would mean Feel the love, Merry-go-round, Angel, Lelio, and XOXO then?

It's unthinkable that Pray isn't getting a PV, but she may be keeping this as a new PV to announce at the last minute, so you know, like, oh hey I totally said that there's going to be five new PVs but surpRISE here's two extra PVs for Pray and Hello new me yaaay (although chances are the song isn't getting a PV; she's disappointed me before, she'd do it again).

And by the way, the album's going to be called 4EVA LURV

Pray is generic as hell, it's like they took the blandest parts of her discography and threw them together.

Generic doesn't have to be bad I guess, but I'm always surprised when people praise that track lol.

Really? I feel like Pray has a better arrangement. The arrangement is the biggest reason I even like the song lol.

It doesn't surprise me. Fans always complain that they want something new and fresh but them something super generic comes out and they praise it to high Heaven :laugh. Even though I like Pray and Hello new me a little bit, I still don't find them that interesting at all. Something to listen to on a nice, sunny day in the park I suppose?

Pray is slightly growing on me... It's not inoffensive, but my initial thoughts were that it was reject J-pop ballad fare that Yuna Ito would sing. The distinct Ayu pathos is not there. For me, that song is the quintessential example of Ayu "going through the motions."

Very accurate description!

+1

Both these ^ descriptions are very accurate. Nice for a listen or two at the park, that's it lol.

My dream:

「Forever Love」

1. Feel the love
2. XOXO (RedOne produced, dancepop)
3. lady LOVE (produced by DAISHI DANCE, electropop + pop/rock)
4. Our Night (urban with EDM influences)
5. Lelio (Darkchild produced, rock)
6. What is forever love (rock)
7. Terminal (rock+trance, produced by Fedde Le Grand)
8. Love Is Forever (interlude)
9. Angel (power ballad)
10. Pray
11. Hello new me
12. Merry-go-round
13. NOW & 4EVA (produced by Armin van Buuren, EDM with a concert-ender feeling)

+ tour setlist

1. XOXO
2. Sparkle (remix)
3. lady LOVE

4. Lelio
5. What is forever love
6. GAME (remix)

7. immature (remix)
8. Terminal
9. LOVE'n'HATE (remix)

10. Our Night
11. You&Me
12. fairyland (Hex Hector remix)
13. Feel the love

Encore
14. Angel
15. Boys&Girls
16. SURREAL~evolution~SURREAL

I don't like Pray either. It's so long and isn't catchy.

I prefer Hello new me to Pray, it feels more honest and much less pretentious.
Though Pray still has the "Ayu factor" (that chorus is pure Ayu ballad), it's really safe. But it's pretty. I usually don't complain about prettiness. If it's not misplaced, that's it.

I'd be quite happy if Tell All was a bonus track.

Super excited. I wish there would be more songs but if these 6 will be great and long lasting, it could be cool.

I guess that it's either that the rock song didn't get in or that one of the producers made it so it's one of the 6 songs.

I pre-ordered the blu ray version anyway. =)

No, I think her team (Yuta Nakano mainly) could have done the rock track. There are six new songs and only five producers. Assuming they each got one song, there's room for the rock that she mentioned in the interview.

OH right there were 5 producers. So the rock song should be one of them.

I really want to hear this rock song

I am not sure if a ballad is supposed to be catchy at all...

I just feel like it could've been richer?

I just hope they don't consider Hello new me as rock...:dead2

I have been positively dying for an Ayu rock song. However, if they didn't give the rock song a PV then I'm not going to put a ton of faith into it. Usually those songs demand attention. Although, reminds me didn't have a PV and it's amazing. Sending mail was great too. However, I am craving a track in the vein of Microphone / 1LOVE , etc.

I think when she was talking about how 'there would be ballads' after she heard the reactions to Pray, I think she was specifically talking about Hello new me.

sending mail is amazing & creative with a specific idea in mind, but I too want an empowering rock track like 1 LOVE, Microphone, talkin' 2 myself etc.

How do we know the rock song doesn't have the PV, though? I literally can't remember the last time we got a proper rock song. Was it Microphone?

I like to think of reminds me as pretty rocky. Same for Bye-bye darling or snowy kiss... at least IMO.

I am still a little saddened by the fact that snowy kiss ended up being a part of the You & Me trilogy along with Wake me up. We could have had some crazy PVs.

Same here.

Oh yeah snowy kiss / reminds me... But that's like sad, heavy ballad rock? Idk. Bye-bye darling sounds empowering but the production makes it sound like a pop song to me. :P

GAME, Microphone, 1 LOVE, yes plz

I'm so glad Pray is on the album, I love that song so much. :love

I really don't care if they include the singles ayu has released before the new album, I'll burn a cd for my car with the album and My way + Tell all + any other song not included, :P

But of course, I'll buy the CD+Bluray version just to suport her. :luv2:luv2

The next few weeks are going to both be nerve wracking and exciting. I wonder how soon Ayu will perform new material? Will we get song previews as her tour starts?

I prefer Tell all in her Best album.

Does she have enough for A BEST 3? It feels like it was yesterday when she released A COMPLETE and A SUMMER BEST...

^
She has plenty of material for A BEST 3, even if I'm not sure it'd be a smart move to release it nowdays.

Haha :laugh

Yeah, that's a better way to phrase it. She has... (miss)understood, Secret, GUILTY, NEXT LEVEL, Rock'n'Roll Circus, FIVE, Party Queen (lol), LOVE again (lolx2), the upcoming album...

But with the current state of her career A BEST 3 doesn't seem clever, unless she pulls a Namie Amuro by releasing some hit songs, being everywhere and making a come back.

you forgot Love songs (the best from the bests)
I don't care for best albums and ayu doesn't need to release a "hit" song..we love her for who she is, she doesn't need to become a comercial mess (no reference to Namie, I like her too). She is still selling and her recent tours are some of her best ever so..that says a lot about current ayu.

Yep, that's what I meant. A BEST 3 would be a nice move to keep in store for an eventual "massive comeback".
Either way, they're gonna release it sooner than later, Japan loves bests, lol. Avex may even try to pull it off in the near future if this new album sales are lower than predicted. You know, squeezing Ayu for what is worth 'till it's too late, lol.

I feel like this album will sell quite low. Though still good in general.

I just hope that her tours stay well attended. I always wonder how selling less affects her career money wise. Though I guess as long as she tours....

I am so excited for this album. I just hope it's as different as I want it to be.

Indeed.

I thought (miss)understood is part of a BEST 2????

If she wants to surprise us, her next best album should include Duty PV, and some new PV for her old songs.

^

(miss)understood is a part of BEST 2? Oops lol. Right, scratch that and how could I forget my favorite album Love songs? x_x

I could totally see avex doing that. They've been doing the same to Kuu, too lol

Duty's "PV" isn't really a PV. It was made for the pachinko machine.

Officially, I thought A BEST 2 included up until the Bold & Delicious/Pride single. I could be remembering that wrong. Not that it matters though, I think the only album track from (m)u that has a chance making A BEST 3 is maybe Ladies Night.

Maybe Kotora was referring to that "PV", but we can also imagine Ayu releasing a Best album, just like Namie, with PVs of old songs that never got any PV. That would be fantastic (I'm still hoping for a I am... or HANABI PV).

Ladies Night should not be in A BEST 3 but Ladies Night ~Another Night~ should be totally in A BEST 3.


That is correct.

This so much.

I think Namie's new best ballad album made us all think about the possibilities a best can really give birth to. We're trained to think about it just as a playlist on cd, which in the past was useful, but now it needs to have more advantages. And it can have them, if it's done properly.
Ayu has a lot of material and if she ever does something the way Namie's doing it, it's gonna be amazing.

Ladies Night and rainy day have about equal chances imo. Though Ladies Night's appearance in more concerts probably ups its chances for sure. Might be a little odd to have just one track from (m)u on there while other albums might probably get at least 2-3 tracks. You can bet they'll stick MY ALL, JEWEL, momentum, etc. on there.

I though Ayu did a pretty good job with A BALLADS in 2003. (and honestly, I think she'd have done new videos for that too, but it was before the era of CD+DVD as a norm) It also comes down to budget and time. I don't know if I'd want Ayu to make new videos for old PVs if she ended up just making them in LA and kind of making people regret that they asked for them.