Few years ago everyone was filled with ballads :) today I will be glad to see only ballads on this album :)

Nooooooo way. All ballads and no rock makes Zer0 an unhappy listener.

If there isn't something to break up the monotony of a ballad album or something to slow down the oversaturated energy of a dance album, that's never a fun listening experience.

Her last good rock song for me was Return Road. I prefer another album with edm tracks than an album with more rock songs tbh.

She can do good rock yet. She just needs to prioritize it and not half-ass it. Well, the arrangers I should say. For me, the last epic rock song was Microphone. I want more in that style though!

Rockkkkkkkkkkkkkkk please! EDM is fun to listen to, but never has longevity. Rock is like fine wine :)

I wouldn't mind another song that sounds like "reminds me" or "SAKURA" so I guess either a really emotional rock song or a really emotional slow rock song ahah

SAKURA was so dreary. It's not bad, but it's not something I want a replica of.

I love her emotional songs like reminds me or SAKURA. They are really dreary but in a good way.

reminds me is gorgeously sad. I'd love a couple of songs like that.

As long as the album has songs that are honest and have ayu's "soul" behind them, the mixing is good (where the songs sound "mixed" rather than just "stacked" like they have for like the last four albums >_<) and there's a good variety of songs on there, honestly, I could care less what actual genres she does.

The genre should fit the song's lyrics and mood - frustrated and determined types of songs should be rock, happy cute songs should be EDM and dance pop, sad songs with determined optimism should be that dramatic rock ballad style, more contemplative songs should be more atmospheric... And experimenting with a new genre or two is fun too.

agreed. She needs another kickS rock song like Microphone, talkin' 2 myself, GAME etc..

I am just listening to ALL of Ayu albums (besides Asfxx, well) and I just realized...

http://i57.tinypic.com/1zxqjcp.png

well. Colours wasn't that bad after all.
and yet, I'm one of the "I want more ayu rock" person, so...

I adore reminds me, that's my dreary; its emotional heartbreaking and powerful. I adore how even the intro is packed with so much emotion. The chords build into a deeper and deeper sadness until you can feel the sadness begin to be taken over by anger. It's genius. For me it is so much better than Last minute in all aspects.

SAKURA is dreary in a way that feels drawn out. Idk it makes me feel like I'm window shopping, lol. Or sitting in a restaurant, which makes sense considering I believe it was inspired by her having a meal with a close (now passed away) friend in a restaurant.

And wow, GUILTY is so good for me. It felt fresh yet completely hamasaki ayumi. There's nothing that strays too far from her sound, but all the songs are somewhat fresh in their own sense. To me, it was her last album that was able to pull that off and walk that fine line.

I would give anything for a polished-up and better-mixed version of petal. That song is so unique in her discography for me. :'( SAKURA, on the other hand--I legit don't even remember what it sounds like. brb going to listen

I just really love the way the chorus in SAKURA was arranged, especially when the guitars really get going. Love the way they mixed Ayu's vocals with the background vocalists.

But I honestly really want something emotional as reminds me again. So raw and powerful.

No yeah, it's weird. As much as I say I love the dark or rockish ayu sound, I just can't listen to guilty much. I had fav songs from it as I became an ayu fan when it was released. But idk, something about a lot of it is just whatever. Still a great album. Just near the bottom of ayu albums for me.

How can you not love (don't) Leave me alone, Marionette and Together When...?

Somehow I always felt that LOVE again gives me GUILTY feel rather than Love songs.

the bets trakc on GUILTY is....well... GUILTY

Seriously never got the dislike for GUILTY. It's such a mystery to me! Certainly more enjoyable than Rock'n'Roll Circus. GUILTY is actually extremely cohesive. I'd say it is one of her most cohesive? Rock'n'Roll is one of the least cohesive, as is NEXT LEVEL.

For me, GUILTY is the last album that can be lumped comfortably in with the era that began with Memorial address.

RAINBOW
-----
Memorial address
MY STORY
[(miss)understood]
Secret
GUILTY
-----
NEXT LEVEL

I see a dividend between GUILTY and NEXT LEVEL. (miss)understood is almost like it's own era because the SWEETBOX content is very different (but the singles like STEP you, is this LOVE?, etc all fit).

GUILTY I can listen to pretty much all the tracks. Rock'n'Roll on the other hand, I go there to listen to Microphone and let it continue through countdown and often times listen to BALLAD and sometimes Last links but then the rest is just really bad and disjointed and kind of just like bad execution all over the place. For me, the majority of the songs on Rock'n'Roll Circus give off this feeling that they think they are cooler and more grand than they really are, which just makes it seem REEEEEAALLY forced. Lady Dynamite is such a mess, and Slt as well as Don't look back are not enjoyable.

^guilty is extremely cohesive. And so it's really easy to sit and listen to it the whole way through. It's a well done album concept wise. But a lot of the indivual songs...I just want to skip. Songs like t2m that I love got played out so quickly. Idk what it is. Love songs is cohesive and I love a much larger percentage of those songs more.

However, I'd like another album I the vein of guilty done. Because I always like that sound. I don't need another RnRC lol. But we'll see where she goes I guess. She seems more confident than usual with this release and the upcoming tour.

i love guilty :D its been my jam since like forever!!