People really would have died then. Remember how everyone hated the title - they woulda hated it more if it were the same as Britney's album. I know I would have. I liked the title "Rock'n'Roll Circus" but overall the album is not my favorite. Only love Microphone. Then countdown and Last Links are decent. The rest barely even exist to me :eviltongu

@jbrat: no worries love lol

I know people use it as a cop out excuse lol But that's not really what I meant, but I know they do it.

And yeah...your post kinda...said what I was trying to say lol

And I don't see what is so weird about RnRC...every album since...(m)u has had it's share of rock songs, then pop songs, then ballads, interludes...sometimes experimental songs...

so idk, it seemed like the way ayu did albums. And I think it's way more interesting when an album has many songs that change the feel of an album a few times.

yeah I agree and understand what you're saying. I think I forgot that I posted more of a reason in another thread (the rate your worst album) Having mixed genres in an album isn't bad and almost impossible to stick to one genre per album for any artist. What I'm saying about Rock'n'Roll Circus is that it's WAY mixed in genres, it made me confused listening to it. My emotions went all over the place, the placement of where each song was the main thing that threw me off.

In terms of the "lack of focus/vision" I mean as in where they want the album to go, what direction. I think that in all of her albums she did well (or her team) picking a general direction for those albums. Rock'n'Roll Circus to me was just kinda thrown together. She didn't lack vision in each individual song, though the feeling and direction when you look at the album as a whole is all over the place.

That's just my opinion you don't have to agree with it, only a fraction of what is stated on these forms is a fact.

For me, in short, "Love songs" is definitely better than "Rock 'n' Roll Circus".

But the downside to this is, too many songs are repetitive.
I feel like I've been put on a loop.

But I might grow into them. Hopefully.

The cover's great though. Especially the one where she looked to the side. It looks like something from the "Secret" era.

I think the most repetitive is sending mail. A little too much repetition in the chorus there. The same line over and over.

I'm just going to post how many stars I gave it in my Itunes, no vast explanations and such.

01. Love Song ☆☆☆
02. crossroad ☆☆☆
03. MOON ☆☆☆☆☆
04. sending mail ☆☆☆☆
05. Last Angel ☆☆☆☆☆
06. insomnia ☆
07. Like a doll ☆☆☆
08. aria ☆☆
09. blossom ☆☆☆
10. Thank U ☆☆☆
11. Sweet Season ☆☆☆
12. overture ☆☆☆☆
13. do it again ☆☆
14. November ☆☆☆
15. Virgin Road ☆☆☆☆☆
16. SEVEN DAYS WAR ☆☆☆☆

Finally I get to listen to the album for the first time.

01. Love Song ☆☆☆☆☆
02. crossroad ☆☆☆☆
03. MOON ☆☆☆☆☆
04. sending mail ☆☆☆☆☆ - i knew it! not listening to the preview, the song sounds so much better
05. Last Angel ☆☆☆☆☆
06. insomnia ☆☆☆
07. Like a doll ☆☆☆☆
08. aria ☆☆☆
09. blossom ☆☆☆☆
10. Thank U ☆☆☆ need time to grow onnme
11. Sweet Season ☆☆☆☆
12. overture ☆☆☆
13. do it again ☆☆☆☆
14. November ☆☆☆ need time to grow on me
15. Virgin Road ☆☆☆☆
16. SEVEN DAYS WAR ☆☆☆

PS: I'm not an interlude person

I did a review of the album here at a review community I mod at, Ongoing Melody:

http://community.livejournal.com/ong...dy/267795.html

tl;dr I LOVE the album, and it shares the #1 Ayu Album spot with RnRC. (I SIMPLY MUST HAVE THEM BOTH AS #1. DON'T MAKE ME CHOOSE. T_T)

Kanzaki, that was a really good idea!

01. Love Song ☆☆☆☆☆
02. crossroad ☆☆
03. MOON ☆☆☆
04. sending mail ☆☆☆☆☆
05. Last Angel ☆☆☆☆☆
06. insomnia ☆☆ (I like the parts until her voice is used. I like the premise, just think her voice should have been deeper and held notes instead of high pitched and choppy!)
07. Like a doll ☆☆☆☆☆
08. aria ☆☆☆
09. blossom ☆☆
10. Thank U ☆
11. Sweet Season ☆☆
12. overture ☆☆☆
13. do it again ☆☆☆☆☆
14. November ☆☆☆
15. Virgin Road ☆☆☆☆☆
16. SEVEN DAYS WAR ☆☆☆☆

Overall, very versatile, and yet, IT HAS GOOD FLOW. No parts where it's happy summer ballad to angry rock song.
The album tracks far outdo the singles...and I love how she's branching into new experimental sounds!! (Like a Doll, Sending Mail especially).
probably my 3rd favorite album!
1. (miss) understood
2. GUILTY
3. Love Songs
4. Secret
etc. :)

Quick review of each song

Love song - The instrumentation is so pretty! But her voice man, it just ruins it for me. Her voice is terrible.

crossroad - Never got into the song when it was a single, still can't get into it being on the album

MOON - The strongest single of this era, in my opinion. Beautiful.

sending mail - This song kind of annoyed me. The piano is really pretty though.

Last angel - I LOVE the beat! But I don't like Ayu's vocal technique at all.

insomnia - This is terrible. Yuck.

Like a doll - The lyrics are absolutely amazing. As for the actual song, it's alright.

Aria - I could barely remember this interlude, I do know it's a LOT better than insomnia

blossom - Still can't get into this song. The PV is so sad though.

Thank U - This falls into the stereotype of J-Pop music that lasts too long. This song is two minutes too long. The instrumentation at the beginning is beautiful though. But the La La La La's are so ANNOYING! She repeats them over and over and over! Just irritates me after a while.

Sweet Season - I stated that this song was terrible, man I was crazy lol. This is a really good song! I love the laid-back summer feel to it. Like as if I can blast this while driving an endless road on a beautiful, cool summer day.

overture - Beautiful! Epic! Wonderful!

do it again - This is also really annoying ~.~ And the Engrish is too much for me lol

November - I can't remember this song XDD I do like how it's very gentle though

Virgin Road - After watching the PV, I fell for this song. It's beautiful ughhh

SEVEN DAYS WAR (Live at Yoyogi on Oct.11.2010) - *VOMIT OVERLOAD* at her voice. YUCK!

So, this album...maybe it's a grower? I remember disliking Rock'n'Roll Circus (save Sexy little things, BALLAD and Sunrise) but then liking it after a few weeks of listening to it. Maybe my opinion on the songs will change after a while of listening to the album. But the album is just "okay" to me. It's not the worse (I honestly can't pick a ~worse~ Ayu album since each album has a really good song I love) but it's definitely not the best.

it's like u just read my mind *--*

ohh I want to do star ratings too

01. Love Song ☆☆☆☆☆
02. crossroad ☆☆☆☆☆
03. MOON ☆☆☆☆☆
04. sending mail ☆☆☆☆☆
05. Last Angel ☆☆☆☆☆
06. insomnia ☆☆☆☆
07. Like a doll ☆☆☆☆☆
08. aria ☆☆☆☆☆
09. blossom ☆☆☆☆
10. Thank U ☆☆☆☆☆
11. Sweet Season ☆☆☆☆
12. overture ☆☆☆☆
13. do it again ☆☆☆☆☆
14. November ☆☆☆☆☆
15. Virgin Road ☆☆☆☆☆
16. SEVEN DAYS WAR ☆☆☆☆

You know, I believe every Ayu album has something about it that makes it stand out from the rest, whether it be the theme, lyrics, PVs, experimentation, mood etc. I think what makes Love songs stand out so much to me and make it an instant favorite are the arrangements. I'm all about instrumentation and the way they used instruments and synths and beats in this album really stood out to me. Even the least liked song, Thank U, has an AMAZING arrangement.

And in November when that random flute was thrown in during the climax, my heart stopped! Do it again, although super repetitive lyrics-wise, is anything but music wise. It's almost as if they had multiple ideas for how the music should be for each part and instead of just picking one and repeating and repeating they made the chorus, verses, bridges all sound musically different almost each time. Don't get me started on crossroad, which has a heavenly arrangement sent from above in my opinion.

I just can't get over how well done all of the arrangements for all of the tracks were for this album. None of the songs have a "typical" Ayu arrangement (except for MOON and maaaaaaaaaybe blossom), each song (even interludes) has something about it that stands out as a great song in general. It's hard for me to hate or dislike anything about these songs. I will admit, I don't listen to much music outside of a few artists (Asian or Western) so if anyone knows artists with breath-taking arrangements like these, please let me know. Because so far for me only Ayu, Gackt and alan are the only ones I know with the best musical arrangements in the business.

i did my star ratings too :D


01. Love Song ☆☆☆☆☆
02. crossroad ☆☆☆☆
03. MOON ☆☆☆☆
04. sending mail ☆☆☆
05. Last Angel ½
06. insomnia ☆
07. Like a doll ☆☆
08. aria ½
09. blossom ½
10. Thank U ☆
11. Sweet Season ☆☆☆
12. overture ½
13. do it again ☆
14. November ½
15. Virgin Road ☆☆☆☆☆
16. SEVEN DAYS WAR ☆

yeah... i didnt like the album that much :// specially the new songs x__x
it's like a new "Secret" for me, i can only hear barely half of the album till i get effing bored :x

I just don't get how people can't absolutely love November. It's so beautiful! Do it again has gotten to be more boring to me though and sending mail has surpassed it in my books.

for me November is so drab i could sleep listening to it... x__x in my opinion ayu should have shot a PV for sending mail instead of do it again , and for Like a doll instead of Last angel

oh i wanna do stars too!!!

Love song: ☆☆☆☆☆
crossroad: ☆☆☆☆
MOON: ☆☆☆ 1/2
sending mail: ☆☆☆☆☆
Last angel: ☆☆☆☆
insomnia: ☆☆☆☆
Like a doll: ☆☆☆☆ 1/2
Aria: ☆☆☆☆☆
blossom: ☆☆☆☆☆
Thank U: ☆☆☆☆ 1/2
Sweet Season: ☆☆☆☆☆
overture: ☆☆☆ 1/2
do it again: ☆☆☆☆
November: ☆☆☆☆
Virgin Road: ☆☆☆☆☆
SEVEN DAYS WAR: ☆☆☆☆☆

^

omg. i loved the entire album, i wish i had too :/

I fell in love with it when I noticed how amazing the composition and strings are. I just love that. Reading the lyrics really helps but also... I had done something to enhance the sound of the music so I really fell in love with it because I listened to it then. :P

up to this date, I'm still pissed that great songs like do it again, November & Like a doll didn't exactly have any climax & that's just so lacking it reli angers me...

and I HATE how in November, after the music all dies down and goes downward when the 1st chorus comes in. it's like the part before it was like building up to SOMETHING and then it died down to a quiet chorus like.. wtf??

that's what I feel for sending mail when I listen to it, and the lyrics help me also like it more, and the fact that I feel conected to the song...

well, i'll receive my album tomorrow, so i'll take a better listen with my headphones :) and maybe i'll start liking it more (i hope)


yeah... for me 'do it again' and 'Like a doll' really have something missing :S

I know exactly what you mean. I felt the exact same way but now I have learned to take the songs as they are and I love them.

that's what I need to do... :~ I hate when I don't like ayu songs ://

Yeah I just really kept my expectations for this album under hardcore wraps so my disappointment was very minimal. :)

I want to do the stars! These days, to keep myself from disappointment, I take every song for how it's supposed to be, and for the feeling ayu was trying to convey.

I cant compare it to her older music, or anyone else's music, or else it would just suck all the time, as music, anyway lol As expression...it's great lol
☆☆

01. Love Song ☆☆☆☆☆
02. crossroad ☆☆☆☆☆
03. MOON ☆☆☆
04. sending mail ☆☆☆☆
05. Last Angel ☆☆☆☆☆
06. insomnia ☆☆☆
07. Like a doll ☆☆☆☆☆
08. aria ☆☆☆☆
09. blossom ☆☆☆☆
10. Thank U ☆☆☆
11. Sweet Season ☆☆☆
12. overture ☆☆☆☆
13. do it again ☆☆☆☆☆
14. November ☆☆☆☆☆
15. Virgin Road ☆☆☆☆
16. SEVEN DAYS WAR ☆☆☆

guess i was waiting to much from this album... :~

I actually feel the opposite. I think there's actually a lot of stuff going on in the songs and that nothing is really missing. I was overwhelmed while first listening to them because I didn't really expect so much from the arrangements. like for example 3:20-3:46 in do it again was really unexpected to me and is just epic.

you totally typed out all of my thoughts again! amazing post. I couldn't agree with you more.

That's kind of an odd observation. Sure some of the songs have weird factors about them like not having blatant choruses, but other than that, they're all complete imo. It feels like they threw everything in the kitchen sink into these songs and made everything work despite having so many elements. The arrangements are just so lush and gorgeous that I wonder why the heck Yuta hasn't been making her arrangements like this since 2007.

But those aren't exactly "rock and roll" songs, either. I agree that "Rock'n'Roll" doesn't exactly fit the songs, and we'd probably also agree that a pop artist is as much about image as she is about music, right? Since we know she isn't going to sound like the Rolling Stones, John Lennon, or The Who, I think calling her album "Rock'n'Roll Circus" was done less to accurately describe the sound she was going for and more to evokes the (Japanese) image of British rock the participants in the original Rock and Roll Circus have come to represent. This is the album with a jacket and photobook plastered with the Union Jack, after all.

QFT. I think the only arrangement I'm not in love with is "Last Angel," though I think that may have to do with me getting my single late after reading all of the praise for it.

I think the arrangements are great for the songs, but I don't think any of them are out of the ordinary for her.

She's like the Queen of amazing arrangements, and she's had these types since forever.

Though she kinda stopped having arrangements like these in her past few albums...but idk...as someone who's favorite albums are LOVEppears, duty, I am, and RAINBOW...

...this album fits right in. Another reason why her older stuff is effing amazing...but don't want to get into that here now.


This post has absolutely no purpose though, other than to say, November owns lol cause it's the funniest little song.

And also to say that, I think, the arrangements are the best parts of this album, and that her vocals actually kind of ruin it a little bit ;P

Not really...well a little...lol whatever, this has potential to be freaking amazing live, and I really hope she's got power when performing the songs.

^ I find that too! The vocals are definitely something that was ticking me off. These arrangements are really good thou, especially with the intros to every song.

The strange thing is that Crossroads/Blossom/Virgin Road/Sweet Season have relatively amazing vocals compared to the album tracks. D: What happened in LA?

I've only listened to the album fully once but the way i feel about this album right now is that it's not my favorite one. It's the kind of album that i have to play all the way threw multiple times to really get a good feel of it. From what i've heard so far, a lot of the album tracks don't have a substantial, steady beat/rhythm/vocals to it that makes any of the songs "that song". When I play a new cd i try to sit alone in the dark, no distraction and listen carefully and get a feel of what kind of album it is,what the meaning is and what the artist is trying to convey. I don't really have one for this one yet. How she and alot of other artists release is with a few singles then make the album tracks around them and they seem to have different feeling to them than the singles do. Cause the single were made months apart and the album tracks all at the same time. The album doesn't really flow well for me. I just think ayu just doesn't give herself proper amount of time to create a album. It feels rushed and a little bit slapped together. She seems to give herself a set amount of time for the whole thing to be created. I think a album shouldn't have a release date until the artist/production/label feel that it if fully completed and ready to share. I'm not saying she gave us a half-ass album, i'm sure she believes she did well and that we would like it. i've got a really good feeling that once I find that groove/feel to it i'm sure i'll really like it, and my opinion about it will change. I'll take another "listening season" and see what happens. Out of all of the songs on this cd i love crossroad/sweet season/love long/do it again, the rest will take a bit of time.

There always was an idiot heavily doublevocaling her in the chorus(hello UNITE! and crossroad!!!) that totally destroyed the arrangements for me - unless performed live.
So in my opinion this album got her best arrangements(she had some like this before, but not a whole album through) and by far better mixes than before, part of that may be that American guy she used for some songs. Virgin Road for example just sounds incredibly beautiful.

loved it :) as pure and simple as that all tracks were amazing i waited
till i got it to listen to any of the new songs and it was well worth it, amazing.
9.5/10

I'm too lazy to type out a whole review =u= So I'll just sum it up~

I just finished listening to it on the USB :3 It sounds awesome!! I love it! Love song has to be my favorite though, I just can't stop listening to it! It just sounds so different from any other song~ (IMO :innocent) Overall, it's a great album, and I'm so glad I was able to get the big version :} (I like to call it the "big version" because it's just...big! I thought it wouldn't fit on my J-pop shelf but luckily I could slide it on top of my manga books :)) I also watched the PV's on my laptop once I realized you could change the regions on it ;) The PV's are not her best, but they are really interesting, and I like them a lot. :heart
I think overall, the album is a 9/10 :D

1. Love Song - 8/10
Too...catchy...not to like.

2. Crossroad - 6/10
Crossroad is Crossroad. It's good but nothing amazingly special.

3. Moon - 4/10
Eh.

4. Sending Mail - 9/10
This song is ridiculous. The chorus is annoyingly repetitive, and very generic but the verses and bridges are just plain WOW.

5. Last Angel - 10/10
Ah, amazing.

6. Insomnia - 2/10
Out of place and just plain random.

7. Like a Doll - 5/10
Eh. The only part I like is when Ayu hits those high notes at the end of the chorus.

8. Aria - 8/10
When I listen to this interlude I feel like i'm at some kind of renaissance garden party.

9. Blossom - 3/10
Zzzz...

10. Thank U - 8/10
Hang on...this isn't an interlude.

11. Sweet Season - 7/10
Nothing special but it definitely has a mood that effects it's listeners.

12. Overture - 1/10
Um. No. Just no.

13. Do It Again - 10/10
I didn't see this one coming. Honestly. The previews do this track no justice. This is easily the best track on the album. Why the hell wasn't this song an A-side?!

14. November - 9/10
A very simple, memorable track. Ayu's vocals are fantastic and it's nice to hear that she can still hit those high notes.

15. Virgin Road - 10/10
This one sits among her best ballads. Anyone who doesn't think so...please die.

16. Seven Days War (Live) - 7/10
The live version does well to choke up it's audience. I find it hard to really like this song but its not bad.

Overall: 8/10

I gave extra points for flow and general consistency in arrangement. The album is weighed down by some below average tracks and pointless interlude but it is a very simple and enjoyable album and i honestly think some of the tracks on this album are among her best works.

(So much better than Rock N Roll Circus and Next Level, phew -__-).

Love song-Nice way to start the album. It doesn't just slam into my face and intimidate me ( like B&D hello lol), but with the change in pace and addition of instruments, it just makes me want to listen for more. The lyrics fit so well with the arrangement of the song, and the verses and bridges are nice. Sad to say though, her voice can get slightly irritating at times, and the chorus gets a tiny bit bland after awhile, but over all, this song is great 9/10

Crossroad-I have had up and down with this song, but more like up and down from loving it with a passion to just really liking it, haha. I have always loved the composition, instruments, and her vocals in this song. It just flows so nicely. Every time I sing along with this song, I can just feel the passion with how she accentuates her voice, and my heart starts to beat a little faster. All in all, I just love this song 10/10

Moon- moon, moon. I used to think you were bland, but as time went on, I just knew you were special. Your beautiful opening, smooth verses, and passionate Chorus, it's really hard for me not to just feel that very passion as she sings this song. 9/10

Sending Mail- I was having mixed feelings about this song in the beginning, from loving it to eh, but after a few good listens, I really love and appreciate this song. The interesting arrangement and anime-esque feel, just gives it a charm that can't be beat. 9/10

Last Angel- I don't even know what to say about this song... well, the fact that it's probably stuck in my head all of the time might say something good about it. I love this song so much, I have loved it since my first listening. The way they blend techno and orchestra without it sounding forced, just sounds amazing. 10/10

insomnia- This sounds really cool, I love the weird voices,effects and the instruments that are going on. 4/5

Like a doll- I love how R&B this sounds, her voice is almost consistently nice as well. I like how her voices overlap, and do things in the song that I don't expect. It sounds beautiful and catchy at the same time, which is a difficult task in my book. 9.5/10

aria-Beautiful. Not particularly special, but they did a good job on it. 4/5

blossom An energetic song to get us back on our feet after a few mellow ones. Just listening to this song makes me feel happy and safe, and just evokes some weird emotion that borders nostalgia with security. While many people tend to think of it as just generic and unmemorable, I find it special.10/10

Thank U- Good song, but the LA LA LA LA at the end gets repetitive and annoying.It's not even the fact that she keeps repeating it, it's the fact that her voice is really screechy along with it for some reason. The rest of the song is amazing, so I don't see why she had to do that. 8/10

Sweet Season- I thought this song was bland and horrible about a week ago, but now I find it very sweet, haha. As much as I love the PV for this song, I think the song stands way better on it's own. Her voice is very good, and the nostalgia of it just tops it off. 8.5/10

overture reminds me of a track in an anime/RPG OST, in a really good way. So charming and relaxing~ 4/5

Do it again-My word is this song powerful! It goes from this charming elegant song to this dark and profound one in seconds. The lyrics get really in my head ( no, not just the English ones) and make me think. They fit in the song in a such a way, that it makes me think of all kind of crazy things. That is definitely what I like in a song. The arrangement also gives this song a + 10/10 favorite track

November-The song itself is so wonderful, with the arrangement of the instruments and the lyrics. I love it, but her voice gets kind of annoying in a lot of parts, which really sucks, because her voice throughout a general portion is actually really good. I bet in a week I will get used to the scratchiness of those parts, so it's not a big deal by any means. 9/10

Virgin Road- This is honestly a tough one to write about, because I feel like I should love it a lot more than I do. I feel like if she sang this song in a lower voice, I would be drop dead in love with it, but I have to stick with just really liking it. Beautiful instrumentally, and the PV for it is probably one of my favorites from her to date, but something is missing... that last point making to 10/10... 9/10

Seven Days War- I love this song, but something about it makes me never listen to it. Her voice is great and it's very powerful. Great cover. (p.s, maybe ayu became perfect at singing overnight, but I can assure that the version on my CD is not live, even though it says it is .) 9/10

over all 9.5/10

Like everyone said, this is a very cohesive album. All the tracks blend together in such a perfect way, that it's really hard to skip any tracks. It's made it's way up there with my favorite albums, just a masterpiece. Thanks so much Ayu. 4 years of you being my favorite artist, and more years to come~

I've listened to the album for a while now and it's actually already 1 of my favorites from Ayu, the instrumentals & arrangements alone are just beautiful and flows perfect with her vocals, i'm not very good at reviews.. so i'm just gonna give each song a score from 1 - 10

Love Song 9'5/10

Crossroad 7/10

Moon 9'5/10

Sending Mail 8'5/10

Last Angel 9'5/10

Like A Doll 8'5/10

Blossom 7'5/10

Thank U 8'5/10

Sweet Season 8'5/10

Do It Again 10/10
Favorite song of the album, and already one of my favorite Ayu song's :luv2

November 9/10

Virgin Road 8'5/10

Seven Days War 9/10

I just wanna say that this is comming from a guy from denmark, who have absolutely no idea what she's singing, but still love her to death!

she's def my favorite asian import along with BoA

^ Same with me. I ignored the L single, but fell hard for Virgin Road and Sweet Season on the album (but Last angel still sucks)

I wonder how people's opinions have changed now that the album has a) had time to grow on them or b) people have had time to get over the initial "excitement".

For me, I have grown to love this album so much. I have always thought holding out for the album and not seeing the covers and stuff would make me love it more, but this time is the first time I did not purchase a copy. I did wait until about a week before release to view the covers and held out on any clips of songs until the album leaked but I have to say, I love this album much more than NEXT LEVEL and a Hell of a lot more than R'n'R. For me, this album is so great now, I listen to it in my car constantly (minus Love Song and Virgin Road and the interludes - I didn't burn those on the CD). I would be interested in a new thread comparing the new thoughts on the album.

I was disappointed with L when it was released but the first weekend in October I took an 8 hour road trip and I burnt crossroad and the L single (minus Virgin Road) on CD and fell in love with them on the trip. Really, I do love this album a lot now. But I think half the reason is due to how disappointing R'n'R was for me. If this album came after MY STORY or (miss)understood I would not love it as much.

It's like:
Sending mail = November > blossom > Last Angel > Sweet Season > crossroad > Do it again > MOON > Like a doll > Love song > Virgin Road

November used to be my love but Sending mail is the first one I play when I get in my car now so I'd say it is about 1/2 a point above November.

buy her music :( love songs could use the sales.
Love songs was awesome at the start when i first got it, and its still amazing to this day :) there isnt a song i dont love!

I really can't afford to buy it. I felt terrible about it but I am trying to achieve my dreams and all my money is going towards that. I literally don't go out with friends, don't have fun. I work when I can and I save my grocery receipts and gas reciepts and give plasma twice a week just to get as much money as I can! Believe me, it was a very hard decision I had to make to cancel my order for the album. I was so looking forward to opening that on Christmas day!

aww its okay :) i understand not like im the ayumi cd police lol ;p

This is easy for me.

Indifferent
Thank U
overture

Dislike
Virgin Road
Sweet Season
MOON
crossroad
SEVEN DAYS WAR

Like
Everything else.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? SERIOUSLY? :gnash





Weeks later, this album is still one of the top three of her best albums ever created for me. :innocent

This album is a grower in the sense that you don't just start to "like" the songs, for me you really do start to fall in love with them and then you wonder how the HELL you didn't love them right off the bat. Lol. It's such an easy listen.

ever since Love Songs was released, I listen to the album in full practically every day. I keep thinking I'm going to tire of it eventually but I keep finding new things in the songs to appreciate. I'm so attached to this album it's unreal, lol.

After a month or so or listening... gotta say the only tracks I continuously listen to are:

Love song
Last angel
blossom
Thank U
do it again
Virgin Road

^ OMG, how can you not listen to November and Sending mail! They are the best! I guess everyone has different opinions but Sending mail is so epic and emotional. The part where the lyrics are translated to something like "you smile at me, will such a day ever come?" or something like that - that part has so much hope and bittersweetness in it. I truly love that part of the song - it's perfect. Plus I love at the end when the chorus is finally ALL OUT and it's just really rocking and hectic.

November's arrangement is absolutely gorgeous as well. Seriously, focus on the arrangement, minus Ayu even and you will really realize how truly beautiful the song is. I would kill for an instrumental. It's a masterpiece.

I have to say I never listen to Love song and even more so I don't listen to Virgin Road. :no I liked Thank U off the bat but it got annoying quickly.

I too listen to this album everyday in my car. I have to drive 45 minutes twice a week as well to give plasma and I'm always listening to the album the way there and back. I should burn another CD for my car stereo but I just love this one so much!

Me too! Can't stop listening! :D

November's arrangement is probably... I'll just say it, THE BEST of all her songs in her disco, in my opinion. Second would be do it again for me. You can tell that the focus on this album was the arrangements and the music and how the music captures the feeling and message of the song sometimes even more so than Ayu's voice. But in November it's particularly gorgeous. That random flute in the climax makes my heart skip beats LOL.

oh no I forgot about "sending mail" Love that one too!

November has the perfect and best arrangement in her albums, but meh don't like the melody enough for it to be catchy to be me, and that's so disappointing and frustrating, and a huge pity imo~!

November is a really good song instrumental wise. But it sounds really weird with Ayu's vocals...

lol same.

well I dont really dislike Virgin Road...it's boring for me, but it's very pretty.

My feelings toward the album havent changed. It's still for me, more like a concept album, and it's too specialised in that way for me to listen to, because, it's not what I want to listen to.

Maybe one day I'll be in the mood of the album, but right now, I'm not.

However, because of this speciality, I don't think it's really comparable to her other albums as far as, is something better or worse...

I think this is a very cohesive album, if not one of her most. It wasn't all 8-bit songs with a random Days, or Next Level thrown in there, and it wasn't all heavy and serious and strong songs with a greatful days, or angel's song thrown in there.

Even the songs I dislike, I'd still listen to on this album. I definitely can and will listen to this album all the way through. she did such a good job at mixing ballads with dance songs. I love it all! As much as I dislike the songs I've mentioned, I wouldn't take any of them off of the album cause I feel like they all belong there.

I agree but I grew to love the vocals and I love the part
"Daremo ga hitori ichido no jinsei ni
Unmei no aite ga kanarazu iru rashii yo"
also, the Ayu's voice and emotion during the final chorus
"Moshimo watashi ni mou hitotsu no tsubasa ga haete
Tori no you ni jiyuu ni sora wo habataketa toshita nara
Sono tsubasa o dochira mo anata ni sasage tai
Anata ga suki na tokoro e tonde yukeru you ni"
makes the song really take off!

I think her voice sounds absoloutely gorgeous in November, especially towards the end. It's so powerful and emotional. I don't get why people dont like it.
I think the entire album is pretty brilliant tbh.

I just received Love Songs. Yes, customs kept it away from me so I had to wait for over a month. I was strong and didn't listen to any leaks. I really like it so far. I can see myself loving it soon. Except for MOON/blossom which for me are Ayus weakest songs and her weakest single ever. The album tracks are very nice, and it works with the cover, it feels like a light warm album, well put together. I prefer it over Rock'n'Roll Circus already - by miles, but I didn't really like Rock'n'Roll Circus that much so maybe that's not saying much.

I think I just needed time to get used to it, and now I really love it. She just started out really... high.

I think I love this album even more than when I got it 3-4 weeks ago. The only reason why I skip tracks at times is because I don't usually have time to listen to the whole album, and just want to listen to my absolute favorites.

I always hated MOON - I found it very anti-climatic. Very forced. But now on the album, I listened to it in full a few times and the intro is amazing. I like the arrangement and I love Ayu's voice but I feel her voice is too "simple" and "clean" for the power the instrumentation gives. But I have grown to like it a lot now. I have always loved blossom though!

Love song:
This song starts with a beautiful piano melody and then goes into a hardcore guitar (her classis rock/ballad). I love this song cause it’s very catchy and the lyric has a deep meaning to it. My favorite part of this song would have to be…
Song- 10/10
Lyric- 10/10

Crossroad:
Hmm… I’m not too fond with this song as much as “Love song” To me, this song sound similar to “blossom” and “MOON” combine into one. It’s good… but it doesn’t fit with my taste so I don’t have much to say about it cause mostly I skip this song, sorry~ Ayu >~<

Song - 7/10
Lyric - 8/10

MOON:
Another rock/ballad! Whoo!!! Not surprise since it’s come from Ayu. I like this song! It has a beautiful melody and very soothing~ I remember when this song first came out and I kept listen to it to the point my cousin was angry with me >3< The lyric is very touching and so Ayu however, it’s not like “OMFG!!! That’s AWESOME!!!” Maybe because it doesn’t related to me… yeah… maybe that’s why…

Song - 8/10
Lyric - 6/10

Sending mail:
YES!!! Finally! A rock/upbeat song!!!! This song reminds me of “Microphone” hmm… I don’t know why but it does! Anyway… I love the chorus and how it repeats and overlap one another. At first (before reading the lyric) I thought this song is a break up song but NOPE! It’s actually a love song… Well duh! The album is named, “Love songs”

Song - 8/10
Lyric - 7/10

Last angel:
I absolutely love this song. This is a song that I’d dance to, like “Trauma”. This song is very very VERY hard to mix if you plan to cover this song (only if you don’t mind sitting at the same place, staring at the screen and adjust or apply effects) You know why I know that… because I’ve been there and done that. It takes me a least an hour to an hour and half to record to recorded and mix for a part of the song!! It was very very frustrated so I ended up not finishing it… hehehe…

Song - 10/10
Lyric - 8/10

Insomnia:
My favorite instrumental song within the whole album. This one reminds me of “Marionettes ~prelude~” Why I love it so much? One word… it’s “creepy” and “high-tech” Well it’s two words but oh well… XD

Song - 10/10

Like a Doll:
I love this song!!! At first, before listen to it, I assumed that it would sound similar to “Marionettes” since you know… Doll and Marionettes are similar… *wink* but anyway, it’s surprisingly not (aww… T^T) This song with Ayu’s original piano melody and SPAM!!! A modern beats came in and blew me away!! Nice one Ayu!! And this is the first song in the album that has some English in it and her English is very good matter of fact.

Song - 10/10
Lyric - 9/10

Aria:
A sweet and mellow instrumental. I like it. I think it’s connect to the upcoming song “blossom”

Song - 7/10

Blossom:
Man… as much I like to give this a 10/10 but… I’m sorry… No… I’m not to fond with this song. Why? Hmm… maybe it sounds similar to her previous song “Fairyland” but hey! You could just ignore the song and just watch how hot Jaejoong in the video. And no… the girl didn’t die… it was Jaejoong instead. I remember my friend (who’s a HUGE fan of Jaejoong) morn for him after she watched the video.

Song - 8/10
Lyric - 8/10

Thank U:
Oh god >~< Man… I have to say this is one of the song that I find annoying. Why? Maybe because in the chorus at the end of the sentence ends with “yo~” Beside that I love the melody.

Song - 7/10
Lyric - 5/10

Sweet Season:
… no comment… JK!!! Again… I’m not too fond with this song either. Hey! Don’t get me wrong! Just because I’m not “fond” with most of the songs, that doesn’t mean I’m a hater… It’s just mean I’m not a lover… XD jk… Anyway, all joke aside. This is song just doesn’t make to my favorite list simply because it’s dull to me. However, the lyric is very sweet… maybe that’s explain the title of the song.

Song - 6/10
Lyric - 8/10

Overture:
This instrumental ties with “do it again” *applause* And the orchestra… BRILIANT!!!

Song - 9/10

Do it again:
YES!!! I’m been waiting to write about this!! I love this song~ At first, I think this song is weird and annoying cause she keeps repeating “Dance dance dance dance…” However, after listen to it after a few time. I was hook to this song. I never thought the song that I thought was “annoying” and “weird” became one of my favorite!!! The lyric has a power message to it. To simplify it… it’s about holding onto your dream and chase after it no matter where you come from and no matter how hard reality is, you should hold onto it. And her English... Hmm... Well, she does have an accent in here but over all it's all good~

Song - 10/10
Lyric - 10/10

November:
A sad ballad. This song reminds me of London for some reason. I don’t like it and I don’t hate it. If I have to choose between this song and “Thank U” I would prefer this song.

Song - 8/10
Lyric - 8/10

Virgin Road:
This song is not just another ballad. But a VERY powerful ballad. I love it! However the lyric bored me. It’s not as intensive nor fit with the song. Sorry~

Song - 10/10
Lyric - 7/10

*Seven Days War:
I didn’t like this song. I hated it! I thought “Why the hell would Ayu wants to cover this song?!” BUT I fell in love with it when I read the lyric. The lyric touch my heart. It speaks about the hardship that one goes to preserve his/her dreams. And it speaks for me and I think it speaks for Ayu. I saw her documentary and she was asked why did she wants to become a singer… and she said “Because I want to find a place that I belong and make it mine” <--- Or something like that… Sorry~ it was long ago when I watch it.

Song - 9/10
Lyric - 100/10 <---- I don’t know if that’s possible or not…

-OVERALL-
I love the album but not as much as "Rock 'n' Roll Circus" because there's not a lot of songs that I like...

How long has it been...6 weeks???

To be honest, I loop Love song ALL THE TIME so much that the rest of the album are forgotten. It's kinda like how I looped Microphone for RnRC. Nonetheless, when the mood's right, the other songs will jump out from their places to me.

I've actually come to like MOON less on the album because I find the other songs so much more amazing... I replace the original with the orchestra on my mp3 player.

Even though I still think that 'Love songs' is a nice album, I returned to my old ayu-routine, which means I listen to "GUILTY, MY STORY, SECRET, LOVEppears" etc.

Right now, I really like the album! It always goes like that for me when it comes to ayu's new album. For NEXT LEVEL it took me like 4-6 months until I realized how unique and awesome it is, and now it's one of my all-time favorites.
With Love songs I feel like RnRC had more power and variety, but Ls has some very special songs as well. Whereas MOON is just nice but boring, crossroad, November, blossom and Like a doll are very interesting and Love song, Last angel, do it again, sending mail and Virgin Road are definiately masterpieces. Thank U is very sweet, not very outstanding, but sweet. Plus I think her 2010 albums have the best interludes ever. I already liked the NL ones a lot, but "overture", "aria", "Jump!" and "insomnia" beat everything.
My favorite song of the album is probably SEVEN DAYS WAR (live version) because it sounds so emotional. I can't explain it, but I feel awesome and happy when I listen to this song. And of course the songs on Ls have ayu's wonderful lyrics again.:)
Overall I think that RnRC songs just stood out to me all by themselves, and from the first listening. Ls tracks are nice, but you have to listen to them a lot to really get into them. I guess the more time goes by, the more I will love the album:yes

I don't dislike "Love songs," but I really wish Ayu would go on hiatus for like a full year. She's some time to absorb inspiration again because her music is becoming so bland. Even the best songs off Love songs pale in comparison to songs from her previous albums. :(

The only songs I really find noteworthy are "Love song" & "sending mail." Even the singles weren't very hot. I do love the lyrics to "Like a doll" though and there's something about both "MOON" & "blossom" that I really like. The video clip for "do it again" is also a stand out PV in her videography. :yes That's how I feel.

Haha same here. Exactly those albums, as well! :p high five.

I do throw in the occasional "blossom", though. That song is incredible, classic Ayu for sure.

Well I only think I listened to MOON once in full before the album.

I really don't see how people aren't loving this album. I do get how people think it's mediocre but for me that was a very short phase. Compared to R'n'R this album is gold.

About November again, her voice is gorgeous yes but I think the arrangement is just so beautiful and would love an instrumental. Just to listen to the full arrangement minus Ayu's voice until the final climactic chorus at the end.

It's been some time since the release, and I've noticed that I only listen to Love song, sending mail, Sweet Season, and Virgin Road lately. Initially I really liked November and do it again, but I've grown tired of them :(

6 weeks later, and I am still in love with this album. I still think it's perfect and cohesive, and I think part of the "perfection" is because we learned what the album is really about, so this makes this album an especially personal album. I may not relate to it as much as I do with other albums, but I do feel warmed and reassured by Love songs, somehow. The chords it strikes within me still resonate.

/could go on and on, but will spare you all

so there's just one song on the album now that I'm tired of, and it's Sweet Season. I still love the rest, but I skip Sweet Season now. it's not as strong as other tracks and also kinda ruins the pop vibe going on in the album too.

^ Really? I think Sweet Season is the most pop track of the album, besides blossom. It's just like a mellow, chill pop song.

^well after Thank U I'd just like maybe another upbeat pop song or something instead of it. but then that might be overload, so whatever lol. it's still a nice song I'm just over listening to it for now. the other songs on the album have such amazing arrangements that outshine it in my opinion.

I'm slowly warming up to MOON and blossom, but I still think they are weak songs. Ayus album tracks are often stronger than her singles. What I realized after a while is that MOON and blossom sound like a mash of songs that Ayu released before, almost exactly. They bring nothing new to the table and they are so Ayumi Hamasaki-like that they get boring. For example, the part of blossom before the guitar sets in again sounds exactly like the part in fairyland where Ayu watches the house burn (in the PV). *_* I'm probably not the first person who noticed that, but I just realized it today.

@SweetSeason discussion
I was always a little bored by this song. It's nice and cute, but from L single it's the weakest song and I think you need to be in a mood for it. It's not the kind of song you listen to in a loop - that would get dull pretty fast.

Honestly to me it feels like the album just came out!!
Maybe it's cause I only received it not yet three weeks ago :laugh
The songs are so classic though, it's such a great album~

I only listen to it while driving, same with NEXT LEVEL. They're just those type of songs that you can only fully enjoy while doing something specific.

Sweet Season is a good song to listen to while driving! It's like a traveling song. I think that's why I fell in love with it when I started listening to it because I was on a roadtrip.

Sweet Season is 1 of my favs in the album :laugh

I fell in love with it when I heard it on the album. It's such a feel-good song. And I agree with all.night.raver. It would be perfect to drive and listen to. Especially in summer on a winding road with the sun just shining down omggg <3

Love song: yes
crossroad: no
MOON: yes
sending mail: no
Last angel: yes
insomnia: no
Like a doll: no
Aria: no
blossom: yes
Thank U: yes
Sweet Season: no
overture: no
do it again: yes
November: yes
Virgin Road: no
SEVEN DAYS WAR: yes
SEVEN DAYS WAR Live: no


Love songs overall: maybe

I'm not very good at this more-than-2-liner stuff :grumpy

at the first listening i hate it. But from the third time on, i started to love the entire album. It's..OMG. I join (miss)understood since i'm not good in writing long comments, but i'd like to rate the songs from 1>10

Love song: 10
crossroad: 6
MOON: 6
sending mail: 8
Last angel: 7
insomnia: 7
Like a doll: 9
Aria: 6
blossom: 8
Thank U: 8
Sweet Season: 6
overture: 7
do it again: 7
November: 9
Virgin Road: 10
SEVEN DAYS WAR: 9
SEVEN DAYS WAR Live: 6

after (miss)understood (the album not the member LOL), my favourite album!

hahahahaha

it's my favorite album too :yes

thats why i chose the name

My Love Songs love is still fully there :D I've listened to November and Like A Doll individually a bit less, but still love them whenever they come up in the album. I've been mostly looping Last Angel, Love Song and do it again the last weeks. I listen to a song, or more, of the album at the very least once a day still.

i still think it's her bets album ever for the epic singles it contained but i think that time will make LS one of our BEST too..:yes

nice choice my friend

Is it weird that I'm not as impressed with other recent releases because subconsciously I feel they're not at as amazing as Love songs? xD

This happened to me too! Honestly I can't stop listening to love songs over and over again I feel as though lovesongsshould be made into a musical all the songs feel so theatrical but beautiful!

lol this happens with me sometimes. I have to stop myself from comparing her with other artists I like though because she'll always come out on top and make them look bad. her music is just on a whole other level.

Im happy to say, Like a doll, Now, is actually really nice to me. A song without a climax sometimes can be really easy to listen to.

I enjoy Like a doll too. There are a lot of parts in these songs that I absolutely love, which makes me like/love the songs. In Like a doll, it's the soft plucking of the harp during the verses before the bridge! Do it again has the flutes during the verses. November has the dramatic ending climax. Sending mail has the rocking out part at the end and during the last repetition of the chorus when you can really hear the drumroll down. OMG, I love that part.

I like that guitar in the background during the bridge of Like a doll!

here's my review

Love song:
- this song turned me off the first time i listen because of the yeayy part. i was like wtf, that's so unnecessary lol. but this song grows on me A LOT and now i love it. 9/10

crossroad:
- i used to think this song is boring as hell, but the more i listen to it the more i love it. Thanks to the beautiful arrangement and instrumental this song become one of my most favourite ayu song ever 10/10

MOON:
- i love it since it came out as a single, and i still do. the arrangement is typical but i really like it :D 8/10

sending mail:
- the opening is really beautiful, and when the chorus kick in BAMM, this is Mirrorcle World part 2 :D i like it, but ayu's vibrato in the chorus kinda ruined the song for me 7.5/10

Last angel:
- it's really an interesting song, i love the upbeat arrangement, but it's really getting old for me. 7.5/10

insomnia:
- interesting sounding. but that's it 7/10

Like a doll:
- this song is upbeat which i'm not really expecting from ayu. it's catchy but boring at the same time for me. 7.5/10

Aria:
- Gorgeous!! the violin is really beautiful 9/10

blossom:
- i like it! the guitar part is absolutely amazing! i found the arragement is similar to ayaka's melody :D 8.5/10

Thank U:
- i heard this song once and always skip it when it starts playing in my iPods lol. i can't stand the lalala. but i gotta give the arrangement a prop. it's quite beautiful. 6/10

Sweet Season:
- the song is a hit and miss for me, it can be really boring and beautiful at times lol. Depend on my mood i guess X) 7.5/10

overture:
- EPIC interlude!!! i love it! 9.5/10

do it again: ☆☆☆☆
- the dance dance dance and sing sing sing part were so repetitive and annoying. song is really epic and complex arrangement wise. but those repetitive dragging too long and kinda turn me off lol. 8/10

November:
- crossroad part 2, it's really really beautiful until the chorus comes out and ruined the song T__T. 8/10

Virgin Road:
- i really like it, i mean who doesn't lol. it has a beautiful melody, arrangement, and vocal. and i really love the end part of the PV, they're like total opposite with the music but it fits sooo perfectly :D 9.5/10

this album is okay i guess, not my favourite ayu album but it has really some interesting songs :))

I just want to mention something here, as I don't know where else to bring it up. Some time ago, a certain user (I don't remember who) mentioned something about Ayu's music (I think perhaps during R'n'R release). It was one of the most touching quotes I have ever read from a fan regarding Ayu and went something like Ayu releasing music they generally wouldn't want, hope for or expect for her to release, but somehow turning out to be something they've always wanted. I wish I could find that quote! For some reason I think it might have been jbrat2219 because I somewhat recall that avatar along with the post.

I just can't stop listening to this album! I've been playing it even more since I got the CD+DVD last weekend :D

My favorites have got to be MOON, blossom, Last angel, sending mail, Virgin Road....
The whole album is LOVE. But blossom has the most plays.

I really love how you could always hear a piano+strings combination for every song. It kinda felt like one really epic acoustic orchestra album! Probably the best Ayu album for me, everything about the album was something I really liked!

^ Sounds like something I would say. :laugh

I wonder if the the quote was somewhere in an Rn'RC thread or something...

I love Love songs. It's my favorite Ayu album EVER. And my fave used to be a tie between MY STORY and Duty. It's just everything I've ever wanted from Ayu.

I'm too lazy, so I'll just focus on the album as a whole, not individual songs.
Every track fit with each other, and like everyone said, it was cohesive. I also loved the piano+strings combination in almost every song.

I love every song in the album, but these songs are the ones I play the most:
blossom (Best ayu song ever!)
sending mail
Last angel
MOON
Virgin Road
The overall concept of this album was amazing. Amazing singles, Epic PV's, Awesome album tracks. Best Ayu era for me :D

I don't see how everyone thinks November is amazing, but I've been listening to it more.

November has the most amazing strings arrangement out there! It's gorgeous!

This album still remains one of my favorites and probably my favorite since (miss) understood. It took awhile to grow on me at first, but now I love it and am still listening to it frequently.