a commercial

its a japanese commercial, or just commercial, but I have only heard japan call their commercials CM's...

kinda like PV... I never heard other countries beside asian refer to their music videos as PV's...

Actually I feel that the last release won't be A BEST 3, because they need more time to promote!

On the other hand, they could release it on the 8th of April, although at the same time I feel that they won't release anything then! I dunno lol

If this year's tour is going to be her biggest ever, I hope it won't be just "LOVE again" themed, that would be so boring imo, she should perform her greatest hits and perhaps her very new Future Classics? That would be a great way to promote A BEST 3 I think.


Sorry LOVE again, but I don't want another HOTEL LOVE again :thud

I just hoping for the tour to be titled something simple... like
Anniversary Best or something.. 15 years of Ayumi.

please, with the way that avex is promoting ayumi right now A Best only needs like, a week. They really are just relying on the name alone... which is sad, because she is still selling well for how long she has been in the business, with little to no promotion. (that we can see).

but apparently there are more billboards then before.

Her career has been a mess since 2011 and these 5 releases aint helping at all... I'm afraid of her 15th anniversary tbh

If she brought back more stuff like Fairyland and fun pop opposed to ballads, she'd do well maybe I think because that always sells.

... or an English A Best 3 album.

Hoping for news today. It should be around 7AM in Japan in five minutes. I'm not sure what time they usually release news, but I'm thinking it may be mid-morning?

EDIT: Exactly one month today from the LOVE again announcement. News should be here today, or tomorrow based upon the announcement pattern.

I find news tends to be around noon Japan time.

I would take Japanese people saying "kawaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii" with a grain of salt. It's sort of our equivalent of saying "oh, cool" and isn't always genuine.

Sort of like if you didn't really like something and just said "Oh, that's cool"......I'm sure some people loved it but some people loved S/S as well lol

If people started to appreciate what they are served, life would be peaceful again.
Everyone want things they can't have & when they do, don't want them anymore.
It seems to me some care more about the sales then about the pleasure of music.
Wanna change it? Work as hard as she is, earn millions, buy millions of her albums then donate if you don't have the place to keep them. Complaints never solved anything until one did something about that, but as far as here is not a problem, what is the solution?
We are not at the point that the sales are as low that she need to end her career so what else matters?

SHE NEEDS TO RECORD ONE SONG IN ENGRISHH for release five! T.T

a CM with pieces of Melody PV so everyone can bash that one too xD pretty much...

Of course, we get new stuff! Adding these previews to the first post. Wonder when the 5th release announcement will be....

Noone wants her to record any engrish. The patriotism she stands for is a symbol which should be maintained.

Can someone rip the previews? Cant play them ;(

There's a link in the first quote!

http://www.mediafire.com/?9d7oxfdl9e051tq

Here's a MediaFire link for the new track previews.

WOW the previews sound superb!!!

Might be changing my name to task'n'bass shortly lol

-petal is coolbeans; reminds me of Marionette.
-wtf is glasses?
-untitled for her... story 2 is making me cry just from the preview

-SAKURA, Bye-bye darling and Gloria are nice. Nothing amazing, but not bad.

I LOVE glasses. It's just so delicious sounding, haha. Gives me Bridge to the sky vibes, kind of due to the use of an Ayu vocal sample.

+1.

Bye-bye darling preview sounds awesome. Gloria seems to be another MY ALL/Replace/RED LINE kind of song <3

petal reminds me of Bolero a bit, but it's nice. SAKURA is alright I guess, still dunno how I feel about untitled 2 >.<

From what I've heard, I like the new songs. Especially SAKURA. And I like petal too.
I am a little indifferent about the other three. I am not really liking them already, but there is none I can't stand. They just need to grow to me. And release in full version of course. But I am not fond of the interludes. Bah. I don't like them. Everything is good, 'till task'n'bass and glasses bump in. Of course I have to wait for the full versions, but it's like they don't really fit in this.. melanchonic album of her.

I love the interludes btw :D

She hasn't had such 'fun' interludes in a while. glasses could make a pretty awesome opening interlude for the next tour.

Honestly I'm turning a blind eye to every negative response to any of the new song samples.

Because they're all stunning.

:yes

It's like I need Bye-bye darling right now. NOW.

OMG is is the best ayu album in years, so excited

yyayyy previews but I'd still like en english song ;)

:rolleyes Really? Why o why?

You are welcome ;P

SAKURA love it love it love it

The previews sound quite good, the weakest for me is untitled for her. Task'n'bass sound fun. Petal reminds me of Marionette which made me burst with joy ... hope I won't be disappointed!
After Love songs I disliked every of her releases, maybe this album will be the one that make me like her again as before.

I had good vibes for the album because all the pre-released tracks were amazing and these new tracks really sealed it altogether really well!!! SAKURA is that rock-ish ballad once again..and so Gloria was the preview that was leaked long ago LOL. petal sounds so gd and untitled is really touching. Bye-bye darling will flow with snowy kiss really nicely.

I CANT WAIT!!! (Yea, these new songs arn't really that deserving of some epic PV...so I'll patiently wait for her new "single"-ish song)

Every single preview sounds great. People can say what they want about songs being re-released on this album, and how this whole 15th anniversary thing is an AVEX money grab, this is going to be a great, solid album.

the length of the previews dont do most of the song justice
remember snowy kiss? i thought it was a sending mail ripoff until i heard the full thing

each song has potential but the length is constricting..

:yes:yes:yes

Change the world was actually decent.

OMG!!!!!!! The new songs are AMAZING!!! I'm happy that I'm able to get CD+BD+Goods before it sold out. I'm superexciting!!

just realized petal sound so opera like dramatic song, the violin love it!

I hope the Japanese would love these new songs. I mean, they're so not experimental in any way and its just the classic jpopayu sound. it's such a sweet combination :D

The more I listen, the more the 7 new songs meld together to make Love songs part 2.
Not a bad thing, though. I think that ayu wanted to play it safe.
I think Sakura and petals will be my favourite new songs. Coupled with ivy, ayu is a poor man's botanist.

petal and Gloria...:heart

The impression left on me by the others isn't so great. However, I'll leave further judgement until I actually hear them in full. xD

SAKURA deserves a PV HAHA! though i envision everything to be in slow-mo somehow. Ayu releasing doves into the sky in slow-mo...

^ They definitely deserve PVs. It's kind of bizarre, listening now, as to why at least one didn't receive one.

petal sounds like the love child of SCAR and Pride. :heart

Nice previews indeed. This album sounds a bit more rockish than anything in a while imo. I usually really hate this midtempo Ayu too, but this album sounds pretty decent. I already get this certain MY STORY vibe from it.

It's going to be a great album, that's for sure! :P

I love ayu, :love:love:lech:lech:love:love

Surprisingly, my favorite song is glasses so far haha I really wish it was a full song ): I'm really digging petal too though!

OMG!!! I love all the previews!! It's definitely very ayu-ish. the jpop sound i came to love in the first place. the songs are pretty similar to love songs album songs but imo i think they are even better.
judging from all the released songs and previews. its gonna be an awesome album!

Sakura is amazing!!
Cant wait to hear the full song!!

all the previews sound AMAZING!!!
I wonder what happened to the RnB sounding preview we got from CDL?

after listening to it a few times the best one sounds like it will be sakura.
glasses is sooooo.... interesting... I want to hear the rest of it.
untitled for her and Gloria seem flat... I need to listen to the whole songs.

Gloria is the one we heard from outside the venue at CDL. It's the only preview I allowed myself to listen to now that they have been officially released, since I already heard that clip.

^ ohhhh,..,.. i see...
still not impressed. lol

petal sample lyrics by ear

好き嫌い、好き嫌い
一枚ずつ散って
最後に残るひとひらが
好きな方であるといいのですか

suki kirai, suki kirai
ichimai zutsu chitte
saigo ni nokoru hitohira ga
suki na hou de aru to ii no desu ka

"To love him, to love him not"
Scattered, one by one
I wonder if the last remaining petal
Will be the one I love? (lit. like)


Totally fixed these. I got it now. hahaha

So there you go. There's my interpretation. Still don't know if it's "ka" or "ga" at the end though.

My roommate just blew my mind and suggested these lyrics are coming from the point of view of the flower being plucked rather than the person plucking the flower. Suggesting that the flower is in fact wondering if the last petal left will be the one the person plucking will love. Mind blown.

i always wonder about stuff like this...
Some ayumi songs sound like they are coming from her lover and not her singing about her lover... (for this example the flower.)

Interesting lyrics! This album has pretty different styles of lyrics, i guess it does show ayu's creativity in writing after all. She can wrote many things abt love :)

Can you do Sakura please? I love that preview

I love the way this album's shaping up to be. The complaints about it being too much like Love songs don't really register to me, since I think Love songs is honestly her best album. It's coherent, cohesive, and it shows the growth of her voice. I'm also getting a classic Ayu vibe from this, though. Musically it reminds me of a mix of stuff I heard waaay back on LOVEppears, even if her voice is totally different. Hell, I even hear some ASFXX on here (reminding me of POWDER SNOW and For my dear...).

I might save up to buy this, actually.

It'd be something new and nice as it's my first language and I'd want to see how I'd appreciate it differently if NEVER EVER or Endless sorrow were in English as they are my faves. :luv2

I don't think I could take an Engrish ayu song seriously.

I'd love an engrish song
I'd make SO much fun of it, oh it would be amazing.

Wow, SAKURA is flawless! At least from the preview.
I like them all tbh. Gloria seems it could fit perfectly on MY STORY.

petals and SAKURA sounds very good, i was waiting for at least one electronic full track like "wake me up"...but well...it is fine.
IMO the best trackS on this album is "missing" and "wake me up"

im really happy with these previews..
and glasses not being a full song might be disappointing, lol.

BoA sang Engrish with Amazing Kiss, look show brilliant that sounded. It sounded like an entirely new language.

your faves could never.

Amazing Kiss in English was epic! It was like they translated the original lyrics using Babelfish.

stahppp


ya'll need jesus.

I wonder if any of the 5 new songs will feature English...

Most of the time, the songs don't end up that great once translated into a language that's different from the one the song was originally written in. For instance KEY OF HEART turned out quite awkward in the end, but that was the case with almost all the BoA songs besides DOUBLE. The vocal melodies for the majority of Ayu's songs were made so they'd suit the Japanese language. Trying to rewrite the lyrics would be very hard and a mare translation would most likely end in failure. I mean look what happened when GACKT sang Mind Forest in English during his YFC! tour - I could barely recognize the song. It was plain awful.

SAKURA - reminds me of Ivy just much better

Bye Bye darling kinda reminds me of "evolution"

petal reminds me of "part of me"

Gloria - Key ~eternal tie ver.~

DeJAVU totally xD

Only if it's pronounced "hey-soos" and he comes in chiselled model-form.

Ok. BOTH INTERLUDES ARE AMAZING. tasuku never failed me. I need a tasuku song now. glasses are fun too!

Songs are... nice. Just nice. I DISLIKE THE FACT THEY ARE ALL BALLADS beside Bye-bye darling. (all are ballad-medium). Which is very fun and retro pop sounding and I love that. I hope verses don't ruin this electro-pop light sounding. It's really like some of her electro song but in "light ver."

SAKURA sound like peachy ver. of any of her power ballad (No way to say etc) Like more powerfull November.

petal... ballad. Meh, Ok. But the music sound pretty neat.
untitled for her Story 2 - ballad. Ok. It sound like ANY ballad.
Gloria - another medium filler track, but it does catchy melody

But why they are all so peachy-pinky ;_;
She needs more claws to her music like she did with Wake me up :<

The thing that bothers me too is that task'n'bass is SO AMAZING and it doesn't fit the ballady atmosphere of whole album.

well these are all just fragments. we might be surprised and get another 'wake me up.' kinda like how 'last angel' shifted genres in the song itself.

and i don't think 'song 4 u' or even 'missing' sound all that ballady! i think it'll all kinda flow together once we hear the album as a whole, so hopefully there's more of an edge to the album. i also like when her music has some cut to it. :3

^ but Missing is still a power medium ballad.

so: *not in order*
1. Song 4 u (generic power pop)
2. Bye-bye darling (generic pop + with electro)
3. Wake me up (generic pop + with electro)
4. You & Me (generic cute pop + with electro)
5. snowy kiss (sad experimental angsty electro)
~~~~
6. Missing (power ballad)
7. SAKURA (power ballad)
8. petal (ballad)
9. Untitled for her Story 2 (ballad)
10. Melody (ballad)
11. Ivy (ballad)
12. Sweet scar (ballad)
13. Gloria (medium pop + ballady sound)
~~~~
14. glasses (electro)
15. tasknbass (electro)

I just don't like THAT cohesive albums (like Love songs)
Well Party Queen had this kinda big "rockesque" section but well, there were in fact TWO rock songs. reminds me and call. And rock-dance track with Shake it. It was well ballanced. She put "rnb" feel with Tell me why, epic orchestra Return Road with drama all the way, US rock feel with call, really good dance tracks, some experimental songs in the end (which almost everybody hates but ESM still amazes me...) Now I have... 4 pop songs, one experimental... something (snowy kiss) and... BALLADS. TONS OF BALLADS.

I know, I am picky, I just miss epic rock song from her... :( I didn't had this song since Microphone *crying in the middle of darkness* And I am just tired of ballads. They all sound the same to me.

Only Ivy don't. Ivy doesn't count.
<3.

But well, I guess everyone will find their own "Ivy" in these new tracks.



inbe4: Ivy should have a single.
5th realese: Ivy single with rock b-side. AW YES.

now what if the next release are all rock / pop songs as these are mostly piano ballads?


HMMMMMMMMMMMMM? *<):3

Bye-bye darling is pop/rock can't hear the electro in it >_>

there's too much hype with the release..


If they did this with Party Queen and we waited three months, we'd all have PQ CD burnings.


Over killing hype is the wort.

I'm a ballad sucker! And i'll love LOVEagain as much as I loved Love songs. Can't wait!! <3

the guy in your sig is cute =P


and yesssss except I want a cover.

why do people actually compare it to love songs? it does have a theme but it's nothing like love songs. i dunno why but i maybe listened to the album like 4 times and never did listen to any of the songs ever again.. *shrugs*
Well her vocals are like 1000000 times better than on love songs... :yes

it actually is kinda weird how i tend to like stuff none ese does and pretty much not like most of the things that people on here call masterfpieces lol YAY FOR BEING ODD ONE :D

So happy for all the new ballads. 'Wake me up' was enough. We shall have another up-beat song in a few years or so.

i just have to wait the leak or my cd...

i was hoping for new info today... but Im happy we got previews!

Was reading some of the comments that express dislike for the new album tracks because they sound "mediocre" and "boring". I guess I can understand the desire for something "fresh", but anybody who has lived through the 98-2002 golden era of JPOP will understand where she is going with this album. It's basically an amped up, more updated version of a song for xx. I personally love it. A straight up well-written pop album with no gimmicks or pretensions.

petal just climbed up on my favorite previews just cause of this. amazing.

oh coolness... never thought of it that way!! :luv2

I need this album to leak
Harder than Xtina.

Well... The other 5 songs.
It's like an EP of awesome.
I now love all the previews so much!

Gloria, SAKURA and petal are good, but glasses is so catchy, a good interlude

as a whole (LOVE to LOVE again) is such a strong album...
man... really really nice... and a very nice step up from Party Queen and an amazing throw back to her earlier stuff!

I JUST WANT THE FULL SONGS. IT'S KILLING ME.

Sounds a bit boring but hopefully theyll all come together nicely!

This will be a solid and decent album, not revolutionary but of proper quality.

It does flow nicely, better than party queen
While party queen bunched songs by sound together, LOVE again attempts to include 'different sounds' in some areas
Ie: sweet scar with bye bye darling/snowy kiss (slow vs upbeat)
You and me at the end with the ballads before it
Melody and Sakura after some faster midtempoish songs

It's giving me Kumi Kehova teas.

lol exactly! <3

I'm liking what I hear so far. It seems to be a cohesive album that flows well! Ayu sure does like her flowers in this album...should've put some flowers into the cover :D

SAKURA lyrics by ear

生きてく事は、どうして切ない
生きてく事は、どうして嬉しい
Ah- 君のために 今出来る事は
この涙を拭いて 笑顔、、、

ikiteku koto wa doushite setsunai
ikiteku koto wa doushite ureshii
ah- kimi no tame ni ima dekiru koto wa
kono namida wo fuite egao,,,

why is it painful to live?
why is it joyful to live?
ah- what I can do now, I do for you
I wipe away these tears and (put on a happy face?)



It cuts off at what I assume is "egao" so it's incomplete but these are just my interpretations!

i find it interesting that a ton of these lyrics really are not about being in love... but the after effect of it... like after a break up...
interesting.

This is going to be an amazing album! I'm guessing people who expected some sort of varied album with electro and stuff are probably disappointed, but this album is sounding really solid and 'together'.

I'm trying not to listen to the previews but I cracked and listened to SAKURA and it is PERFECT!

sakura is one of the best! it kinda sucks that it was first because then you compare the others to it and they fall flat...
most are good!
untitled for her and gloria (along with AWFUL melody) are going to be skipable. (at least from the previews)

LOL Excuse me?? Melody might be the best one on the album!! <3 :D :luv2

I am loving the previews. SAKURA is epic! The only one I'm not feeling is Bye Bye Darling. Plus the task'n'bass is so out of place in the album it feels to me. And glasses reminds me of one of the stages on Mega Man 2... maybe Metal Man jajajajajja

^ thats a sad album if you think Melody is the best track! lol...
but you are forgiven, you like sakura as well!
=)