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!!

I love the title song Guilty...I think I'm one of the few that do. It's so desperate and condemning sounding.

Guilty is an amazing song, although it sounds kind of off key or something. Maybe it's too low in key? Something about that guitar doesn't rub me the right way. I don't know how else to put it. lol

as said one page before, GUILTY is the best trackon the album. Its so hounting and in the veine of Duty. I hope she'll perform it one day.
As for RnRC...I like all the tracks on there...especially DLB & SLT!! O_O

Guilty is my most favorite album ever =) I like all songs except glitter


I think ayu already back to recording. Can't wait for official news about album. It's already two months before rumored release

I don't get the hate that SAKURA takes. It took me some listens before I really got into some LOVE again tracks but when I did it felt so warm. For me, SAKURA is one of those tracks that unveils its "true core" when its listened in certain places, for example if I listen to it surrounded by nature (especially in winter and spring). First snow of the year, first drops of spring etc. :)
In fact almost every song has a certain mood for a certain moment but the interesting thing is that everybody feels different. One might find SAKURA a banal song, but for others this song may awake some unique excitement in them. All depends on multiple factors such as our own life experience and perception.
This is why I love ayu's music. It makes me discover a song again and again and I can really connect with most of her discography.

I want Tell All or a new one on this style. Next CREA type songs Sparkle, Ladies Night and STEP you type of songs. And for rock Because of you.

And for the covers a mix of rnr circus and LOVEppears/appears.

Please no more Alvin Goh horrible covers and booklet!!!!

I think the Alvin Goh's style for CoLOURS wasn't horrible. It was stylish, but a little OT related to the album I think...
To me, a design ala RAINBOW would have suited the album better.

I love GUILTY, both the album and the song :heart It was my first Ayu album, and that may be why I like it so much idk

Yes maybe was work better.

But I think they can do it better with the photos with large hair and different angles. I feel she put a random title for the album and put a random photoshoot, there is nothing related to the album :S

And please make comeback the big cases avex -.-

In the other hand we have 2 last singles with backcover for the first time in history

I think the Colours styling should have been bolder and brighter and less 'shiny'. Something like NEXT LEVEL with more polish and less kitchen gloves.

As far as what to expect with this album... I think it will probably be some electro, some ballad, some rock as usual. But the ratios might be more ballads than usual... or tracks like What is forever love anyway.

Please no more tracks in that style. Its a nice song but that's it. :o
I want something crazy in the vein of rollin'.

rollin' :luv2

the best way to satisfy everyone is to give every type of song :P one ballad, one pop song, one electro, one rock, one experimental and one medium. that would be awesome

I would love for another song produced by DAISHI DANCE. Him and Ayu obviously have good chemistry, so don't see why not.

You summed it up well! I love Guilty!!

i think the same. I mean the guy has a name for a reason. he is a fashion stylist magazine type. he's brilliant with doing editorial stuff and could probably work for a cover or two. I don't think he has enough of "outside the box" attitude for music business, though. Premium showcase costumes were nice but they all looked like what beyonce, brit or someone else would wear. Ayu's concerts are very visualy over the top and while the costumes for me most of the time are hit or miss. I'd rather have that than this grey area. I would love her to do more mag shots with him as stylist though.

I think, judging from the photos when you look at them in full, Alvin Goh gave Ayu bright, shiny styling SPECIFICALLY as a counterpoint to the sort of urban decay in the background of all these photos. And the album's design just sorta cropped that out, the photos didn't really emphasize it enough.... those photos had a clear concept and potential, but it ended up getting kinda squandered. =\

The way they edited all the photos was a little weird IMO. Also I wasn't a fan of the samesame hair for every single look.

I agree!! just noticed that guilty fits the whole dark circus theme ayu is aiming for these days. :yes

What I really want is an album of dark 'gothic' inspired pop/rock, filled with songs like Duty, End of the World, and more recently, Ourselves, Because of You, Microphone. And I think the 3 ballads would actually fit nicely on to that, maybe except for Zutto heh.

Duty album had this "softer" section (from AUDIENCE to Key) and it fits pretty well, so the Zutto/Walk would work on "gothic/darker" album too :)

i would love that type of album but she works better if the songs are in the various style... Whole "rock" inspired album can come out pretty repetive.

Maybe because i'm Party Queen junkie, and she just recorded whole pallete of rock out there! Shake it (party rock song) Return Road, reminds me, Call, Letter... All are rocky but in the diffrent way and I can't even say it's a rock album because she puts every style in it.

I'm all up for a Duty/GUILTY replica.

I like the grab bag-type albums like (miss)understood and Secret. A little of something for everyone without really being too much of one thing.

She updated TeamAyu. The new album will be released 8 April. It's titled A ONE.

She wrote we'll understand why it's titled A ONE when we open the album.

edit: Maybe this should get its own thread?

Just saw the news :)

I'm sure the official announcement will come soon :) maybe at 17:00 or 18:00

yay!!

Jesus she's such a tease

I guess that if she were to release a digital single before the album it would have been announced before the album, right? I don't recall how things were announced during the Party queen era to have an idea... I was hoping for a little more of buzz before the album itself, but well, let it come :P

can't wait to hear more news about this! ^^

Than go to thread about new album release ^^