LOVE - Opinions, etc
 

When I'm listening to 3 tracks, Song 4 u sounds too plain with Missing XD

Song 4 u - I started to love this track when game OST was out, and I still do, but it does sound... too short :< I kinda have "intro" feeling xD

Missing - I was "meh" on PV preview and LQ. BUT NOW I LOVE IT. Amazing chorus/bridge. Arragment is perfect. So much drama. This bridge!!!!!!!11

Melody - sound plain after such a big track as Missing. But great vocals and great dramatic ending.

From remixes I love Missing Dubscribe remix and I kinda "dig" You & Me remixes (I don't like the original one~~) I don't feel the need to listen to orchestra Song 4 u (it was never my thing) and the Melody remix is kinda too chaotic.

edit:

yep, You & Me remixes are fantastic. They even made me LIKE this song.
I can't choose between them :< They are both amazing. But Remo-con is more crazier I guess <3

I think from the 3 new songs it goes.....for me:
1. Missing - amazing arangement, i love the piano and electric guitars. And that small jump from calm to RAWR was nice, very dramatic. Amazing track.
2. Melody - simple, but the melody just gets me, it's very nice and flowy. Plus i love Ayu's vocals. The arangement is profesional and for me it's full and bloosoms like a flower. I loved the guitar solo! And i think it builds kind of nicelly. I LOVE IT!
3. Song 4 you - it's good but i don't know....something doesn't click with me anymore lol It's good regardless! The intro is nice but not exactly my thing, i loved the ToX version intro more.

Her vocals are beyond amazing! I was already going nuts for vocals on PQ, but this is just pure heaven. It seems to flow so easily and it's relaxing, efortless. Her vibrato finally got to the right level, not too much or too fake it's just spot on perfect. She's great now!

as for remixes....
Song 4 you (orchestra) - the intro is beyond amazing....kind of drops too simple at the verse...but i love the entering of the violin and other strings. Expected for a bit stronger chorus but it seems to build up into something very intense as it goes into the violins on the second verse, gives this powerful feeling. But again drops kind of too calm for the chorus, but i love the variety of sounds that give the harmony. The ending is also epic. Not a bad version of orchestra but i've heard better!

Other remixes simply butchered the songs, it should be illegal to make remixes of such beautiful pieces, they don't diserve a place on the CD whatsoever, what a mess...Jesus...my ears are bleeding....SUE THEM D:

Over all i think the 3 songs are all strong in their own way. I think they could have totally go as singles on ther own. I really really really love the mini, though they should have not wasted time with those remixes, they're useless and crappy. They should use musicians to rearange them and give them new kind of mood and feeling instead of paying for some DJ for throwing the actual piece to the trashcan.
I think even tho I love Missing to death, Mellody gets me the most with it's melody, haha. Must be my fave on the piece!
YOU GO AYU!

P.S. it's so funny that i always end up in a minority if not the only one on the forum who ends up liking the most stuff everyone else say is borring....xD i love being different

Song 4 u - EEEEEEPIC, love the arrangement and the lyrics, I didnt pay much attention to it when we got the game version, but now omg thats my ayu jam for this year 10/10

Missing - DAMN forget about S4u, DIS IS DA ****, it's like everything I've been expecting from ayu since Love songs - FIVE was a let down for me. Perfect song, perfect. 100/10

Melody - Hum, it's a good song, but when it's put alongside the other two it seems so poor... I like it, probably it'll grow on me, but I feel like it lacks something in its... melody (no pun intended here). 7/10

About the other mixes, I'll copy and paste what I said on the LOVE thread:
While the Orchestra Version for Song 4 u is utterly amazing, the remixes, both old and new ones, sound pretty bad for me. I mean, dubstep with Missing? Seriously? If they can made a orchestra version of Song 4 u, they could also made acoustic versions for Missing or/and Melody, it could have turned out to be amazing mixes instead of the ones we've got.

Overall, I give the a mini a grade of 7/10. The remixes are really bad, but the songs themselves save it pretty much.

Song 4 u reminded me of progress. Missing reminded me of momentum and Melody reminded me of Key. All three songs are great, thank you Ayu!

Just have to say I absolutely love Song 4 u and Missing! :luv2

I felt like Melody could have been amazing too, but it felt like it dragged on till it got a bit better in the end.

The orchestra version of Song 4 u was nice, but it wasn't that different from the original haha

And finally, I like something else from Shinichi Osawa :laugh

The Remo-con remix is too long! :thud

And yeah, Ayu needs to stay far away from dubstep >_>

However, I quite like the Melody remix <3

Overall, I give this release a 6/10

Missing Dubscribe Remix..... NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!

I really like this maxi single... uh, mini album, I mean. All new songs are really good. I really like that they put instrumentals here too. I really like to listen those because those are always very inspiring when I write. :)

Song 4 u is a epic way to start this mini. I was most surprised that this was so short. I was expecting it to be five minutes long with a epic orchestral intro like progress had. And now I'm always sad that this ends so suddenly. I'd like to listen a longer version but no can do. I already listened over 100 plays for the digitally released version and the full version might get another 100 plays haha. x3

Missing was so epic I just can't anymore. When I heard the short version, it brought tears to my eyes and it still does. This song is like BALLAD meets M meets momentum so for me it's definitely a song that breaks my heart into million pieces. This song really touches me deeply. I can't wait to read the full translation and then translate this song into Finnish so I can cry some more. Perfect winter ballad that I always secretly wait for Ayu to release.

Melody wasn't my favorite of these three when I first heard it. It just felt so boring I couldn't stand it, but when I listened to it the fourth time a moment ago I realized how much I actually like this song. Melody in the chorus makes me think that I've heard this song before as a English song but I couldn't remember the title of that song. This song also gives me a certain Sweet Season meets beloved meets winding road vibe. :)

Remixes

This. Dubscribe remix of Missing did sound great at first but then those annoying parts began and I lost my love for this remix completely. Kuu has dubstep remixes on her DH albums and I have no problem with those because they're so nicely done. Dubscribe was a huge mess for my ears. :<

I really thought of a video game ending video for the Orchestra version of Song 4 u. That song is a perfect song for a ending video of some really epic video games for sure. Probably her best orchestra version since Last Links acoustic orchestra version for me.

Melody (BROKEN HAZE remix) was nice too. It reminds me of the Days remix from Rule/Sparkle a little bit and I love that so Melody remix was total love for me at once, hehe. :) It's also better than the remix for Dream ON in my ears.

You & Me remixes are awesome. I love them both, especially that Remo-con remix.

Overall score is 8,5/10

I'm eagerly waiting for "again" now! :D I hope it has dance songs on it because I don't really wish to listen ballads all the time though I love them. :)

tbh waiting for a proper full album by Ayu, might just skip all the mini-album releases and sequence my own album in April.

Song 4 u 10
Missing 10
Melody 11 -my favourite of all!!-

^OMG LETS MAKE A CLUB!!!!!! :thud

1. Song 4 u:
I like it. I don't think it's short at ALL. I prefer songs to be short and sweet in most cases.

2. Missing:
The beast of the album, hands down. Amazing all around, except for the 4:09 mark.

3. Melody:
Hated at first, but now I can appreciate it. It gives me butterflies and warm fuzzies.

I love the You & Me instrumental too! :)

Overall, Im glad that I bought the CD
can't wait for it.

Song 4 U- Love this song when I first heard it. 9/10
Missing- My favorite song on this mini album. Reminds me of old ayu and I love the lyrics. 10/10
Melody- This song is too generic... like Hope or Pain. The only part I like is the ending. 6/10
Remix- I am not a big fan of remixes, but I can say I like the orchestra version of Song 4 U and the You & Me (Remo-con remix)

Song 4 U is fine. I still don't care about it though lol

Missing is obviously the highlight. And I still like the chorus. The break at the end with the millisecond pause is awful though. I thought maybe my copy was damaged. I think it needed to be a tad longer to be effective. As it is, it feels like my brain skips or something, and it's weird.

Melody...I just wrote on twitter...this song sounds like a mash up of a bunch of her songs. Like they cut bits and pieces from all over, stuck them together, and tried to make it work. But...idk I don't care for the melody. I appreciate it, but I'd never listen to it.


I'll...listen to the remixes some other time and to the instrumentals, never.

lol wtf is with that dubscribe remix, like someone suddenly throws something at me while I casually listen to this beautiful EP.

They chose some... very interesting remixers for LOVE. Of all the people to remix, they choose people who mainly do dubstep?

I LOVED the 3 new songs and the orchestra version of Song 4 u :luv2
But the rest of the mini... well, I usually dislike most of the remixes of Ayu songs anyway, I wasn't expecting much of them in the first place, I guess I'll just ignore them :shrug
The important for me is that I loved the new songs!!

But there's only one thing that is anoying me, and it's that cut in 4:09 of Missing... That part sounds so strange :(

This. It starts off good, but then they have to add all that... ****... in between lyrics at the chorus. It has it's good parts and I'm all getting into it, then I'm like "eww."

Melody remix is quite enjoyable, though I still have to say my favorite is the Remo-con one.

As for the songs themselves, everybody's going on about Missing, but I actually find Melody to be the best song. It just has this nostalgic feeling to it, like I'm listening to something from years ago.

"Missing" just seems to be missing a part in the 4:09 :P

Remixes = Meh.

no one will never beat the "Rule (80kidz's "No More Rule" remix)"

Regarding the new songs,
production, arrangements, and vocals are all good.
I very much like Missing, even though it's not outstanding. But in simplicity there's beauty, too. I don't care for Song 4 u; and Melody, albeit boring, makes up for it with the arrangement. All songs sound like they could be used in a video game (FFXIII comes to mind), and seeing how I enjoy listening to game soundtracks, I'll probably listen to the instrumental pieces in the future. Actually, listening to the songs for the second time, I get a familiar feeling. They remind me a little of this one musical I watched a while back.

The remixes,
Song 4 u, I can already tell I'm going to listen to this version more than the original one. Thinking about it now, I wish they'd put a song or two in there with the arrangements from POWER of MUSIC. I never listened to You & Me after the one time I watched the MV, and it doesn't seem like I'll listen to it much more. Had there been less vocal in the "instrumental" version, I would have enjoyed it more. I don't like the SHINICHI OSAWA remix; the extended one is better, though annoying throughout. It's nice to see a long track-list, as it reminds me of Ayu's older releases, but it doesn't do much for me when I don't like the bonuses. The Missing Dubscribe remix would be fine without the dubstep part (that's just messy), and I don't like the Melody remix either. It has some interesting moments (starting at about 2:00), but after that it grows tiring.

I like LOVE more than I thought I would. It's a nice little record.

Melody is my fav track, too.

I definitely second this. I don't really see missing's massive appeal. The chorus sounds awkward to me. Although the arrangement is nice I don't really like much else about it.

Melody on the other hand I could listen to all day! Much better composition and flow. I'm definitely looking forward to see her sing this live. I think she would struggle with missing.

I don't even really care about Song 4 u. It doesn't get good until the "2 u yeaaaaaaaaaah" part and then it's over. Progress is miles better in my opinion. It packs a powerful punch through and through but Song 4 u takes too long to get to that point.

I'm waiting until I get my copy to listen to the remixes.

For me is something like this:

Song 4 U -> 9
Missing -> 10
Melody-> 8

Melody is the best track, the other two are okay

the whole thing together is really forgettable tbh, unless the pvs are super duper amazing, this will become my least fav Ayu release eva

song 4 u: super awesome, I love it.
missing: terrible and annoying
melody: horrible

remixes are terrible, I just like the orchestra one.
This single is a flop.

Song 4 u, I feel is too short. I would've liked a good outro to match the awesome intro of the song. And the PV doesn't look very promising to me... :(

Missing, I also feel that 4:09 is "missing" something. Overall, this is the most old-fashioned sounding Ayu song in some time, and I love it.

Melody, the mixing sounds a little off to me. But I feel like this is something from GUILTY era. It's nice to hear Ayu do something that's actually her kind of style of rock.

Song 4 u's Orchestra Remix is pretty decent. I like the change of vibe yet that it still has the heart of the original song in there.

I do not like the SHINICHI OSAWA remix.

I liked the Remo-con mix, because it's something I generally would expect from a-yu-trance.

I can't even describe how bad the Missing and Melody remixes are. Waaay overboard with the glitchy crap.

And I just want to mention that it's nice to hear the instrumentals of everything. You can hear the production quality a lot in the songs by listening to the instrumentals. :D

All the remixes of the "Rule/Sparkle" single were superb. It's one of my favourite singles due to the wide range of carefully produced remixes. Of course the original mix versions of "Rule" and "Sparkle" were just as great, too :yes

Song 4 u: a bit of a letdown. Tales of Xilia 2 versions sounded much more dramatic than the actual song.. :( choruses sounded as if not much effort is required to sing this song..

Missing: TOTALLY LOVING IT! Choruses sounded as if ayu is yearning for something dearly.. 2nd verse ayu sounded as if she is about to cry. In short, the tune, arrangement, music, vocals and everything worked for me!

Melody: Lacklustre. But i do agree that it sounded as if something from ages ago!

Remixes: Gross.

Let me just say...I shall ignore the messed up remixes as though I have never heard them. And I don't count an ORCHESTRA version as a remix because...to me, acoustic/orchestra alternatives arnt really REMIXES.

Ok so, let me first say, Ayu's voice is so good in all 3 tracks. Like what most have mentioned, the vibrato is very well-controlled so there isnt some overly dramatic words..

Song 4 u: I've gotten used to its shortness. The 2 u and 4 u part just claims the song. It's really strong and I think if she had repeated it, it would definitely have lost its effect. So I'll be listening to the entire song progress to that point (no pun intended). I love the beat in the song honestly...it's really as though you are journeying and climbing to the top of the mountain and then you finally reach it.

Missing: I think this song is just....i'm speechless really. It's one of her BEST songs EVERRRRR if I must say. And maybe one of the best songs I've heard in J-pop this year, and maybe one of the best songs I've heard EVERR. LOL! but really, the production is perfect! From the building up of the arrangement and the different segments of the melody..+that surprising piano rift before the 2nd chorus and that nostalgic winter-song guitar bridge..and that very emotional voice, uh I LOVE.

Melody: this is probably the song that I've been humming the most. it's really nostalgic for me. It makes me feel like lazing and going on a roadtrip to the countryside (well, no countrysides in Singapore). It's one of those feel-good songs for me, and really heartwarming.

These three songs get an average score of 9 from me. Even though, I cannot imagine other ways where they can get any better LOL. but still, im sure there's always room for exploration.

LOVE LOVE :D

Missing can really fit to I am... imo

Song 4 u 10/10

Missing 10/10 my favorite lovelovelove...

Melody 8/10

remixes..I don't really mind. not a big fan of remix

I feel Song 4 u was just a little rushed... it has a great melody and arrangement and vocals.. it's like the skeleton of the song was so perfect yet it felt a little let down. it's a theme song to a video game, it was so looked forward to... yet it felt short of songs like progress and Mirrorcle World.

Missing is the best song imo, and like others, that little gap/skip before the explosion in the chorus was really really annoying, but otherwise, best arrangement in an Ayu song since the Love songs album.

Melody i felt was a black horse. not many people are gonna like it cos the other 2 songs really overshadow it big time, but I loved the simplicity of it. it's sweet, beautiful and brings out Ayu's vocals really well.

In order I like Missing, Melody and then Song 4 u.
I prefer Missing's video as well.

But what I really wanted to express is how horrible the remixes are. They're so bad. (Not the orchestra one, the other two.)

so it's leaked? no-no, not going to listen it until I get the CD :)

Song 4 u - 10/10
I just simply love the song :heart I love the arrangement but I also feel it kinda too short. I still love the ToX2 intro though it sounds more epic!

Missing - 10/10
Another great track, along with Song 4 u :yes I just love every bit of sound they put in this song. It's just amazing :luv2

Melody 7/10
It's not that I dislike it, I thought the arrangement was going to be great but in the end it's not that special imo felt like a filler song in this "mini album" lol

I'm still on "Song 4 U".....on repeat!!!! Heheheh!! Can't stop listening to this one!

"Melody" sounds like something from the "I am..." and "RAINBOW" era.

I really enjoyed "Melody" a lot more than I thought I was going to! I thought it was going to be a really basic ballad, but was surprised at how...cute it sounded. It's like a few people have been saying, I could see this potentially being one of those end-of-concert songs. I suspect it might be in the encore, if not the last song, for this year's CDL.

I'm still slightly disappointed with "Song 4 U". It's definitely a good song, but there's something incomplete about it. It reminds me of how I feel about "NaNaNa" - great song, but it just kinda ends. There could be so much more, but there isn't. There's almost more of a completion feeling in the Orchestra version, which is HEAVENLY. I almost wish the two versions had been combined - the mega effect of strings in the OV, plus the rock feeling from the regular version.

And I do like "Missing" as well. It does remind me of "momentum", but each are their own songs. It's the composition that is similar in some spots. (But with Ayu's extensive discography, of course some songs are going to sound similar.)

^I prefer the orchestra version of "Song 4 U" as well.

Song 4 u : the title is kinda putting me off. listened to the preview and I really liked it but after the full song leaked i feel something lack and not as powerful as progress

Missing : I dont like the short PV version but after 3 minutes leaked I started repeat it every now and then. IMO missing is the strongest track of the album, classic and beautiful. somehow reminds me to a better version of momentum.

Melody : not really impressive

The production/beat of that song is freaking killer!

Missing does sound kinda like M o_O

i just cant believe that this is listed as a mini-album... "A" has almost the same amount of songs/remixes/instrumental and yet it's a single. XD.

but so far, i like the songs that i hear.

Song 4 u is nice, a bit too game/anime-ish for me but it's a theme song so that's no surprise XD

Missing is nice too, I like the build-up. It's not her best to me as some people have been saying, but it's nice.

Melody is bland to my ears. The melody and lyrics don't stand out to me.

Overall, it's an alright single to me (I refuse to call this an album XD). I don't understand why some people call these songs reminiscent of the 'old' Ayu though, but to each his own I guess ;)

song 4 us is perfect
missing is pretty good
melody is perfect
dont care bout the rest
except song 4 u's orchestra mix
thats perf too

based on just the original mixes, I love them. Missing being the all time beast of the release. I mean, I really... really love Missing. It must already be up to 100 listens on my iTunes. I don't listen to remixes though, I've never been that type of person. Maybe I will though. I mean, why not? hahaha.

Anyway, I've been a huge supporter of Ayu for... wow... a long time, but I kinda lost a little faith after You and Me, but hell this brought me right back. It was like she slapped me in the face and said "I'm still awesome, damn it!" :D hahahaha.

Great release. Now I'm totally psyched for next month.

Song 4 u - 9/10 This song is pretty much epic sounding. Is a perfect game song. progress is still much better, but its still a really good song. EeeYaaaEeeYaaaa, EeeYaaaEeeYaaaYaaaYaaa. hahahaha <3

Missing - 9/10 I LOVE this song. Its like a heavier pop with a great beat. This is the kind of music that keeps bring me back every time. I at first didn't know what to think being that I originally loved Song 4 u, but now I can't stop listening to it. The only thing I didn't like was the piano scales on the chorus. :/

Melody - 6.5/10 I really dont know what to think of this song. Its alright, not my favorite though. It does sound classic. Thats why I think its tolerable. Hah. :P It is growing on me though.

Orchestra remix - 9/10 WOW, this is a really awesome version. I prefer it to the original. I wish there was a orchestra version for all the songs on LOVE.

You & Me (remo-con) - 8.5/10 This is my JAM. Super awesome remix! And catchy!

Missing (Dubscribe) - 1/10 GTFO. I understand why there is a dubstep remix, being that it is super popular now, but no. My ears are bleeding. Should be on the ayu-mi-x 6 albums with the other blahhhh.

Other remixes - 5/10 Just generic mixes. Nothing special.

Song 4 u (video) - 6/10 Nice concept, but is is SOOO boring. Right when I think there is going to be an epic battle between white and black, its over.... great. :/

Missing (video) - 8/10 Beautiful. It really fits the music. It is exactly what I needed from her, something classy being that she is no longer a young pop star, but a sophisticated superstar.

i thought momentum sounded like M more..LOL...in terms of progression.

M-momentum-Missing.... MMM...

I'm so pleased, she really got her **** together for this mini :P (lol just kidding)

I'm having trouble choosing my favorite song on the album, Song 4 U is just pure love for me.. it's a pretty typical Ayu song, just with a more anime sound. It's one of those songs i just love instantly. I don't even have a problem with it being short, it's pretty unique in her discography considering most of her songs are 4 to 5 minutes long. 10/10.

Missing is epicness all around, i've been playing the PV preview like a 100 times and was so afraid that i wouldn't love the full version as much. But the song just gets better and better as it progresses! That piano before the 2th chorus is BEAUTIFUL! Amazing track. 10/10

Melody is a nice little surprise, while not overly amazing it still manages to sound stunning. I actually enjoy it A LOT! It's such a fresh and relaxing little tune. It sounds like Duty & Love Songs had a child, and i love it. What's really great about it, for me at least. Is that here we have two pretty loud, epic ballad tracks starting off the album.. i could expect that to tire me sometime in the future. But Melody could save that, especially cause it's so laidback.. it's a fresh breath of air on the album. 8/10

Amazing mini, i hope she keeps it up for "again" :D And one of the reasons i love the album even more is. I haven't seen people enjoying an album *cough* single *cough* of Ayu's so much since like.. forever. Makes me happy :)

this is the first release I like for a while. may say that nothing too great, except the covers and Numero shoot, but the PVs are not that bad either. I like the music too

I wanna tattoo this lmao epic

I hope they can make it double chorus at the end without those 2 lines before 4:09

Absolutely ADORE that remix!!

But yeahhh, the remixes on LOVE, I could have done without. Especially Dubscribe.
( -____________- )

The remixes are the highlights for me (apart from the You & Me remixes). The Song 4 U is boring and a waste of a concept/idea. Missing's PV is pretty but again boring..I was waiting for something to happen but nothing did.

LOVE is truly ayuish.
I'm happy when she experiment but I love when she come back to her usual musical style as well. And LOVE is doing it right.

I loved Song 4 u since the XILLIA ver. and I'm so happy the longer version didn't disappoint me.

Unlike most of the people on AHS, I have mixed feelings about Missing.
I find it a great song, it reminds me Ayu golden age but in the other hand I really can't get over that annoying cut. It's much rather a mistake than a dramatic pause for me. If it were much longer Missing would be perfect.

And then.. Melody. I've never been so surprised by a song since crossroad. I didn't really liked the preview, but now I love it.
Her voice is amazing, I never heard Ayu's voice so clear since forever (but I can say that even for other two tracks though). Also it's really nostalgic, the beginning reminds me TO BE a lot.
The more I listen to Melody, the more I think it would be my favorite LOVE's track :heart.

About the remixes:
The only I like are Melody (BROKEN HAZE remix) and You & Me (SHINICHI OSAWA remix). Other ones are pretty forgettable, especially the dubstep one. Ugh, sorry it's just.. I can't :no. The orchestra version is just nice :/ a bit generic but not bad imo.

Just listened to LOVE!!! :D

Song 4 u - I was really excited for this song and PV, and found the PV to be really anti-climatic :/ I was hoping the two Ayus at the end would whip out some swords and duke it out or something lmaO BUT I GUESS NOT... Song's still really good, although it feels a little too short :/

Missing - I LOVE THIS OMG... It's so classic Ayu and I love the piano in the chorus. That weird one second pause thing completely threw me off, I thought there was something wrong with my file >_> But yeah, it's very refreshing ;3

Melody - tbh I was kind of convinced I'd hate this song 'cause it seemed bland from the preview, but it's actually really nice and relaxing. Kind of reminds me of Sweet Season except less cheesy haha.

The remixes are... alright. The You & Me Remo-con rmx literally sounds like a reject Skrillex remix lmao but I enjoyed the remixes a lot more than a lot of others we've gotten recently on singles and such so it's all good

Also, can I just say how fantastic Ayu's voice sounds on this mini??? Especially on Missing. I was pleasantly surprised ;3

'LOVE" is such a good mini album! :) "Melody" is so lovely! such a nice ballad. 'Missing" & "Song 4 u" are amazing, too!

This mini album sounds so great. There are only two songs I am skipping/disliking and those are the Missing dupstep and Melody remix. All the original songs, the You & Me remixes and especially the orchestra version of Song 4 u are good!

I was expecting to like Melody and Missing more based on the previews, I don't find them awful for anything though. Really liking Song 4 u I prefer it over progress.

The remixes are pretty good too I LOVE the melody remix. Shinichi's You & Me remix is quite nice too

Listening it it now, so far it is...

"L" Part II
"FIVE" Part II

-_-

Over all this album was just as I said above L and FIVE part II for me, boring, almost "filler"-like songs and off-putting remixes. The saving graces were the Song 4 you and Melody remixes, very nice. Like all Ayu stuff this will grow on me over time I almost always hate new Ayu material I think because is is unfamiliar. Considering this, this is actually a decent review from me for a first listen usually I give new albums 4 or 5 out of 10 on all songs haha

Song 4 you (6.5/10)
It's a little bland... it's missing a climax of sorts it's like a more bland / boring Don't look back. Nothing special or different an Ayu "filler" for me (sorry if you are angry at my OPINION but it's just how I feel)

Missing (7.5/10)
I like the speed of the main verse very catchy, I do not like that slow to fast skip/jump it makes that annoyed the heck out of me, not a good idea

Melody (7/10)
Pretty good, stable, nice vocals, well written

Song 4 you (Orchestra version) (8/10)
Way way better this is how the song should have been, beautiful and suits the song. I felt this way about "fated" too.

You & Me (SHINICHI OSAWA remix) (4/10)
Pretty bad remix the sounds are annoying and the remix is to repetitive even for a remix, it needs more of Ayu. Didn't even listen all the way through, I got 3/4 of the way through

You & Me (Remo-con rmx - Extended) (6/10)
Sort of bad it got too wild and out of control there is no repetition it's just one thing after another, the opposite problem of Shinichi's remix. It's better than Shinichi's though. It is fun though I can see this growing on me to about an 8/10

Missing (Dubscribe remix) (5/10)
I love dubstep but it does not suit with Ayu because her voice is so high and dubstep is so deep. It sounded off and did not fit well with the song a dubstep remix of songs off of the NEXT LEVEL album would have been better.

Melody (BROKEN HAZE remix) (8/10)
Really interesting remix and use of Ayu's vocals I loved it! It's so unfortunate that this is my favorite track out of everything

I really love Missing, it has been on repeat for me. I think Melody is a good closing and I don't see it as "filler", just not as intense as the other ones, the melody is catchy. Song 4 u is good also and I like the orchestra mix but it's not as great as some of her other ones. I love the remixes of You & Me, and I'm still getting used to Melody and Missing remixes but they aren't bad.

Am I the only one who's dislike Missing? The melody sounds awkward, there's something in the arrangement that make my ears hurt, it sounds so rough, especially in chorus.

Song 4 u is pretty okay, Melody is nice at first and become really boring.

This is another FIVE (which i dislike so much)

6/10

LOVE would be a McDonalds Hamburger if Ayumi made food. You know exactly what you're getting, there is no surprise, and some people will be happy about that, but it's neither good nor interesting in any way. It's like FIVE without progress and BRILLANTE.

This release... eh, I'm so indifferent to it. This is how I felt about FIVE and Party Queen, too. Well, sort of, they both had some songs that were straight up bad. LOVE has safety in numbers - well, it's lack of numbers. Less chances to go wrong.

Song 4 u is progress part 2, it's good, but it's not progress. progress wasn't one of her best songs by any stretch, but it had some really nice elements in it that kept it interesting. It was a good typical-upbeat-Ayu track with some nice features and a decent anime/game twist. Song 4 u is the same, but without the interesting parts. Song 4 u has got the slow part, the upbeat rock part, the woah yeahs, it's like all the check boxes are ticked. I like it because it's what she's good at. 7/10

The Orchestra version is far far far superior to the original though. It should have been the original.

Missing is a nice track, while I like this throwback Ayu sound, this song does nothing for me. When she did this on Love Songs all the songs had a certain "richness" to them, if that makes sense? I don't quite know how to describe it. Missing lacks that. It's really disappointing, this song could be great, but something is missing. 6/10

Melody is nice too (I think that's the word for this mini, "nice"), very same-y, and suffers from the dreaded "I'm just going to listen to x, y, or z song instead" syndrome, like the other two songs. I like this more than beloved or how beautiful you are, which is a bonus I guess? Nevertheless, I like it.

The whole release is so safe, you can't really dislike anything because it's 3 examples of what she does best... but has done better elsewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if missing and melody were rejects from the Love Songs era.

Blah to the remixes, I'm not really a fan of remixes and, therefore, I didn't really like any of them.

the only thing that kills me is that singles from 48 girls have like 5 tracks on them :( and we have 'mini album' with just 3 new songs :doh I usually add 'You & Me' in my playlist while I listen to LOVE cause its stupid listening to its remixes without originals, but still that makes it 4 new songs :weep

Missing is really greta. Song 4 u falls flat if you compare it to progress, there is one good thing tough: itÄs not 4min+. Melody is a ncie ballad but I was never a fan of Key and it really is a mix of that and Days.

sadly, this release isn't doing much for me. the songs all sound like filler and even the remixes are blah :(

also quite disappointed with the videos (song for u concept had so much potential! i was waiting for more to happen...something exciting...)

the last album that had really good songs on it was love songs for me.
but i'm glad so many of you guys like this mini album.

Both PVs had an interesting concept but they alas had similar problems as for instance the PV of "progress". There was one effect that they sort of overused as it was part of the entire video. In "progress" it was this fast, photographic, "tunnel vision". That was cool, yea. But not for 4 minutes. Maybe 10 or 20 seconds would have been enough.

In the PV of "Song 4 u" the complete runtime was filled with that chessboard. Quite uninspired. A few sequences of this, here and there, would have had a less tiring effect for me.

Absolutely the same goes for "missing". Those flying people on the meadow were overexposed. It's like the crew has an idea and really just this one idea. For an entire video. That's not creative...

Song 4 u 7/10. It's a nice song but it has the same sound all the way thru and I can't completely get into it. I liked the PV but I wish it concluded better.
Missing 10/10. I love this song, the "pick up" in it really got me to love it. It's an interesting PV but it got boring kinda quickly.
Melody 8/10. I don't really have a reason for liking this one, it just sounds nice.
Song 4 you (Orchestra version) 7.5/10. A bit higher score than the original mix but this one sounds nicer and easier to listen to.

The remixes I tried to listen to but didn't get very far. I never cared for Ayu's remixed songs. :/

I really love it all. I don't usually like songs so quickly by Ayu, especially the last couple f years. I didn't listen to the previews too much this time round. Really like Song 4 u and Missing but I wasn't expecting to like all of them so I assumed (after the previews) that Melody would be a pass for me. But! I really love it. There is a warmth in Ayu's voice that I think I have missed and I have missed this kind of song too. Good variation within three songs even if Song 4 u is a bit short. Probably a 10 from me!
(Didn't bother with the remixes because they have never been my thing!)

If Missing and Melody are Love Songs rejects then I understand why I like them so much because I loved Love Songs! It's still one of the cds I listen to in the car regularly after 2 years!

the songs are very good...but one time time ayu is doing inperfect-boring videos
i think these two last videos are not better than "you and me" PV..and that is not good

The worst track in this mini album is definitely “Missing” too much of auto-tune used in this song, which is not natural. And the music is kind of cheap too...nothing really going on. It's like the second part of song “Life” from the previous singles “Mirrocle World”. Too boring!

I don't know why the fans tend to like this song mostly than other tracks. They must have a bad taste in choosing the right music or song to their most favorite list:rolleyes

Ayu is really making a comeback with this release; the songs are really impressive. I think the weakest of the 3 tracks is "Melody," but I think that's just because some parts of the song remind me of "TO BE" too much. Anyone else feel that way? Even then, the song's chorus does make it distinct from her older songs, and I like the song overall.

"Song 4 u" is absolutely amazing. Same goes for "Missing." I really hope "again" is just as good, if not better, than this release. :D

I don't think it's other fans with the questionable taste in this case at all.

And what autotune?

Personally, I am very satisfied with it. I wound up liking Song 4 U a lot in full when I wasn't originally impressed with it from the preview. It turned out to be a great song. I was a lot more impressed with Missing though. It's such a gorgeous song, and I'm in love with the Dubscribe mix too :)! That and You & Me (Remo-con rmx - Extended) are perfect for my workout playlist. :)

I'm not a fan of Melody, the You & Me (SHINICHI OSAWA remix), and the Melody (BROKEN HAZE remix). But I can forgive those flaws since the rest of the mini impressed me so much.

I also like that she hasn't been going overboard with the vibrato in these songs. I hope she keeps this singing style, it works much better for her.

well said, i concur.
i am especially disappointed that in the "song 4 u" pv the ayus were only standing in front of each other (eliminating the other team), ... i was hoping for some fighting or more special effects (not just fading away...)

(koda had a chessboard theme in "lay down". while i'm not a big fan of the video it definitely was more interesting with the dance moves imo)

but yeah, so much for that. :innocent

I couldn't disagree more. progress and BRILLANTE were the only tracks on FIVE that were even relatively similar to the "Ayu-style' - BRILLANTE was a nice surprise, yes, but it was a surprise because it finally sounded like something she would have released before. Of course it's different, but it's got that Ayu-vibe that had been missing from her songs for a while. You can't call the two duets and the non-memorable beloved un-surprising - she rarely does duets, especially with males, and beloved is her most boring song to date.

IMO- Missing shares a problem with Beloved and some tracks from Party Queen. It's like they're wrote trying to make it sound like she's writing about Mannie to add to suspicions of the fans while when asked in interviews, she says none were.

Song 4 U, I'd say is her most honest lyrics about her personal life in that she sings about the sun and moon shining like she's been writing to Natsuki all year on Twitter.

Melody, continues to sing along the same lines as Song 4 U, giving it very honest lyrics also.




@Zeke btw if fans look closely a the translations of Beloved, I think you will find Ayumi hid a very nice little secret in that song. It includes direct translations(where foreign fans are concerned) and exact wording I'm sure(where japanese fans are concerned) of things fans have written to Ayumi about how much she means to them.

She also did something similar with atleast 1 track on Love Songs.

While I think "MISSING" destroys an otherwise 1st for Ayumi in many years where the lyrics could have been all focused on her real life, with 2 out of 3 being so honest in how she wrote them & leave me wondering what was said in the Numero Tokyo interview titled "LOVE & My Truth" It becomes my favorite release since Rock n Roll Circus.

Missing is the best song on the album, really. I can see why some people feel its a leftover track from Love Songs. Song 4 u's chorus is fantastic but the rest of the song is alright. Melody is alright but definitely the least memorable of the songs however its remix injected new life into the song and reminded me of that Days 8bit remix, albeit a lot better. The remocon remix was also good. The Osawa and Dubscribe remixes were terrible on the other hand.

The Pvs were pretty boring. I supposed I should be grateful Timmy didn't pop out from under her skirt in Song 4 u, but the PVs seriously undermined the songs especially in song 4 u.

All in all, I think that if the songs don't end up on another album in a few months, I will probably get the CD only version. Since I can only compare it to her other minis, I can say that it is definitely superior to Five in terms of the the number of songs I enjoyed listening to.

This is honestly the best thing she's done in a long while for me. The PVs were boring, but beautiful. The songs I probably will listen to in certain moods. But, I don't dislike anything about this release. It gives me good vibes. I haven't felt like this in a while.

song 4 u - catchy song, great arrangement, only problem is that it's too similar to progress. she could have deviated a little more from the formula of that song. the 'yeah yeah yeah' bit is a great climax to the song, which might make it *slightly* stronger than progress for me.

Missing - as many others have said, song of the EP. Has that familiar Ayu sound that made most of us fans. Only negative is that she's done this type of song so, so many times before. I hear Voyage. I hear momentum. I hear M. I hear most of her mid-tempo songs. But who cares when it sounds this good?

Melody - on the plus side, the only song on the EP that doesn't sound like the reincarnate of other Ayu songs. on the negative side, its a little bland. But the bass line is nice and guitars towards the end of the song give it a well needed lift to end on a higher note.

I actually like the dubstep, I love the Eurobeat Ayu stuff though, maybe that's why I enjoy the dubstep stuff....

I rated Song 4 U 4 stars in iTunes on first listen and Missing/Melody both 5. I think I like Missing more.......the lyrics are really powerful.

this pretty much sums it up for me

I'm gonna wear Missing out pretty soon since it's the only one I ever really WANT to replay. Then I will say "ok I guess I can listen to Melody / Song 4 u"

I like the intro of Melody, and the verses, but the pre-chorus/ I just don't like at all. It's like, dragging it out and out. I usually love the nostalgic concert ending type songs (winding road, Beautiful Day, Replace) or the not-so-climactic types (HOPE or PAIN, untitled ~for her~) and the mid-tempo acoustic rock songs (Life, Last Links) - so one would think I would love Melody. But, it's at the bottom of the list for those type of songs.

song 4 u - OK but nothing special. I just like it.

Missing - star of this mini album, love it.

Melody - could take it or leave it. maybe it'll grow more on me.

I felt Missing was definitely the strongest track on the single album and my personal favourite. Song 4 U is my second favourite; sounds like a mashup of Progress and one of her earlier songs from Loveppears (but not as good lol). And then there's Melody...meh.

Just given a quick listening, it reminds me of A BEST-I am.. era, quite happy even though teh songs didn't make me a great impression, generally I like the sound

I enjoy this release pretty much although Melody is a track kind of placed for later times. Love the sound of Song 4 u and missing, cannot decide which is better for me since both of them i find of good quality. PV"s have nice concept and although i don't feel bored during song 4 u i would prefer the game presented there to be the part of something bigger. I had a thought that maybe on "again" there will be a continuation of this scene cause the ending is simply dull. Missing PV is simply nice but that's it about it.

UPDATE

1. Song 4 u: I like it, but its not the greatest. The other two songs on the album are better.

2. Missing: I've worn this song out BUT I recently fell in love with the lyrics. Some parts just resonate with me. Hasn't happened since fairyland.

3. Melody: I've worn THIS song out to death. 105 plays and counting, in LESS than a week. Thats a record for me. It sounds like CAROLS, but I like it more. Weird. I only like it because of Ayu's voice. LOL I never thought I'd every say that seriously. Whatever.

I like all the remixes. Call me crazy.

the only thing I can say about this album is that
Melody is the weak link, remix included.

Honestly for me, Song 4 u rocked my socks.
I find it so much better than progress in so many aspects (though I wish it was a tad bit longer....but just not progress long).
Missing's nice, I guess. I'm still trying to get used to it, unfortunately.
Melody's decent too. I seriously love the high note she belts out at the end. It reminds me alot of her LOVEppears-I am... days.

The PV's though were really lackluster.
Song 4 u could've had a much better climax and Missing could've had...well, a better, more coherent and cohesive story instead of Ayu just walking through a field with people falling into the skys.
I mean, I love the concept for the both of them, but like someone said earlier, they focused way too much on one idea/technique, rather than the story itself.

Out of all the remixes, I only enjoyed the orchestrated version of Song 4 u.
The You & me remixes were...bland.
The dubstep Missing was kind of unnecessary and totally ruins the feel of the song. Melody was actually okay, just not that mind blowing.

Overall, an okay mini album. IMO FIVE's much better than this.
I think this would have been better off just being a single without any of the remixes ('sides the orchestra one, of course).

Song 4 u: Loved it when I heard it on the Xillia 2 trailer. It's my most played song on iTunes right now. It's my most favorite song of the three and the Orchestra Version isn't too bad either.

Missing: I don't know how to feel about this song. It's not bad, but the song doesn't really do anything for me. I've listened to it three times so far and I seem to like it less each time.

Melody: So boring I can't even get through the whole song. Next.

Remixes: The You & Me remixes I already heard when they were digital singles. I don't like the song anyway, so they got skipped automatically. The Missing remix was kinda bad. The beat didn't seem to fit the song to me. Melody's remix I actually kinda liked.

Overall, LOVE was pretty meh to me. I expected to only like Song 4 u and not much else, and I was pretty much right. That's why I didn't buy this. Maybe I'll like what's on Again enough to warrant a purchase.

So my pre-ordered LOVE has finally arrived. I like the 3 songs except that strange pause in Melody. Also I was disappointed to see only 3 pics in the booklet :( Her vocals are great though. I'm glad she's finally improved them.

And the last thing I don't like is no promotion. When ASB was released, we at least had some magazines shoots, but this tme there's only Numero, it was great, but it's not enough. And you know, I'm in Japan now, I've been visiting Tsutaya and other CD, DVD shops to see ayu's stands and watch some previews and so.. and you know, there was literally no stand! nowhere! there were AKB, Arashi, JUJU and no ayu at all!! I wonder how people will know about LOVE if there's no announcement, no promotion and so. That's really sad.

^

aww thats so sad to hear about, I hate when it is really a great release from ayu and theres is like NO prmotion at all like :( well Ayu maybe you had it enough already during your golden era and that now you didnt bother about it more

about LOVE, so i dont really like the PVs,it is not like I dont like but more to it is boring I want some story inside each PV, like Missing I want more emo Ayu in it,surprisingly she more calm and in the end she seems a bit at the edge of getting angry or something xD and Song 4 U too, ah just please take another director for 'again' , I hope so Ayu!

Melody i think this is my first favorite song and then Missing and Song 4 U. All songs are strong enough and had their speciality in it! so im enjoying this release so much! didnt get bored even I played it hundred times already! xD

I think this is a really solid release! It's more a glorified maxi-single than a mini-album, but the three new songs are excellent. Nice remixes too.

Has Melody grown on anyone big-time? I'm finding it to be my favourite song from this release now. The composition & arrangement are fantastic, you can really hear all the intracacies of the instruments on bigger speakers. And it's pretty catchy.

^ Yes, right here
I love how its so romantic