Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai - View Single Post - Your Love Songs reviews!!!
View Single Post
  #19  
Old 22nd December 2010, 07:17 AM
JesA JesA is offline
I am... Initiate
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Corbin, Kentucky
Posts: 2,234
Okay, so now that I've had a few days to listen to the album and digest it, I shall write a full length review of each song. Granted, I still don't really like this album, but a couple moments have grown on me.

First off, there's Love Song...definitely my favorite song on the album. It's right up my alley, simply because of the lush progression of the song as a whole. For me, this song is the gem of the bunch. I especially love the strong vocals of the verses, but it get's slightly watered down with the slightly boring chorus composition...anyway, all negatives aside, I give this song an 10/10.

Next up, Crossroad continues to enchant me. Even though my knowledge of Japanese is limited, I can feel a lot from this song, and ultimate relate to it...which makes it an awesome song in my eyes. I'm not particularly bothered by the loud background vocals, because I always love some good harmony. Again though, the chorus is slightly boring and repetitive. It gets a 6/10.

Moon.....ehhh, this is a primary example of how I don't particularly favor her last few singles. This song just ends up sounding forced and unimportant. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty...but it feels, to me, a lot like Duty-sounding album track. I'm not a big fan of this one.. 4/10

And then comes Sending Mail..I actually like this one, even though I don't understand the concept at all...it feels a bit too epic for a title like "Sending Mail"....apparantly, she's really excited about pushing those envelopes :p It feels a bit like Mirror/Mirrorcle World, which is one of my favorite songs from the past few years. I give it 7/10.

Then there's Last Angel. This is another song that I just don't like, even though I don't know why. The mix of pop and techno in this form just sounds awkward. I just really don't have much love for the L songs. The chorus melody really bothers me :p 5/10

Hooray, an interlude! Insomnia continues my undying love for interludes, especially since it's really dark. I love how it transitions smoothly into the next song, beginning the better half(ish) of the album. 9/10

Like a Doll...HERE WE GO, Ayu! The tease in the beginning of the song is what initially sucked me in. The string/techno aspect of it is something I reeeaally love. When Ayu meets violins, gold is born. This one rivals Love Song to me. 8/10

Weeee, another interlude...only Aria isn't as good to me. It's pretty, but it doesn't stand out to me. It's not an interlude that I'll listen to with the thoughts "Ohh, I'll listen to Aria." To me, it's only function is to transition to blossom. 4/10

Speaking of blossom, here's another track that I adore. It's the only single track of the entire album that I actually LIKE! To me, it's like a flawless version of Crossroad. I feel like this is the stongest single track of the album, even though it sort of gets brushed to the side...it's the 2nd A-side curse, I tell ya :p Just like Is this Love, Pride, or Sparkle. Ahh well, it gets a 9/10

Ugh...then there's Thank U. I'm not a big fan of the cutesy songs near the end of the album, and I particularly despise them live.. this song ends up being a carbon copy mash-up of Everlasting Dream from RAINBOW and Honey from My Story. This is the ultimate pitfall of the album for me...3/10

Sweet Season..I've skipped this song everytime after the first listen...it's just so bland and unnecessary. I detest this song as much as Thank U. It sounds like one of Tomiko Van's awful solo songs. 2/10

Overture is just another pretty interlude to me, too...it kinda sounds like God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen to me :p I don't really like the fake medieval-fairytale sound of it. I don't think it transitions well to Do It Again, either. 2/10

Do It Again is the one song of the album that I'm REALLY confused about...I don't know whether to love it or feel lukewarm about it. I utterly detest the english in this.. I have no qualms about English in Japanese music, unless it serves absolutely no purpose. This song wouldn't have been any weaker if those lines were Japanese. It makes the song a big campy to me. The verses are very strong, and I like them...and I adore the harmony in the chorus, even though I don't like the chorus itself. Since I'm in the middle on this one, 5/10

Aha, then's there's November, another treasure nestled in the mess. It's a very close 2nd place to Love Song in my book, simply because it's incredibly interesting. The arrangement is unique, breaking the mold Ayu has kept for a year or so. It's refreshing to hear something so whimsical, folksy, and powerful all at the same time. 10/10

Last, AND least, there's Virgin Road...another song I view with contempt...it's just another recent single track that I don't favor at all. It doesn't interest me, and I don't feel much raw emotion from it. It's too light and minimalist to do that for me. The part before the chorus truly kills it for me, as it attempts to build...the chorus is the only part of promise in the song. That's not saying I like it though....as scathing as it may seem, I'm giving this wallflower a 2/10 as well.

And finally, an overall summary. First of all, Ayu never needs to work with TK ever again...almost every song on this album (save for the single tracks and the interludes) are incredibly repetitive and forgettable. Years from now, I wont look back and listen to Do It Again or Sending Mail like I do with Kiss 'O Kill or It Was. I'm not in any way saying the album is bad, but I'm saying it's weak in my opinion. I'll go ahead and wager the only songs I'll continually listen to are Love Song and November. As a whole collective work, I'll give it a 6/10..

Pros: It's cohesive, the songs function well together and transition well in most places, there are some signs of stylistic experimentation, and it introduces a folksy sound in songs like Love Song and November that work REALLY well for her.

Cons: It's really repetitive, from a composition stand-point. I miss the intriguing breakdowns and guitar solos of albums like NEXT LEVEL and Rock'n'Roll Circus, to interrupt any chance of repetitiveness.

I'm a tough cookie to please, but she still remains the most amazing Jpop performer I've had a chance to follow the career of. Her albums are consecutively splendid, and many of her songs have become part of my childhood/teenage years. She's truly an artist, and even an album like this that feels lukewarm to me can't shake that up for me.
Reply With Quote