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Ok! ANOTHER new album release... so, here are my thoughts:
01. HONEY - 9/10
I absolutely love the mix of electronic, tribal drums, and synths. This is a really good opening track. It strikes the perfect feel between interlude and song.
02. Watashi (私; I) - 9/10
I feel like this is the perfect place for Watashi. It's near the beginning, and the samba makes us feel like we're still getting started, but we're on the move. It's nice, relaxing, and a nice build on the activity of HONEY.
03. QueeN - 9/10
NOW WE'RE ON THE MOVE! The placement of these three songs is one of the best starting transitions for an album that I've heard in years. I genuinely applaud Ai for planning these first three tracks out as well as she did. They're all building on each other pretty flawlessly. There's just enough difference between them that they're not boring, but not so much that it's like music shock.
04. TOKYO Sanpo (TOKYO散歩; Tokyo Stroll) - 6/10
It sounds like a big city song with the synths and rolling beat. I do worry that sounds a little more like a throwaway track, something to demo when developing ideas for the album. And I also feel like the song would be a lot more fun if it ended around the 3 minute mark. It does feel about a minute and a half too long.
05. Sakura Harahara (サクラハラハラ; Fluttering Cherry Blossoms) - 9/10
The song reminds me of Hajime Chitose Megumi no Ame and Haru no Katami meets MIKA NAKASHIMA's LEGEND. This is a really good song at this point in the album. It's enough of a slowdown that ballads can follow soon, but not so slow that it doesn't make sense to come after a song like TOKYO Sanpo. I really like the rolling feel of this song. It just ebbs and flows and truly flutters on its own accord. Every synth, beat, instrument, and vocal plays well with each other.
06. HEART BREAK - 5/10
I'm having a real hard time getting into this. It sounds heavy-fisted and loud compared to everything else. The one thing I can appreciate this song for is that it's not the same style as previous songs. It's more of a jpop-rock track. A little diversity goes a long way, as I've noticed the lack of it in so many releases this year.
07. Monochrome (モノクロ) - 10/10
This is a step in the direction of those classic Ai ballads we all miss. It doesn't necessarily have the same feel as Kurage, Narageboshi, or Kingyo Hanabi, or Ren'ai Shashin, but it's a little more like Planetarium without the beat. I think this song would have been all the more special with a little more production, a-la Kingyo Hanabi or Planetarium. It's special nonetheless.
08. make up - 7/10
This is so Aural Vampire it's sweet. I feel like this should have been a halloween-themed song. But it's whatever. It's an interesting style for Ai. Certainly different from anything I can remember her doing. It's more the type of fun song she'd do back on LOVE JAM and LOVE COOK. Again though, it's diversity!
09. FrogFlag - 8/10
I have no clue what to call this. It's like she's channeling Matsutoya Yumi. And in a way, I love the song because I know I'd be super into it if Matsutoya Yumi sang it. (I never thought I'd sing along to a song called "Babies are popstars", but I just think Matsutoya Yumi is really cool. And let's face it: Cosmos Library really deserved it's #1 debut on Oricon. Still my favorite album of 2016.)
10. HEY!BEAR - 8/10
Here's where I'm mixed about the place for this song in the track list. I feel like this should be before make up and FrogFlag, but it should also be after them. It's the track that brings all the experimenting back to the album's core sound. Like TOKYO Sanpo, I feel this track is about a minute too long.
11. Starting Pistol (スターターピストル) - 10/10
I can't get enough of this song. The samba, the playfulness, the joyfulness. It's Ai's take on a track like Miliyah Kato's H.I.K.A.R.I. It's a song you put on to get in or stay in a good mood. Doesn't matter the time of day. Just put this on and dance around -- it's hope bottled up in a song. My only complaint is the song should be around 10% faster. If you have AIMP, increase the speed to 1.10 - it sounds like the intended pace for this track.
12. Hibi, Ikite Ireba (日々、生きていれば; Everyday, As Long As I Live) - 7/10
I'm not sure what kind of opinion to have for this song. It's a different style ballad for Ai. It feels like the cousin of TOKYO Sanpo. It should be called "Park Stroll" or "City Evening Stroll". I get a lot of New Orleans vibes from this. Like I should be walking past the jazz bars on my way home after a nice date.
OVERALL SCORE: 8.08 / 10
THOUGHTS:
A lot of this album walks the edge of being too similar. It does, however, stay far enough away from that cliff that it's a genuinely interesting album. I'm glad Ai followed in Utada's footsteps and made a record that's a bit calm. I like the diversity toward the end of the record, and I really like that she tied it all up by not ditching the initial sound entirely by the last song. I totally love the style similarities to Aural Vampire on make up and Matsutoya Yumi on FrogFlag. To me, there's nothing super standout about the songs, but I feel like this album strikes the balance LOVE TRiCKY didn't. It's very much Ai, but it's still different.
Funny enough, I feel like more of these songs will stick with me than what I heard on LOVE TRiCKY or LOVE FANTASTIC.
Also, I like that Monochrome is here. It shows Ai can still write those ballads she's so talented at doing. I just hope the next album has something like Monochrome that reflects more of the atmosphere of her older ballads with the production.
For a woman who practically made this album herself, both music and lyrics, I love that she's truly showing off talent here. No big producers, no famous collaborations. Just a good record from a really talented Japanese artist.
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