14th album 'LOVE again' out February 8th, 4th of five 15th anniversary releases [VI]

[Bad Wolf]

Originally Posted by Jawdarna

There's a definite absence of mysteriousness. Duty, GUILTY, even Party Queen (the 'darker' albums) gloss over quite a bit of detail. LOVE again, I agree, is quite the opposite. It's obscenely explicit in it's detail. You can hear the story; it's not shrouded by the usual platonic mist.

I think it's also quite interesting to note that a lot of us thought that Ayu was acting all 'teenage girl' like when You & Me (and even LOVE) was released. As if, she had totally surrendered herself to finding love. eg. She was going through some form of mid-life crisis.

I think she's going through a mid-life crisis, but not in that girlish, immature way that the fanbase first thought. There are parts of LOVE again that are hauntingly mature. I think that is the terrifying part.

If Ayu was to ever pose semi-naked on a cover, it should have been for LOVE again!!!

Exactly! You hit the nail on the head as to why I feel uncomfortable. In previous albums there'd be a few tracks that really exposed that kind of bitterness (Return Road, reminds me on PQ for instance) and then of course there'd be others that felt very exposed from start to finish, but I'm just surprised LOVE again took this approach. It's also a bit depressing if you think about it, because when looking at the songs after experiencing them and their lyrics, the title almost feels like it's exasperated: kind of like "oh, this AGAIN?"

In this regard, when you look at You & Me as the album closer, whether it's orchestrated or not, it actually feels really hollow and sad. We have an entire album full of songs that fluctuate back and forth between love and its experiences, how it can effect those around them or how bitterly it ends, and after songs of courage we get this wistful, almost delusional song about a summer romance, as if it negates the songs before it. The album opens with a call to forget a past love and to move on, and the album ends with reminiscences, as if the person can't escape at all in the end. It's quite sad.

[pepper]

Gloria reminds me of girlish/something old.

I really like that catchy mellow chorus.
<3

[Bad Wolf]

Lyrically it harks back to (miss)understood (about opening a map to find your own way), as well as talkin' 2 myself (accepting the reality in front of your eyes), and yet it sounds so pretty and uplifting, exactly like girlish lol.

[matan]

so far my fave is Bye-bye darling (still hate the title though). it reminds me of kiss o' kill only poppier

[matan]

^also the Orchestra version is way better than the original

[Tomoyo]

You know, I HATE this woman for her brain (from a musician standpoint) but i can say this album is amazing~ I don't even mind that there are only 5 new songs and 2 interludes (and most of those songs are ballads lol) the other songs that were included. they were so epic that they deserve to be on two albums lol. i really hope i can get tickets to her 2014 CDL since i will be in japan. that would be so amazing~

[AyuWorld]

^
why you hate her for that? x)

[Tomoyo]

Originally Posted by AyuWorld

^
why you hate her for that? x)

maybe hate was a strong word to use. I'll admit, ayumi hamasaki is my idol, i see a lot of myself in her lyrics, which is why i will continue to support her no matter what. and i respect her for her lyrics and for lasting as long as she has, even with the decline in sales. i have learned not to have high expectations for her releases. i don't get over excited for her releases like i did before (probably (m)u to NL) but thats when her releases surprise me (like Love songs and LOVE again) . her music always sounds so original to me. she never has two songs that sound alike to me. which is another reason i love her.

what i meant by 'hate her for her brain' is that i love to write songs and it's something i believe i am good at. but i cannot word like she can. and i run the risk of writing after listening to her songs and then my song comes out sounding like a english translation of one of her songs. i just kind of envy her i guess and wish i could write more like her.

[BlackSilence]

Listening to the leak now, with proper headphones..... i am only halfway through but i love everything. Still for me tho Sweet scar is the best balad on it, in terms of the feeling it gives to me when listening, but i love all the new pieces too, because they are so rich in arangements.

Even if i really like petal i don't really feel that haunting everyone talks about. It's far from being haunting, maybe just the ending. It is unique but haunting is Sweet scar for me.

Glasses made me think of that Flavalaguna, or whatever her name was from Fifth Element, song xD

Gloria's first minute made me think of The Beatles. xD i'm not a fan of her vocas in it, it sounds like if she's trying to sound cute through the verses, however it gets better with the chorus. NOT A BAD track. Loved how it jumped to guitars in chorus, and later on, it actually reminds of old school rock like Bon Jovi or even Ozzy (lol) with those awesome guitar solo parts in songs basicly stuff my dad used to listen xD at some point it kind of makes me think of Melody.

so i found some MIYAVI, The Beatles, old school rock like Ozzy Osbourne or Bon Jovi and even something from Fifth Element movie in the new Ayu tracks xD NOT BAD, gurl xD

[Bad Wolf]

Originally Posted by artcika

so i found some MIYAVI, The Beatles, old school rock like Ozzy Osbourne or Bon Jovi and even something from Fifth Element movie in the new Ayu tracks xD NOT BAD, gurl xD

THAT IS THE BEST MIX UP OF REFERENCES EVERRRR.

[BlackSilence]

^haha well i swear i can hear all that stuff...somehow....maybe i'm just nuts xD

[KLJames]

"glasses" was amazing! perhaps the best interlude since we got "Pieces of SEVEN" ages ago!

[Chiharo]

Probably was discussed before but, how come melody is not on this album?

[BlackSilence]

^it isn't?? maybe just in the leak?

[Leaf King]

Originally Posted by Chiharo

Probably was discussed before but, how come melody is not on this album?

It is. You need to change the album's name from LOVE to LOVE again in your iTunes.

[kimmeh]

I think the interludes on this album is of HIGH quality! Rest of the new songs, not so much

So far I only really like Snowy Kiss, Wake me up, petal, glasses, task'n'bass...
Rest is meh
Gloria was awful

[Chiharo]

Oh darn it, melody is not in the leak. I'm kind of mad now since I already listened to the whole album twice and thought I was listening to the whole thing, lol.

[Bad Wolf]

^ It's in there! It just comes up under LOVE instead of LOVE again.

[Chiharo]

Originally Posted by Bad Wolf

^ It's in there! It just comes up under LOVE instead of LOVE again.

Oh, I see. Just checked it now. Thanks! (Also thank you Kimmeh for taking the screenshot!)

[BlackSilence]

i cannot get rid of the dejavu here with the flute in Gloria I know there's a couple of more songs that have the flute in there like this from them lol :