♪♫ Official thread for Rock'n'Roll Circus Album Reviews ♪♫

[waterballoon]

Here we go:

1. THE introduction
Bleh. The intro itself sounds all right; nothing special or anything that captures my attention. Heck, even Bridge to the sky was better than this random hot mess. Totally inferior to Catcher In The Light, Not yet & Mirror. Not fond of this... at all. There were really very interesting sounds that were unfortunately scatter, so it's all really messy to me @_@

2/10

2. Microphone
Definitely one of the better album tracks. I loved the organs and the beats are to die for. I find the verses really monotonous actually... which isn't exactly to my liking. The choruses are fantastic though. It's a good rock song, but it certainly isn't one of the bests song on the album to me.

7.5/10

3. count down
A surprising rock ballad to link Microphone and Sunset ~LOVE is ALL~. I like the style a lot, it reminds me a lot of the songs in MY STORY and GUILTY, yet there is no other song from Ayu that I can think of that even resembles count down. This is a refreshing and lovely song from Ayu. One thing though; the verses are again, kind of weak, but I can let that pass.

9/10

4. Sunset ~LOVE is ALL~
Worst song on the album. Worst single track on the album. By all means, it's a very pretty ballad with a gorgeous melody and soothing atmosphere, but it's just garbage compared to the rest. If I had to pick a worst song of the album, it will be this, unfortunately.

6/10

5. BALLAD
Gorgeous song, lovely vocals, haunting melody. <3 Loved it when the single came out and never stopped loving it.

8.5/10

6. Last Links
This is a rock ballad similar to count down to me. The acoustic guitar and strings are a lovely surprise and addition. Lyrically, it reminds me of evolution, and musically... there's a slight resemblance to (miss)understood; a lighter chorus of it, haha. I really like it though... definitely a very interesting song.

The one big problem I have is that Last Links should be placed after count down or something.

8/10

7. montage
Our first interlude gives us a listen on classical music. I have no idea how this serves as an interlude, but it sounds really beautiful. I just think it kinda fails as an interlude in every sense of the world, and there's no real climax in montage as well. Pretty, but that's about it.

6.5/10

8. Don't look back
Arguably the best album track imo. The sound here is very refreshing and unique, and the comparisons of it being similar to vogue and INSPIRE is bull imo because there are elements of Indian music here as well, which I find interesting and beautiful.

In addition, the lyrics are perfect and this song is catchy and an earcandy.

10/10

9. Jump!
Our second and last interlude throws us back to the NEXT LEVEL sound. Infused with electronic beats, Jump! is a fun interlude that sets the mood right for the latter half of the album. It probably is also the only interlude that actually functions well.

7/10

10. Lady Dynamite
When I first downloaded the PV, I got instantly hooked to the song. The chorus is catchy as hell and the verses sound really sexy and hot. The atmosphere in the song is really fun as well, so I like it a lot. My favorite of the song is definitely the electric guitars at the beginning and towards the end of the song. So addicting. <3 Second best album track to me.

9.5/10

11. Sexy little things
Definitely one of the most unique songs Ayu has ever created. The melody is very hooking and there's no stopping yourself from dancing to this funky electro-pop song.

9.5/10

12. Sunrise ~LOVE is ALL~
This is the stronger side of the Sunrise single, and it is an infectious and fun song. I love the energy level a lot, and it makes me happy whenever I listen to it.

8.5/10

13. meaning of Love
Bleh. The song drags on and on and nothing much seems to come out of it. The arrangement is boring as hell too and pales in comparison to the rest of the album. I don't really like this song at this point of time, but the beautiful melody of the chorus might just make me like it... I just don't see myself listening to this over and over again. Sweet and lovely lyrics though.

6.5/10

14. You were...
Typical Ayu winter ballad. I like it a lot definitely, strong chorus and a beautiful melody.

8/10

15. RED LINE ~for TA~ [album version]
There isn't too much of a difference between the single and album version, except the extended ending and apacella at the end. It's an okay addition, but I find myself preferring the raw sound of the single version more... it just feels more sincere and personal to me, as compared to the album version which sounded more polish.

7.5/10

Overall: 8.5/10
Rock'n'Roll Circus is definitely a step up from Secret, GUILTY and NEXT LEVEL. A lot of the songs here are gorgeous, and I can feel and hear that Ayu has put in more effort into producing this album than the previous 3 albums. It's a nice surprise and improvement, and I hope it continues.

Best single track: BALLAD
Best album track: Don't look back
Worst single track: Sunset ~LOVE is ALL~
Worst album track: meaning of Love
other highlights: Microphone, count down, Lady Dynamite & Sexy little things

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PVs

I won't say much cos I'm lazy xD but I believe I have posted my interpretations of the various PVs around the forum, so... I will just summarize it

Best PV: Don't look back
Worst PV: Sunrise/Sunset ~LOVE is ALL~ (they both suck to the core)
Other highlights: BALLAD, Lady Dynamite