Your Love Songs reviews!!!

[emi♡]

Originally Posted by jbrat2219

What I meant was Koda Kumi wasn't popping bottles when she started and Namie wasn't the Queen of Hip-pop. They both changed their images and they got major sales because of it. But that doesn't mean they're not talented or anything it just took a major change in their image to get that talent noticed.

I actually think it's interesting they decided to test that image out with koda, considering...it's not really THAT popular lol...or maybe they only know that now lol


About the rushing, you know, something hikki said on her twitter the other day really, explained something for me, and what she said was "you can't force a melody, it has to come naturally."

And I think it's interesting, considering that, usually, hikki's melodies are pretty "cohesive" (lol) and not overly complicated or anything like that.

I find with a lot of Ayu's new songs, that this isn't really the case...and that sometimes...they are quite forced.

Not getting into quality statements over whether that makes a song bad or not, I think in a case like this, it's a little okay to say "rushed"...because I think sometimes it does apply and make sense.

I mean, if they took a whole year to make the song, like say...hikki does (lol) the song would probably be much better...just because, you're focusing more time into something constantly improving it and making it closer to perfect.

And this is pretty true for everything...even if in the end someone doesn't like the song, it doesn't matter, if something is more perfect to the maker, then to hell with what you think lol

But not that there's anything to do about it, ayu has to release songs at this rate, and she does the best she can do, and I think we all agree she does a damn good job.

But I think...that's a little different from people just not liking a release and saying it's rushed...but sometimes, I think it can be something valid.

/endlongpostididntrealisewaslong

[Sirea]

12 overture: 7.5/10

RPG RPG RPG!!! this interlude feels like it'll fit right into any RPG trailer hahaha! And I can totally picture Ayu singing for this. Could this be the Tales track??? ahhahaha...I dont mind

Yess! Thank you for backing me up here. It either sounds like an overworld theme or a pre-boss fight theme, like when you know you're just about to go to the final dungeon or something.

[jbrat2219]

Omg that's why I love overture!!! RPG music for the win!!!!

[Rebirthia]

In my 2nd listening I gave it a 4,9 over 15!!!! One full point for one full song.
I was really dissapointed. Now it's grown on me more, but there are still things I don't like. Too many changes in rhythms, multiple choruses styles in te same song, take November, for example...
So if I was in the sampling booth in a music store and I played this album I wouldn't have bought it.
I don't know what note I would put now, certainly around 7,5/15
Oh, I didn't even considered SDW coz I can't stand it ><

[RikkuChii]

I still need to listen to it a few more times. The only new songs that I instantly liked were November, Like a doll, sending mail & overture. overture was BEAST. The rest I found a bit..forgettable.

[Hextan]

*tries to not shamelessly plug my blog*

But I really wrote it all there already xD

http://hextan.wordpress.com/2010/12/...ki-love-songs/

In short, I thought the album was amazing, but just short of some higher adjective.

[SPEAKERnight.]

My subconscious love for repetition makes this album a perfect 10 for me. Everything is just on point, keyword is cohesive. This IS her most cohesive album from her since her hearing was lost. Well actually since GUILTY. (FYI, cohesive IMW means wanting to get a point across of what the album is about, whether or not the songs are required to sound the same or not) and (miss)UNDERSTOOD before hand (in which that one is her album for us Western fans IMO)

[jamester]

After listening to whole album, I'm not quite sure this is my favorite album. The songs are not "dark" enough and not "rock" enough. Too weak for a diva like Ayu. (But I love all the interludes esp Insomnia more than RnRC ones).

Love songs 7/10
Keep repeating the same part. Kinda boring.

crossroad 7/10
I just don't like the PV and the song itself. The only what I love about this song is only the interludes.

MOON 9/10
This song gives me the darkest and saddest feeling when listening to it.

Sending Mail 9/10
The beat is okay, but I love the part of the chorus. Good one!

Last Angel 6/10
Maybe I'm different with anyone else. I dislike this song and skip it almost everytime listening to it. The beat and the music don't fit my ears..

Insomnia 10/10
The best interlude!! Creepy music and crazy mixing.

Like A Doll 7/10
It's not that catchy. And to be honest, Ayu, I hate when you're repeating the same part of the song many times.

Aria 10/10
Sweet interlude. That's it.

blossom 9/10
I like this song just like I like MOON. This song gives me another feelings of being-fall-in-love.

Thank U 8/10
Well. What can I say? Ayu just keep repeating the same part, and it makes me bored.

Sweet Season 9/10
This song is sweet. And I think this is the best song in L. And I love the PV as well. So 70s.

Overture 9/10
I can use this interlude as the theme of my drama!!

do it again 7/10
this song is not powerful enough. And although I listen it again and again, I still cant find the reason why Ayu use this song as the title of CDL this year.

November 7/10
This is the weakest song.. but still OK.

Virgin Road 8/10
Good song. But still not powerful enough

SDW 1/10
I hate this song!! Just don't like it.

Overall I give this album 6/10. And I still prefer RnRc rather than Love songs. I can't find rockish song (like is this Love?) in this album. Or did Ayu change her style of music?

[Kazeyomi]

Lol I'll try to write a clever Love songs's rewiew too. Although my english is quite bad sorry.

This album amazed me since the first listening.
Love songs will probably enter in my Ayu albums top 5, seriously I love it. The thing that catches my attention the most is how much cohesive the album is. And how much the composers take care of the instrumentals. I mean, Ayu songs are always great but I never heard this attention for the arrangements since MY STORY.
I love how every song is connected to each others, even the interludes. May be 3 interludes are too much, but they're really good balanced and I can't imagine Love songs with just one less. But most of the songs are pretty longer, so I don't think it's that short as album. The lyrics are amazing. Sad lyrics, but not in a emo way like GUILTY ones. They're really nostalgic for me.
Also, the vocals are perfect and fits with the album in my opinion. Her voice sounds like her early career, just much better.
I may sound fangirlish, but I found this album really unique and outstanding. Like RAINBOW. Ayu done a great job by realeasing this album, because it's simply perfect. The songs, the voice, the lyrics, even the album packaging!

I never loved an album like that since ages. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed NL and RnRC as well. But they lacks something that Love songs have. I don't know what is it, but Love songs is really one of her best album so far. Period.

Overall: 10

[JesA]

On the subject of rushed albums, I quite like them I feel like Secret is her rawest album, and that's why I love it so much. Especially Momentum, if anyone remembers her describing the struggle to get it right...her best work came from having a harsh deadline.

[TeddyGrahams]

Honestly, when I finished listening to this album, I thought you guys would rave about it. It has no extra ballad tracks!!! There are dark songs and happy songs.

Pros
-Strong single tracks, especially with the emphasis on Virgin Road and Crossroads.
-The interludes do not bring down the album.
-Piano in most tracks. I'm a huge sucker for piano in her songs.
-The album is lengthy. Is this album her longest ever?!
-Instruments in the songs have many layers.
-INTROS into every song is AMAZING!

Cons
-6 album tracks vs 3 interludes vs 7 single tracks. The new songs do not outmatch the old songs.
-Last Angel.
-Her voice. <~ been like this since Guilty.

Overall - 5/5 stars
I love this album currently. I'm not sure how much, but it is very easy and pleasing to listen to. Comparing to her two other recent albums, the level of creativity, music, and enjoyment is relatively the same (NL/RnRC are two of my most favorite albums). It's quite different from anything she done in the past. For that reason alone, my love for Ayu deepens.

[ImpactBreaker]

This album is excellent. One of the main reasons is because all the singles were pretty solid and good. IMO MOON and blossom are some of the best ayu songs in a great while. They really re-sparked my interest in ayu back to another level. I find it a bit impressive that of the new songs, people seemed least interested by "Like a doll". IMO that song has a really unusual structure, which makes it different from the usual structure of her most cliche and commercial songs. It really sounds like a song with 2 choruses, both with a pretty different mood. I personally love and am mazed by that song. The rest of the album is really good too. sending mail really has a powerful anger chorus that catches my attention. November and Do it again are probably the only songs that need a little time to grow on me, but even so, I find them pleasurable to listen. Only complaint would be by the way ayu spells "do" which sounds a bit irritating, but that's really a minor thing. Either way, this album could only have MOON and blossom and it would already be great. The whole thing is very good, so it's a plus for me.

Andi agree about the songs intros. Like a doll has a spectacular intro. Love it very much.

About the cohesiveness, well, I really feel the whole album would fit perfectly as a WILD ARMS soundtrack lol All the songs have that WILD ARMS music feeling to em..dunno why lol.

[truehappiness]

haha actually i feel Ayu's is THE chameleon of j-pop considering all of the genres she's spanned and that is exactly the reason why i love her! she's so versatile!

Yeah, you feel that way because she totally is, haha.

She does whatever the hell she wants and she does it well. Gospel pop, weird-light-R&B-pop, heavy pop rock, electro sugar, sweeping epic ballads, you name it, she's probably done it! I don't know if you can say the same for most other artists on the Japanese scene.

[Keiichi_JPU]

The album has grown on me It's actually very good. I won't be my favorite because some of her older albums are way better in my opinion, but it's definitely a good album.

I usually rate albums by the amount of songs I skip when I listen to them, so let's compare that with some of her other albums..

Guilty: 1.
I usually skip glitter nowadays, but I used to love it and I definitely love the rest of the album so GUILTY is pretty much a perfect 10 for me.

NEXT LEVEL: 3
Rollin', LOVE 'n' HATE and curtain call don't really do it for me.

Rock'n'Roll Circus: 6
Lots of songs I just don't like. Sunrise/Sunset, Last Links, meaning of love, lady dynamite, you were..

Love songs: 3
I never liked Crossroad, that hasn't changed. Though I have to say the placement between Love song and MOON almost makes it bearable I never liked Sweet Season either, and Thank U is in my opinion the most atrocious song she's ever created. I couldn't even bear listening to it just once. But the good songs definitely make up for it, because they're VERY good. Especially Love song and Like a doll.

So Love songs is quite a good album for me! Definitely a huge improvement over RNRC. I especially love the instrumentals, for example the orchestra part in Do it again, and the bridge of November.. Great music! It's a gorgeous album. I'd rate it..

8 / 10

[Midori-chan]

Love song 10/10 – great, great song and it kicks ass live!!!

crossroad 10/10 – no matter what other people say about this song, it is and will stay my favourite song on "Love songs"

MOON 8/10 – it's beautiful, I especially love the refrain

sending mail 9/10 – the end of the song is awesome - I could listen to it over and over again; overall a very, very good song

Last angel 7/10 – ahhhh...I will never understand all the fuss about "Last angel"; it's okay, it's nice, but that's it...Ayu has much better songs than this one and there are also better songs on the new album

insomnia 10/10 – I LOVE all the interludes on this album; "insomnia" sounds so creepy and that's why I love it

Like a doll 10/10 – besides "Love song" my favourite song from the new ones

Aria 9/10 – it reminds me of a walk in a forgotten garden...gorgeous

blossom 8/10 – a great song; I love it

Thank U 6/10 - erm yes...I mean no; I'm sorry, but I just don't like this song, I was expecting something similar to "MY ALL", "Replace" and "glitter" and I'm quite disappointed in "Thank U"...it's the weakest track on "Love songs" in my eyes...

Sweet Season 8/10 – a sweet little song; I like it a lot

overture 10/10 – me favourite interlude on "Love songs"; it sounds like a day at sea

do it again 7/10 – yessss…I'm also not too fond of this song; I love the „Dance Dance Dance do it again“ und „Sing Sing Sing do it again“ madly, but the rest is a bit blah, I don't hate the song, but I also don't like it too much...

November 8/10 – I didn't like the song at the beginning, but now I'm reli in love with it

Virgin Road 8/10 – a reli beautiful ballad

SEVEN DAYS WAR 7/10 – the song itself is just okay, but this live performance was so emotional and that's why I love it!!


OVERALL: 8/10

I'm so proud of Ayu.
She made a great album again, but I never doubted that!!

[Tony G]

Enough people have posted long-winded review, so mine will be brief:

Love song - 10/10
crossroad - 8/10
MOON - 9/10
sending mail - 8/10
Last angel - 10/10
insomnia - 9/10
Like a doll - 10/10
Aria - 6/10
blossom - 9/10
Thank U - 5/10
Sweet Season - 7/10
overture - 5/10
do it again - 10/10
November - 7/10
Virgin Road - 10/10
Seven Days War (Live) - 8/10

I absolutely love this album. Have not taken it off repeat since I first heard it. I think it has the most 10/10 perfect tracks of any Ayu album. Love song is a perfectly crafted pop/rock song and I love the singing style. Last angel is the best electronic track in her discography, and my favourite track here. Like a doll and do it again are both so unconventionally catchy, she uses her english well here. Virgin Road is on par with her best ballads ever.

It has such a unique sound, and such perfect cohesion between the tracks, that sets it apart from anything else she has made.

How it ranks against other albums.. well definitely better than RnRC, Next Level, Guilty and Secret.

[truehappiness]

I couldn't stand Rock'n'Roll Circus because it was all over the place and had no idea what genre it should be in.

It's all over the place and it's named as such. It's a circus of an album.

Anyway, tying Ayu to one genre per album is probably like trying to tell the sun to stop shining. Generally, her albums are a clusterbleep of genres and I think that is one of her strengths. It may produce albums that aren't too cohesive for the most part at first listen, but eventually you realize that they are her most cohesive because they are lacking in cohesion. Sure, she doesn't have a specific musical genre with every album, but everything still has a trademark Ayu sound to it. So what if the entire album isn't rock or electro or whatever... as long as she's working in the way that the Japanese record industry works with singles coming out, there's almost always going to be a single or two that stick out like a sore thumb. (Perhaps this case with Love songs is not the same because everything was made in a quicker time span and VERY close to each other) I just wish people wouldn't see this "lack of focus/vision" as a bad thing because it's not necessarily the case. It's just how it works out and imo it's worked wonderfully for all of her albums that are melting pots of genres. And just wondering, but since when did an album have to maintain a genre?

[Picaflor 7/4]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

It's all over the place and it's named as such. It's a circus of an album.

she should have nixed the rock n roll part. if it was just called "circus" I would have been fine with the title. the first part of the title makes you feel like you're going to get an album chock full of because of you, game, about you, microphone, talkin' 2 myself, rule, and taskinst. we only got 2 songs though (microphone, countdown).

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by Picaflor 7/4

she should have nixed the rock n roll part. if it was just called "circus" I would have been fine with the title. the first part of the title makes you feel like you're going to get an album chock full of because of you, game, about you, microphone, talkin' 2 myself, rule, and taskinst. we only got 2 songs though (microphone, countdown).

People really would have died then. Remember how everyone hated the title - they woulda hated it more if it were the same as Britney's album. I know I would have. I liked the title "Rock'n'Roll Circus" but overall the album is not my favorite. Only love Microphone. Then countdown and Last Links are decent. The rest barely even exist to me

[Zeke.]

I think the most repetitive is sending mail. A little too much repetition in the chorus there. The same line over and over.