Thoughts on GUILTY

[Not~Yet]

I just love every song in this album. Even glitter now, because like someones have said it wasn't yet "it" as a single, but with the album it's the ray of light shining after depression, anger, failing at life and so on.
MY ALL is awesome too, because it's not as blind happiness as glitter but more reality, after glitter and all that summer&friends things Ayu realises that there is something in her life for she should never give up even if she feels that she has really hit the bottom.
About (don't) Leave me alone, which many suprisingly seem to dislike: I love this song. At first it has that very "underground" feeling, the guitars sorta remind me of GAME/About You. Then the chorus suddenly has lighter/pop feeling, but still keeping the song dark. And I think (d)lma has a great hook after the guitar solo where the chorus "mou isso nonoshitte yo" begins with guitar&drums without digital sounds and then there comes that disco-like bassboom in the next line. It's very important for a song to have such of a hook so that it's easy to remember.
Mirror, it's great. No words needed for this one. And the hook in this one for me is the muted "uu lala" which reflects many feelings in her voice. Depression, anger, hate, frustratinon, sarcasm....
Talkin' 2 Myself I find the most powerful song in GUILTY. The guitar, drums, Ayu's voice and everything just clicks together. And from the first moment I heard the lyrics they really said something to me. That we can't just rely on everything that media tells us, we need to decide ourselves what to do. And to be brave you need to destroy the insecurity in yourself and so on.
Decision is clearly a straight continuation of t2m. Ayu listened to herself, and has decided to go on and not to stick with everything she's unhappy with. The vocal bridge just amazes me everytime, it makes the song complete. And the guitar solo is possibly the best ever in Ayu's songs.
Guilty is the only one that I needed to listen to many times before I liked it, but now I do. I like how her voice is sorta cool and cold in the verses but in the chorus it's easy to hear panic, feeling of being lost and she not knowing what she wants. And I the lyrics make the listener [well, me at least] feel a bit guilty too, to hear she is lying to someone. The sound of the church bells makes a heavy feeling, which suits the song for it having not much any musical tricks.
Fated. It's good. But to me it's problem is that I know next song is TW... which I usually want to hear more than fated so it's easy to skip. Fated is a song to listen when alone, outside, in a grey wheather, when feeling sad. Then it suits the mood perfectly with the soft piano, vocals and drums. It's beautiful song, but it hasn't really found it's place in GUILTY for me yet.
Together When... I think it's one of her most honest ballads, calm and painful at the same time, but then the guitars and "storm" hit in. A moment of melancholy, after which the calm is back, with even more pain. I think TW... possibly has the best vocals, together with Decision. I wish Ayu won't overdo the verses singing in her concerts. The softer the better.
Marionette -prelude- creates many mental images. It's scary and weirdly soothing. I think the clocks and the sound of rewinding something [doll, clock..?] might have something to do with lyrics of Marionette.
So, to Marionette. I must agree with most people here, this is her best song on GUILTY. When the guitars began after the first chorus, I was positively suprised. It gave more strenght to the song. Once again, vocal bridge is awesome. The guitar in the end is great. It reminds a little of screaming which suits the song. Simply awesome.
At first I didn't like the poppy sound The Judgement Day got towards its end. Now I love it. It leads well to the ray of light, glitter.
reBiRTH is, as said, deja vu of Kaleidoscope and Labyrinth. But it's okay, since those interludes aren't bad at all.
untitled ~for her~ is a great ending song, and it's an awesome song too, not just for ending. It's simple and beautiful, no tricks, just a message for the person who had passed away. I love the piano in this song, because it's so simple, but it goes so well together with Ayu's soft voice.

So on the whole, AWESOME. Sorry for my long blabbering, but I just had to say that because everyone seems to have some problem with this album, I don't see why though. And about the thing that its mostly rock, I think that's good. Secret and (miss)understood are great, but there's just bit of everything. It is better when an album has at least some kind of direction and not having to split it in 10 parts to categorize it something like "dark and light poprock and metal and reggae and gospel mixed with a bit of hip hop and 70's".

[Namie]

hm.... At first I was very excited but as the songs are played I got very bored at the end. I thought the songs started to sound the same.... must listen to it more to be more specific but I still like the album, somehow I got depressed after listening to it hehehehe

[Bad Wolf]

Oh yeah, my only complaint is that I wish Mirror was LONGERRRR...I LOOOOOVEEEEEE ITTTTT.....

Mirror would make a REALLY great remixed song, I think. I'm just imagining it like, 5 or 6 minutes long and being as epic as some of her Trance songs. *_*

I have to agree with that one, after all her rocks has the same type kinda, but still love it thou.
I wish she release more poppy songs next year, but still continue experiments with rock but not too much

I agree, too. I mean--I love Ayu's rock sound, don't get me wrong, but I'd love to hear more from her of a "pop" variety, or even experimenting with a more electronic-pop sound, something like KOTOKO or heck, the English act Portishead. I think such a sound would serve Ayu really well.

Fated. It's good. But to me it's problem is that I know next song is TW... which I usually want to hear more than fated so it's easy to skip. Fated is a song to listen when alone, outside, in a grey wheather, when feeling sad. Then it suits the mood perfectly with the soft piano, vocals and drums. It's beautiful song, but it hasn't really found it's place in GUILTY for me yet.

I think with fated you have to kinda look at it as a part 1 to Together When.... granted, glitter/fated go hand in hand together, but in terms of positioning on the album I think fated/Together When... are intended to be linked to each other content-wise as well as message. I dunno if that'll help at all!

InoriNoUta great review

Thank you!

[Jwiz]

upon listening to marionette a many times..i feel that it's quite similar to pride.lol - two of the obvious reason are that both are dramatic ballads..and both songs are abit draggy..but still, i love both of them.

[Not~Yet]

Originally Posted by InoriNoUta

I think with fated you have to kinda look at it as a part 1 to Together When.... granted, glitter/fated go hand in hand together, but in terms of positioning on the album I think fated/Together When... are intended to be linked to each other content-wise as well as message.

Yeah I know... The lyrics are quite similiar too "I wanted to say I love you" and "If only I had loved you as many as the times I said I loved you". But to me it sounds kinda weird [come to think of, should I start a new topic since this is kind of off-topic? XD; Well anyway] that if she has said to this someone "I love you" (without meaning it though) and then she wishes she could have said "I love you"? Either the lyrics are about different persons, or in TW she means she wanted to truthfully say I love you and thank you. Who knows?
Yes, I can't really think any other place for fated than where it's positioned on GUILTY now or some other song to replace it either. It's an important part of GUILTY as an album, but I don't know whats with it. Whenever I listen to it I get a rather bothersome feeling. Maybe I was going trough such feelings in summer when I listened to it more, which are now left behind, so I personally don't anymore like that much of it's athmosphere when I'm overall happier. Fated is dark in a different way than other songs in GUILTY, because it's more like looking back behind wishing to have done something differently, while others are more reflecting present or future. TW... in that point of view too goes well with Fated. Maybe when I'll listen to GUILTY more I'll get to like Fated again too.

[Bad Wolf]

if she has said to this someone "I love you" (without meaning it though) and then she wishes she could have said "I love you"? Either the lyrics are about different persons, or in TW she means she wanted to truthfully say I love you and thank you. Who knows?

I think that's what it is. Like with (d)Lma, she's saying "Leave me alone but don't leave me alone" and while it sounds like she's totally contradicting herself it's really.. well she doesn't want to be abandoned, but she doesn't want to be bothered, either. I think that's how it is with "I wanted to say I loved you/If only I had..."--it was love but it wasn't love: kinda like.. you love someone but you're not in love with them.. yeah.

Even if you end up not liked fated that's okay! I can totally understand how your feelings toward it change, especially if you don't have that emotion any longer. It almost makes the song feel like it's "dated" or old in a sense.

I'll stop getting off topic now, I promise!!

[Kogepan_19]

Originally Posted by krishna

What I don't like
My major complaints are maybe the same as some other members here. First is too much rock. I just tired of her rock music, it's just too long ayu stick to her rock music (almost 3 years since MY STORY era). I hope she backs to her LOVEppears - techno music era. I think if she do that in her next single, it'll be such a fresh music considering that she doesn't make it for a long time. My other complaints is lack of great PV. So far, only Together When... that can WOW me, the rest are just bleh...I jut hope Marionette will have a great PV.

Yeah...I really agree with this too. What got me into Ayu was her music from the albums LOVEppears and I am... Subtle electronic/techno/trance/whatever while still retaining a sense of pop music. I'm okay with rock...but I'd really love if Ayu holds back on the rock to maybe only two or three on the next album.

[truehappiness]

I think the rock was necessary, since she's basing the entire album on someone's death and the pain because of that death that made her create this album..

The next album will probably be lighter in tone.. hopefully.

[Kobayashiwoof]

Originally Posted by austin. ♥

9+10+10+8+8+8+10+9+9+10+7+6+6+8 = 118

118 divided by 14 = 8.4-ish

There we go.

OOOO ill Copy chuuu guurlll!!! *z-snap*

1. Mirror - 6
2. (don't) Leave me alone - 6
3. talkin' 2 myself - 6
4. decision - 6
5. GUILTY - 4
6. fated - 6
7. Together When... - 8
8. Marionette -prelude- 7
9. Marionette - 5
10. The Judgement Day - 7
11. glitter - 4
12. MY ALL - 5
13. reBiRTH - 5
14. untitled ～for her～ - 4

6+6+6+6+4+6+8+7+5+7+4+5+5+4 = 79 divide by 14

AVERAGE 5.6/10

I shall give it a better listen tonight, i'm not fond of this album, the interludes seem to be more interesting than the full tracks imo. I feel like i have herd these tracks before, over and over

[s1012h]

i'm really hoping for a throwback to LOVEppears in 2008

[catur]

it fast 2 b boring XC
i think it will sells low

[truehappiness]

Originally Posted by Kobayashiwoof

OOOO ill Copy chuuu guurlll!!! *z-snap*

1. Mirror - 6
2. (don't) Leave me alone - 6
3. talkin' 2 myself - 6
4. decision - 6
5. GUILTY - 4
6. fated - 6
7. Together When... - 8
8. Marionette -prelude- 7
9. Marionette - 5
10. The Judgement Day - 7
11. glitter - 4
12. MY ALL - 5
13. reBiRTH - 5
14. untitled ～for her～ - 4

6+6+6+6+4+6+8+7+5+7+4+5+5+4 = 79 divide by 14

AVERAGE 5.6/10

I shall give it a better listen tonight, i'm not fond of this album, the interludes seem to be more interesting than the full tracks imo. I feel like i have herd these tracks before, over and over

Weren't you like, not fond of it before it even fully came out?

[Jwiz]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

I think the rock was necessary, since she's basing the entire album on someone's death and the pain because of that death that made her create this album..

The next album will probably be lighter in tone.. hopefully.

really hope so

[truehappiness]

Originally Posted by HJeweL

really hope so

Me too.

I don't get why people think that she used too much rock.. I mean, she told us the reason behind the album and that should be reason enough for her to sound so angry for the majority of the album. If we got an album full of sugarpop and it was called GUILTY, wouldn't you be like "what the heck?" as a fan? O_o

[Jwiz]

yeah it's pardonable for GUILTY, since as you've said she told us the reason behind the album and that should be reason enough for her to sound so angry for the majority of the album..but releasing rock album continously won't do her any good..as she will lose her original identity and change into a rock singer..thus i do hope her next album will show a brighter side of her =)

[Kobayashiwoof]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

Weren't you like, not fond of it before it even fully came out?

Correct =D

[hiro]

I think Guilty is one of her worst albums ever! It's so cookie cutter. Like there wasn't anything even remotely new sounding on it. It didn't advance her music for me. Oh well, I'll wait next year.

[My Rainbow]

I don't understand why people dislike the album, but I also don't understand the injustice in the world so I am getting used to it.

[krishna]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

Me too.

I don't get why people think that she used too much rock.. I mean, she told us the reason behind the album and that should be reason enough for her to sound so angry for the majority of the album. If we got an album full of sugarpop and it was called GUILTY, wouldn't you be like "what the heck?" as a fan? O_o

I think ayu could make songs like Duty or ever free-esque instead of 'too much rock' to make an dark-anger album IMO.

[ayu_ready?]

^ agree

but she prefers rock now, you see, it's kinda impossible until she wants it herself