petal sounds like a mixture of Pride and alan's 悲しみは雪に眠る, as well as a hint of Marionette in there. Except I do not particularily enjoy Pride, and that Marionette and alan's song are both better than Petal.

If you haven't heard alan's song, take a listen:


It's hauntingly beautiful and tragically sad.

Lol, shut up.

I love Wake me up. It has everything. Sexiness, Power, and a kick-you-in-your-face chorus. I also enjoy Missing, another song with a nice kick-it-up-a-notch chorus. However, most of the new songs on LOVE again fail to deliver in that regard. Once the chorus comes along, it's just so watered down. I like songs that make me feel like this during the verses: :) and this during the chorus: (O_O). These songs make me feel content with the verses, but lose me when the chorus comes in.

I don't mean to be a sour puss, I really don't. But the word masterpiece is being thrown around a lot and I just have to bite my tongue...

I miss songs like 1LOVE, Microphone, is this LOVE?, GAME, About You, my name's WOMEN, Moments, JEWEL, talkin' 2 myself, Naturally, I Am..., Duty, Endless Sorrow. Those tracks that sound like they were just born perfectly - that you couldn't improve on the final product even if you tried.

Although there are many songs I disliked at first for similar reasons (failing to deliver on the chorus) [Sending mail, November, Sweet Season, Last angel, BALLAD, fated] but I ended up cherishing and/or obtaining a like to, so hopefully that is the case for me once again.

I wish petal had a PV so much! The guitar at the end <333

Bye-bye darling is pretty cool, I really liked the arrangement! and SAKURA can make one cry it's so touching!!

untitled ~for her~... story 2 is... beautiful I want it LIVE!

If anything for some reason the album really reminds me the middle of (miss)understood.

We're missing Gloria and the interludes.

oh my god, i really hope i end up getting this vibe from it, too. that middle chunk of (m)u is simply GORGEOUS.

OMGWTF can you not instantly love Last Angel? :irked

Jk Jk :laugh but I agree, the choruses on these songs are not as good as previous songs. My main issue is that the chorus is repeated like 5 times, leaving only 2 verses. That's usually what makes a song easy to get tired of.

Yes and when the choruses really aren't that EXCITING then it makes it just drag and drag. I have this problem with snowy kiss. It's thrilling at first but by the time I'm done with one play-through of the song I feel like I've had it on repeat for three times in a row!

Last angel I enjoy a lot now, but I always have this fantasy in my head of remixing it - really pushing the synthesizers.

I get your taste now!

A lot of my favorite Ayu songs come from her later albums, as I can't stand her voice in some of her earlier albums (ie. A Song for XX and part of LOVEppears)

I can also be sometimes called a sourpuss or and Ayu snob, as I detest some of Ayumi's most popular work like "Dearest", "Endless Sorrow", and "No way to say".

I do miss Ayu's tracks that had rockier feel to them, like "1 LOVE", "About You", "is this LOVE?", "Microphone", "my name's WOMEN", "GAME", and "I am". When I first heard "talkin' 2 myself", it was slightly off-putting. Now it is one of by favorite tracks from GUILTY. "Naturally" was one of the first Ayu songs I've ever heard, and it really cannot get more perfect.

I can see how this can be your least favorite Ayu album. With all these medium ballads, it's like Love songs II. I wish she threw a track that sounded like "About You" in here.

That being said, how could you dislike "sending mail" and "Last angel"? :shakehead

Well I do enjoy Love songs now. I mean I totally love it and I think I disliked every song on that album at one point or another (except blossom, I liked blossom right away). Sending mail I had a problem with the chorus at first, but I warmed up to it. And Last angel, again with the chorus. It's kinda awkward but I've gotten used to it. I love LOVEppears though and I enjoy songs off of A Song For XX. I never had a problem with her voice really, lol.

In short, I miss the songs by Ayu that make you feel like you've just stepped onto a rollercoaster; thrilling, heart-racing, super exciting. If you've ever been on that Aerosmith Rock'n'Rollercoaster at Disneyworld that goes from 0 to 57 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds, that's what Ayu's music used to feel like to me. Now it's more comparable to stepping onto a gondola and floating down the water at a much slower pace.

lol i actually also never was a huge fan of sending mail or Last angel, they're just blaah for my ears xD actually i got borred of Love songs really quick, i can't say i would want to listen to any of the tracks on it on repeat, not even november or love song which i really enjoyed at first, i got tireed of the whole album after 3 times of listening to it, plus i wasn't really into her vocals there at all... :innocent

this one i dunno i love the arangements, most are really rich in instruments, which i love and ayu's vocals are one of her bests on this: it sounds mature, soft , but powerful and has gorgeous vibrato. PQ & this deffinitelly gets a 10/10 on vocals. Love songs...i don;t know if it would go over 5 lol

i need to hear Gloria, cuz i don't even remeber what it sounds like anymore xD

In most of the songs from A Song of XX her voice is to much like a bird chirping outside your window when you're trying to sleep. That's why having the songs remixed in ayu-mix and ayu-ro mix is a must for me.

ugh at glasses being an interlude
she should do a interlude album next

^^ lol birds are alright, she sounds like i dunno what xD and remixing wouldn't help i think,unless they cut out the vocals or as usually do, leaves like 2 words from it (and calls it A SONG *rolleyes*)... she needs to re-record the vocals. I mean the A BALLADS version of A SONG FOR XX sounds amazing! i bet lots of songs from here earlier albums would sound great with her curent vocals if done right.

I now think Sending mail is just mind-blowing. The composition and arrangement at certain parts are just brilliant and absolutely heart-wrenching. The composition used to convey the emotions that she is feeling during the "hopeful" and "hopelessness" parts of the song are just... genius. I also live for the end when it's all chaotic and everything comes together for the last repetition of the chorus and there's that small part where the drums roll in! Anyone else notice that? The best part starts at 4:16 and at 4:18 the drums go on a roll.

Yes! It's do fricking AWESOME!!!!

LOVE again has one of the strongest mid section of all her discography.
Bye Bye Darling, Snowy Kiss, Sweet Scar, and Petal... AMAZING

I am just MAD at those interludes
Because they are just THAT,interludes
task'n'bass is awesome and glasses is sooo catchy

damn that sucks for you (not in a mean way), I think it's amazing :) I feel the exact opposite of you, love songs was "boring" to me. and party queen was a mess. I'm very very pleased with this album. Her vocals are excellent in this album. However, I definitely agree that the verses in this album are better than the choruses. The choruses need a little work. Like the verse in sakura. It's beautiful but the chorus is a litte bland.

From what I've heard, I think this will be a good album.

Next album tho, I'd really want something with more attitude and personality.

yup petal is very reminiscent to that alan song Zeke has said.
its LOVELY!!! the arrangement is so amazing and I was hoping for a HQ leak already but..damn

LOL indeed ironic that Gloria is last..

Soon the Cd will be shipped
And the photo book will be in my hands! Omg