^ you're so lucky :P
I think I should wait for my cd to arrive.

^ give it a bit... someone should upload it here...
I would but my internet connection is being a *****.

Missing is amazing.
Melody - boring as ****, but still pretty.
Wake me up - um... Its really good if you are at the club, with a drink in one hand and a huge crowd around you.
snowy kiss - is on repeat, nuff said. (although the middle part is a little, blah)

The snowy kiss remix is the best? Hmm
Did the download also include instrumentals? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE I hope it did
I can't wait for the cd to come XD
So contradictory...

I find it better then the remo-con remix... although both have elements of dubstep, which is really only good at a club.
and yes instrumentals, although if you can call them that (i considered them karaoke tracks)

T___T Stupid connection, 1 hour to download this
Ok, now i have to be a little more patient

^
All the instrumentals are available too.

Missing is really good, almost made me cry. Melody is quite cute/quite boring xD
The remixes are better than LOVE, but still, not my taste.
"snowy kiss" is better than "Wake me up" though.

I just want them to stop this mess called dubstep in her remixes.

i think Snowy Kiss might be too long. it becomes repetitive, other than that it's really a great song.

could someone upload full album in ahs???

I just uploaded it for you - I felt bad that everyone is here talking about it and nobody has re-upped it yet for the AHS community.
It's in the download section. GO ENJOY!! :D

lol wut
if you're talking about me, i can't really say i'm disappointed, or even the least bit in the "giving a toss" corner but w/e.

i don't know who that is, but i'm going to assume he's no one special since that's what those PVs are.

Ivy is the best of all!

I like it a lot,
snowy kiss is the best, but is really long

He's the guy who has been directing just about all of Ayu's PVs since late 2009 or so.

thank you for doing that!

I like Ivy the best. It somehow just moves me and was the only song to give me goosebumps o_o
But this mini is GOOOOD! happy with it! ^_^

http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphoto...62315873_n.png

finally!!!

Yasssss get that promotion Ayu!

and this!!!

http://sphotos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphoto...21914083_n.jpg

Just got home from work; now I can finally listen to these songs. Prior to this the only full version I heard before was Wake Me Up. So, this is all pretty much new for me.

Wake Me Up - Sounds so great in HQ. I noticed a lot of small things I couldn't before; lots of nice little touches are in the background. I liked this song immediately on first listen. Not perfect, but I think the more I listen the more I'm going to like it.

Sweet Scar - basically what I expected from the PV version. Very pretty, but kind of boring. It does fit her vocals right now though. Her vocals in general sound like they are getting this thinner, kind of breathless quality to them - so actually this kind of slow, soothing sound might be the best style for her voice right now.

Ivy - hmmm, Not sure I like the melody at the beginning. The words are all too over enunciated. Something about the delivery and phrasing seems kind of strange. The music is really pretty. Honestly I'm not sure what I think of this song. lol

Snowy Kiss - Very TK. haha. It sounds like something he would release in his more experimental late 90s/early 00s phase. That's a good thing. I love TK. This song has soo much going on in it, I need some time to digest it. Also, does this maybe qualify as the longest song in her discography? Criminal I think comes close but I don't think it broke the 6 minute mark. And I may be mistaken, but that sounds like TK doing backup vocals to me.

Overall, way better than Love, that's for sure. Best track is Wake Me Up, but Snowy Kiss is right up there too. Ivy and Sweet Scar I could take or leave for the most part.

haha, I agree. Snowy Kiss actually felt like it went by pretty fast for a 6 minute song. It was Ivy were I was checking my watch.

Also, I rarely pay attention to remixes, but I like the one of Wake Me Up.

"WHATEVER (Dub’s 1999 Remix)" found on "LOVEppears" is 07:20 long (though one could count it as a remix, and that is what it's called). "do it again" also comes close to "snowy kiss" with 05:50.
EDIT: And yes! My copies of "again" have arrived at Tenso. :D

^ Yeah, I mean just original songs. Not remixes. :)

snowy kiss could be 6 minutes longer and I wouldn't care, it's just that awesome. Y'all need to go listen to some prog rock lol

LOVE impressed me more than again did, but both are much better than FIVE awesome. snowy kiss is like a Last angel sequel and Wake me up has the kind of sound I was missing in her songs. I had already listened to Sweet scar and it's beyond reality, best song on this mini for sure imo. Ivy is a let-down, I understand now why it didnt have a PV lol I expect it to grow on me tho

the new alvum so wonderful. so much. i love it. and i love her. sorry if theis sounds stupidl. i had too much to drink. but i still think its wonderful and beautiful in every way of the world.

I loved all of the songs, Ivy surprised me the most, I really like it!

I think Heartplace is the same length as Snowy Kiss.
I am officially addicted to Wake me up and Snowy Kiss. I didn't listen to any of the remixes yet. I am going to listen to them when I receive my copy of the cd.

Yep, Heartplace seems to be the exact same length (6:06)!

I thought that this was a pretty creative release considering that in the last few releases it was MEDIUM UPON MEDIUM UPON SLIGHTLY NOT MEDIUM. The amount of medium tempo tracks she has really skyrocketed after Rock'n'Roll Circus imo. Not that it's bad, but we usually at least have some really ballad-y ballads and obviously-upbeat songs to go along with whatever she had before that was medium. (Like I think a lot of Duty has that 'medium' feel along with stuff from RAINBOW.

Heartpleace is one of her best songs.

Wow, Heartplace is so amazing I never realized it was that long!

Me either! It's so awesome that you don't realize all that time is going by, lol

Booklet pics
http://i40.servimg.com/u/f40/16/00/82/81/6850f519.jpg
http://i40.servimg.com/u/f40/16/00/82/81/6850f520.jpg

I Love these pictures, thanks for posting htem!

I kinda like how tastefully it's done and how we can't really tell it's Maro. They made a conscious effort it looks like to keep it about Ayu only and obscure his face if possible, which is nice.

I know, even when she does it live like at PCDL, I'm like "7 minutes just went by?".

Booklet pics are so lovely :heart What a shame there are these lines all over the pics :(

I think it takes a lot of talent to have a song almost 7 minutes long to not feel that way. So much respect.

The 3th pic would have made a beautiful cover, i much prefer it to the ones used on the officials tbh.

"We need a drink! kampaiiiiiii" :lech:lech

the booklet pics remind me of }{ now :)

I think that new mini is perfect and I absolutely love new 2 songs - snowy kiss & Wake me up. remind of good Ayu, I am happy

apparently the composer from UK had done some songs for Namie Amuro and Koda Kumi~

Hmm, I like LOVE more than again. :D

The remo-con remix of Wake me up is nice but I liked Shohei Matsumoto's remix for Snowy kiss way more. =)

btw Sweet scar instrumental is like a calming eargasm, it's really one of the best instrumentals. It almost doesn't have back vocals.

I like a lot this mini! Buying it as soon as I can aford it ^^



First day week sales

Second day week sales
#1---94097---EXILE BEST HITS -LOVE SIDE/SOUL SIDE- - EXILE→
#2---24813---GREEN GARDEN POP - YUI↑
#3---24600---ORANGE GARDEN POP - YUI ↓
#4------------SPECIAL FINAL IN DOME MEMORIAL COLLECTION - BIG BANG→
#5------------[(an imitation) blood orange] - Mr. Children→


TOTAL sales at second day
#1--225588---EXILE BEST HITS -LOVE SIDE/SOUL SIDE- - EXILE
#2---71392---ORANGE GARDEN POP - YUI
#3---71380---GREEN GARDEN POP - YUI
#4------------SPECIAL FINAL IN DOME MEMORIAL COLLECTION - BIG BANG
#5------------[(an imitation) blood orange] - Mr. Children

I'd love if [again] get the 3rd position between YUI's GREEN & ORANGE :P

My cd has shipped! It's only a matter of time

same!!! hope I get it tmr..if only I could track it lol

Went to Tower Records in Shibuya but I couldn't find this release at all! So I decided to go to Tsutaya and the album was right there XD I got my friend to get a copy too! Yessss.

^ post obi pics! :)

Lol I'm so obsessed with the obis.

my mini has shipped!!

I wonder how they are going to count sales for this? Just star from Sar and put it on this week, or are they going to hold it till next week and have all the sales from this week pushed over to next (cheating, but might get her that number 1)

Everything about this release is amazing... LOVE it..!

again is really great. Yeah it's not that extraordinary in musical terms to showcase her creativity, but it's a great, diverse listen nevertheless. I really like the way she approached the lyrics of the songs on this album, like the sandcastle metaphor carrying through Wake me up, the wording in Sweet scar and the repetition in Ivy.
Wake me up has those aggressive vocals and arrangement which make some of her best songs :heart That's what I call pop-rock gone right. The meaning of this song speaks to me, too.
Sweet scar is really a throwback to the early 2000s. The arrangement seems so simple but it's actually very ear catching and all the layers really compliment each other. I love her vocals here also. It's definitely become one of my fav ballads from her.
Snowy kiss.... has fab basslines lol :D And out of all her psychedelic guitar solos this one ranks pretty high, I like it. :mischief I'm afraid though that I'll grow sick of the choruses soon if I listen to this a lot.
The composition of Ivy makes me think of mid-tempo songs from some decades back. It's hard to say why I like this song a lot while I didn't enjoy LOVE's tracks, when the difference is so hard to pinpoint. Maybe it's because it doesn't sound like trying too hard to stand out, so it does lol. :)

I can't take any pics atm! Sorry! x__x

This release is very solid. I'm very pleased with it all, the songs are great, the pvs are a million times better than the Love songs trilogy, and she is just gorgeous in all of them :yes

I've only seen one of trucks going around Shibuya, but that's about it with promotion. I've seen a lot of JUJU still, YUI, EXILE and AKB48 of course, and Namie is owning with magazines too. She's in most stations and magazines covers.

Ayu is pretty much not being promoted, I'm not sure why :shrug But in Tsutaya she's still got her own stand with signs that say we love ayu and stuff :) Since I decided to take pictures of it many people stopped and looked at what I was taking pictures of xD I was promoting ayu by being a foreigner lol

wow! the booklet pics look awesome!
i like it that they focus more on ayu.. Maro is hardly seen. great!

Missing orchestra version is totally awesome!! I don't really like the original version but this one is perfection!!

I love this mini and im so glad my copies shipped!!

When will we get the PVs??

The music before the chorus in Ivy reminds me greatly of the bridge part in Thank U.

Any news about the PV though?

Combining LOVE+again it could make one of the best mini albums!!

LOVE again (or another title)
---
01. Wake me up
02. Missing
03. Snowy kiss
04. Ivy
05. Sweet scar
06. Song 4 u
07. Melody

^ You need to include You & Me in the tracklist I think.

I wanna make it a secret track to follow Melody. Then those who have been clamouring for another secret track will be fulfilled.
Also, the song kinds feels like an ending.

^^ i dont know how I feel about that...
I kinda like the way she did it because they seem to convie (for me at least) two different themes. They are both about LOVE, but the lyrics and sound and just over all tone makes it different.

^ I actually kinda of did this with my ipod... I made my own track lists of ayumi era's and this one is called 'In LOVE, again' and will include all the new music from You and Me to the last release.

I'm still so shocked at how good "again" is. After one of the lowest points of her career musically we get one of her highest, if not the highest - just one month later.
Though, to be fair, a low point in Ayumi's career is goo to great for most other Pop singers.

I just called it "Love Me Again" and included you and me first

See, it combines both minis + you and me.
and the album uses the titles from both minis and connects them with the ME from you and me.
I feel so poetic.

^ you stole my idea! lol... I totally thought of the idea first and I have the napkin to prove it! (I dont think anyone will get that reference, lol)

It's a brilliant idea XD
I think that's what Ayu wanted to do, but Avex ****blocked her and they had her release a crappy best album and 2 minis that could function VERY well as 1 mini.

^ well, like I said before, I like the way she did it, because I think the two mini albums tell a different love story. Love is so complex and has different meanings I think she pulled it off very well.

the feelings I get from again are completely different then from LOVE and the content of the two minis are so different in terms of styles and lyrics... (im repeating myself now, lol)

I don't know anymore if she decides what kind of release to release or if it's avex/the strategy team/contract that calls the shots or really 50/50 or either if they tell her what to release and she just makes everything about it XD I wonder how it really goes and how much of control she can decide for a release "owning avex/max", years of high control, or not.

Teamayu2004, it's my husband in your set =))

Lol it is not THE highest. Come on now. If anything it is on PAR with some of her better works but it definitely does not surpass everything she has released prior to this point.

It's better than I am...
That's for sure. But that's not too hard either.

He said -one- of the highest, and it is probably how he feels =P

^ back off, he's mine, lol. :p

I would like to know how much she has control too. But I would assume they all sit down and talk about it.
I know there was a thread or something about her having to go over concert songs before she can perform and avex approves it, so it might be along the same lines with music.

She has an idea and her and avex just go back and forth till a deal can be made.

Better than I am? BAH!

Anyone has the PVs ?

:innocent

I love that intense rush feeling I get when listening to snowy kiss its like im being chased or something lol

so glad his face is hidden but is so obvious is maro lmao

Are you saying LOVE is one of the lowest point in her career ??? :shakehead

I think he is referring to Party Queen. LOVE got her back on track.

Look at you causing problems, lol.

I must not be listening to the same EP because I'm not bowled over by again like most people. It's definitely better than some of her offerings over the past few years, but I don't really have any desire to listen to it... again (unavoidable pun).

Wake me up is my favourite, simply because it feels like we haven't had one of these in-your-face pop songs in ages. The "wake up wake up" parts grate on me so hard though. I like Sweet Scar, I like it when she does this non-melodramatic style. It's very Ayu, but for some reason it feels new, rather than recycled.

I agree with most people that snowy kiss is just too long, it doesn't really go anywhere or do anything to justify being six minutes. Ivy is interesting in some places, and her voice sounds nice here, but it's still average.

I think it just takes a lot to impress you?

Wake Me Up is definitely, to me, one of the best Ayu songs. It's just so energetic and out there and fun and just everything I've wanted in a new ayu song.

Arrangements on Wake me up & Snowy kiss are stunning and catchy:love

my CDs only reaching in 2 days time...argh...so irritated ><

I really love the snowy kiss arrangement and I really like Wake Me Up

I like Sweet Scar more now that I have this version. But I might like Ivy more idk. I do like Ivy though

But snowy kiss :heart so much fun

Same here. It feels like ages since we got an upbeat song of this kind of quality from her. I can't get the chorus out of my head!

this tbh. this is exactly how the song makes me feel. so i should probably be grateful that it drags in the middle; it's a bit of a breather :laugh

Maybe someone can try to squeeze the demo out of PhrasedDifferently? They don't seem to have the demo for Wake me up on their site, noooo~

demo?

demo? what?

Usually you can find the original tracks that PhrasedDifferently did (if you look at their site, they have a lot of demos up... like 20+ pages of them) before they end up becoming the 'final product'. In this case, it'd be Wake me up, but usually there's a song with a completely different title and singer as a 'demo' on the site. I don't think any of the ones on their site are Wake me up though.

I think I'm the only person on this planet that doesn't feel snowy kiss as much you do, guys. I got the SAME feeling with this song as Don't look back. Everyone was like "asdasdjhdsahdsjhds this is amazing" and I was like meh. It doesn't took my breath away. It's kinda boring after some listening. I prefer Ivy o_O

I guess it's because of monotonous, long themed song. I don't know how to describe this in english. I feel like there's too much.

^ I like don't look back because of the message
Seriously, every time I do something, I'm like 'DONT LOOK BACK KAERU BASHO MO NAI IKURA KURIKAETTE MO KAERARENAI'

Snowy kiss is okay...
But wake me up is sex on toast.

^ yes it is :3 Wake me up is so catchy it stuck in my head for verrrrrrrry long. Only 1 thing I remember from snowy kiss is SAYYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONARA

^ Dont look back is boring as hell, but snowy kiss is a breath of fresh air.
And long... that once bothered me, but no more!

:thud:thud:thud:thud:thud:thud:thud:thud

Love it.

I need to nominate wake me up as song of the year.
What do people like about snowy kiss?
The remix is so much better. Longer, but better.

I really need to see the PVs. Where in the hell they are?

as i mentioned earlier, quoting milltonic or w/e, "snowy kiss" starts off really intense and frantic, like you're being chased. the song is a bit like an emotional rush. thus the break in the middle is almost like a relief, since it's a 'breather.'

i think "wake me up's" remix is far superior to the original track, though.

^ you need to like DUBSTEP for that to me true.

the remix IS amazing... this is the only thing I have listen to today (besides my 2 hours of writing music)

^ and as it happens i do like dubstep :laugh the snowy kiss remix is quite nice too. shohei remixed kuu's unmei, so i'm not surprised the snowy kiss mix came out that nice. and remo-con's been around for a while it looks like? there was a dj remo-con mix on the evolution single :O

whaaaat? are there other ayu demos there?

This is the first track that PhrasedDifferently has done for Ayu, so...no.

I didn't like the remixes on LOVE so hopefully the ones on again will be better, although I'm usually not a remix person... :dead2