Even though it seems like a far stretch, the HANABIs may be connected musically as well but through contrast. The first HANABI is in the minor key whereas episode II is in major. Throughout episode II are un-exact inversions of motives of pitch in the first one. It can discussed in detail, but generally it feels as if episode II is a consequent or response to the first. I would be very surprised if an episode III is ever produced.

Otherwise, I love how it appears that Ayu really thought of the general cohesiveness to Love songs. It could be one of the good factors to "rushing" as all her ideas for singles and the album would be connected, in comparison to what happened of the singles leading up to NEXT LEVEL.

Ayu's interludes are sometimes longer than kpop songs xD

I wonder when Dream ON PV will reach us...I am excited to see it. ayu looks totally fierce in the shots from the news.

Oh My god i ♥ Love Song... This song is pure perfection X____X
Love the lyrics, love the music, love Ayu's voice, love the composition (sounds like Last angel), love the YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAH !

♥

On the connected songs discussion: Microphone and Sexy Little Things got some very similar sounds. I always saw them as connected, but not as strongly as Last Angel and Love Song.

Microphone and Sexy Little Things were only connected thru their PVs, the songs had no relation whatsoever, as one was about her love for music and the other one was about women...

I dont see any connection between Love Song and Last Angel...

The only musical correlation I can find between Microphone and Sexy Little Things is the chromaticism that's present in the verses of Microphone and the chorus of Sexy Little Things. That being said, I personally don't find any reason for a meaningful relation between the two songs.

@ Heaven Zerase - The borrowed melody in Love song is during the bridges when Ayu goes "la la la" around 1:35 is from the beginning melody of Last angel, as well as the framework melody of the chorus in Last angel which is elaborated.

:laugh they probably cost more to produce too XD

+1
I think it's good, but I think it lack some production, the lyrics seem to be in a hurry... and I can't help thinking she recorderd 6 songs in 1 months, apart from recording videos and shooting for calendar, etc...
So taking this into account, it's a pretty good song that shakes you, really, but no, it's not her best song ever. But I will be listening to this song for a long time, I have this feeling...

---

something I have learned about Ayu, if I should said that myself, is that you have to take Ayu's stuff separetely... lyrics, music, performance, PV's, concert shows concept (mise-en-scène), and eventually, titles.... it's all a different thing.

The charm lies in the format of the song. Random verses and choruses mixed with random interludes. It doesn't follow that dreaded chorus>verse>chorus>verse>bridge>verse formula. It just reminds you of her music from circa 2001 and the beauty of the unique arrangements.

it's funny cuz it's sad :lech

If you really listen to it, you will notice that parts of it sound like the Last angel melody. Especially the guitar solo, at that part you can totally tell its Last angel's beat.

Just heard Love song. In complete love~

:heart

I see her finally moving in a direction I've been wishing she'd try, ever since I started loving her music. I'm predicting that Love songs will turn out to be a fast-paced, dance and heavy beat album, what with "Love song" and "do it again" as the big leads with PVs. Now definitely didn't expect that to come out of an album with such a mild name. ayu, full of the best surprises. Love her!! :D

I'm personally a little disappointed with the look of the USB. It looks like any other USB, I thought Ayu would give her personal little flair to it like she did with the NEXT LEVEL USB. Even a heart design to represent love would have been nice. I guess I just had higher expectations for it.

Both had VERY similar trumpet/elephant sounds, at least to me very similar, Ayu didn't have them in any other song I can think of, and the heys/hos/hes/has/whatever instantly remind me of the other song.
Maybe I'm just weird...but I always thought she had tried to slightly connect them through that. :shakehead

One interlude would be amazing, but that's just how CDJ describes their products :P

I'll take plain over expensive any day. Remember the NEXT LEVEL USB alone was about $70! The total package of the Limited Edition including the USB is about $90~$100.

WOW, Love song is awesome. But every time the opening music keys play I have to tell myself it isn't blossom, so I don't turn it off, lol.

^^I was just think that they're a little similar lol
I don't think they're THAT similar though.

I'd totally buy this album if I didn't have -$22 in my account.

Excited for this release, although I have to say I only like one of the covers, the other 2 make her lips look like she just got them injected, I can't stand that "babydoll" face, it really bothers me.

me too :(

I wonder which picture will be on the usb cover. maybe it'll alternate. I can't tell from what we have.

idk.. I'm kind of hoping that pink plain thing is just some sort of slipcase for the USB and in reality it has some special design.. I'm probably wrong though lol.

maybe there's a butterfly on the usb. Lol so it would be really girly as album :laugh

the USB pre-order sold out again at @CDJapan *^^*

Hmmm maybe the USB has that wallpaper style pattern you see on the flaps of the LP? Like the usb is matte pink and has a glossy overlay with that pattern?

I was wondering when that was going to happen!

+1

Totally agree.


Same here. I haven't had the chance to get the gorgeous NL USB, so I was hoping this would make up for it... but it doesn't look special at all from the stock picture. I'll still love it anyway once I get it in my hands and pull up the album on my laptop but I can't help but be a bit disappointed.

Ayu: Sing sing sing do it again♪RT @m42sz: i miss u too!!! i cant wait for your new album♪ how are CDL rehearsals?? Dance Dance do it again!!!RT

If these indeed are lyrics, I'm sensing another EnergizE lol

^ not another energize -_- this song it's just OK, i want something EPIC.

Well... Technically Ayu hasn't gotten a "cute" song out of her system yet so... :innocent

I made HQ covers from the TA video!

Jacket A CD+DVD
http://i51.tinypic.com/2m426hc.jpg

Jacket B CD Only
http://i51.tinypic.com/dovxas.jpg

Jacket C microSD+USB+DVD
http://i52.tinypic.com/972z2e.jpg

ew...uh...god...lol

well, love song is good! lol


@cutie: oh, the first cover looks really good there to me! thanks :)

lol this song will be something to remember... I can already tell. xD

^ and it have pv, lol

God I love how her eyes reflect the field she's standing in in the CD+DVD covers. *o*

^the field? >_>
As far as we know, these were taken on a back lot of Fox Studios or something...I don't see any field reflected in her eyes...I see, people, and maybe a car? xD

Actually Love Songs has been the song I've been waiting for the past year.

"field" in so cal? More like, desert field lol

Well I'm assuming it has to have some kind of scenery since it can't ALL be close up face shots right? DDD:

I'm just hoping there's a field or something, would be nice. XD

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/7616/eyeoc.jpg
I dunno if it's a field or not, but it's not some random car park. XD

Wasn't it said in an article that was posted that the cover shot was in the suburbs?

Ehh I'm not that updated on news sorry. XD Hope it's a nice location though.

god her eyelashes are PERFECT lol

I need to start wearing fake eyelashes more lol

Her eyelashes are always so perfect! Top of the line fake eyelashes.
Yea, the scenery in her eyes looks...weird. It definitely doesn't look like a field though. I wonder if we asked ayu if she would tell us.

I look at the reflection in her eyes and I see a dinosaur.

A brachiosaurus...

^
Lol would be cool if there were dinosaurs on the photobook. Pink dinosaurs, of course.

Oh my.. her eyelashes :thud
The scenery looks like a desert field to me though D: but lol that's pretty cool we're speculating on the scenery reflected on Ayu's eye :laugh

^^ Wow now that you mention it I see a dinosaur to XDD

Lol I only see an elephant on a cow :thud

all i see is people that were taking the shot reflected lol

^^Me too.

actually i see a giraffe!!! LOOL look at the left!

I can see the brontosaurus lol

^ lol me too.

ITS A DINO AND A LION!

y'all are ridiculous.

jeez, just look. ITS A DINO AND A LION!

http://i55.tinypic.com/2efi5o1.jpg

lol!!! you have too much free time. XD

^ no! I JUST SEE A DINO AND A LION, it's so obvious!

XDDDDD

omfgg LMAOOO this is so ridiculous why am i laughing so hard
but ya i see the lion now

can you imagine if they were actually there? the heck

LOL!!!
XD

Woww, you are amazing, guys !!!
You can hear Last Angel in Love song, and now a dino and a lion in her eyes.

:roflmao omg That's like the funniest thing posted today.

hahahaha now thats all i see

OMG! what is that? LOL..

Oh god... her lashes. :thud I can only dream of having lashes like those lol.

WTF with the lion and dinosaur talk... now I feel my imagination meter is officially on zero because all I saw were cameraman. y'all are crazy. :roflmao

Love song kinda sounds like countdown and Last links... I mean, like a RnRC album-only song not spectacular enough to get a PV. Filler song. Idk :shrug I like it more now than at first listen though.

"YEA-HEIIIII!!!!"

So...

~shocking news~!

Someone asked Minazo [Ayu's manager and nail artist] what song he likes/would recommend, and he said that he's been humming sending mail a lot recently. Looks like it could be a full track.

But then again, it -could- still be a really good interlude.

I thought for sure that'd be an interlude. Can't wait to see how it sounds~

it could be also a catchy vocal interlude

but it sounds like a song~

For some reason, I really get the vibe that 'sending mail' could be a Christmas song. My friend joked about it being 'sending mail... to Santa' and ever since then I can't stop imagining a Christmas song :laugh Maybe not necessarily a ballad though :)

well, if they specifically asked what song to recommend I really don't think he'd recommend an interlude. nice that it's a full song. the more full songs the better~

Both nail artist and manager huh?...

Sounds like those low quality places like Laqureesha's Chicken and College.

Just like I'm pretty sure it isn't a good idea to go to college at the same place you buy your buckets of chicken so I'm pretty sure its not a good idea to have pedicurist as your manager.

I just hope it will be a nice song :D.

ohh, if it is a full song, i'd win a bet with my roommate :3

yesssssss possibly looking at an album with only 2 interludes?! AWESOME.

I knew 'sending mail' wouldn't be an interlude. Like I said, it'd be dumb to have an interlude before Last angel's long-as-hell introduction.

Hmm...two interludes!? We'd better keep reducing such album interludes!

He was a manager first, I think... then he helped out Bancho when she would do Ayu's nails and then he eventually became her primary nail stylist earlier this year. (http://img31.imageshack.us/f/cdl0910booklet22.jpg/ Under "ARTIST MANAGEMENT")

The suburb quote.

LOL. I think it's obvious now that you can enter Narnia through Ayu's eyes.

This is going to be my favorite Ayu album in a long time, because I already love so many songs from it and it's her best album covers since GUILTY.

1. MOON - I've always liked it, though I've flip flopped and like blossom so much more.
2. blossom - mhm :yes
3. crossroad - my favorite so far :heart
4. SEVEN DAYS WAR - a bonus, but whatever, I LOVE this song.
5. Virgin Road - drags a bit, but it's pretty, and I accept it.
6. Love song - very cute song! I can't wait for the PV.

x. Sweet Season - absolute snooze fest and unmemorable.
x. Last angel - I liked this at first, but now I barely listen to it. Kind of a mess.

I'm excited for the rest of the album, but unfortunately I'll be downloading it again since I'm going to be broke from buying/saving for other releases. :( I'd love to own it though.

Yeah, that would be pretty silly of him. So I'm going to go with it's a full song theory. :D

Curious as to how it'll sound... the title doesn't give away much. More than likely it'll be midtempo to act as a proper bridge from MOON to Last Angel but we'll see.

I think I saw on 2ch that people think it could be a sweet sounding song, or it could be the Kazuhito Kikuchi song. At this point, I really hope that the Kikuchi track made it to the album, haha.

LOL!

Realistically speaking, it should be around 2 weeks before the whole album leaks... right?

Ayuchina usually gets the album a week before the release date, so at the latest... that's when they'll get their copy. (And slowly leaks will come)

the USB ver. is available again at @CDJapan =)

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=AVZD-38219

^Again? Did this happen with the LE's of the previous two albums?

I guess they are able to sell more copies!

I wonder if this is only limited to like 30,000-40,000?~ The Limited Edition tea set box sold out in like a day for Rock'n'Roll Circus and that was 25,000.

I read somewhere that the yellow-coloured case of NEXT LEVEL was limited to 7,000 copies...

and hey... what's the difference between these versions..?

http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/product/detail/3949746

http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/product/detail/3940144

The first link GUARANTEES a Lucky Draw goody with the album. That's the only difference besides the price.

Disco-munication was an interlude, and it was the song I kept humming when NL album first came out. So sending mail can just be a really catchy interlude.

Well since the beginning Sending mail didn't sound like an interlude to me :P

So there could be no interlude until track 8?! Sweeeeeeeeeeet.

The suburb quote.

郊外 or "kogai" seems to translate as "suburb" but doesn't really have the same meaning that we would think suburb would have. I guess it's more like the countryside? If you search the term in Google Images, you have tons of images of fields and countryside. Hmm~

MORE USBs!? Come on. lol

Yeah , just 29 available atm tho,
maybe from people who cancelled their pre orders ?

whydo i get this feeling..

THX A LOT
and THANK U
are gona be.... :)

^^Gonna be what?
We already have THX A LOT. I hope they're not similar.

OMG if it's an ayu solo version I'm gonna be MADDDD lol

^HAHAHA...i dunno. I was just watching a-nation and at the last part.
And...it just struck me LOL! THANK U .. THX A LOT...Tetsuya Kumoro... Ayu's so happy with him... everything pieces together.

I wouldnt mind a similar flavour-ed song..with a proper climax of course... but not Ayu's own rendition of THX A LOT haha

^^Nah I doubt it would be a solo version. If I had to guess though, it'd probably be something like MY ALL.