Okay. Album review time. If you don't like what I have to say and just reply to call me a troll/Ayu-hater/whatever, save yourself the energy and don't bother. That being said...
THE introduction
It kind of starts out with a dark feel, like you're in the middle of some sinister forest. I like when the synth kicks in about halfway through, and then again when the drums come in at about 1:00. I remember this seeming particularly epic at the concert, but even now I still think it's a little strange when the mood suddenly gets lighter/happier with about 15 seconds left to go, but the ending is nice. I still feel like it's lacking a little something.
5/10
Microphone
The beginning of the song is veeeeery reminiscent of kiss o' kill for me, but the way it kind of EXPLODES! surprised me at first. I don't particularly care for the melody of the verse, but I absolutely cannot deny that the arrangement and the production of this track are brilliant. It sounds extremely full and not lacking in any way. The first time I heard the chorus I didn't like it too much, but it's starting to grow on me the more I listen to it. My favorite part of the song is when it lightens up and Ayu sings "moshi kanpeki na melody ga aru nara, watashi wa mada deaitakunai", though I wish the electric guitar wasn't wailing so much when it first goes soft. It makes the contrast between the softness of that section and the EXPLOSION! of the final chorus that much more powerful. Microphone is slowly but surely growing on me.
7/10
count down
Upon hearing this at AT2010, I was completely blown away. Sadly, the studio version doesn't have the same effect on me. I have a feeling once the tour is released on DVD and I can have a 320kb audio rip, I'll never be listening to the studio version again. My main problem with the studio version is the chorus. While listening through headphones, the production sounds fine and dandy, and the bridge is lovely. But the chorus is just...oh man, it's missing something. I don't know what it is. But when I listen to count down through speakers, it makes me cringe. Every time. It sounds even more muddled after the first chorus, and then I kind of just sigh, give up, and move on to the next track. I even feel like her vocals are lacking during the chorus, like there's just not enough oomph behind it. They're lovely during the bridge, but once the chorus hits, everything seems to fall apart. Good idea, flawed execution.
5/10 (mind you, I'd probably give the live version an 8 or 9.)
Sunset ~LOVE is ALL~
In the Sunrise/Sunset wars, I've always been a Sunrise supporter. This album hasn't changed that, and I don't know that I'm all that fond of the transition between count down and Sunset. My feelings toward Sunset are much the same as they've ever been in that it's very much a 'mood piece' for me. I have to be in a certain mood or setting to listen to it. When done correctly, like it was at AT09, it can bring me to tears. But ultimately, I still prefer Sunrise. It's a shame that I'll never be able to see Sunset as its own song.
6/10
BALLAD
I was feeling fairly lukewarm towards BALLAD when "You were.../BALLAD" came out last year, but AT10 completely revamped my opinion of this song. The vocals aren't Ayu's best, but I love that she still gets the chance to show them off here, even if there is a bit too much vibrato for my taste. The whole song has a sweeping, grand feel, as though it should be the theme song to some epic Japanese movie. I'm a sucker for anything Ayu does that's oriental-sounding to this extent and has lots of strings. <3 The second chorus is my favorite part~ Also totally love the drums that are so prominent in the last chorus.
7.5/10
Last Links
Actually, I wasn't such a big fan of this song when I first heard it. I went to the concert, it was the first song she performed during the encore, I was kind of like, "yawn...whatever." Funnily enough, I woke up the next day and already had it stuck in my head. I enjoyed it much more at the concert that night. Sadly, IMO it's another victim of the count down curse. Amazing live, but the studio version is just not up to par. I love the fact that for the first few seconds, you can only hear through the right speaker. (A glimpse at what Ayu's life must be like, no matter how small.) I really hate the drums (are they snare drums?) that are used throughout the studio version. It gives the instrumentation a metallic kind of sound, which I hate. Another song that I'll listen to like crazy once the tour DVD is released, but until then I think I'll give it a miss.
5/10
montage
I don't actually know what to say about this track, other than the fact that it's my least favorite interlude she's ever done. It actually reminds me a lot of some music I've heard in Sailormoon...like, I'm thinking of scenes from the very beginning of 'Stars' when Nehelenia is going crazy trying to make Usagi's life a living hell. ANYWAY. This interlude really doesn't do it for me, and I don't see myself listening to it, like, ever.
3/10
Don't look back
I was one of the people that didn't think too much of this song when we first heard it in the Panasonic commercial, but I think the studio version is a massive improvement over the CM version. For some reason, this song has a very 80's vibe to me. Maybe it's the synth. My main complaint with this song is that it's too repetitive and gets old really quickly. (2 minutes into the song we're already hearing the chorus for the third time...are you kidding me?) The PV made me like it a bit more, but I don't think it's a track I'll be listening to very often. But like Microphone, it's an excellently produced and arranged track. I particularly like the instrumental bit that starts up around 2:40 or so.
5/10
Jump!
I think I'm in the minority here, but I looooove this interlude. It actually makes me want to get up and jump.
tasking is my favorite interlude and I don't think Jump! quite lives up to it, but I still love it a lot for some inexplicable reason.
8/10
Lady Dynamite
This song...oh god, this mess of a song. Where do I begin? The only part I can listen to without visibly cringing is the bridge. Everything else about this song is so so so wrong to me. When I first heard it I thought it sounded more like something out of TRF's discography rather than Ayu's, but now I'm convinced that even they wouldn't release a piece of crap like this. Quite possibly tied with GUILTY for my least favorite Ayu song ever.
2/10
Sexy little things
I was pleasantly surprised by this song. The first time I heard a clip of it was when I was sitting at Saitama waiting for the concert to start, and they started playing the commercial for the new album...I tried SO HARD to cover my ears, but the volume was so loud that I could hear it no matter what I did, so I gave up. xD I hadn't been expecting something like that at all, so when she performed it during the concert I still didn't know what to think. But I ended up absolutely loving it! The arrangement and the effects are kind of all over the place, but I don't care. It works, somehow. I think that when you consider the album as a whole, this is the most original song on it.
9/10
Sunrise ~LOVE is ALL~
GAAAH. I always have, and I always will, love this song. I have no words.
10/10
meaning of Love
I find this song so incredibly mundane, boring, cliche, etc. It puts me to sleep, and not in a good way. I'm trying to come up with other things to say. And failing. 4 minutes left, still?!? Noooooo damn it I want this song to be over. Tied with Lady Dynamite for the biggest fail on this album.
2/10
You were...
Since the weather today is so nice and I'm sitting here with my window open letting the gorgeous breeze flow through, I cannot listen to this song right now. Skip~
6/10
RED LINE ~for TA~ [album version]
I love this song. I love it a lot. I've seen it compared to MY ALL by a lot of people, but to me they're not really the same. I see where the comparisons are coming from and everything, but this song is so much more than that to me, largely due to some personal things I was going through when the song was first released as part of YW.../B. And because of that, it will always be cemented in my memory as one of my favorite Ayu songs. Not so sure I like the arrangement of the album version, it sounds quite muddled in some places, but I do quite like the acapella at the end. Yay Ayu. <3
9/10
OVERALL: 6/10 (gulp)
This album really didn't live up to my expectations. When Ayu comes out and says this is her best work ever (though I suppose she would say that about every release, wouldn't she?) and then puts out an album like this...something doesn't add up. Especially when she's included tracks that are so badly produced (count down, Last Links)...these songs have real potential, but that potential wasn't explored here. On the whole, it's a step up from NEXT LEVEL, but I want more! Better! More better! And I know she's capable of it; she just didn't give it to us with this album.