Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai - View Single Post - Your Love Songs reviews!!!
View Single Post
  #1  
Old 18th December 2010, 09:08 PM
isthisLOL? isthisLOL? is offline
I am... Initiate
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: fairyland! or not...Germany
Posts: 2,237
Your Love Songs reviews!!!

Try to write more than 2 lines

Here is what I posted at another, non-Ayu website:
Quote:
Ayumi Hamasaki - Love Songs
Image
Her 12th full-lenght album that just leaked today and the first I would call truly great in every way possible, there is not a single really disappointing song on this 70 minute album.
First of all: It's a concept album, the title applies to the content, as the album tells the story of being single, searching for love, then finding someone, overcoming problems together and, in the end, marrying.
The songs generally all have a similar, yet unique, genre-mix of pop, rock, classical and electronic music, which might seem weird, but works out extremely well in this album.

It starts off with "Love song", a folk-influenced, weirdly contructed song about getting out of a bad relationship yet not losing hope, like some other songs on this album the structure of this song is one big surprise, it got no piece that can clearly be defined as chorus, suddenly goes into a guitar solo after 90 seconds and manages to jump from rough to gentle easily. An album highlight: 10/10
The second song is "crossroad", a very soft song basing it's composition around strings and guitars and talking about past (bad) decisions while staying optimistic about the future. Unfortunately the editing of the vocals(heavy doublevocaling in the chorus) hinders this song from showing it's true beauty in studio-recorded form: 8/10(10/10 live)
After "crossroad" follows "MOON" a lovesong surprising the listener by going from a very quiet instrumental into a rather heavy guitar riff and alternating between quiet passages and the heavy chorus(which starts getting heavy the moment Ayumi sing the japanese word for gentle, a nice little detail): 9/10
The album turns upbeat when "sending mail" begins, first pretending to be another ballad, loud, fast synths soon start changing the mood, accompanied by strings and band instruments "sending mail" gives an almost apocalyptic feeling yet has a singable melody with strong beats and ends with a short part played by a single violin: 9/10
Flowing perfectly from that violin, "Last Angel" opens with strings playing but undergoes a transformation similar to the one of the track before soon after when trance-y beats get in. The vocals in this track seem especially powerful as there are low, almost whispered passages followed by strong, loud, higher ones while beats, a piano and violins fight for attention in the background: 9
"Insomnia"(10/10) is a dark instrumental track(though not quite instrumental, vocal samples are used) attempting(and succeeding in) making the listener ready for the next song: "Like a Doll"
"Like a Doll" is one of those songs that cannot be categorized or described. With the melody of a lullaby clashing against a dark, half-acoustic, half-electric instrumental, jumping from fast to slow while singing about why living without emotions is like death before death it definitely is one of the highlights of the album, emotionless on purpose yet so emotional: 10/10
"Aria"(9/10) is another instrumental, focusing on a violin and a handful beats(and then later an electric guitar) to lead into "blossom"
"blossom", like "MOON", pretends it's a quiet, melanchonic midtempo popsong, but then breaks into a guitar riff before the first verse even begins. While it might seem like a typical summery Popsong, "blossom" is much more. The dramatic guitar solo before the last chorus is one of the strongest I have heard so far even though, or maybe because, it just goes on for a few seconds: 10/10
"Thank U" officially makes Ayumi the queen of adnibbling, more than HALF of this 5,5 minute song consits of lalalala's sung by Ayumi and repeated by a chorus. Yet it somehow manages to fit in the album, maybe because of the orchestral opening, maybe because of the melody, I don't know: 7/10
"Sweet Season" is by far the weakest song of the album, ever since it was released on her "L" single in September I wasn't able to fully enjoy this song. Sweet Season basically is the 70s-happy-poprock inspired song EVERY japanese artist seems to release sooner or later: 5,5/10
But right after that, opened by the instrumental "overture"(9/10), follows the album's best section, concluding the lovestory.
"do it again", while repating the same 2 lines for most of the song, has a very interesting, very dramatic yet hopeful, arrangement. It's a midtempo song, possibly considered ballad by some people, yet NOT singing along to the english parts is nearly impossible. Like half the album there are a handful surprises hidden inside: 10/10
"November" seems to be the best song on the album for most people and I can almost agree, this song is cold yet warm. A lovesong in it's purest form yet far away from being a typical lovesong. Calling it an electro-acoustic-creepy-ballad probably comes closest to describing this song about watching the love of your life sleep peacefully beside you: 10/10
Right afterwards follows another masterpiece: "Virgin Road"
"Virgin Road" is a song from a child to a parent - about being in love, marrying the person you love, finding someone to make happy and to make you happy. It is quite obvious that this song was produced by the same person responsible for parts of Celine Dion's, Mariah Carey's, Cher's, Barbra Streisand's and Madonna's discographies, shown in the skillful use of strings, piano and drums to create a full sound while staying focused: 10/10
The album closes with "SEVEN DAYS WAR"(a live version in the limited version of the album), a cover of a 90s popsong. SEVEN DAYS WAR does not have the same qualities other songs on this album have, but the studio version showcases beautiful vocals and an awfully beautiful instrumental while the live version shows(in audio form obviously) real tears, real happiness with an audience singing along and Ayumi crying from joy all the way through: 9/10

Overall the album for me is a 9/10, by far her best album, I would say in fact the best pop album I have ever listened to. I have NEVER given that many songs in an album 10/10, actually, I think in Ayumi's whole discography I have only given that exactly 5 times before.
The only better album I have ever listened to is X's "Art of Life"
__________________
My Blog ~ My Twitter ~ My Tumblr (New)
Now on Boldly Delicious: "Career Check: Ayumi Hamasaki" - working my way through Ayumi's discography from A Song for XX to Party Queen!
MY STORY update(lots of bashing guaranteed) online!
Reply With Quote