[lumieregrl]

I first listened to this album when it leaked, and I don't know why but it didn't leave a strong impression on me at the time. Back then I LOVED the first three songs and was a bit disappointed that the rest of the album didn't keep that kind of style. (Timmy wasn't annoying in the songs, but I find him kind of distracting in the videos. ) Yesterday I popped the cd in while driving and gave it a re-listen. I like it much more now! I had read through the lyrics beforehand on AHS, and I think that helped. Anyhow...

I'm not going to give number ratings because I hate doing that.

Party Queen - I LOVE this song and have from the first listen. It has a light, happy feeling of no cares with some sad bits (I'm the lonely queen). I thought of Namie when she said 'You're the Dancing Queen'. hehe

NaNaNa - This reminds me of until that Day...which is one of my favorite Ayu songs. <3

Shake It <3 - My least favorite of the first three songs, but I still enjoy it a lot.

taskebab - Love it, wish it was longer.

call/Letter/reminds me - These songs...I like them but they all feel familiar as if I've heard elements of them on other albums. I think I might need to listen to them while reading the lyrics in order to really appreciate them.

Return Road - This song...I love it, it's very dramatic. The only blot is Timmy, not because it's necessarily Timmy...but it's more like 'wtf is that kind of singing in this kind of song for?' I might learn to ignore it.

Tell me why - People say this is a cover? of what? Anyhow, I like it. It feels like In The Corner a little.

a cup of tea - I like it...not as much as taskebab, but it's still really good! It feels like a concert interlude actually.

the next LOVE - This was a good surprise! I had the thought while listening that it would be cool if Ayu had an album of her songs in this style. Not new songs, but like her classical versions except in this style.

Eyes, Smoke, Magic - Love love love. IMO, the music makes sense if this is from a child or younger person's view (which was what the lyrics struck me as). It almost feels like it could be in an anime.

Serenade in A minor - Pretty. Least favorite of the interludes.

how beautiful you are - Not my kind of song. Okay, nothing horrible but nothing special.

Favorites: Party Queen, Tell me why, and Eyes, Smoke, Magic.

Least Liked: how beautiful you are, Letter, Shake It <3

Originally Posted by kalikagai

I've listened to this album enough to make my own decision and, perhaps, a short, totally incompetent review - as I see it, as I hear it, as I feel it

First of all, I am completely sure that Party Queen completely fits Love songs and continues the story to its logical final. IMHO, the duet "Love songs ~ Party Queen" has serious plot with tie, culmination, epilogue and postscriptum. This is a mature story about in-your-face reality and your confrontation with it.

Spoiler:

Chapter I. Escaping from despair

01. Party queen. "The world is spinning round and round, and we keep on repeating ~drinking~. No matter how many painful experiences come, we will never be defeated... I am the party queen!" Can u feel the bitterness under the veil of kawaii? It is the end: needing a drink is the only thing left after your hopes are broken. Or it isn't?.. |8/10

02. NaNaNa. Bottles are empty, lets go and search for fun (?) somewhere else. Pretend to be strong, make yourself believe that all these is the result of your own choices. But after all, "I am ~just~ a lonely Queen, life is just a dream". |9/10

03. Shake It ♥. If u can't drink your desperation over, if u can't dance it over - sex it over. Again. And again. With this man or another, it doesn't really matter anymore, because "you don’t have to tell me that that girl over there is loved more than me, I already know". |9/10

Overall, the opening of the album gives me that strong feeling of being bought like a sl*t, used like a *itch and thrown out like garbage. If u never lived... this kind of life, u never understand this feeling. BTW, I think the story "Shake It ♥ PV ~ NaNaNa PV" is more accurate.

Chapter IIa. Diving into oblivion

04. taskebab. Fits perfectly, it's really an INTERLUDE showing us to the memories and reflection of call and Letter. It's obvious these two songs are quite similar |8/10

05. call. Sweet dream about the pictures of the past, a flashback to the beginning. To the Love songs. |8/10

06. Letter. Reflection of the past and its connection to the present. "Just maybe, happiness exists only in tiny amounts. That is really bitter and painful, we may often feel that way" |9/10

Chapter IIb. Confronting the reality

07. reminds me. "Everyone has one or two things they wish to forget, but we can’t forget them because those things are a pain we mustn't forget". No comments, love it to death. |10/10

08. Return Road. "The two of us are no longer in each other's eyes". So, is this the beginning or the end? Did you give up or are you holding on? Are you shrugging off or in despair? (c)Mirrorcle World. Fight or surrender. |10/10

09. Tell me why. My... hmm... ex-husband told me after we broke up: "I can understand you know. You want me to be happy - but without you". "Why do you try your best to hold strong, telling me that you're ok?" |9/10

Chapter III. Overcoming

10. a cup of tea. Collect your rambling thoughts together, become sober and go forward. It's a real life, not an anime. |7/10

11. the next LOVE. "Believing in things I can't see with my eyes, someday, I stopped doing that. Believing only in things I can see with my eyes, have I become an adult?" |8/10

12. Eyes, Smoke, Magic. The kind of song only ayu can create - cynical pseudo-kawaii track full of sarcasm. In Bern's transaction analysis it's believed that person will repeat the family scenario his/her parents had, even after following the anti-scenario which is considered to be the copy of the main scenario. So, "again, Mama shows a sullen face". |9/10

13. Serenade in A minor. Not a track of hopelessness, but disappointing past and unfair reality. Why so? Because "again, Mama shows a sullen face". |7/10

Postscriptum (~the show is over~)

14. how beautiful you are. This is the best ending song for the tour, it is a message of love and understanding to every broken and misunderstood soul: "You don't know how beautiful you are, because you are much more beautiful". It made me cry, really. |10/10

So, this is it. I wish we can see, maybe in September, special LIMITED EDITION of the AT'12, a story of lonely party Queen at HOTEL Love songs. This would be perfect re-creation of the awesome CDL 11-12.

Forgive my awful English, please, and do not throw rotten tomatoes in me And my biggest thanks go to Misa-chan and tenshi no hane for posting the translations

Originally Posted by VegetaLove

This is my mini review/opinion of the songs and album:


1. Party Queen - I would like this song a lot more if it didn't have the "kanpai" and alcohol pouring sound effects, they sound awkward and interrupt the flow of the music. But I remember it's sound and can tolerate it, and even find it mildly catchy, if unpolished.

2. NaNaNa- When I first heard this song, I was like, "Oh wow, nice beat! Like Ladies Night II !" But then that... "rapping" comes in... and I was utterly grossed out. After hearing this and seeing the word play on the title of "Eyes, Smoke, Magic", I took down all of my Ayu posters, and they probably will not go back up.... the first time since 2005. It's like Ayu traveled to USA and became American and made a song of this culture's somewhat=stereotypical carp that they are known to pump out. I especially hate the part where Timmy says, "Ugh! We done!". It just creeps me out! I just imagine him thrusting his pelvis as he says that. But then one day I imagined it was just Popeye rapping... it sounds a lot like Popeye. Now, I don't love it, but I can at least tolerate it. But I always turn the volume down if I'm driving and worry someone will "hear" that part. Plus the sirens tend to worry me, lol I drive usually when this CD is playing and I always have to check for actual cop cars, just in case. It would sound WAY better if they slightly distorted or altered the sirens sound, so it wouldn't sound identical to a cop car passing you. :|

3. Shake It - My favorite song on this album! I'm not in love with the whole "Shake it!" theme, and watching the pv was... awful. :| But I pretend she says "shakey" or something (anything but Shake It) and it works out. I love the beat, and Popeye is in it, but minimally, yay!

4. taskebab - Meh, it's okay, but I've come to associate it with "Oh, Shake it went over, time to press the back button"

5. Call - Nothing special, kind of cute but this style isn't what i seek in ayu's music, I don't ever try to listen to it, it only comes on if I don't pay attention that Shake It went over and the CD has played on for a while

6. Letter - Same opinion as Call ^ It's weird that Timmy thought he just had to say "woah woah" and "yay" in songs like these. Kind of over-saturation. :| If he was on maybe 2 songs, that would be more acceptable to me... but it's invasive to suddenly have him everywhere like this.

7. Reminds Me - A little better than Call and Letter, but it doesn't stand out at all

8. Return Road - Lots of people seem to like this, but it's not so great to me. It's like someone thought just adding the organ would make it be insta-loved. And Timmy's "ahhhhs" sound good here and there (kind of), but he goes overboard with the "ahhhs" and it becomes very irritating. He's much better singing with a man voice (like in Brillante) than with an uncomfortable fake-woman voice.

9. Tell Me Why - It's nice, and sounds sad... but it's got a sort of R & B beat to it, and I don't like R & B. But, despite that, it sounds kind of pretty, though also forgettable to me. My favorite out of Call, Letter, Reminds Me and Return Road.

10. A Cup of Tea - Pretty good for an interlude

11. the next LOVE - It's a nice piece for being experimental, but I've listened to it maybe twice, and will always skip it unless I can't reach the forward button. Just not interesting or catchy.

12. Eyes, Smoke, Magic - OMG. Timmy's creepy scary creepy clown giggle at the very beginning is my exact opinion of this song, what a mess. The lyrics are kind of interesting, but that doesn't excuse how annoying this song is. Not to mention the obvious play on words "I smoke magic" (nice, Timmy, so very Ayu ). And Timmy's weird voice keeps popping in there, it's irritating and makes the song even less likeable. I TRIED to like this song.. I can't. Maybe if I listened to it a thousand times, I'd be desensitized to the badness and like it okay, but that's not going to happen (willingly, lol). And now at the end of the Party Queen title song, I also hear Timmy's goofy laugh in the background as the song ends, and it reminds me of how much I hate "I Smoke Magic" and that "laugh" that starts the song. I always try to skip the very very end of PQ so I don't have to hear the laughs at the very end of it.

13. Serenade in A Minor - I heard this once... sleepy ballads aren't my thing.

14. how beautiful you are - The music video is nice... but this song isn't my thing either. Sleepy and boring to me.

Ah, now I want to listen to these albums together! I thought about this album being potentially a second half to LS, especially with Return Road!