Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai - View Single Post - LOVE - Opinions, etc
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Old 4th November 2012, 12:52 PM
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koumori koumori is offline
RAINBOW Guardian

 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Finland
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I listened to the mini in full yesterday (apart from the instrumentals, I admit) and so, here are my thoughts. I hadn't listened to any of the clips etc of the songs; although I did watch the CM for LOVE.

Song 4 u

I admit, the title really put me off. A "4"? The use of "u" instead of "you"? Aaw man. But I'm a snob that way. Anyway, I'm really impressed by the intro to the song - until at about eight seconds in when that cheap riff comes in..but oh well. Ayu starts singing pretty early, and her vocals are really clear and concise. Unfortunately, I'm not too impressed by the song in general. It's definitely something that's listenable and isn't a bad song at all, but it brings nothing new to Ayu's discography and I feel as if it's just a mash-up of other songs, but in a bad way. As if they looked at what else worked and pieced together little parts of them, but without the song itself having its own catchy hook to make it stand out. However, I'm really happy with her vocals and by the end I was humming along, so it can't be that bad! 3/5


Missing

The start of the song is nothing too special. It, for whatever reason, gave me Sweet Season vibes straight off the bat and it made me cringe a little. I'm guessing the lyrics are what makes this song super special - if I was a casual listener, I might have lost interest by the time the song finally crashes in with some awesome around the 1 minute mark. It builds up to the chorus really well, and in all showcases Ayu's improved vocals a lot.

I have to say, this is my favourite song from LOVE. The piano riff through the chorus is just perfection, and the whole song is very catchy. I love the bridge and for a few seconds, it reminded me of some of her darker ballads. I wish it had continued a little down that path, but I digress. The verses are a bit of a let down, but in all I feel it's a very strong song. 4/5


Melody

Another intro that reminds me of Sweet Season and other medium-ballad songs. However, the acoustic guitar and her voice leading the verses is actually a nice change from it being full of cheap synths - ah, no. They've just kicked in. Shame.

Still, it's a nice little melody () and I have to admit, I do have a big soft spot for the chorus. I can imagine this being the type of song that grows on you and ends up being in your head quite a lot, if you give it the chance. This song actually wouldn't look out of place on MY STORY, it has a huge nostalgia vibe..for me, anyway. (Also, I love the way she says melody. ) Anyway, a nice song to relax to, but I wish it sounded more natural, with more of the acoustic guitar and less of the..fake stuff. 3/5


Overall, I'd give the three main songs a: 3/5 I do enjoy them a lot, and it's a strong mini for Ayu. However, it's missing (..hah) something.

Remixes:

Song 4 u (Orchestra version): I love the intro even more here, very game-theme like and dramatic. It kinda gave me Disney vibes with the way it led into Ayu singing. Although there's nothing hugely different, nothing has been particularly rearranged or anything, I do prefer this to the actual song. But I'm a total sucker for most Orchestra remixes, so. Biased! 4.5/5

You & Me (SHINICHI OSAWA remix): I actually don't like You & Me that much, I feel it is one of Ayu's weakest songs. However, this very Western-sounding remix puts it right into the category you'd expect to be played in clubs and the intro'ing beat reminded me of the mixes you'd find on a Rihanna album. Gives the song a lot more of a beat and I..actually like it, a lot. Good remix and gave the song a refreshing dance vibe that works for me much better than the original did. 3.5/5

You & Me (Remo-con rmx - Extended):: Two remixes for You & Me? That's surprising. The style of this is a bit all over the place - the intro is a bit overly-long, as is the general remix unfortunately. Nothing too special, just another club-friendly mix. Still better than the original though! (..yeah, I really don't like the original mix. Sorry!) 2/5

Missing (Dubscribe remix): I've heard a lot about Ayu's trip to the dark side of dubstep. I actually don't mind it, if it's used right, so I was looking forward to how well dubstep can be incooperated to Ayu's music. I thought parts of this were actually really interesting...but nothing was too inspired...and then suddenly my ears are attacked with random noises and dubstep that has nothing to do with Missing's melody or composition, they're just...there. Way to slam it into our faces that this is a dubstep remix. Anyway, parts of the song are okay (such as the chorus') but I have no idea what the hell is going on for most of it. 2/5

Melody (BROKEN HAZE remix): This reminds me a lot of her older remixes. The intro is very reminiscent of some of the remixes done for her A Song for XX album imo, and so I instantly warmed to it. (Nostalgiaaa) But woah, what happens past the 1 minute mark? That was random. Some parts of this remix are quite random, but I like some of the stuff implemented and overall, it's a remix I enjoyed listening to. 3.5/5
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