NEXT LEVEL album thoughts

[majrakun]

I only got my copy last week, and I managed to resist all attempts to download it beforehand. I do like the overall flow of the album, although GREEN being the lone different track from the others made it quite random since it was placed in between rollin' and Load of the SHUGYO (Not to mention it was also randomly put in between HOPE or PAIN and Days in the tour).

I am really in love with Load of the SHUGYO, identity and LOVE 'n' HATE. I kept these three in their own special playlist for a few days. I think the only thing that kind of annoys me is the last "Zero" in L'n'H, but that's probably just me. NEXT LEVEL and Curtain Call unfortunately felt pretty dull, and I grew tired of Rule and Days by the time this album came out.

As for the PVs, agh. I'm still so bumped about the fact that there are only 6 PVs. I just watched my (miss)understood DVD then and wondered why can't Ayu made more PVs like she used to in the good old days? Not only that, what she lost in quantity, she didn't even made up in quality.

The best ones were probably Days and Rule, but they definitely could not beat the beauty of momentum. Takahide Ishii should stick to ballad PVs.

I actually quite like Sparkle, since the whole overacting suits the mood of the song. But I still cringe while watching GREEN. Oh my God, Ayu, please stop avoiding people on the street that way next time. I think it would have been better if she rode on a carriage the way the singers often do.

NEXT LEVEL and Curtain Call, bleh. I fell asleep halfway through, and it wasn't even that long. Pride was definitely the better one done by Luis Hernandez. Besides that, what's with him and his PVs? They almost only involve one scene, and not much of a storyline. I have to admit, the way he portrays the PV and the cinematography is really beautiful though.

I wish there was at least a PV for identity, but given the choice of directors we have today, I'm actually quite glad it didn't.

There were no really hard rock in this album unfortunately, other than Rule. This album is so bright and colourful (in terms of both look and music) unlike dark on' GUILTY. This is probably why, unlike other people, I'm still in love with GUILTY. Think about it, even the ballads like Together when... and fated had a hint of rock in them. But yes, NEXT LEVEL is really starting to grow on me.