NEXT LEVEL album thoughts

[jbrat2219]

Originally Posted by emiko

And this is where I go and tell everyone to watch her sing all those old songs live.

Sometimes I think some people mistake the style she sings in, as emotion. Not saying you, just some people.

Just because her older works had to sound a certain way, doesn't mean that there isn't emotion put into them. When I watch Ayu's old concerts, I'm reminded of why I'm an Ayu fan, because she was just awesome when she was singing, even if she sang a wrong note lol.

But I guess it's just people's preference. A lot of newer fans prefer her new way of singing and performing...I personally don't....I wish she'd go back..at least to AT05.

I really disagree where people think her old songs don't contain emotions like the new ones...if anything, for me, they contain more, because for me, they feel more sincere. Like it was just her...now it's very different in the way she writes, records, and performs.

Maybe it's just the evolution of an artist.

I understand where you're coming from with the live performances, I've seen a few of her older ones. But I'm talking about strictly on CD. I don't hear it come across on CD, which doesn't mean it's not there. I think live performances are different than recorded vocals anyway. There's almost always more emotion live than on the CD (unless you're just dull).

For example, I've listened to Koda Kumi's moon crying plenty of times and never cared for the song. But when I saw her perform it live, she had so much emotion during the performance it really made me take notice of the song. I still don't listen to the CD version though.

Also, I think the "older fans only like her older works and newer fans only like her newer works" is just plain annoying. I mean when I got into Ayu around her I am... era, I did my research and checked out all her old stuff and loved it (in fact I think I even bought so much of her older stuff I couldn't afford I am... lol). I love her new stuff too, I love this album despite it's faults and it has nothing to do with the date I became an Ayu fan (not saying anyone said it in particular). I think people like what they like and they dislike what they like. As long as they have an intelligent reason behind it, it's all good.

[sitara]

despite the flaws i mentioned earlier like messed up tracklist and too different music styles thrown together, interludes and blablahhaaaah, i enjoy next level much more than secret and guilty together.

it's good

[waterballoon]

Originally Posted by tourniquet

still the vocoder hate? xD that's really something subjective. I never found songs with vocoder less emotional or something. actually, I like that slightly distant, cold sound it produces.

No, I don't hate the vocoders. You don't know how much I agree with you! rollin' sounds so freaking cool when her voice is all robotic!

In any case, the recent lives of Ayu (especially from AT 05), have been very visual... and she's going for that "all-rounded" route for a performance.

Coming from a symphonic band myself, my conductor once told us that in a performance, it's not only the music that counts, visual effects are important too.

I get the feeling that Ayu wants to bring more visual effects to her concert, thus all its flashiness since AT 05.

Well, I don't know what basis is the comparison of her old way of performing and her new way of performing, but I can only say that it's obvious she has sacrificed a little of her vocal performance for the visuals/dance.

And about the lack of emotion... I don't know. I'll try to give what emotion I feel from the songs in NEXT LEVEL that do contain emotion.

NEXT LEVEL - There's this ethereal of serenity, and I cried to this once... it's just so moving. I mean her voice has that "Don't be afraid, I'm right here with you" kind of tone if you ask me.

GREEN - This one has melancholy. Like, her voice is kind of like "There's hope around me, but I don't know if I should approach it". Kind of like the timid voice in I feel in GUILTY, but perhaps in a stronger manner.

Days - Her voice here is just stunning. Enough said... it's just cry-able, omg

Curtain call - I sent the link of the PV to a friend, and he told he doesn't like it cos "it doesn't sound depressing". Lol, well I told him I can hear nostalgia and hope in her voice, and he agreed with me on this one.

Of course, this album doesn't contain as many raw emotions as previous albums, but I guess it's due to the new direction that she's going.

I mean I know I'm a new fan, and perhaps I fit the stereotype of new fans (okay maybe because I hate the I am... album), but I certainly respect and like her old works too.

For example, LOVE ~Destiny~ is a very beautiful song... I like how another user here has said that the softness works very well, and it feels like she's telling a story. With the 10th anniversary version, it's definitely louder and more layered... but I don't know. It'll be hard for her to convey that same emotion in her voice that she did in 1999... nevertheless, it's still a good 10th anniversary (for me at least).

But definitely agree with ayumisrael here that we should all respect each other's preferences to Ayu. We are all Ayu's fans anyway...

And oh @ panda87: Yes yes yes, I agree! There are some I am... arrangement influences in this album. But one thing I don't like about I am... is that the arrangements are so layered and complicated that they're noisy. In NEXT LEVEL, however, it feels like it's very layered too, but somehow in a more contained way. identity and LOVE 'n' HATE are both so arrangement-based, yet they work so well!

[bluegie]

Originally Posted by waterballoon

For example, LOVE ~Destiny~ is a very beautiful song... I like how another user here has said that the softness works very well, and it feels like she's telling a story. With the 10th anniversary version, it's definitely louder and more layered... but I don't know. It'll be hard for her to convey that same emotion in her voice that she did in 1999... nevertheless, it's still a good 10th anniversary (for me at least).

That's.. me rite? LOL .

I truly understand the fact that she can't be the same person 10 yrs ago. I was actually hoping that she would be using her now improved skill to perform the song SOFTLY. But oh well it's ok, people who love the new version can listen to the new one, and people like me who love the original version can just grab the A BEST cd and listen that one .

[Kikaru]

I feel like I'm going to repeat what other people's saying, but...this is my 2 cents I guess...

love her new stuff too, I love this album despite it's faults and it has nothing to do with the date I became an Ayu fan (not saying anyone said it in particular). I think people like what they like and they dislike what they like. As long as they have an intelligent reason behind it, it's all good.

I agree with you so much on this.

As for emotion...it's so subjective that I feel there's a neverending debate just because like Emiko said, emotion is a very subjective thing. What makes me indifferent (for example, I'm fairly indifferent to most of the LOVEppear songs, but others might feel the exact opposite) is another person's emotional rollercoaster, and vice versa. it's interesting to see what people sees as emotion (for me, for example, the overall arrangment of the song plays a huge aspect in what I feel from this song and that's why I love the Secret/Guilty-era orchestral rock songs so much).

If for a person ayu's older voice is better, than that's how he feels we should repsect it, if someone feels that ayu's latest style is the best for him, then we should respect it.
If someone says that he feels that some of the new lyrics are better than the old ones, we should respect him (and of course we have to get respect in return).
The whole thing is subjective and even if most agree on one's opinion and there is still that one that feels differently we should respect him and he should respect the others.
We are discussing about music, not about if the sun is yellow and the skies are blue, therefore nothing is a fact but it's how everyone feels towards something, songs, voice, albums, appearances etc. I do think that harsh words and sentences opinions are giving people legitimate to negatively argue about things and opinions so people should share their opinions in a less harsh way and covney it better.

Exactly. I'm one of those people who prefer her "newer" voice (CD-wise, post-Rainbow, Live...I didn't like her 2003 live voice, so I'm thinking more post-2005) and in all honesty, I can't really explain (I'm also one of those people who loves her more all-out, theatrical tours). There's probably a complex neurological explanation.. but I do see where the "older" voice people comes from and I do respect them for that. I guess the wonders of music is what sound good in one person's ears sounds horrible in another person's ear, and in a way that's a blessing, because it allows music to be diverse and develop into so many different genres and arrangements (there's also probably a complexed anthropological explanation for this too...)

[se7entheaven]

SHUT UP this is a good album !!! LOL

[Northerner]

Okay! Now that I've listened to the album more than a few times, I think I can give my honest thoughts on each track.

Bridge to the sky: A nice way to start the album, though it sounds like a lot of other intros/interludes she's done before with the dreamy, trancey sound. Overall, it does its job as a way to get things set up. (3/5)

NEXT LEVEL: I actually think this song is really good. I like how she's incorporated more of an "Asian" sound into it, and the way she sings the chorus sounds different than her other upbeat songs. It seems more "chanted" rather than "sing-songy," if you get what I mean. (5/5)

Disco-munication: Why isn't this a full song?! I've wanted her to do Ami Suzuki-like electrpop for a long time, and it really suits her. Maybe this interlude hints at a growing interest? Bonus points for the weird noises at the beginning and the 8-bit game sounds. (5/5)

EnergizE: Ah, the token deranged cutesy pop song! I normally skip past these, but I haven't really felt the urge with this one. The snappy arrangement saves it, plus she sounds so happy and into it that you can't help but sing along. It's still one that you have to be in a certain mood for, though. (4/5)

Sparkle: This was, hands down, my favorite song she released as a single before the album came out. She really went back to her (LOVEppears) roots for this one, and I love the explosive bridge and chorus. I'm so happy to see her making songs like this again that I'm almost willing to forgive that horrifying PV! :p (5/5)

rollin': Here we have more of the electropop that "Disco-munication" hinted at! Unfortunately, I'm not too thrilled with the melody or how she sings this (especially on the chorus). I really like the music, though, so I'll give the composer some credit. (3/5)

GREEN: Here's the opposite problem: I absolutely love the melody and how Ayu uses her voice on this, but I'm not that into the composition. When I first heard this, I got excited about all the "Chinese" influences in it, but the arrangement sounded a bit too similar to other songs she's done lately. (3.75/5)

Load of the SHUGYO: Awesome title, though it's not my favorite interlude on this album. It's a bit loud, and it seems like a space-filler. (3.75/5)

identity: This song is crazy, but I love it. The fast singing on the chorus is awesome, and the "hip-hop" part toward the end is definitely my favorite moment on this album. I'm sure that this song will be performed on the upcoming ARENA TOUR and that it will be a standout for sure! (5/5)

Rule: It's an enjoyable enough song, but I don't think it really stands out much when compared to some other tracks on this album. I can't really complain about it, though. (4/5)

LOVE 'n' HATE: This was one of my favorites the first time I listened to NEXT LEVEL, and it's still up there. The aggressive string arrangement is new for Ayu, and parts of it remind me of Namie's "Violet Sauce." I'm into it! (5/5)

Pieces of SEVEN: My favorite interlude! I really like the nostalgic feel this one gives off, especially at the beginning with all those 90s-style synth sounds. I'm also impressed with how it goes through a few different "stages," and thus sounds more like an instrumental track that can stand on its own rather than just an interlude. (5/5)

Days: I never liked this one much, since it sounds like every other post-MY STORY rock ballad she's put out. There's not much that stands out about it, and it's a shame to put it after the awesomeness that is "Pieces of SEVEN." (2/5)

Curtain call: Also a rather typical Ayu ballad, though I enjoy this one a lot more than "Days." Her voice sounds crystalline and delicate on the verses, but the chorus has a lot of power. (4/5)

Overall rating for NEXT LEVEL: 4.5/5

NEXT LEVEL, unlike Secret and even GUILTY, really seems to work as an album. What I mean by this is that although some songs stand out as better than the others, most of the fun in listening to this is hearing how well each track fits together into the whole. I was a little scared about how this album would turn out after hearing Ayu play it safe and repeat lots of her own cliches on singles like "Days/GREEN," but I'm glad I was proven wrong. I hope she continues to experiment with her future work and that she won't be afraid to step outside the box of what people expect from Ayumi Hamasaki.

Personally, this might be my favorite album from her since MY STORY.

[(miss)understood]

far better than guilty.

[hidekirby]

My feelings are mixed... in fact I don't know if I've got any O_O
I really don't know if I like it that much. I really don't have any general opinion on it. Some things are nice, yeah, but well, it is clearly NOT the "next level".

Or it has always been the case for ayu's previous albums. Not all of them (Secret and GUILTY would be tagged "same level"). So it is not really suprising, quite normal to have an "original" album if you have been a listener for a long time I think. Just that since 2006 it has been almost the same thing all over again...

Moreover the tracklist is weird-made (ballads don't flow that well).

So it may end up being an average/good or very good album for me. Yet I still really don't know... adnd I can't explain it.

[Ayumiko]

omg...I just watched the making ofs...shitmomura's unbelievably annoying as hell in sparkle. What the hell is with him??!!

[love in music]

^ he was like that in mirrorcle world too iirc, he's a little.. out there. i think he's really into trying to make her look sexy fierce hot

[Uemarasan]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

As do I and many other people in this thread. As for the rest of your post, I'm not sure how all of those things DON'T relate to analyzing the album - her voice, production time etc. Rushed is fine, if the reason that you are rushing is because you are inspired. Not because you are rushing to meet a business deadline. If inspiration had simply been the case, there would be no need to announce the release date of the album before it was even recorded. But I don't think the album being rushed was even really brought up much here. It was more about people not feeling "connected" to the songs, the uneven flow of the album, and the tracks seemingly having a short shelf life.

The last statement was meant to be self-describing and not to put down anyone's seriousness when it comes to Ayu's music.

I never said anything in my post about how her voice didn't have anything to do with analyzing this album. I just said the human body changes. It's in a separate paragraph.

The main excuse a lot of people gave about this album being not on par was that it was rushed. And I repeat my point: I don't see how the time it took to make a work of art has anything to do with the quality of the art itself. Whether it was "rushed" out of inspiration or "rushed" to meet some sort of deadline, artistic value is found only in the final product and not what it took to get to that final product.

With regards to being connected to the songs, subjective readings are helpful, but I'd rather read someone talk about the form, content, musical structure, instrumentation, and lyrics of the album and how all these attempt to work together as an artistic whole. What is Ayu trying to do with this album? Possibility: she might be trying to explore new music ground. How is she trying to explore new musical ground?

Personally, value judgments (i.e. I like this, I don't like that) are not enough for me, so it's always a pleasure reading people developing their ideas.

[hiro]

things i like about this album

- the nuanced arrangements and the new textures. Harder beats and darker sound palletes really anchor down songs which may have been too grating otherwise like Energize and rollin'. Some really interesting stuff with disco-munication as well.

- I like how the song structure and arrangements aren't so chorus-centric. I feel a lot of her songs were increasingly made just to highlight a strong chorus and everything else was just buildup. Nothing wrong with that type of structure mind you but it just gets so pointless when you can tell where the whole song is going after a 5 second listen

- Less electric guitar. Is it me or did she use that for every song since I am?

- Now, if only the first 2 and last 2 songs were cut, I could have an album I could listen to front to back for the first time in my 9 year history of Ayumi fandom.

[jbrat2219]

Originally Posted by hiro

things i like about this album

- the nuanced arrangements and the new textures. Harder beats and darker sound palletes really anchor down songs which may have been too grating otherwise like Energize and rollin'. Some really interesting stuff with disco-munication as well.

- I like how the song structure and arrangements aren't so chorus-centric. I feel a lot of her songs were increasingly made just to highlight a strong chorus and everything else was just buildup. Nothing wrong with that type of structure mind you but it just gets so pointless when you can tell where the whole song is going after a 5 second listen

- Less electric guitar. Is it me or did she use that for every song since I am?

- Now, if only the first 2 and last 2 songs were cut, I could have an album I could listen to front to back for the first time in my 9 year history of Ayumi fandom.

I like the nuance of this album, too! I haven't been able to stop listening to it! I'm sad to hear you didn't like Curtain Call though ;_;... I feel like I'm falling more and more in love with that song and PV....

[SchweincheN]

I've listened to the album now several times.
Don't know if i'm repeating something that someone already wrote but
I'm just too lazy to read 13 pages X.X

The following might sound very negative but at the moment just that comes to my mind

Overall I can say it is a good album for me though.
But it just didn't make me feel like "oh.. this is Ayu"..
I always had this feeling while listening to previous albums.
Also it doesn't sound like the "next level" for me.
It's also the shortest album ever.. The first one under 60 min I think..

It feels that everything is just pushed together as if they were thinkin.
Oh.. it's time to make our annual album.. let's just arrange some random beats and melodies and that's it.
Also it seems to me that they tried to put the vocals in the backround and highlight the beats and some fancy Disco tracks and patterns. She can do better than that

I also don't think that GREEN and Days fit in this album.
Everything is like Disco or Electro-ish and this just absolutely doesn't go with that

There are also some melodies of songs that remind me of others:

NEXT LEVEL - BLUE BIRD
identity - desicion
Pieces of SEVEN - X-Files Intro/Kaleidoscope/Tekken Soundtrack
Curtain call - Mariah Carey.. (Don't remember the song title.. but it goes like
I can't live if living is without you.. blah blah)

Songs I really dislike are:

LOVE 'n' HATE - just absolutely awful song. the melody is horrible.
1,2....7.. blah now we can all count 'til 7.. wonderful lool
Curtain call - reminds me of Mariah Carey.. doesn't have any feeling in it
definitely one of her worst ballads ever

And as most of you mentioned before.. What's that interlude Pieces of SEVEN supposed to be?
It just absolutely doesn't fit before Days..

At the end I can say that I expected more of this album and that it is definitely not gonna be my favourite one.
When I consider that I bought that "cheap" USB ~cough.. at least it pretty lool
She tried to go in a new direction and discover some new grounds of music but for me it's a step backwards

Of course that's just my opinion

[NintendoHTF1242]

After listening to the album over and over. Here is now my new opinion on it

Bridge to the sky - I still don't really like this introduction. I like her ad-libbing and the ending when the beat goes crazy, but that's about it. It just sounds too similar to Not yet at parts.

NEXT LEVEL - I like the chorus, the verses are lacking though. And a lot of the song reminds me of BLUE BIRD

Disco-munication - The beginning bothers me, I hate the beginning. But when it picks up it gets interesting. I like the video game sounds. However Ayu's voice is so scary in this interlude xD I would have liked a full song though

EnergizE - I love the arrangement, and English lyrics. That's about it though, not too catchy. And I don't really like how Ayu sings in this song

Sparkle - I still love the beginning, the way Ayu sings the first verse, and the instrumental bridge.

rollin' - This song grew a lot onto me. I love the beginning, but I only like it when Ayu's voice is really distorted in the verses. Since it's kind of interesting to hear

GREEN - Like I said before, lost it's magic as time went by.

Load of the SHUGYO - I never really liked this interlude. It's unmemorable.

identity - This song, I still think is too similar to 1 LOVE at times. Unmemorable to be honest.

Rule - Grew onto me a lot. Love the chorus, verses are ok, don't like the ballad part that comes out of nowhere in the song.

LOVE 'n' HATE - Still one of my favorite new tracks. The violins are awesome, but the counting could have been better left out. Kinda gets in the way of the song

Pieces of SEVEN - I love the ambient introduction, but then it gets kinda boring after that beautiful introduction.

Days - Another song that grew onto me a lot. Love it

Curtain call - I like the piano, but Ayu just doesn't sound good with that by itself. Because her vibrato just goes crazy. I do like it when the choir joins in though

So, this album is a grower. Defiantly. I'll most likely just get the 2CD+DVD on Ebay if it shows up there for really cheap. The album + PV's is not worth 60 for a collectible USB.

[aurinko.]

copied from my lj, didin't even bother to change the beginning xd


Well, my NEXT LEVEL came on Friday and I'm finally ready to review it... Being a BIG and I mean HUGE ayu fan I feel kinda disappointed with this album... but I like it nevertheless. Although, I recently came to a nice conclusion, that I'm going to like everything she releases simply because it's ayu. I know, I suck.

Bridge to the sky - very nice intro, builds tension and excitement
over listening to the rest of the album. But it should have had more lyrics IMO. 7/10

NEXT LEVEL - I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised with this song.Over the preview I was expecting happy BLUE BIRDish song, but fortunately this is just the chours. And even despite this, they are still fun to sing along. 9/10

Disco-munnication - It should have been made into full song, honestly. It's just great. It's just short and no lyrics... 7/10

EnergizE - the beginning is superb *_* then the English part is not. then the song gets terrible and yet after this the bridge is wonderful. The chours AGAIN get a bit worse but are still fun to sing. This song definitely gives me a headache. 5/10

Sparkle - it's just sparkling on this album *_* I love to listen to it, sing it and, hopefully, see it on this years tour. 10/10

rollin' - yet another superb beginning... and has electro-feel! that's a plus. It has too much edited voice though. Doesn't quite sound like ayu. Musicaly wise, I mean. Lyrics are one of the best on the album. And the chours lack something I can't place my finger on... 6/10

GREEN - why all single songs aon this album are great? dunno, but this one is really special. I love the traditional feel to it. Well, I'm an asian gig, whats of it

Load of the SHUGYO - nice, but nothing special. And an interlude. 6/10

identity - finally a great song! Superb beginning, again, and thank God it's still great after it. The lyrics are nice too 9/10

Rule - I like ayu rockish songs and it also applies to this one. Not very special, though. 8/10

LOVE'n'HATE - I really love this violin (at least I think it's a violin...). It's quite catchy, reminds me somehow of MY STORY.The countdown is great, especially the end 8/10

Pieces of SEVEN - Nice interlude... but what can be really said about interludes? They aren't horrible. And the ending reminds me of some old techno song... 7/10

Days - I didn't like this song at first... But it's just so lovely it was bound to grow on me *_* Now I find myself humming it all day 10/10

Curtain Call - I was really anticipating this song due to various opinions about it. The lyrics are really simple but quite nice nevertheless. Her voice sounds quite nasal at the beginning but get better later on. I like musically simple ballads even tough I think this one needs more upbeat parts. I like it but don't really feel it. Looking forward to seeing it at the concert though. 7/10


The booklet is quite disturbing. Crouchgrabing, tit-squeezing ayu is a bit too much for me. And it still remains mystery how come she has gloves and tips on them o_O

The new pvs are nice, don't have any plots but ayu looks really beautiful (and quite original for her - Sparkle) and I have to tell I was watching them with real pleasure. They are so esthetically done, that I have to like them.

Overall, I really like the album. However, the is not a song (except of the singles) that really catches my attention and makes me want to play it over and over again. Also it as too many interludes...if they were doing something, I wouldn't mind. But I didn't noticed tat the songs flow better with or without them. I'm still happy to have this album in my collection. 7/10

[freedreamer]

^now that u mention..LOVE 'n' HATE doesnt feel appropriate with MY STORY...maybe cause it has a little of my name's Women's attitude

[Keiichi_JPU]

I love this album! Some of the songs were so surprising, they just made we wanna dance O_o and they still do! I cannot listen to EnergizE without dancing! it's great!

I love the other songs as well, but GREEN and Days feel very out of place. I wouldn't have minded if she pulled a mirrorcle world on those and hadn't included them.

[waterballoon]

I can understand why GREEN doesn't fit, but I don't see how Days doesn't fit. It's a ballad, like Curtain call... in fact Curtain call is more 'far away', cos it's a completely acoustic ballad, while Days still has synths like the rest of the album...