NEXT LEVEL album thoughts

[Kikaru]

It's very different from her albums since Mystory, but I actually like this difference. I'm usually not that inclined toward electro-pop, but for some reason in the past few months have miraculously became a electro-pop lover...

So anyways, my favorite track, hands down, is Love 'n' Hate. Something about the melody is just so catchy. EnergizE, which I didn't thought I'd like from the previews, is also amazing. I kind of wish instead of the electro sound because the composition had that 50's feeling to it she'd replace it with a more jazzy arrangement. Rollin' took me a few listens to get used to the electro sound (which reminded me of those scifi green aliens for some reason), but I really like the chorus.

My only complaint is that I got the "that's it?" feeling, and the overall feeling that the album was over too soon. Also I feel like the PVs weren't that spectacular. But I feel like although maybe to another artist, it wouldn't be new, this is kind of new for her, but at this same time it still maintained that "Ayumi" sound.

I do think the album has a problem with the flow, and Green was horribly out of place. But it doesn't matter to me, since I listen to things on shuffle anyways.

[KLJames]

i love all track except d least fav track like <rollin'> and <LOVE 'n' HATE>,
n i think <Pieces of SEVEN> put in wrong track,
suddenly that rock end n start <Days>, no no no ...
unexpected <EnergizE>! i love till repeat non-stop!

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

i thought i hated rollin', after the first listen. but im listening to it again now, and its pretty cool. but yeah i think the album feels short even thought it's 14 songs.

i think this album is just ok for me. curtain call and next level are really great, but i dont know. i think it will take a little bit for me to appreciate all the somewhat annoying "pac man" effects >:[

[AmyRoseM]

I was kind of irked by the 4 interludes thing, but i think the album as a whole is really great. I love dance/pop kind of stuff, and if anybody can do it in a way I'll like it, it's Ayu. Identity & LOVE `n` HATE are my faves off the new tracks. <3 Overall I'm very pleased. A good summer album especially.

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

the "lack of emotion" is just because people only think something is emotional when it's depressed... It was pretty much the same with Utada's Heart Station "ohh! the new songs have no emotion!" just because she wasn't screaming or crying in any of them... ~~

umm no. A song does not need to be depressing to have emotion. Its the way in which is song is delivered that makes it have an emotional connection or not.

[waterballoon]

Well, I've listened to the album, and I'm gonna give my review now.

Bridge to the Sky: It's a good SONG, but a bad INTERLUDE. I mean I like how it's all techon-y and yet very "everlasting dream", but something about this song doesn't flow well to NEXT LEVEL.
7/10

NEXT LEVEL: IMO, one of her best title tracks. It's really very laid-back and relaxed, and you can really forget about your worries while listening to it. I'm really surprised to know it's a D.A.I composition!
8.5/10

Disco-munication: I don't really like this interlude, despite the cool name. It, however, is a good interlude, cos it really flows well to EnergizE. But yeah it just sounds so messy!
5/10

EnergizE: I really like this one! It's sugar-pop ala HONEY and ANGEL'S SONG... but in a edgier tone! There are a lot of electronica and rock influences in this song, but her voice still sounds really cute and sweet! It's a song that will get me flailing around!
7.5/10

Sparkle: Easily one of the better tracks in this album. I'm not Japanese, so I can't comment much on the "shallow" lyrics, but I really like the song as a song.
9/10

rollin': LOL @ intro. It sounds like a more serious EnergizE if you ask me. Honestly, I think they're really almost the same song. XD But having said that, I like both EnergizE and rollin' a lot, but they are songs that are very... how do we say it? A lot of people will love them, and a lot of people will dislike them as well. I'm one of those who love them.
7.5/10

GREEN: Hmm. GREEN is a very fresh and good song, but it feels SO out of place here! I agree with what some other users have said... it's gonna be more fitting if it's after NEXT LEVEL. At least glitter feels fitting in GUILTY lol... oh well.
8/10

Load of the SHUGYO: Once again, this interlude is actually working. I'm liking the rock here... it sounds very exciting! Like a video game!
7/10

identity: OMG I LIKE THIS ONE. It continues the thrill from Load of the SHUGYO and identity is just VERY COOL. I can hear influences from decision, but this sounds more edgy and 'cool'. The chorus... I can hear it in a Super Sentai show!!! It's like so cool... you know. I mean omg I like this one. A LOT.
8.5/10

Rule: I liked this at first, but now, it gets kind of boring... and stale. The bridge is awesome though.
7/10

LOVE 'n' HATE: OMG. I LOVE THIS SONG!!! It screams attitude, and I love the beats and all that... and the chorus = <3 It's very cool, just like identity, and to a certain extent, Rule. These 3 rock songs in NEXT LEVEL are like a different kind of rock... the 'cool' rock, not the rock you hear in GUILTY. It's very different and refreshing!
8.5/10

Pieces of SEVEN: IMO, this is the best interlude in NEXT LEVEL. I'm not sure if this an outro to LOVE 'n' HATE or an intro to Days. I'm thinking of the former. LOL. I mean it sounds very good and cool... but the transition to rock in the middle is like so misfitting for Days! So I think this is a good outro to LOVE 'n' HATE!
8/10

Days: Enough said. Best song in this album; my favorite song from her. This is a song that can make people (at least me) cry, and the emotions in her voice in this song and Curtain call is enough to make up for all the lack of emotions in the rest of the album.
10/10

Curtain call: Simple. Sweet. Touching. I cried several times while listening to this song... it's very good IMO. And her voice is just so touching... T_T
9/10

Overall: 7.5/10

To me, the best songs in this album are the rock and ballad section. GREEN feels SO out of place... and oh from Disco-munication to rollin'... I'm hearing Pokemon all over... it's like the instrumentals can just be put into a Pokemon game or something!

[Meat Pao]

I LOVE the album, though I find Pieces of SEVEN redundant because it's like rock and electro then suddenly the next song is Days, wtf? The transition isn't there at all imo.

I think the worst song on NEXT LEVEL is EnergizE, but the song is not bad, just that the other album tracks are better, not that it really sucks lol.

[Tony G]

Must say I am loving the electronic shift Ayu's made, but still keeping her rock and pop sides. What I don't like is the way songs are grouped in the tracklist, it could have been spread out better.

First impressions are good.

[njanjayrp]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

the "lack of emotion" is just because people only think something is emotional when it's depressed... It was pretty much the same with Utada's Heart Station "ohh! the new songs have no emotion!" just because she wasn't screaming or crying in any of them... ~~

I agree with SunshineSlayer, the song doesn't need to be depressive to feel emotional, the way she sang evolution, STEP you or even AUDIENCE was really convincing when it comes to that as just by listening to the way she sang them made them sound "emotional" even though they are not sad. Besides the single tracks and with the exceptions of NEXT LEVEL and Curtain call all the other tracks could be sang by anyone else and it wouldn't make much difference, sadly. So yeah to conclude this, this is by far the worst album that Ayu has made imo, as it has the weakest album tracks over all. (Don't get me wrong, I like all the songs but rollin', but I simply can't connect/relate to some of them, which was never the case with the previous albums)


And I noticed no such thing on HEART STATION, imo Hikki sang the songs the same way she did on ULTRA BLUE.

[chloeM]

i wanna listen tooo

[HanabiChick]

Originally Posted by sugarbasil

Despite everything, though, I feel it's arrangement is INCREDIBLY messy, and I'm actually surprised no one else has mentioned the same. The song genres are just SCATTERED everywhere, sometimes having a few similar songs next to each other, but then putting the same type of song later on. For example, GREEN should have gone after NEXT LEVEL, imo. It would have fit perfectly there. And I really think it was kinda of pointless and silly to put an interlude right after the first song. That kind of ticked me off, to be honest.

I noticed that again last night when I listened to the album again, NEXT LEVEL seemed very out of place where it was, it should be next to GREEN, as the mood of the songs are similar. The tracklist was all over the place for me, and seemed poorly planned out compared to her previous albums.

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

the "lack of emotion" is just because people only think something is emotional when it's depressed...

Not for me. Ayu has happy songs, songs that are angry, songs that have strength, songs that are calming, not just sad songs. When I first heard GREEN a few months ago it was when I had some very sad news and I kept listening to it because it made me calm when I needed to be calm. When I listen to these new style of songs in the first part of NEXT LEVEL I feel nothing from them. They just seem empty of any emotion to me.

[Not~Yet]

Lol, why the heck do the very beginnings of rollin' and identity make me think of Stairway to Heaven. And identity's beginning is really similiar to Christina Aguilera's song "Hurt" beginning. And I've heard the beginning of LOVE 'n' HATE in a dozen of hiphop songs. Sparkle also reminds Britney Spears' song Ooh ooh baby quite a bit in the verses.
That's probably my second biggest problem with the album, almost every song makes me think of other songs by other artists. In other words the album lacks the "Ayu" originality. I like LOVE 'n' HATE, Sparkle and identity a lot though. EnergizE and rollin', for some reason seem like the same song to me. Probalby because the arrangement is really alike and the melody also. NEXT LEVEL is nice though not really my type.

Well then, the issue nro 1, the lack of emotion. Yes I think it lacks it. Every non-album track, including Curtain Call, make me feel nothing. Maybe with the expection of NEXT LEVEL. Like, when listening to Curtain Call I can imagine Ayu singing it in the recording booth in fancy dress and high heels and thinking something like: "My ballads always sell like hot cakes. Gosh people are so gonna love my emotionality in this song. This is the 100th time I've sung about these kinds of things but well yeah my fans love it. I wonder if I should buy the latest Gucci dress today or tomorrow.." So yeah. It just doesnt move me like JEWEL or Together When or any other Ayu ballad, unfortunately.

If I put aside the lack of emotion and originality it's really not a bad album. I just really dislike superficial music such as elektro-pop and tehcno... I'm so glad the album still had strong rock elements because it's her rock that has kept me hooked to her music. I'd give the album... 7/10. n__n

[Yoake]

I think the cover refects the album. It's a very colorful album. We can listen to songs who are ballad, rock, pop, electro

Bridge to the Sky: Beautiful intro. I like the crescendo for starting it!

NEXT LEVEL: Is a nice pop song. Now,when I listen to it I imagine that I'm in a car XD. The chorus is really soft and not boring! This song can bring us to the sky where everything is peace

Disco-munication: I love the chines touch when the interlude begin! It's really great! I feel to hear a remix of bold & delicous with the "Dadadaa" of Ayu.

EnergizE: this song have really the good name. When I listen to it, I have punch! It's a good pop electro song but not only, Boogie-woogie is here in the chorus! It's a perfect mix

Sparkle: It's a nice electro pop song. I like the "no no no" of Ayu. It make me to jump XD. I like the difference between the calm verse and the explosive chorus!

rollin': It's the song that I don't like very much! The intro is really beautiful. When I listened to it for the first time, I believed that it was a tiny interlude! It's the most electro song. There are not pop or rock with it! It's why I don't like very much. I can hear it but not repeat it indefinitely.

GREEN: It's a gorgeous traditionel chinese pop song! It break the electro atmosphere that Disco-munication , EnergizE and rollin' had created. It's like we have push the door of another world! we are in the greenland ^^

Load of the SHUGYO: this interlude break with other interlude. It annouces the beginning of a new era. The rock!

identity: is a beautiful dark rock song! The electro doesn't totally vanish from this song!

Rule: It's a beautiful rock song again!

LOVE 'n' HATE: here is again rock and electro are mixed perfectly! The intro is influenced by R&B too. I feel like this song is the dark side of Step you. Maybe because she counts! XD

Pieces of SEVEN: it's a nice interlude. It's just a pity than she don't introduce Days very well, even if the begining is really calm.

Days: It's a nice and powerful ballad! the emotion really is here! When I close my eyes the tears try to run away them!

Curtain call: this is a beautiful ballad to finish this wonderful album. Ayu's voice is thrilled me. This song is a really bic crescendo. We begin with piano and we finish with choir!


Ayu really reached the NEXT LEVEL with this album!

[AyuHamasaki01]

LOVE 'n' HATE is AMAZING! I LOVE IT SO MUCH! It's epic, especially the violin


enough said ... XD

[x-megumi-x]

Bridge to the sky: 8/10
NEXT LEVEL: 7.5/10
Disco-munication: 7/10
EnergizE: 8/10
Sparkle: 10/10
rollin': 9.5/10
GREEN: 7/10
Load of the SHUGYO: 8/10
identity: 8/10
Rule: 8.5/10
LOVE 'n' HATE: 9/10
Pieces of SEVEN: 10/10
Days: 8/10
Curtain call: 7/10

Overall: 8/10

Not her best album but definitely better than GUILTY and Secret. To me, the best new songs are rollin' and LOVE 'n' HATE and I totally love Pieces of SEVEN. What an amazing interlude!
However some songs are out of place (GREEN, Days) and it's a pity that she made PVs for NEXT LEVEL and Curtain call because to me, these songs are the weakest and the least representative of the album music style.
But this album doesn't disappoint me at all. I love the new direction she's taking and I hope her next releases will be in the same electro/pop/rock style.

[Jwiz]

The interlude are awesome! Bridge to the Sky really clicks with NEXT LEVEL, and i really can imagine myself ascending to the sky Load of the SHUGYO rocks! I love the second part of the interlude HOHH! Pieces of SEVEN is probably the only decent interlude in NL. It does sound nice, but it doesn't serve its primary purpose as an interlude. Last but not least, Disco-munication is funkaye.

EnergizE is one of the decent songs in NL. I find it abit too cheesy and the verse and chorus are mehhh but the english saved this song.
Sparkle is simply awesome. If im asked to give one song to define NL, Sparkle is defintely the answer. The highlight of this song is its instrumental.
rollin's intro is quite redundant, but the second intro is breathtaking; it has this sucking power which pulls me into the song and I love a part of its chorus which suddenly speeds up. Oh! and the last part, i can feel myself turning around lol.
GREEN is out of place. I remember myself worshipping it (i love the oriental instrumental) when it leaked, but this song seems to have lost its magic (similar to what a few people had mentioned earlier on) and I shall attribute the root cause to its dreadful PV.
Identity sounds like decision, and maybeeee 1LOVE. Initially i couldn't differentiate this from rollin because both songs are not really that distinct individuals but both of them really grew on me very fast. Identity feels like a very short song, probably because of its repetitive awesome chorus
Rule, similar to Sparkle, i love this song right of the start. It has this highly addictive verse because of the use of vocoder(?) and i adore the frequent transition between Strength and Gentleness.
LOVE 'n' HATE sounds like TABOO, no? Its chorus is very catchy, but it could've been more impactful, and this definitely substracts a few points.
Days is a sweet and distinctive ballad. However, it doesn't have this WOW factor like HEAVEN and No way to Say. Nevertheless, it's on par with Curtain Call or even slightly better than it. Days had lost some of its magic but i still love it :p
Curtain Call sounds nostalgic and is definitely an awesome, touching ballad. I simply adore its simplicity and its melody and lyrics really go hand in hand; it's a song strictly between two people.

This album is about the same length with GUILTY, but why does it sound like a super short one? Probably because I enjoyed every single track in this album!

Awesome:

All tracks except for...

Decent:

GREEN, Pieces of SEVEN and EnergizE.


However, i hope that NL will be the only techno - disco orientated album in ayu's discography. This album is already giving me a slightly headache after 2 rounds of listening lol. Maybe it's just me but i think techno songs focus on the arrangement of the songs (must be catchy! and stuffs) and not the vocals, therefore this might explain why there's a lack of emotional connection in this album?

[hiroshi_ben]

the songs are all very good!and so are the interludes!haha

i find this album to be really good this time...although there are more interludes this time round

but as long as the tracks are good,i wont complain much more =)

[alternarist]

i LOVE most of the songs!!!

EnergizE, rollin' and LOVE 'n' HATE especially. these are great songs. i particular like the part from disco-munication to rollin'. the entire techno section of the album. GREEN after that doesnt seem fit.

and i am puzzled by Pieces of SEVEN. it's supposed to be an interlude to change the mood from rock song to slow song. but the starting of this interlude is slow, and ends with fast paced rhythm. and the slow song Days starts. sounds weird.

and there are only 2 ballads for this album. This album indeed have too much "techno/electronic/dancing" elements in it. after Load of the SHUGYO is the rock section of the album.. Kinda not proportionate.

new songs.

NEXT LEVEL - 9/10.
i like the transition from Bridge to the Sky to NEXT LEVEL. it's like we are enjoying at the beach. I wonder why this album has so much techno elements in it but the album is titled NEXT LEVEL which is a carefree song.

EnergizE - 10/10!!
I wouldnt have imagined ayu doing this type of song. But its fun, interesting and cute. i LOVE it!

rollin' - 8/10
First impression not as good as others. But not as bad as i would skip it.

identity - 7/10
was ayu trying to sing "identity" in the chorus which sounded like "identy"?

LOVE 'n' HATE - 9/10
LOVE this song so much that i cant HATE it! it's kinda strong. too bad its less than 4 minutes of fine music.

Curtain call - 10/10
it's such a simple ballad but full of emotion, especially after watching the PV. this would be a great song to end the album full of fast paced songs.

Overall album - 9/10
the 1 point is for the presence of too many fast paced songs. there should be a balance!

[noidea]

Originally Posted by Jeremy911

Am i the only one who absolutely loves LOVE 'n' HATE? I know it is different then what ayu would usually do, But i think its wonderful, And fresh.

Its my favourite song of the album and may become my favourite ayu song if I still like it in a few weeks

Originally Posted by GRACE

omg I agree so much <3 I found myself loving rollin' so much, especially the chorus.

same with me, rollin' was the first new song I gave a 5 instantly in iTunes^^(1 of the 3 5s I gave)

[Kirshwasser]

Originally Posted by alternarist

i LOVE most of the songs!!!

EnergizE, rollin' and LOVE 'n' HATE especially. these are great songs. i particular like the part from disco-munication to rollin'. the entire techno section of the album. GREEN after that doesnt seem fit.

and i am puzzled by Pieces of SEVEN. it's supposed to be an interlude to change the mood from rock song to slow song. but the starting of this interlude is slow, and ends with fast paced rhythm. and the slow song Days starts. sounds weird.

and there are only 2 ballads for this album. This album indeed have too much "techno/electronic/dancing" elements in it. after Load of the SHUGYO is the rock section of the album.. Kinda not proportionate.

new songs.

NEXT LEVEL - 9/10.
i like the transition from Bridge to the Sky to NEXT LEVEL. it's like we are enjoying at the beach. I wonder why this album has so much techno elements in it but the album is titled NEXT LEVEL which is a carefree song.

EnergizE - 10/10!!
I wouldnt have imagined ayu doing this type of song. But its fun, interesting and cute. i LOVE it!

rollin' - 8/10
First impression not as good as others. But not as bad as i would skip it.

identity - 7/10
was ayu trying to sing "identity" in the chorus which sounded like "identy"?

LOVE 'n' HATE - 9/10
LOVE this song so much that i cant HATE it! it's kinda strong. too bad its less than 4 minutes of fine music.

Curtain call - 10/10
it's such a simple ballad but full of emotion, especially after watching the PV. this would be a great song to end the album full of fast paced songs.

Overall album - 9/10
the 1 point is for the presence of too many fast paced songs. there should be a balance!

i think she says I.D