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#1
22nd March 2009, 07:45 PM
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NEXT LEVEL is..
her best album since Secret  Bridge to the sky In the lq preview sounds really different, more upbeat, but is a nice intro to the album NEXT LEVEL Is adorable. I fall in love with this song *_* so softer Ayu seems said 'I walk on a new road, follow me!' Disco-munication Ayu, why isn't it a full song? Would be another amazing track. EnergizE Really happy song, it's so and so but I need to listen it once more for love it. Sparkle Amazing song, as I already said. rollin' Nice electronic song! The chorus is catchy, her voice fit well with the arrangement.. i love it  !GREEN Great track, one of her best song. Load of the SHUGYO .. another interlude would be perfect as full song >_< identity Well, is a nice song but.. sounds too much like (don't)leave me alone and 1 LOVE put together. Rule Ruuuruuu lol not her best rock song, but I like it. Really powerful and perfect for an action LOVE 'n' HATE This is the most unexpected song in whole album! And my favourite track (with rollin') Pieces of SEVEN This is the only interlude should remain an interlude even if is really great seems put randomly and don't introduce as well at the next song.Days This song is one of her worst ballads ever. Nice lyrics, and beautiful PV but.. the arrangement is so bland. The only track that I dislike :/ Curtain call Ayu's voice is strange but the song is simple and beautiful. This is one of her best ballads ever lolOther said that isn't an Ayu-album, but it doesn't for me. She wants to have fun, she want to try other genres.. it doesn't mean she's superficial or 'omggenericelectropop' lol. I'm really proud of her and of this album too  it's uhm.. since RAINBOW that I don't listen an experiment like this, from her. Too bad this is really short ;_; more tracks would be perfect! GOOD JOB AYU \*_*/
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Last edited by Kazeyomi; 22nd March 2009 at 07:49 PM. 
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#2
22nd March 2009, 08:46 PM
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This album is incredibly different compared to ALL of her other albums. I'm really happy that Ayu is trying something different and really starting to experiment more with her music and lyrics alike. So far, LOVE'n'HATE is my favorite song. I love the orchestra sounding parts but the whole song is pretty groovy. This album sounds like you can get up and dance to every song. I'm very happy with the album so far. It's not boring but it's not COMPLETELY out of Ayu's element either.
I love the fact that it's alot of different genre's into one. You hear some techno, rock, pop AND hip hop. I'm incredibly impressed with this album. (I couldn't help but joke about how some of the songs sounded really Korean boy band popish though! XD)
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#4
22nd March 2009, 09:49 PM
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as usual, every tie new Ayu stuff comes out there are so many haters & lovers, LOVE n HATE, LOL
 I OMFG FREAKING LOVE THIS ALBUM NOTHING CAN CHANGE MY MIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  IT IS SOMETHING I'VE BEEN WAITING & WANTING FOR A LONG TIME FOR ME IT SOUNDS NOT BORING BUT COOL & WORKING UP! AWESOME WORK, I'M SO HAPPY I'VE NEVER BEEN IN THESE 5 YEARS <3 I LOVE LOVE LOVE I even forget that 2 new bad PVs, lack of ballads & many interludes, plus I love the booklet & the style & atmosphere I LOVE ELECTRONIC MUSIC SO MUCH, Ayu mixed ROCK, ELECTRO & POP GENIUS my new most-fav album!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have none bad words at all, first time in a long time my most fav tracks are Bridge to the Sky, Disco-munication, rollin' & LOVE n HATE I give it 9 out of 10, for the lack of good new PVs & ballads LOVEEEEEEEEEEEE
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#5
22nd March 2009, 09:52 PM
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I have to say, after listening to this album a few times, I actually don't have much inclination to listen to some of the songs all the way through already. Just as I mentioned earlier in my review, these songs really don't stay with you for very long.
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#7
23rd March 2009, 12:05 AM
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i cant believe it, everytime i try to post ahs is not available.
 i love the album, its very fun and cool and has some awsome tracks like love n hate, identity, curtain call, energize, and my fav NEXT LEVEL  i dont have track i actually hate, just one i still dont feel, its rollin', its kinda still weird for me. its not her best album EVER, but its alright, fun and enjoyable
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#8
25th March 2009, 05:01 AM
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Bridge to the sky
 I don't like this intro. Usually, Ayu has good if not amazing intros. This is quite mediocre. NEXT LEVEL  This song sounds so much like "Beautiful Fighters" mixed with "BLUE BIRD". It's like a softer version of these songs! The song is not terrible, but not that good. It annoys me that it sounds like the 2 songs. XD Disco-munication I like the beat of this interlude, very nice. I wish they didn't add Ayu's remixed voice in the song though. It kinda ruins it. EnergizE The English part sounds like something Koda would sing, LOL! The verses sounds like something Morning Musume would sing. XD How weird? This track is actually not bad. The beat is quite catchy! I like the rockish chorus. Sounds kinda like HandMC's style? What a weird mix!  Sparkle Sounds too much like "MW". I don't really like this track... rollin' This is pretty good. I like the beat. I have a feeling that it's gonna be forgettable though. GREEN DO NOT LIKE. PERIOD. Load of the SHUGYO Wow, major difference from "GREEN" much? I LOVE IT. <3 I wish it was a full track. Ayu should do this kind of rock more often. identity  Ayu's "Yeah, yeah, yeah" are so ANNOYING. She must stop that already. Anyway, the song isn't too bad. Sounds like a mixture of so many of her songs though. And gosh, those "yeah, yeah, yeah"s... Rule Disappointing rock track. DO NOT LIKE. LOVE 'n' HATE I like the beat of this song so much! The singing isn't as good as the instruments though. I didn't though it really fitted together? But the background music is GENIUS! Pieces of SEVEN I don't really like this interlude. Days Decent mid-tempo ballad. Her voice sounds a bit strange though. But overall, I like it. Curtain call This song sounds so sad. I love the piano. It's beautiful, but sort of forgettable. Doesn't go in my top ballads. -OVERALL- Well, I don't think I enjoy this album that much. The only song I would say I love is an interlude. Something is wrong!? "NEXT LEVEL" will probably end up like "GUILTY" and "Secret" which means album I do not care for and skip. It's unfortunate. I guess Ayu's music style is not my type anymore?
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Girls' Generation is ♥.
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#9
23rd March 2009, 12:28 AM
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Okay, here's my thoughts on NEXT LEVEL.
First, I'll get the negatives out of the way. #1. It's not the fact there's too many interludes, it's 2 other reasons. Pieces of SEVEN really serves no purpose on the album. It's supposed to serve as a transition between LOVE 'n' HATE and Days. It doesn't. If it were composed the other way around: trance to the mystic slow paced music, it may have been saved a little. #2. GREEN and Days, I feel, really don't fit into this album. Especially GREEN. It almost feels as if they weren't even intended to be in the album in the first place. #3. It may just be the interludes, placement of them or that alot of the songs are so enjoyable but the album feels shorter than it actually is. It's feels as if only 20 minutes has passed by the time the last few seconds of Curtain call are playing. Now, what's good about the album? Well, the songs. I love every song on the album (as is the case with just about every ayu album). I feel writing a whole part on it would be boring so, a track by track take on it would be more interesting. 1. Bridge to the sky I love this intro. In a way it reminds me of RAINBOW's intro. It's so foot-tap worthy. 2. NEXT LEVEL Definitely one of the strongest album songs on the table here. It's got a nice melody, the verses and chorus just flow into each other perfectly and it sticks in your head for aaaages. 3. Disco-munication God. I had hoped this would be song when I first learned of the tracklist. It's definitely my favourite interlude on this album, though. 4. Energize I believe when I get my copy of the album and listen to it in high quality I'll like it better, I think some of this song suffers from the quality. It's a fun pop/dance song and I love the use of engrish.. 5. Sparkle Although it wasn't a song that got me excited about the album as much GREEN and Rule did. I do like this song and still listen to it over and over again 6. rollin' This one took abit of time to grow on me. I still think it's one of the weakest songs on the album. The chorus does nothing for me but the verses have me hooked. I just think this song could have been, well, for lack of better word, better. Maybe I'll like it more when I get a better quality version. 7. GREEN I gave my opinion on this song some time ago. I think it's a beautiful oriental song but it's really out of place on this album. 8. Load of the SHUGYO Although this is an interlude with attitude I find it very basic. It's still fun to listen to 9. identity My favourite song on the album. It packs such a punch with it, I find it hard to get out of my head. This one just... blew me away. 10. Rule One of my favourite singles from the album. I could still listen to it over and over now lol 11. LOVE 'n' HATE I just can't think of any words for this song. I really do love it. The composition is just astounding. I can't wait to see the lyrics for this one! 12. Pieces of SEVEN ^^See above for my opinion on this one. 13. Days One of the weakest singles from the album but I do give it much love. It's a fantastic and sweet ballad 14. Curtain call This ballad builds up to such an epic climax it's a PERFECT ending for the album. The lyrics may not impress me that much, but the song itself is just beautiful, imo. In the end, I think this album is great for what it is; a fun and catchy pop album. It's got a few problems with it but all the songs are great and the range of styles are fantastic. It's not her best album but it's definitely not her worst work either. Great work Ayu! 8/10
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Thank you ownsarai for the amazing set Last edited by Jason; 23rd March 2009 at 02:04 AM.
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#10
23rd March 2009, 12:46 AM
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I gotta listen a few more times. Though I can say I loooooove Bridge to the Sky and the way it transitions into Next Level. Its a great driving song. So far, I don't much mind the placement of some of the songs coz there's parts in the one before that match it up and tie it in.
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#11
23rd March 2009, 01:52 AM
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I don't typically review albums, but I had to do this time. Couldn't help it!
Bridge to the Sky: Loved how it started. A fantastic way to begin the album. NEXT LEVEL: Love it. Very calming, makes you forget all your problems. Chorus reminds me a bit of Beautiful Fighters, however. Disco-munication: I liked how it started out, but then it..fell short a bit. EnergizE: I did not know what to think about it at first...I thought I wouldn't like it when I heard her go "Put your hands up together.." but then I began to enjoy it. A lot. Sparkle: OH MY FRICK, SPARKLE. No words can express my love for this song. Right now, this is the song I'm telling everyone to listen to. rollin': The beginning started out a little too slow for me, and then Ayu's voice kicks in and I had a change in thought. I now love rollin'. GREEN: One of my fav Ayu songs. 'Nuff said. Load of the SHUGYO: Reminds me of Mortal Kombat. In a good way. identity: So I'm thinking this was the other rock song..I liked it! Sounded awesome. Were Peco and Princess singing background in this song, though??? Rule: <3 I kinda forgot about Rule when I heard Sparkle, but it's still a great song. I still don't think it goes with Dragonball. LOVE 'n' HATE: My fav song from the album (well..besides GREEN and Sparkle) . Played this at a party I went to yesterday...yeah, everyone was dancing and lovin' it. I dunno how to describe it, though..it's a little rock, R&B, some dance ..yeah. It's love. Pieces of SEVEN: I also liked it. However, I felt like this interlude was a little...out of place?? Days: Cute song, but I never really cared for it. Curtain call: I nearly cried listening to it. The first ballad I love from her since Together When... So..yeah, I was not disappointed at all! My rating: 8/10...or maybe 9/10?? I dunno, I need to listen to it a little bit more. However, as much as I love GREEN, it did feel a little out of place in the album.
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#12
23rd March 2009, 02:14 AM
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If I sums up everyone's opinion and mine, I agree that both Days and GREEN seems out of place from this experimental and brave album. And Pieces of SEVEN doesn't do it's magci as it should do.
It would be better if she worked more on the album tracklist department, if she would arranged it more like her older works, unnecessary interludes could be lessen.
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#13
23rd March 2009, 02:14 AM
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Hmmmmm, I don't really know yet. I like it, but I can't really say how much. It usually takes me a while to formulate a solid opinion on an album. I tend to dislike things, then like them, or the reverse. I'm terrible at comparing how much I like different albums and rating them because I feel like it's hard for me to rate one thing I like over another thing I like.
What I can say for sure right now is that the 2 tracks that jumped out at me right away were "Identity" and "LOVE 'n' HATE". The rest, I had to digest for a bit. BIRDGE TO THE SKY Meh. As an intro, it doesn't have much oomph, especially when you compare it to Mirror, which was just mind-blowing and set the mood for the album. NEXT LEVEL I'm not feeling this one yet. I like instrumentation, but the chorus and Ayu's vocals aren't grabbing me. DISCO-MUNICATION Cool and funky. A good intro into the electro stuff that is coming up. ENERGIZE I like the "put your hands up together" part, but the rest is just kind of redundant, and I don't like the beat of the chorus. Maybe it will grow on me. SPARKLE I wasn't sure about this one at first, but I like it now. The chorus is my favorite part. ROLLIN' I hate the vocoder parts! But I do like this song overall, even though it took a couple of listens. GREEN Great song, but doesn't belong on an album like this. LOAD OF THE SHUGYO Pretty nifty. IDENTITY Caught my attention right away. I love the "whoa" background parts when she sings "ID, ID". BUT I do not like how she sings the "yeah yeah yeah"s. Take those out and the song would be near-perfect. RULE I approve. LOVE 'N' HATE Very different sound! I love it. Each individual part is interesting: the counting, the "hahaha", the chorus. Yup. PIECES OF SEVEN Is this supposed to be a reference to how Ayu counts to seven in Love 'n' Hate? Anyway, it's probably the weakest interlude in my opinion. DAYS I always thought this song was better than Green. Wonderful ballad. CURTAIN CALL I wasn't wowed right away, but it's a sweet and simple song. I do wish Ayu would tone down the vibrato, though. Overall, I'm not sure I like this electro-pop direction Ayu has taken. The music tends to be loud to the point that it overpowers her voice, and some of the effects are a little grating. The placement of the songs is a little weird, and I hope Ayu will stop padding her albums with interludes in the future--2 should be the maximum! I'd probably give this album a 7/10 for now. It's not as strong as GUILTY and certainly not as strong as SECRET.
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"One runs the risk of weeping a little, when one lets himself be tamed." -Antoine de Saint Exupery, The Little Prince
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#14
23rd March 2009, 04:15 AM
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This is definitely a brave move from Ayu to move away from her comfort zone after the predictability of SECRET & GUILTY. And the result is of cos a good one. Not her best album but definitely her most fun, creative and daring album yet. It's a breath of fresh air & i'm liking it.. ^^ some of the songs while listening to them, i was like "i didn know she can pull that off, and she did, giving Namie amuro and Koda kumi a run for their money". =P overall i will rate it a 8.5/10. hopefully e sales will surpass GUILTY.
Top 5 Favorite tracks in order Identity I love the arrangement & the lyrcis. It's cool that she did kept some of her signature rock element in the song. i adore the way she sang ID ID iD. it's an awesome song. i hope she sing it live during her upcoming tour rollin the chorus is so catchy. love the sync of the verses. very cool and a great follow up after Sparkle Sparkle the most "WOW" song of the entire album for me. everytime i listen to it, i'm like "did she realli did this" =) love every second of the song. e verse realli did surprise me alot Energize the intro is so cute. didn't expect her to start with the english verse. but it's nice. definitely one of the most pop and mainstream song she did in e long time. i'm so happy she did this song.. Days One of her better ballads after GUILTY album. and definitely her best vocals for this album. it's simple, touching and pretty. i am hoping she will sing this as part of her main song for the new tour, with a huge Ayu style dress =) remaining Favorite tracks in order curtain call Love 'n' Hate next level rule green
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#15
23rd March 2009, 04:29 AM
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i only listened to the album once. i need to hear it at least a second time to give a full review. but what i knew instantly was that the order of the tracks is messed up. everybody here seems to have a better order in mind than it is on the album.
i don't understand why there are rock songs included all of a sudden. sometimes i was reminded of kumi... it is an album with all kinds of genres smashed together, sadly, there isn't any ongoing theme throughout the album (ooh days feels SO out of place...) anyways, i'm happy for new ayu stuff. need to listen again to get a feeling for the tracks. but it seems like "i am..." will remain her strongest and best album for me. i'm curious how well this album will chart...
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#16
23rd March 2009, 06:05 AM
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#17
23rd March 2009, 10:45 AM
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at least she didnt put *thinks of Black Cherry* R&B -> Rock -> Power ballad -> Light ballad -> Electropop -> Pop -> Hard R&B -> Piano ballad -> R&B THAT's Kuu for you in terms of tracklisting... GREEN shouldnt go after NEXT LEVEL because GREEN doesnt sound as light as NEXT LEVEL!? that's the point isnt it. I noe it doesnt flow with rollin' at all but its the MOOD of the tracks. (which is what GUILTY was all about)
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#18
23rd March 2009, 05:00 AM
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i actually feel very energizeD after hearing the song "energizeD"!
Does anyone else feel the same way too?
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#19
23rd March 2009, 06:10 AM
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I haven't listened to it yet, but I see that for the most part, it's a hit or miss album.
For me, I think it'll be a hit. At least a better hit than GUILTY. That album tanked for me, I barely listened to it, and I don't really watch the DVD. I have a feeling with this one, I might give it more chance than I did with GUILTY. Marionette and Together When... were the only two that really stuck with me. I'm waiting for the 320 kbps so I don't get any biased thoughts based on the quality.
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#20
23rd March 2009, 10:26 AM
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I agree that GREEN is better placed right after NEXT LEVEL. Usually there is one or two new songs followed by a Single track, and GREEN would've been perfect here.
Although Pieces of SEVEN is pretty wicked, it fails as a transition to Days. Aside from the presence of Days and Curtain call, I think this album is more cohesive sounding than some of her past albums (GUILTY, Secret). This is an album I need to listen through from start to finish to fully appreciate as a whole. But over time I know most of the tracks will grow on me since almost all of her songs do. Last edited by FoObY; 23rd March 2009 at 10:30 AM.
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