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| · Ayu's Official Site · Ayu's twitter · Ayu's YouTube · masa's translations · Misa-chan's translations · |
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#161
25th March 2009, 12:09 AM
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#162
25th March 2009, 12:15 AM
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^Immature?No.I just think people are being a bit "bah" towards some negative opinions.Especially that pretty comment regarding Ayu's lyrics
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#163
25th March 2009, 12:29 AM
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Lol I agree that she has lost her spark in writing lyrics lately. But she's written lyrics to nearly 200 songs in 10 years. What do you expect? I can barely write 3 poems in 5 years hahaha.
But in regards to this album's sound lacking emotion... I'm not sure how I can agree with that. LOVEppears was full of upbeat songs, and it was even criticized that Ayu had happy-sounding songs with depressing lyrics (Trauma, for instance). I mean, her classic upbeat songs like Audience, Boys & Girls, Fly High, Evolution, Naturally, Surreal, Too Late etc. etc. don't exactly sound like the most emotional pieces of music.
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#164
25th March 2009, 12:41 AM
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I actually really like this album a lot. I do feel emotion and meaning throughout the entire album, but I agree that the way the singles were put in there makes them seem kinda out of place. This is like a breath of fresh air after GUILTY, which was a disappointment to me. I like electro-pop music. I don't like Ayu trying to do rock all the time, it's boring. And after hearing her speak about the album on the radio, I can really appreciate it and her more. She doesn't stick to the same thing over and over; she wants to do different things. Some people need to accept the fact that not everyone is gonna love it. No need to get upset if someone hates a song that you love.
I also don't think people should judge her lyrics based upon a translation you've read because I've noticed when translating that sometimes going Japanese to English ends up simplified in order to get it to sound right. I don't think Curtain Call is simple or cliche...I think it's very direct and one of her better piano ballads. 
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#165
25th March 2009, 12:50 AM
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But the last thing, some of those songs you mentioned are like THE songs that send me on emotional roller coaster, but I really think for those songs, it IS because of the lyrics, my example would be immature. I don't really feel like Ayu connected so well in these songs because of the nature of the songs. I don't feel it really has anything to do with bad lyrics or lack of emotion, imo, it's because the songs are the style they are. It's different from anything Ayu's ever done, including whatever work she's done people consider techno or whatever... NEXT LEVEL isn't exactly techno or electronic that much either...to me she's really just inserting it into her songs.
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#166
25th March 2009, 01:13 AM
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It seems like each album really has a theme, and this album's theme revolves around the arrangement. I think she's exapnding her horizon to view other things other than herself and her own experiences, which may seem like lack of emotional thought, but she's still great lyrically. Her songs may not be blatantly about her subject, but it's still something most people can connect to. Then again, with age comes wisdom. Wisdom she may have not had when she was writing before. I think because she grew out of those earlier (and much more emotional) stages, her lyrics are becoming a little more mature (to some, unemotional).
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#167
25th March 2009, 01:30 AM
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The album rocks in my eyes.
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#168
25th March 2009, 02:01 AM
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^Totally agreed.
What does everyone expect this...craziness from Ayu? NEXT LEVEL is an amazing album, the best she's put out since, IMO, My Story, although I'm a huge fan of Guilty and Secret. Musically, it's the most appealing and market-able stuff she's put out and fans should be happy with that... I just don't understand all the...mean criticism.
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#169
25th March 2009, 02:32 AM
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Last edited by SunshineSlayer; 25th March 2009 at 02:51 AM.
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#170
25th March 2009, 02:49 AM
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#171
25th March 2009, 02:50 AM
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The ironic thing about her writing spark is that, on the list of things she covered in her lyrics, the ones that she haven't done extensively are the Sparkle-ish lyrics.
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#172
25th March 2009, 02:54 AM
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d album may be different with her old album..
n when i first heard d full album i was surprised.. it seems not ayu album.. but i'm still able to go with d flow by d rhytm n enjoy it.. n bout emotional lyric.. stop complainin it.. ayu has written hundred lyric..ne.. n they r all have deep poetic lyric.. n until now on this album.. i guess d lyric still remaind d same.. still have d deep meaning.. n they r all have their own theme.. not like d other artist whose lyric have d same old same old lyric such as LOVE.. BROKEN HEART.. n d all kind of love theme.. ayu keep standin on her poetic lyric..n have various theme.. until now i'm still able to feel it on NL.. i still dont understand why there are many of u keep on blaming d album lyric.. make ur own lyric for ur song.. if u r still objected by this album.. CAN U...???
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#173
25th March 2009, 03:07 AM
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Before I'm attacked for this... remember it's just my opinion :p...
I don't like this album. To be honest... it ranks last on my list of my favorite albums of her underneath A Song for XX. And I honestly tried liking this album. I kept listening to songs and tried to listen during different moods... nope... I just don't like it. I never really cared about the lyrics since I don't understand Japanese anyway... so I don't know how her lyrics compare and it wouldn't matter to me anyway, and I loved the melody of her songs... it just seemed... something was lacking? All of the songs on this album had the potential to be amazing, they all had great melodies and I think they are easy to remember for the most part. However, my favorite part about Ayu's music was how it started softly and kept building up towards the end when her chorus was the strongest. It seems like on NEXT LEVEL the songs have the opposite effect. The beginnings of the songs were amazing (especially LOVE 'n' HATE) but after that... it seemed repetitive and nothing really built up. If it had... this would have easily beaten GUILTY for me. My plays for her NEXT LEVEL songs on iTunes are really low compared to her other songs because I'll listen to a song and halfway through... I'll get bored and want to listen to a different one :p.
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#174
25th March 2009, 04:01 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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#175
25th March 2009, 04:29 AM
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I dont think at all she is just putting out songs for the sake of releasing songs, saying "Oh, I must put out songs, so whatever, let's do it." If that were the case, she would not have had the long time in between Mirrorcle World and Green. Also, I thought Guilty was a very weak album, one that I didn't like at all, but this album is so great, I love listening to it. Of course, the songs are not on the level of Surreal or those type of songs, but that is because those songs originally came from an era far from now.. next year will be the tenth anniversary of Surreal!! I cannot believe it.. It's a matter of opinion.. and I dont think she herself wants to stop releasing musics, and all that.. this is her life. If she rests, what is she going to do? Someone who is a singer will get the urge to sing so much if they are away for even a month, so I dont think it's even possible for her. The major thing is.. I think it's her voice. If her vocal status was great, and hitting such high notes, and clear, I dont think anyone would have a problem with this album, but there's so many problems, and so much processing, that it is hard to look past it. Lets be honest here, her vocal performance isnt the best of her albums. But for me, Duty was the worst vocal quality, and NEXT LEVEL is a step above.. but she can do better. I wish that in the next year, her vocal status returns to 100%, and she can give us great vocals. So one's person's trash is another person's treasure. But all I can hope for is a great turn out, and can't wait for the singles after this album, whenever they will come, and for the even higher levels of Ayu~
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#176
25th March 2009, 04:36 AM
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For most of those songs, I have the exact opposite feelings. But I too am not a big fan of this album. But then again I was never a fan of any album, I'm the kind of guy that cherry picks songs and disregard everything else. I prefer good songs/bad album over bad songs/good album.
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#177
25th March 2009, 04:38 AM
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I think NEXT LEVEL is the weakest album track. Does this song even have a climax? And was I the only one shocked that this was a DAI composition? It has a good melody and stuff, but by DAI's standards it's barely impressive. rollin' is pretty sweet. It reminds me of a 21st century version of too late on acid. However, I think the song would have definitely benefited from an interesting bridge to build up to the final chorus. In addition to that, I think the mixing is strange.. like there isn't enough "boom" to it. This might just be due to the fact that the song is completely programmed though. identity reminds me a lot of B'z, which is definitely a good thing. What's great about the song though, is that it sounds even better if it's played consecutively with decision and 1LOVE. It's a lot like those two songs, except a little funkier and with better instrumentation. The bass and drums sound a lot more prominent in this song as well. Actually, the drummer on the record is Josh Freese (who formerly worked with Nine Inch Nails and is the current drummer for A Perfect Circle) and the bassist in Chris Chaney (who also played bass on Together When...). The breakdown in the middle is just, wow.. badass. LOVE 'n' HATE is pretty good. I'm so glad she decided to do a song with a little bit of an urban flavor. But I mean.. the sound is a lot like American pop/R&B circa.. 2004? I mean, it sounds really dated and forced. I think Yuta should stick with the rock arrangements. It's still pretty "fierce" though, it should probably be good live. Did anybody notice how sexy her voice sounds when she's counting? EnergizE is really fun. I don't get all the hate for it at all. It's up there with her other "fun" songs like AUDIENCE and independent (which both have clapping lol), while not being too upbeat and chaotic like until that Day... and evolution Curtain call is alright. It's the new song I've least listened to, to be honest. I don't feel like, this ~amazing~ emotional connection to it like some of the power ballads on GUILTY. I will say that the instrumentation is well done though, it reminds me of "Hey Jude" from the Across the Universe OST, very well done. I would have gotten emotional if the melody was just a little stronger.. Rule has grown on me a lot. I used to think that its melody was really weak and unmoving, but I think I've finally connected with the energy of the song. The verses are really strong. The chorus is too, just not by itself lol. The song flows very smoothly. Sparkle is pure awesomeness. I love the filthy electro-ness and all the rough synthy sounds throughout the song. I love how the chorus just explodes. The energy is all there. Only complaint is that the ~no, no, no~ part carried on a little too long. Days, loved it since I first heard it. Nostalgic sound. Wonderful vocals. Gives a feeling off that I can't really explain.. it makes me feel happy, even though I feel like it shouldn't. GREEN is great. It feels totally out of place on the album because it's the only time Yukumi and tasuku appear, so the song has a really different feel, but this is an excellent, excellent song. It shows that tasuku is still a very strong arranger. I'm really proud of Ayu because the song has some very nice vocal moments. And finally, yeah, the interludes.. I like them all. Probably won't listen to most of them again though except for maybe Bridge to the sky. Pieces of SEVEN surprised me. I didn't think HAL would actually change things up. Sounds nice though. That wraps up my overall thoughts on the album I guess. Not sure yet how it stacks up to her other albums, definitely in the lower half though. Duh, lol. Last edited by Coelacanth; 25th March 2009 at 04:44 AM.
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#178
25th March 2009, 04:42 AM
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As for the emotional aspect: Yes, I do feel this album comparatively lacks emotion to her previous efforts. It has nothing to do with whether the songs are happy or sad, but all in how they are delivered. Songs like Fly High, Trauma, Naturally, And Then, Immature etc etc, all indeed has an emotional component to them because you really felt something through her voice and the presentation of the song. I'm wondering if the lack of connection many are feeling to her voice in this album is maybe because the vocals rely a lot more on production in this album (and I'm not just talking about vocoder effects) and that tends to deaden vocals more. Quote:
That's why I have a hard time believing that these tracks are coming from an organic and authentic place but more like "I have to put an album out now." Quote:
 But this is another reason why I think a rest would be good for her - so she can heal her vocal chords. I really truly think her vocals have been getting progressively worse since after the release of miss understood. Or actually I can get even more specific and say that it started around the time of Jewel's release. Each time that I saw her live (in concert) since then I thought her vocals were getting a little worse each time. If you collect her tv performances and especially HDTV performances (because the vocal tracks are more prominent than the music usually) you can actually trace the gradual degradation of her vocals over the past two years. This is not an issue of whether someone likes her high or low voice better (in fact I'd even say that her voice may even have been deeper in 03 than it is now) but just strictly on the basis of her power in her voice, the steadiness of it and her ability to hold notes. A good example of this would be to see how many times in 03, she actually pulled the mic really far away from her mouth when hitting power notes, because she actually had the power in her voice to do it then - nowadays though, I don't think the mic ever really left her lips in any of her tv performances last year and if it did, her voice cut out soon after. I'm seeing now after people have heard the album that the vocal issue is becoming a topic on japanese bbs too.Sorry to go on a bit of a tangent there. But I do think it is relevant to the sound of this album.
Last edited by SunshineSlayer; 25th March 2009 at 05:15 AM.
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#179
25th March 2009, 05:53 AM
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This album didn't really do it for me, I have to say the singles were better. To me all the song seem to have that empty pop feeling, like she just made tons of electro-songs to finish an album on time. Usually would find atleast one song addicting in an Ayu album but I really don't know..........I still think she had had way more better albums than this one. I'm alittle disappointed. and I'm a sucker for ballads but Curtain call just seemed plain and bland and not much going on for it, it reminds me of a school song that you would sing at graduation.
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#180
25th March 2009, 06:03 AM
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To me, she hasn't loose her touch with lyrics. She is as talented as she always has been.
Some people is complaining about the way she is writing, or singing, or arranging her music right now and well, i understand that not everyone can enjoy the album on the same level, or cannot connect with the lyrics or the music, and it's fine, their arguments are reasonable and they are in their whole right to express their thoughts. I disagree however, with the idea about telling her music is not being emotional. One thing is putting music on an album just for the sake of it, and one thing very different is that you are unable to empathize with something she is saying. I don't speak japanese, however, i think sometimes i'm able to understand -more or less- what an artist is saying just because of the way he/she is singing or expressing himself/herself. The emotion sometimes says much more than the lyrics, in my opinion. This clearly happened to me actually, with the Dr. song by Namie. I had no idea what she was saying but somehow i immediatly got hooked with it. Few weeks later, when i read the translation in one of the chorus, i was shocked because ( i know it sounds weird, but it's true) i kind of knew what she was saying! maybe that was just a coincidence... but i think i got my point. However, I can't say everyone is being fair. Some of the complaints ( not all, of course) i'm reading now have to be the lamest excuses for arguments. Plain ridiculous Ps.- i'll continue with my review later on (got a bit tired... hehehehe  )
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