This is going to hurt. When I was doing a personal evaluation of Ayu albums this one almost placed last. Almost. Ayu's first album A Song for XX was a bit worse but it was mostly due to bad arrangements and the fact that most of those songs have been forgotten and never performed during tours with better vocals. LOVEagain has many songs (almost half of the album) that simply aren't my style or were annoying to me in one way or another while many other people found them absolutely awesome (though I think listening to them after those two years softened me a bit, I didn't find them as horrid as during the first few listenings).
01 Wake me up One of the best songs on the album, it's loud, fast and rockish. There's very little lyrics in this song beside the repetitive wake up / get up but I really like the theory of a sand castle 10/10
Wake up
While the wounds still remain shallow
PV: The only thing I dislike about this song it's the PV, who goes on holiday with two guys: a boyfriend and a friend, come on but I understand she wanted to show how the lack of sparkle in one relationship moves her toward their friend. Still, going on holiday with two guys (ﾉﾟ0ﾟ)ﾉ~
02 Song 4 U The only bad thing about this songs are the abbreviations in the title, since Ayu has a song called A Song For XX it would be nicer to have it called A Song for You. There's an amazing piano at the beginning but it's when the first chorus starts the song becomes truly remarkable, I still am not sure why I don't find it a masterpiece worth a full 10 but for strange reasons I'm not replaying it like crazy. 9.5/10
03 Missing I don't really know what to say about this song, it's a nice mid-tempo ballad and I like it but I don't listen to it, maybe it's because the vocal is a bit sharp, I'm not sure. 8.5/10
04 SAKURA I think Ayu fans always waited for a song called SAKURA, it was kind of obligatory, just a matter of time and finally we got it and I wasn't disappointed. It's a slow ballad with sweet chorus although I find it a bit sad. I wish to see a performance of this song live, I think it was performed during early stages of some tour but never made it to the DVD release. 9/10
05 Melody I didn't love this song from the start although I liked it a lot. After listening to it several times I started to enjoy the chorus, I love how the melody goes on and on and how Ayu used the English word for 'melody' instead of a Japanese term. It's another song (after Microphone) where she talks about melody that's not perfect and about staying true to herself. 10/10
Sending it out to you, my melody
It’s not perfect, but it’s alright
I wish that it’ll play on forever
Being able to stay just as I am
I’ve never known this comfort before
06 task'n'bass Not a bad interlude but absolutely redundant, although I admit it somehow softens the difference between Melody and Bye-bye darling 5/10
07 Bye-bye darling I really like the stanza in this song but once the chorus starts it's just fine but nothing special, a live performance would probably help me here. It gives me similar feeling to Like a doll from Love Songs album although they sound nothing alike, maybe it's just because they both got forgotten and never performed live. To me it's more of a filler song, I think different arrangements could work wonders here. 6.5/10
08 snowy kiss This song has absolutely inquisite beginning and doesn't disappoint to the very end. It's kind of similar to Wake me Up arrangement wise, it has lots of electric guitars in it and high pitched vocals. It's also a comback for ambiguous lyrics, I love how little repetition there is, this osng really tells a story. 10/10
Because I don’t need gentle lies
So if you are going to lie, then tell me a true lie
PV: I love Ayu's look in the PV, she looks great with bun hairstyle, oversize sweater, long dress and boots (the other outfit as well) but the way she beats Maro is so unrealistic, he's twice her size and he's got muscles like none of her dancers but she throws him like he weighes less than her. Maybe if she interlaced the fights with some close ups or different kind of shots I'd like it more.
09 Sweet scar A slow ballad very different from SAKURA with lovely sound right after the first stanza, I regret not knowing what kind of instrument it is, can it be simply a piano? Actually I think it is, I'm not crazy about this song, there's something slightly annoying about the vocal, it seems a bit chipmunk at times, again, I wish it was performed live, so many Ayu songs are so much better live and I believe this would be one of those songs. 8/10
PV: High quality close up on Ayu's face through the whole song and pretty lighting but that's it, nothing happens and it it could work with other song but it doesn't work here, I really desperately want something to happen while watching this.
10 petal First song of the rest of the album I never listen to. I can't even force myself to try to give it another chance. It has this 'dark ballroom' feeling and I love how it starts but once the vocal starts something doesn't fit (although the chorus is pretty nice). When I listen to this song I can imagine Ayu with a creepy mask during a fancy dress ball searching for someone who keeps hiding among other guests and some twisted ending. As I'm writing this it's the first time I'm checking on the lyrics of this song and I'm pretty amazed, so let's now imagine that this song is interrupted by shots where Ayu sits on a bed in a négligée plucking off the petals, maybe she could even pluck the last one on:
a) "he loves me" but then through some twist the person she's thinking about does something creepy and takes the petal (like the ending of Ladies Night if you know what I mean)
b) "he loves me not" and the video ends abruptly
c) "he loves me not" but after the music ends the person she's thinking about comes and gives her another petal and they reunite
Just my thoughts, actually I'm already starting to like this song. 7/10
11 glasses Another redundant interlude, honestly, she has such incredible interludes during tours (that usually aren't on any album e.g. memories from Rock 'n' Roll Circus Tour) but in the actual albums they are just so-so very often. There hasn't been any awesome interlude on album probaly since The Judgement Day (or interlude on Guilty album in general like Mirror or Marionette -interlude-). This one isn't bad, it's quite enjoyable but it doesn't really fit this album, especially not between those two songs and I have not a slighlest idea why it's called glasses... 6/10
12 untitled for her... story 2 Although it's said to be part two of the first untitled ~for her~ song from Guilty, they don't think alike, they don't give me the same feeling, the main thing that connects those two songs are the lyrics and the fact that it's for the same person. I like the song once I listen to it but I don't do it very often, again, live performance would definitely help, the only thing that sometimes annoys me is how Ayu pulls all the "masuuuu", "taemanakuuuu" and "desuuuu". Also, it's sad song, untitled ~for her~ was sad but beautiful but untitled for her... story 2 feels sad in a very depressing way 7.5/10
Someday, when I get to see you
For one more time
Can I hold you so tight
That it hurts?
13 Gloria I strongly dislike the pipes and the vocal at the beginning. The refrain is good and if I just could cut the chorus I'd give it 7 or maybe 8, I'd probably love to listen to it in a medley with just the chorus but as a whole song I don't really like it. Again, need this live. 6/10
14 Ivy Same as Gloria, I can't stand the beginning while the chorus is pretty good. Since neither of the songs (petal, untitled 2, gloria or Ivy) were ever performed I guess Ayu also made a pass on them as well. I still wonder if they were just fillers to release the album or if she really is proud of them being part of her discography. It's repeatable like Do it again but like it's the oppsite, the repetition here is annoying, It's been three years since release of this album and only now I can stand (though with effort) all the "mashita", "masuka" etc. Since the refrain is good I would listen to a medley with this song but as a separate song I don't like it. I don't think I need a live version of this one. 5/10
15 You & Me The lyrics are terrible, I know it's supposed to be a happy summer song but seriously? "Uuuuuu, Friday night, uuuuuu, morning, uuuuuu lunch time", what? I can watch it during concerts but I can't enjoy it, heaven knows I tried. I didn't really like any summer Ayu song since Fairlyland probably, although I must admit the orchestra version of this song is stunning! 4.5/10
Album rate: 7.5/10
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