Mirrorcle World -YOU Version-
May 3, 2008 at 12:31 pm | In Ayumi Hamasaki | 1 CommentTags: single, 2008, Hamasaki Ayumi, Mirrorcle World, 10th anniversary
- Mirrorcle World (Original Mix)
- Life (Original Mix)
- YOU (10th Anniversary version)
- Mirrorcle World (Original Mix -Instrumental-)
- Life (Original Mix-instrumental-)
- YOU (10th Anniversary version-instrumental-)
Mirrorcle World kicks every-bloody-thing you’ll ever hear out of the park! The strings the track opens with are beautiful and if you’d never heard the original Mirror they’d definitely lull you into a false sense of security. This track is pure rock. Plain and simple. It’s intense and a total roller-coaster ride, with Ayu going up and down and around vocally. Mirrorcle World resonates power and strength and I love it.
Track Rating; A*
Life is… far more tame, to say the least. An Ayu acoustic ballad song, with a great chorus and simple instrumentation. A perfect b-side for Mirrorcle World. If it had followed with the same intensity, my head may have exploded. I’m really tempted to learn this song, as it’s right in my vocal range. She doesn’t put in any stupidly high or low notes and that lends a lot to the overall tone of the song.
Track Rating; A
I’m a very bad fan. I’ve never heard the original version of YOU. So I can’t compare them, though I’m sure the biggest difference is the maturity in Ayu’s voice. I really the steady building feeling just before the chorus and then it gets taken down by the chorus and the overall effect is a little ‘wait, I wasn’t expecting that’. In a good way. I like this track definitely, but er… Mirrorcle World owns this single!
Track Rating; B
Single Rating; A/A+
GUILTY
May 3, 2008 at 12:15 pm | In Ayumi Hamasaki | Leave a CommentTags: 2008, album, GUILTY, Hamasaki Ayumi
- Mirror
- (don’t) leave me alone
- talkin’ 2 myself
- decision
- GUILTY
- fated
- Together When…
- Marionette -prelude-
- Marionette
- The Judgement Day
- glitter
- MY ALL
- reBIRTH
- untitled ~for her~
I haven’t updated in forever because I have a lot of exams coming up. Which basically translates as; ‘Goodbye, motivation’ . I’ll try and get back on top… I have a series of reviews lined up, I just need to find time to write them, but it a bank holiday weekend so I probably have them all up on Monday.
So, GUILTY first hits the speakers with the intense opening that is Mirror. Now this is one heck of a beginning. I won’t say too much because I recently got the single and a review of that will find its way to KtoE. But, I will say this, Mirror is intense and such a strong way to start an album.
Track Rating; A
(don’t) Leave Me Alone wasn’t what I thought it would be at all. I thought it would a mid-tempo song if not a ballad but nope, it’s an explosion of sound that I greatly appreciate. Being the J-pop Empress most would associate Ayu with summer pop tracks, but most of her work is actually far more rock/pop-rock and this is a great representation of that.
Track Rating; A-
Talkin’ 2 Myself is amazing. I’m not sure what to say. Ayu brings kick-ass vocals, I adore the chorus for this reason. I love it when Ayu sings in a lower register, it gives her voice a edge that’s hard to explain. I love the way Talkin’ 2 Myself holds it all in until the chorus and instrumental sections. The intrumentation isn’t overpowering, everything is in the right balance. Completely FIERCE! 
Track Rating; A+
Decision is Talkin’ 2 Myself’s b-side and, from the arrangement, it’s really obvious. It reminds me of an older Ayu track, but for the life of me I can’t remember what. It blatantly follows the same formula as Talkin’ 2 Myself but it’s not quite as memorable.
Track Rating; B
GUILTY reminds me of Linkin Park! (my sister’s a huge fan) A weird comparison, I’m sure, but if you listen to a few tracks of LP’s Minutes to Midnight album, you’ll know what I mean. But anyway, I love the somewhat dischordant guitar in the chorus and the vocal Ayu’s putting out. Overall, in my opinion, a great title song.
Track Rating; B+/A-
Fated has grown on me since my intial review. I have this song to thank for making sure I didn’t have a total melt-down at school on Thursday. I was close to exploding and the sensitivity of this song calmed me right down.
Track Rating; A
Together When… so should have been a physical single. I’d have been on YesAsia in a trice. Hamasaki Ayumi ballads are legendary and it’s an unwritten rule that I must love them. Musically, Together When… goes in a completely opposite direction to what you think it will in the chorus. You expect it to bust into a full orchestral sounding section, but it doesn’t and that always catches me out when I listen to it. The piano is crystal and the vocals are emotional and powerful.
Track Rating; A*
Marionette -prelude- is suitably creepy. It reminds of The Nightmare Before Christmas which I love, so hey! Positive association.
Marionette originally caught my eye because it’s one of my favourite words : ). The melancholic, creepy feeling that begins in the prelude, is turned up to 11. The chorus is plain awesome and is very, very powerful.
Track Rating; A*
Another interlude The Judgement Day. I think Ayu’s ‘la’s are amazing. Atmospheric with a wonderful tone and even though this is an interlude it should bot be ignored. Especially when it gets all techno-y.
glitter. Yay! Read This
Track Rating; A+
MY ALL is another pop song. This has such a great feel to it, I love love the chorus. There’s something about it, a certain joy.
Track Rating; A
reBirth another interlude. It has a bit of a Mulan Reflection feel.
Untitled ~For Her~ is simply beautiful. A heart-breaking dedication that holds so much expression and passion it can’t really be ignored. The orchestral sections are fabulous and Ayu gives it her everything, and it really comes across.
Track Rating; A*
Overall… I think GUILTY is an amazing album. The interlude’s were grouped a little too close together though, but that’s my only problem with it, I can tell you.
Overall Rating; A/A+
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