Ayumi Hamasaki – AUDIENCE October 17, 2009

Track Listing

1. AUDIENCE “Dave Ford Mix”
2. SURREAL “Simple MadnesS remix”
3. AUDIENCE “Keith Litman’s Radio Mix”
4. AUDIENCE “Feelin’ U Mix”
5. AUDIENCE “GENIUS ROCK Big Beat Mix”
6. SURREAL “Paranoid Android Mix”
7. AUDIENCE “Scud Formant Mix”
8. AUDIENCE “HΛL’s Mix 2000″
9. AUDIENCE “Dub’s Floor Remix Transport 004″
10. AUDIENCE “Dave Ford Mix -Instrumental-”
11. SEASONS “Vocal Track”

1. AUDIENCE “Dave Ford Mix”

I don’t exactly know why they had to tag it the way they did since this is the album version and nothing much has really changed about it on it’s recut single version.  There might be some changes that were done, but it’s still basically based off the original arrangement.  AUDIENCE as a song is still good…though it’s still not one of the best from the album at all.  Damn, and I thought by going by the cover it was going to be a gay fest of a song 0.o xD

2. SURREAL “Simple MadnesS remix”

It’s strange we’re getting SURREAL remixes now because there wasn’t any on its respective single…The first remix is a rather abnormal remix since it doesn’t really have an exact flow to it, except for when Ayu sings the verses.  It’s definitely worse than what they did with “Fly high”.

3. AUDIENCE “Keith Litman’s Radio Mix”

I was happy to hear this remix for sure.  It does sound like it takes a little bit from the previous remix, but sticks it with nice beats and AUDIENCE’s flow and it works nicely.  It might not have an epic sound to it, but damn AUDIENCE here sounds a lot more interesting than its original arrangement.

4. AUDIENCE “Feelin’ U Mix”

Ugh, I hate the opening for this track period.  I do like the flow of the remix, but seriously looping the lyrics over and over doesn’t make a good remix period.  I hate to say, but I’m really annoyed by whoever remixed this version of AUDIENCE.

5. AUDIENCE “GENIUS ROCK Big Beat Mix”

I guess it’s cool that we get a big beat remix for AUDIENCE right?  Not really, the song does follow the song quite closely, but the arrangement is so forgettable and repetitive that I rather not get into it.  Definitely not genius enough to be really memorable.

6. SURREAL “Paranoid Android Mix”

The other remix of SURREAL is so much better than the previous one for sure.  I still don’t really enjoy SURREAL being so quiet much, but this time they made that a good thing because the music was so smooth and ethereal that it didn’t really matter.  After Ayu’s first verse the music gets more electronic and more importantly faster.  So far I’m most impressed with this remix.

7. AUDIENCE “Scud Formant Mix”

I was actually intrigued by this remix as well.  It has such strange sounding synths that were like almost 8bit like.  The rhythms are really intricate here and Ayu sounds good, that is until she gets the echo effect and that kind of ruins the mood.  It did make the song clean though so I have to praise that.

8. AUDIENCE “HΛL’s Mix 2000″

Is it not surprising we’d get a remix from HΛL, again?  Which means we get ANOTHER sameish track from them.  It sounds like every other arrangement that was tied in with Ayu and that’s a terrible thing to happen.  I guess it’s alright if it’s the first time hearing a HΛL-produced track, but if you’re like me….forget about it, this is one unneeded track/remix.

9. AUDIENCE “Dub’s Floor Remix Transport 004″

The longest remix off this single, Dub’s Floor Remix is so damn long passing 8 minutes in length.  Ayu’s vocals are dulled through the song and it seems very absent in sound minus the synths and clapping rhythms, it still is a pretty empty sounding remix for being this long was a travesty.

 

 

I’m not a big fan of re-cut singles and unsurprisingly this didn’t change my decision around much.  AUDIENCE failed to really bring out any truly amazing remixes nor did the SURREAL remixes did anything as well.  The only good thing about it, is the cover art for the single which is FABULOUS XDDDDD

Ayumi Hamasaki – Duty October 14, 2009

Track Listing

1. starting over
2. Duty
3. vogue
4. End of the World
5. SCAR
6. Far away
7. SURREAL
8. AUDIENCE
9. SEASONS
10. teddy bear
11. Key ~eternal tie ver.~
12. girlish

1. starting over

starting over is the album’s opening track obviously…While it’s a bit ethereal and there’s a stock vocal present, it’s strange to hear this album open up the way it did.  You also hear Ayu ad-libbing as well which threw me off as well.  For a minute and 37 seconds, it’s not too bad of an opening.

2. Duty

I was wondering what we’d get from the original version of Duty because it’s remixes back on “SURREAL” were crappy as all hell.  Unlike them, this has strings, latin guitar, and some chanting right from the start.  In a way, Duty sounds a whole lot better than the remixes.  I’ve also noticed that it seems to bridges into “vogue” pretty nicely since they both are like one another a bit. 

3. vogue

vogue started this era in a way I didn’t expect it too.  With it’s Indian background and Ayu’s singing obviously getting a bit better, vogue was a great way to began the era.  I still think it’s rather dated because the music feels 90’s-ish if you know what I mean XD.  Still a great track though.

4. End of the World

Calming down from bhangra land, End of the World marks the first ballad of the album and it has a pretty depressing arrangement.  Then again, once the chorus pops up, it becomes this hard ass song before going back into itself for another verse.  It’s something new for Ayu and I quite like what we ended up with here. 

5. SCAR

Oh SCAR, how I love thee.  While I’m not the only person who noticed that the arrangement is rather folkish, bearing the melody from “Scarborough Fair”, Ayu (in this point of her career) this was pure genius of her.  I don’t understand the answering machine thing that opened up SCAR, but damn the rest of the song is just beautiful for me.  It’s definitely her best ballad (once again, during this time).

6. Far away

Entering as the 2nd single of the era, Far away is when I started to notice that she’s definitely a great artist here.  Nowadays, Far away is a bit dated like a good portion of the album, but it’s a rather nice nostalgic feel to remember this tune.  That ~now~ part does bug me here and then, but it’s nothing to fully blame the song on.  Still good for me.

7. SURREAL

The final single before the album, SURREAL is rather fitting after “Far away” for some reason and made me like it a lot more than the single cut.  It does seem like it’s a reversed version of “Far away” since it’s more rock-like and less ballad where as “Far away” was completely the opposite.  Still a pretty damn strong tune.

8. AUDIENCE

Chosen as the album’s re-cut single, AUDIENCE was a pretty good choice IMO from Ayu….then again I don’t ever wanna see 3 re-cut’s of one album ever again Ayu!.  While it’s rather nothing new to the repotoire of the album (basically another “SURREAL”).  The dance style is nice and Ayu is sounding more fun as with the song’s arrangements.  Good but I think “SCAR” would’ve made a better re-cut single.

9. SEASONS

Ahhhh, SEASONS the albums ballad-y A-side.  Y’know, right now, I’m liking “End of the World” & “SCAR” even more than this.  I know it’s treason, but seriously SEASONS is rather oldish and the other two can stand the test of time.  However, I still do enjoy it’s relaxing nature and the acoustic guitar and small synth parts that accompany it.

10. teddy bear

The last three tracks of the album, always ALWAYS fly by my head because they just aren’t that stand out for me.  teddy bear should be one I need to remember because of the title right there.  Now teddy bear is actually Ayu’s first piano-only ballad and I thought it was nice because it doesn’t sound hollow as most songs do under this.  It sounds honest and Ayu sounds like she’s brinking tears, pretty nice ballad.

11. Key ~eternal tie ver.~

I know this is the main version…but what’s the original version like honestly.  Also another ballad, but this time with guitar, Key isn’t too bad of a track but with two ballads beforehand I started to get bored here.  At least it gets fleshed out into an epic-like ballad.  I still don’t think it should’ve been place near the end though because some of this song is sleep inducing and I don’t want that.

12. girlish

The final track of the album, girlish sounds more like eventual track “Life” and I’m not sure if I like this song as at all.  It is different from the tracks here because it’s pop/rock and nothing mixed with any synths, but I felt her vocals were really bad here for some reason.  I thought “Key” did would’ve done a better job closing this album rather than girlish but it’s just my opinion.

Tracks Recommended

• SCAR
• teddy bear
• SURREAL
• End of the World

Of all the albums Ayu released, Duty is one album that I don’t like.  It’s also the album I forget to associate with Ayu as well.  I don’t know why, but there’s just something that was missing here…I mean last album, “LOVEppears” was more exciting than this and made me go WTH at how this album came to be so meh.  SCAR though was like the gem of the entire album IMO.  Let’s hope “I am…” fixes things up.

 

Ayumi Hamasaki – SURREAL October 14, 2009

Track Listing

1. SURREAL
2. Duty “Eric Kupper Big Room Mix -Radio Edit-”
3. SEASONS “BUMP AND FLEX RADIO EDIT”
4. Duty “Under Lounge club Mix”
5. Duty “nicely nice remix”
6. Duty “STEPPIN’ DUB MIX”
7. Duty “Sky Modulation Mix”
8. Duty “Dub’s mellowtech 002 Remix”
9. Duty “GENIUS BEAT MIX”
10. SURREAL -Instrumental-

1. SURREAL

The final A-side before the album, SURREAL is surprisingly one of the strongest tracks of the era.  It starts off quietly and like a fantasy, before guitars comes in takes over and the song oddly becomes something like that should be on “MY STORY”.  I really like the rock-oriented arrangement of SURREAL and Ayu is sounding really strong.  I’m surprised that HΛL produced this track, but then again I’m not surprised cuz it does sound like one of his productions.  Great A-side.

2. Duty “Eric Kupper Big Room Mix -Radio Edit-”

Weird, that we get remixes of the title track off of the album in remixes.  The first remix of Duty is your typical american remix because it features basically the same motif for most of the song except for small synth solos in the song.  It’s nothing special really, and I would’ve rather had a better guy do a remix.

3. SEASONS “BUMP AND FLEX RADIO EDIT”

SEASONS gets another remix but on “SURREAL’s” single? xD  Anyway this remix is a nice, chill and rather experimental remix here.  Problem here though is that the track cuts and slashes through Ayu’s singing parts and makes it count like “ad-libbing”.  Wow what a waste of time this remix actually was, it barely feature anything of SEASONS…

4. Duty “Under Lounge club Mix”

It does lead into this remix nicely enough.  I’m starting to notice that Ayu is covered up by the music during the verses and she’s barely audible…it is until she gets into the bridge where we finally can hear her which is good enough for me.  Once again, the music isn’t going anywhere through the time of the song, but it’s a step up from “SEASONS’” remix.

5. Duty “nicely nice remix”

I actually though I was listening to “Plastic Lover” from Gacchan…Then I hear Ayu here and I start to wonder why the songs are all sounding like one continuous remix.  This one combines a little bit synth and Ayu vocals being messed around with and we get this remix.  Once again the word I’d use to describe this remix, “chill”.  I’m getting a bit tired of this though.

6. Duty “STEPPIN’ DUB MIX”

I think we’re actually getting somewhere on this single.  I’m liking the heavy beat that’s going on and it’s catchy.  The rest of the arrangement once again fails on the same reason stated in the previous remixes.  Though it did add this creepy synth part to make it try to stand out more.  That’s all that was going for it because this remix flew over my head pretty quickly…

7. Duty “Sky Modulation Mix”

We finally get into a remix that doesn’t sound like anything else on the single.  The Sky Modulation mix of Duty starts off with some synths and Ayu singing under echo effect.  I also noticed this and the next remix are both past 8 minutes long which is unbearable to most because well it’s too damn long.  Ugh, I did hate the repeating part from Ayu that sound like she got punched in the arm.  At least when the beat started coming in, things got better and turned into a nice electronica song.  I still think it takes too long to get the song anywhere so I deem this a bad remix as well.

8. Duty “Dub’s mellowtech 002 Remix”

Damn, why are the remixes on this single suck harder than previous singles?  We get another dubbed version of Duty, but it actually is slower than the previous song which is unfortunate because Duty should’ve been kept somewhat energetic.  The good thing is that Ayu sings the verses, so I’m clearly happy with that and it flowed a whole lot better than majority of the others.

 

 

Ok, hands down this is the worst single since “For My Dear…”.  The only good thing was the actual A-side.  Duty and SEASONS had really poor remixes here and I’m surprised it was released simultaneously with the “Duty” album.  Definitely the biggest disappointment so far in her career.

Ayumi Hamasaki – SEASONS October 12, 2009

Track Listing

1. SEASONS
2. SEASONS “Acoustic Orchestra Version”
3. TO BE “Acoustic Orchestra Version”
4. SEASONS “so happy so sad mix”
5. SEASONS “Jonathan Peters’ Radio Mix”
6. SEASONS “Ray of Light Mix”
7. SEASONS “Neutralize: Final Attack Mix”
8. SEASONS “D-Z BLUE SUNBEAM MIX”
9. SEASONS “Dub’s Rain of duv Remix”
10. SEASONS -Instrumental-
11. ever free “HΛL’S MIX 2000″

1. SEASONS

Rounding out the trilogy of songs, SEASONS is the ballad of the era right now.  I’m liking this song already because it does show some maturity within Ayu and it’s very fitting.  Besides that, it’s the first of Ayu’s amazing ballad songs.  It’s because while her vocals aren’t the best she’s done, she put some emotion towards the song and with the arrangement it did her well.

2. SEASONS “Acoustic Orchestra Version”

I was really excited to see that SEASONS was another song that got this really nice treatment.  While this version doesn’t beat out “Fly high’s” acoustic orchestra version, this was a great rearrangement of SEASONS and the added BKGD vocals were a nice touch as with the strings playing melancholically. 

3. TO BE “Acoustic Orchestra Version”

Wow…two on one single?  TO BE is actually more of an acoustic tune rather than added with an orchestra.  I’m still not exactly too fond of TO BE as a song because there’s not really much to remember it by.  It’s rather very simple and Ayu I think sorta resang the song to fit the mood, but her vocals are still a bit hoarse. 

4. SEASONS “so happy so sad mix”

Our first remix for SEASONS begins with this remix which has an ethereal feel to it from the start.  It’s rather nice because it doesn’t sound like anything I’ve heard beforehand and Ayu’s vocals/lyrics are a bit more subdued.  Though it hardly changes as the song goes by and that’s rather disappointing, but it’s still a nice, calm tune.

5. SEASONS “Jonathan Peters’ Radio Mix”

We finally put some up energy back into the remixes with Jonathan Peters remix of SEASONS.  It has that eurobeat feel to it that gave the ballad a bit of an extra punch to it and it sounded a whole lot more epic like this rather than it’s original form.  Even the strings added more depth and didn’t leave it dry and boring.  I’m really liking this remix.

6. SEASONS “Ray of Light Mix”

I guess what came out of this remix was that this SEASONS remix was more of a club remix than anything else.  It has that typical long opening, but actually sounds tribal at the same time.  It does have added echo effects going, but it doesn’t save this remix.

7. SEASONS “Neutralize: Final Attack Mix”

OH! I was expecting something really hardcore for this remix of SEASONS, but it falls flat because it’s an awkward remix.  Like it sounds like it’s trying to be a terrifying remix, but it doesn’ t exactly do it right and it seems way to slow to have a remix title like this.  Lyrics are also repeated way too much as well.  I don’t like this.

8. SEASONS “D-Z BLUE SUNBEAM MIX”

Of course the biggest piece of awesomeness cake belongs to D-Z’s remix of SEASONS.  I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed with any of their remixes and hearing a trance version of SEASONS made me happy and I was right.  The opening is long unsurprisingly but it’s full of synths all over the place and laced with energy, I was surprised they handled the song pretty well.

9. SEASONS “Dub’s Rain of duv Remix”

Then we get the dubbed version of SEASONS and once again shows a light reggae sound mixed in with synths.  It doesn’t seem this really mixed with SEASONS all that well and made the song sound a bit monotone even when Ayu was singing.  How about we just pass this song up.

10. ever free “HΛL’S MIX 2000″

I’m surprised HΛL didn’t make a remix for “SEASONS” this time beacuse it’s rather strange that they instead made one for ever free the forgotten B-side.  Now this remix is rather more towards what they’ve usually pulled out and it’s as ethereal as ever.  That’s the problem, it’s so ethereal that it doesn’t seem like it’s a real track anymore.

 

 

So Ayu actually finished the singles trilogy with a nice enough single.  SEASONS actually had really nice remixes this time so it wasn’t as foreboding like the past singles of the era.  TO BE and ever free’s remixes weren’t up to snuff and was actually worse than most of the SEASONS remixes.  How weird.

Ayumi Hamasaki – Far away October 12, 2009

Track Listing

1. Far away
2. Far away “CRAFTY Remix”
3. Far away “Main Radio Mix”
4. appears “Junior’s Club Mix”
5. Far away “HΛL’s MIX 2000″
6. Far away “Ocean View Remix”
7. End roll “da urban maestro mix”
8. Far away “Huge mutual-tried mix”
9. Far away “POP ‘e.a.’ Mix II”
10. Far away “Dub’s Mute & Feedback Remix”
11. Far away -Original Instrumental-

1. Far away

I’ll never understand what was that ~now~ thing at the beginning, but it seems to be the backbone for the song which is an odd thing to do.  It does disappear once Ayu comes in for the verses and it’s close enough for me to be an actual ballad.  It seems like she did go back an era, but at the same time, it seems to actually sound good in the process and with Ayu’s vocals changing it’s gotten better.  Far away is definitely a bit better than her last single “vogue”

2. Far away “CRAFTY Remix”

I like the opening to the remix announcing the title of the song.  Then this fast-paced electronic beeping starts up and Ayu’s random breathing heavily going on.  The changes made to the song are actually quite broad and adding an echo effect to Ayu’s vocals really made this remix sound more futuristic and wild.  I didn’t mind the emptiness of the song at all, so in the end, it made a great remix.

3. Far away “Main Radio Mix”

I don’t know why it was given such a title, but whatever the next remix is more towards trance, so it’s pretty cool that there’s a song like this.  It does sound like the missing puzzle piece that was missing in the last remix, before the overdrive of synths started to take over.  It’s alright, but it feels like it is missing depth.

4. appears “Junior’s Club Mix”

This 9 minute long club mix of appears comes next on the single and let me tell you, it took forever for this song to get started.  By the time we actually get into the song, it still isn’t what I liked to sound like, but the verses/chorus were nice…it was just too drawn out and by the time I got to that point, I lost interest in the song altogether.

5. Far away “HΛL’S MIX 2000″

While, I’ve been continuing to not really accept HΛL remixes, I can actually say they did a good job remixing Far away.  It has the right amount of punch and the guitar addition was nicely done here.  It doesn’t even have that dated sound to it and after the chorus there’s this interesting synth line that creeped me out.  Have to say, it’s oddly the best I’ve from HΛL so far.

6. Far away “Ocean View Remix”

Dang, aren’t we going to far with these Far away remixes?  At first I was not liking the empty R&B feel that this remix had and that actually made me frown.  It doesn’t go anywhere for me and just felt thrown together in like 5 minutes.

7. End roll “da urban maestro mix”

That’s another problem with this song.  End roll’s remix couldn’t have been any worse, but it sounds oddly dated and weird altogether.  The fast shuffling does help it out and the straight-foward sound is great, but I don’t know if it actually makes for a good remix.  Though it does sound like FFX-2 music doesn’t it?

8. Far away “Huge mutual-tried mix”

Oh, so we get an 8bit remix for Far away?  I already like where that was going before the song opens up with a bit more synths and distant guitar.  After a while the interesting changes do make me pay attention, but it isn’t the most energetic track off the single.  It’s quite something though.

9. Far away “POP ‘e.a.’ Mix II”

Why are the weirder remixes found near the end?  It’s got a deeper sound which is kind of cool, but the song suffers from cut n’ hack style with the song itself and I’m not a big fan of that.  After a while things do somewhat pickup, but I’m still not liking it.  Oh well…..

10. Far away “Dub’s Mute & Feedback Remix”

Wow, this remix takes the cake for oddest remix.  I mean that whistle was just uber strange to hear and then this islandy sound comes forth for the remix and take the song to a different route.  I’m actually really bored with this remix surprisingly, but I can blame the music for moving too slow.

 

 

So the second of the trilogy, Far away was actually worse than “vogue”.  The remixes were all over the place and not in a good way.  The main track itself is alright but the HΛL remix was actually loads better.  Back to the remixes though, there were a few interesting ones, but nothing that made me drop my jaw (except for the one stated above).  Oh well, right.  I hope “SEASONS” will be the big topper.

Ayumi Hamasaki – vogue October 12, 2009

Track Listing

1. vogue
2. vogue “HΛL’S MIX 2000″
3. too late “Soul Solution Remix”
4. vogue “Dub’s mellowtech Remix”
5. vogue “Groove That Soul Mix”
6. vogue “400BPM Fatback Mix”
7. WHATEVER “FPM’s WINTER BOSSA”
8. vogue “pandart sasanooha Mix”
9. vogue -Instrumental-
10. ever free

1. vogue

I was happily surprised to see that vogue turned out to be a first for Ayu trying out bhangra.  I guess I’ll have to comment on Ayu’s vocals here and it oddly fits the song, but at various points it does sound somewhat dated as a full package.  It’s a nice track and is a great welcome after that long “LOVEppears” era. 

2. vogue “HΛL’S MIX 2000″

It’s not an Ayu single without a remix from HΛL.  It sadly took out the bhangra out which is sadly an unfortunate happening and the song does have the sameish feel the other remixes they’ve done.  Besides that, you do actually hear the lyrics a bit better here and a few places, Ayu is computerized in some lyrics.  It’s nice, but feels rather stale.

3. too late “Soul Solution Remix”

So it comes to no surprise that too late gets to be remixed for this single.  It does suck that it falls into that position where the song takes a long while to get it going.  It’s still not that good of a track, and it’s even worse being remixed.  Her vocals sound even more whiny than normal and the music being boring did not help it much.

4. vogue “Dub’s mellowtech Remix”

Like with HΛL, you can’t have an Ayu single without a dub going on and we get one with vogue (as usual).  It’s actually quite chill when compared to the last few dub’s.  That being said, it’s sadly a bit too monotone all over and not really changing much besides the main melody and Ayu’s lyrics.  It’s alright, but needs a bit more spark for me.

5. vogue “Groove That Soul Mix”

Another remix, we actually get back into that dance mood with this remix.  It features your typical beat, but with piano featured.  It also feels a bit like the last track since it’s laidback and nicely done.  I still found myself not liking the way Ayu’s vibrato was handled, but this was a better remix off this single.

6. vogue “400BPM Fatback Remix”

Then we get into the weirder remixes of vogue and starting with 400BPM Fatback, this was a very strange remix for sure.  There’s a lot of vocal distortions and an equally amount of transitioning going on here.  It’s hard to really describe the arrangement style since it sounds like it was randomly thrown together.  I’m still on the fence if this was genius or just a hot mess.

7. WHATEVER “FPM’s WINTER BOSSA”

Considering that the last remixes of WHATEVER was eurobeat and such, it’s strange to see WHATEVER get the bossa-nova twist and mixed in with a wintry-like feel.  It’s beyond weird and it oddly fits with Ayu, except for the part where she ~whoa, whoa, whoas~.  I can’t stand that part in any of the versions of WHATEVER.  It’s once again, strange, but a nice remix altogether.

8. vogue “pandart sasanooha Mix”

I was not at all impressed with their last remix for “from your letter” on the “kanariya” single, so I was dreading to hear this tune.  The opening was really weird and started with a conversation between two guys.  Then this heavy drum beat pops in Ayu sings the chorus.  Then this striking violin line pops up out of nowhere before Ayu comes in with the verses.  Already, I do thing it’s better than the “from your letter” remix. 

9. ever free

Acting as the single’s real B-side, ever free is once again a B-side that never sees light on a studio album of Ayu’s and I actually don’t know why.  It fades itself in and it actually sounds like one of those depressing ballads that Ayu is good with.  Once again, it doesn’t really try to become an epic and beat out “vogue”, but it does a good job here and ever free is probably my favorite Ayu B-side that didn’t make album-side.

 

 

The first of the trilogy, vogue was a different step for Ayu.  The leading track was totally out of left field and it’s Indian roots oddly fit here especially since it was after the euro-ness of “LOVEppears”.  The B-side, ever free was a depressing little tune that closed the single off quite nicely, but I felt there could’ve been some awesomeness with it.  The remixes were actually safe and weren’t too bad or too good, so a perfect neutral.

Ayumi Hamasaki – Sunrise/Sunset ~LOVE is ALL~ August 6, 2009

Track Listing

1. Sunrise ~LOVE is ALL~
2. Sunset ~LOVE is ALL~
3. “fairyland-glitter-BLUE BIRD-Greatful days-July 1st” Mega-Mash-Up-Mix
4. Sunrise ~LOVE is ALL~ -Instrumental-
5. Sunset ~LOVE is ALL~ -Instrumental-

1. Sunrise ~LOVE is ALL~

Ayu and summer tracks have been happening a lot lately and once again releases another one.  I can tell this is a little different than her previous efforts with obvious differences.  There’s a lot of deep synths throughout the verses and then it changes into a pop/rock kind of track through the chorus.  The BKGD yelling didn’t really help out much, but the song does have a great arrangement in the verses more than the choruses. 

2. Sunset ~LOVE is ALL~

Now this would be more to what I was expecting for a summer track.  Since Ayu’s track record with summer tracks have been somewhat ballad-like.  Already I can tell this is a better ballad than the ones found back on “NEXT LEVEL”.  Though it does run in my mind that it isn’t as memorable to her bigger ballads.  The orchestration helped this song out greatly and this was the better track IMO.

3. “fairyland-glitter-BLUE BIRD-Greatful days-July 1st” Mega-Mash-Up-Mix

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen megamixes from Ayu…Actually this could be the first one found on a single.  If you’ve noticed by the selection of tracks chosen here, they are all summer tracks and fits the mood of the single pretty nicely.  Sadly, the problem is that all of the tracks sound more or less too much like each other.  At least it’s easy to tell when the melody changes with each track and they flow pretty nicely within one another.  I’m surprised “NEXT LEVEL” wasn’t on here because I thought that was just as summery as these tracks.

 

 

So Ayu begins a new era with a summerfied single?  I guess so, but she has a lot of these kind of tracks as stated in the megamix.  The problem I had with the single was that neither tracks made much of an impact on me (that’s probably because I’m still infatuated with last era’s releases).  Sunrise was a nice cheery and upbeat track, though the two ideas of synth and pop/rock was odd.  Sunset though was a pretty ballad, but others cover it up easily.  The mega-mix was a nice treat and was a pretty good idea overall.  Ok start to an era, hope she kicks it up with the next one.

Ayumi Hamasaki – Fly high July 7, 2009

Track Listing

1. Fly high “HΛL’s MIX 2000″
2. Fly high “SAMPLE MADNESS REMIX”
3. Fly high “Supreme Mix”
4. Fly high “Acoustic Orchestra Mix”
5. Fly high “SHARP BOYS U.K. VOCAL MIX”
6. Fly high “Saturation Remix”
7. appears “HW Club Mix”
8. Fly high “Dub’s F Remix”
9. Fly high -NON STOP Mix- “N.S DANCE MEGA MIX”
10. kanariya “fake compilation”
11. Fly high “Album Version” -Instrumental-
12. Fly high “Vocal Track”

1. Fly high “HΛL’S MIX 2000″

Actually, it’s the closest remix off the single that uses the main version.  The beginning is a bit different as it doesn’t open hardcore into the chorus.  The song does sound more refined and the song changed around a little bit mostly with Ayu’s “rap” section.  It’s just as good as the original if not better actually.

2. Fly high “SAMPLE MADNESS REMIX”

This remix is just odd as one.  I mean at first there’s like brass opening and an interesting beat going on, but after the song goes all freaky and filled with night sound and synths and Ayu’s tweaked vocals.  I’m not  big fan of this remix as it’s not as memorable nor anything really makes me want to remember it either.

3. Fly high “Supreme Mix”

Ahhh the beat gets more aggressive as our next remix starts up and Ayu repeating ~It’s gonna~ over and over and over and it quickly annoys me to no end.  This remix just drags the song to no end and I consider this the worst of the era easily.  Nothing really happens, just a lot of repetition and by the time it gets to Ayu’s chorus, you just wanna press next.

4. Fly high “Acoustic Orchestra Version”

The unexpected happens when I saw that there’s a coveted version of Fly high on this single.  Being the first of many of these tracks.  It’s not a remix (thank god).  They took the whole song’s arrangement, threw it in a trash and have a Orchestra playing the song.  I thought this was what the singles previously released needed badly and I got to say this was definitely something awesome…plus it’s Fly high with strings!

5. Fly high “SHARP BOY’S U.K. VOCAL MIX”

Yeah, our next remix sounds IMO less interesting than the original as it has the same beats going on and sounds dry again.  It actually just stayed at the same flow the entire time then add in the vocals and you basically got boredom.  I’m not a fan of this track at all!

6. Fly high “Saturation Remix”

I’ll say this remix is a bit more edgier and more rock than anything off her last singles.  It’s like how Nami Tamaki’s “Prayer” was remixed.  So take a synth heavy track and just replace it with hard guitars and an overall metal sound and you get this remix and I kind of liked it until the chorus where it gets strange.  Freaky remix, but cool.

7. appears “TW Club Mix”

appears gets its own remix (again) here and well it’s more or less anything special unlike the remixes back on it’s own single.  It does sound nice as there’s a pretty smooth opening into the track which was basically the synths, sadly after she finishes her line the music gets into a club sound, but it doesn’t sound forced, it’s quite more comfortable than some past club remixes.  Ok, so it’s better than I thought…hmmm

8. Fly high “Dub’s F Remix”

The next two tracks are so unbelievibly long it’s just outrageous.  First off is another one of the dubbed mixes and well this is one is just way too long for my liking.  I mean it does add things and Ayu starts singing about 3 minutes in…it’s just way too drawn out being almost 11 minutes in length. 

9. Fly high -NON STOP Mix- “N.S DANCE MEGA MIX”

Would you believe that this track is longer than the last one borderlining 13 minutes?  Yeah…I’m not sure why they credit this as a megamix when there’s clearly only one song being hit.  I mean there’s changes in the song that’s frequest enough, but there’s so many different styles in the song and I don’t recognize one of them and it’s probably for the better. 

10. kanariya “fake compilation”

I’m not sure why this has such a strange title to it.  kanariya gets another remix, but sadly its a club track and it’s just as bad as the ones found on its respective single.  I mean there’s a little touch of disco here and there and the bass is quite cool, but this otherwise sounds like another boring club track from here.

 

 

The last recut single of the era, Fly high was an amazing track from LOVEppears and to have it become a recut was a good idea if it wasn’t for the fact that it was the 2nd recut single.  Fly high’s single didn’t have the main track like “kanariya’s” did, but then again it does have the longer length.  Remixes were once again more misses, but a few stoof out and introduced us to the Acoustic Orchestra Versions which was a great idea to put out for fans.  “appears” remix was pretty good while “kanariya’s” was just not needed.  *phew I’m done with this era”

Ayumi Hamasaki – kanariya July 7, 2009

Track Listing

1. kanariya “Jonathan Peters’ Vocal Club Mix”
2. kanariya “Struggle Mix”
3. kanariya “HΛL’s Mix”
4. kanariya “DJ-TURBO Club Mix”
5. kanariya “Dub’s Energy Remix”
6. Two of us “HΛL’s Mix
7. kanariya “SPAZM Mix”
8. from your letter “pandart sasanooha Mix”
9. kanariya “Big Room Mix”
10. kanariya “HIROSHI’s Nite Clubbing Mix”
11. kanariya “Full Vocal Mix”
12. kanariya “Original Mix” -Radio Edit-
13. kanariya “Vocal Track”

1. kanariya “Jonathan Peters’ Vocal Club Mix”

Whoa 10 minutes just for a remix?  That’s crazy right?  Yup well kanariya gets that treatment and I consider this way to long to digest and even then it’s takes way way too long to get Ayu in the song.  I’m just not liking the fact that it begins the single in a bad way IMO. 

2. kanariya “Struggle Mix”

Thank god we got this remix because it takes the poppy kanariya and makes it epic.  The beginning is so gritty and and darker in composition which is like a total 180 degrees from the original mix. It’s definitely one of those remixes you need to hear to get a good feeling of Ayu’s more robust remix material.  Struggle Mix is amazing.

3. kanariya “HΛL’s Mix”

I am starting to get a little tired of seeing his remixes on each single, but this one is actually quite good.  It doesn’t feel tacked on and the beginning’s more mysterious sound is quite cool.  It’s god a pretty cool synth melody and Ayu’s singing actually fits into the mold of the song.  I don’t what’s with the rise of sound in the background that sounds like a siren or something, but it’s cool.

4. kanariya “DJ-TURBO Club Mix”

Aren’t there ever remixes that just get to the point without having some long ass introduction into it?  I can hear sounds of the original being somewhat implemented into it and well the beats are nice.  It’s funny some of the song uses the backup singers.  After that Ayu does come in and her vocals seem to be quieter than the music.  Strange but ok…not that good of a remix though.

5. kanariya “Dub”s Energy Remix”

Now this track is definitly a nice track with it’s chill dance sound and the music makes more sense than before.  It still does kind of drags especially being past 7 minutes.  There’s not a lot to say about the remix beside it’s a nice track. Oh yeah long startup as well.

6. Two of us “HΛL’s Mix

Whoa, the forgotten B-side gets to have a remix?  Wow coming from her debut era, Two of us got a more quieter remix with a light touch of synths to back things up.  I do like how HΛL changed the boring track into more of a nicer and simpler listen.  I feel like those background synths just wanna explode and make the song harder, but it works if it didn’t do that as well.  It’s a nice remix and I like it alot.

7. kanariya “SPAZM Mix”

I was expecting something shocking out of this remix because well…SPAZM???!?  I guess I can see that with the random excerpts of electricity and the one note played by the violin.  It doesn’t really go anywhere though not having much of a real direction or any real surprising factors about it.  Kinda boring if you ask me.

8. from your letter “pandart sasanooha Mix”

I really don’t know why from your letter has a remix on this single in particular.  At first I was like oh this is going to be a big band version of the track, but it turns into an odd combination of synths and timpani going for the track and I don’t like this mixture.  The middle interlude has some random speaking/cheering which was just not needed,  It is the only remix for from your letter that’s made it onto a single, so I guess that’s good.

9. kanariya “Big Room Mix”

If I thought a remix would be uber useless, I’d say this one would be one of the because it’s just too stale and really doesn’t stick to my mind at all.  I mean there’s some good things, like the deeper synths, but the overall club sound is starting to wear thin.  Man, these remixes are getting worse and worse after time passes on this era.

10. kanariya “HIROSHI’s Nite Clubbing Mix”

See this remix starts out the right way with Ayu singing the chorus before getting the music going.  I like how they also put in the English lines in the song as well before Ayu’s verse it makes the song open up to a more better track.  The music is obviously club based but it sounds nice and fits the mysterious mood of the song.  Another really good remix here.

11. kanariya “Full Vocal Mix”

Another club remix?  Jeeze don’t we already have enough of these for one track?  It does feature Ayu singing the track which is pretty cool as it since the song doesn’t take forever to get into the song.  Still I find the arrangement sort of dry when compared to some of the other club remixes on the single. 

12. kanariya “Original Mix” -Radio Edit-

After all that, we finally get the track that went with the PV and if you remember, this was a hidden track off of “LOVEppears” and then it wasn’t anything special since the song was more of an afterthought than anything special on the album.  I still like the BKGD vocalists and the guy that pops in with his lines.  It sounds like a bit R&B albeit a bit light and I kind of like it, but Ayu’s vocals here are kind of nasally especially near the end….of this short track.

 

 

kanariya beging the recut singles of “LOVEppears”.  The first of the two (two recuts??? what???) was definitely heavy on the remixes and most of them were club-based and pretty bad IMO.  Only a one or two are any good which were Struggle and HIROSHI’s remixes.  Two of us and from your letter are odd tracks to begin with and giving them remixes was even more odd, but at the end they were both alright with Two of us being the better remix.  I don’t think I’ve seen a hidden track ever get its own single so this was a first.

Ayumi Hamasaki – appears July 6, 2009

Track Listing

1. appears “99 Greeting Mix”
2. appears “Scud Filter Mix”
3. appears “Dub’s Eurotech Remix”
4. WHATEVER “Ferry ‘System F’ Corsten dub mix”
5. appears “JP’s SoundFactory Mix”
6. appears “HΛL’S MIX”
7. immature “D-Z DUAL LUCIFER MIX”
8. WHATEVER “Ferry ‘System F’ Corsten vocal extended mix”
9. appears “Keith Litman’s Mix of Truth”
10. immature “JT Original CM Version”
11. appears “99 Greeting Mix” -Instrumental-
12. immature “JT Original CM Version” -Instrumental-

1. appears “99 Greeting Mix”

Basically, this is the version that was used for the PV.  It’s got a nice wintry sound to it.  Just like “monochrome”, appears is a combination of a darker dance track mixed with the rock style that the era has been putting out most of the era.  It still doesn’t really make an impact on me as much as “monochrome” did.  It’s funny onto its transition to the album, it lost the jingle bells.

2. appears “Scud Filter Mix”

What we have next starting on the multitude of remixes, the first one for appears has a heavier beat and a pretty cool startup with all the jingling and heavy beats.  It’s one of the rare remixes that I don’t mind the cut n’ paste method to get through the song as it is quite bouncy and chill for an electronica track.

3. appears “Dub’s Eurotech Remix”

That’s why I also don’t like this remix as well.  It seems to be a watered down version of the last track…I mean I can see why this is a eurobeat track and then all of a sudden I hear strings playing a major role in the song, but that’s shortlived because it goes back to the synths and beats soon after.  It isn’t as boring as the last “Dub remix”,  this isn’t the best.

4. WHATEVER “Ferry ‘System F’ Corsten dub mix”

So yes, I am a big fan of Ferry Corsten works and seeing this as his first delve with Ayu, I was expecting what he was going to do since his music is electronica and a bit ambient at point as well.  It does have a slow pickup time, but the arrangement here is quite what I expected from Mr. Corsten.  It does kind of suck that Ayu barely gets any time in the remix itself and it’s basically here just for Ferry to mess around with.

5. appears “JP’s SoundFactory Mix”

We get back into the appears remixes and I’m noticing that she’s bringing a lot of new ideas with this single.  This remix baically focuses on a more deeper and darker trance beat here and well once again….takes too long to get to Ayu.  When it does though it gets better because of the use of latin acoustic guitar.  If you cut out that beginning, this turns out to be a good remix.

6. appears “HΛL’s MIX”

Wow, A HΛL mix that doesn’t pass 5 minutes how strange is that?  Why is is that these remixes sound so damn similar to one another (I know it’s HΛL, but this was just a carbon copy from last endeavors).  I felt this was a lazy remix taking ideas of past songs and sticking the lyrics from appears on it.  Even worse is that is way too slow to make any sense from the original.  My least favorite track off the single.

7. immature “D-Z DUAL LUCIFER MIX”

We’re gonna get a remix of a B-side before the main version?  I guess I can’t say much because “Boys & Girls” had the same treatment as well.  Out of the 2 previous remixes from D-Z, this would be my least favorite of them since it didn’t sound as energetic and it actually sounded quite messy and not together for a remix.  I do like the synths of course and Ayu has singing parts here so it’s alright, just not amazing.

8. WHATEVER “Ferry ‘System F’ Corsten vocal extended mix”

Basically it’s a more friendlier version of the earlier Ferry remix.  This time it’s not majorly focused on the music as much and shortens the length up making it more easier for the listener (minute shorter actually).  Ayu’s parts are more frequent as well which is great.  Now this is the Ferry Corsten that I like and WHATEVER is the first of many Ferry’s works that I’ve come to enjoy.

9. appears “Keith Litman’s Mix of Truth”

Another remix from Keith Litman.  He really had to make up for that boring remix of “monochrome” and once again he fails with appears as well since the song suffers from huge repetition in the arrangement and how he cut n’ pasted Ayu across the track.  Like last time things do get a little better the longer you listen, but for me by that time I’m ready to move on.  Oh well.

10. immature “JT Original CM Version”

So the B-side of the single is immature if you haven’t guessed already.  It also carries a wintry beginning just like “appears” did, but this song sounded grittier and filled with eurobeat love.  Now the difference between this and the album version is that the beginning is wintry here and this has a more guitar-filled sound instead of the albums full on dance sound.  I actually enjoy this version moreso than the one found on the album. 

 

 

appears ends off the “LOVEppears” era with a pretty cool synth/wintry track and immature was clearly the stronger track off the single and still is when both get “album version” tagged when they appear on the album.  The remixes were still more miss than hit for me though I do love Ferry’s contribution to the single so hmmmm…