Beyond the Sea

SINGLE REVIEW
Ayumi Hamasaki - Mirrorcle World

“YOU” version
1. Mirrorcle World
2. Life
3. YOU (10th Anniversary version)
4. Mirrocle World (Instrumental)
5. Life (Instrumental)
6. YOU
    (10th Anniversary version -Instrumental-)

“Depend on you” version
1. Mirrorcle World
2. Life
3. Depend on you (10th Anniversary version)
4. Mirrorcle World (Instrumental)
5. Life (Instrumental)
6. Depend on you
    (10th Anniversary version -Instrumental-)

This is Ayumi Hamasaki’s 43rd single and it was released on April 8, 2008, exactly 10 years after her debut single poker face (it also commemorates her 10th anniversary as a major label artist). This single reached #1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and it has sold 166,295 copies.

I’ll get to the point. Mirror, the high octane introduction track on Ayumi Hamasaki’s latest album GUILTY got PIMPED! The full-length result is the stunning roller coaster ride known as Mirrorcle World. Opening with cinematic strings, the song slowly creeps into the distorted dial-tone sound that began the original Mirror. The song sounds even better than I remembered, especially during the very aggressive chorus where there are heavy bursts of electric guitar and drums. Many things have been added on to give the song a more epic feel. This ranges from its extended introduction to the really dramatic bridge and then some. With all the extra stuff that’s going on, Mirrocle World still manages to cleanly end the exact same way as the original did. Now THIS is how you make a recut single!

The only “new” track on the single is the B-side, a more mellow tune titled Life. The song is a pretty standard rockish track from Hamasaki and there’s nothing really incriminating about it. It’s actually quite underwhelming compared to her previous B-sides too. This is a nice song, but an unmemorable one at that.

The single was released with 2 different tracklistings and depending on the version, you get a different 10th anniversary version of a classic Hamasaki song from 1998. These versions are completely redone and feature new vocals. I’ll start with YOU, her 2nd single. Instead of the familiar synth loop that opens the original, it’s replaced with a prominent electric guitar. Despite sounding more “modern”, the 10th anniversary version doesn’t stray far from the original in terms of overall production.

The other song is her 5th single Depend on you. I found this 10th anniversary version to be better than the one of YOU because there are some really nice changes. It utilizes a nice pop rock sound with some electronic influences here and there. This becomes even more evident at the end where it features a synthed up guitar solo.

Overall Rating

4 stars

ALBUM REVIEW
Ayumi Hamasaki - GUILTY

1. Mirror
2. (don’t) Leave me alone
3. talkin’ 2 myself *
4. decision *
5. GUILTY
6. fated *
7. Together When…
8. Marionette -prelude-
9. Marionette
10. The Judgement Day
11. glitter *
12. MY ALL
13. reBiRTH
14. untitled ~for her~

♦

Note: Songs with a (*) at the end of their titles have already been reviewed. Click on the links to see their reviews.
Songs in bold are new tracks and will be reviewed.

♦ ♦ ♦

This is Ayumi Hamasaki’s 9th album and it was released on January 1, 2008. This album reached #2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and it has sold 568,288 copies.

Opening the album is the short introductory track Mirror. The mix of fast percussion, chimes, and low key strings are really interesting and they gradually build up to the explosive second half of the track. Electric guitar and thumping drums suddenly blaze through alongside elevated vocals but fade away as quickly as they came in.

The transition into don’t (Leave me alone) is good and flows into an edgy synth line with Hamasaki singing in a lower key. The song is mainly composed of synth but it blends in with an underlying electric guitar. She is slowly coming out of her comfort zone with this song as it is a pretty unique track. It’s also a precursor to the “darker”, more serious tone of the album.

Without a doubt one of the most aggressive songs on the album, talkin’ 2 myself slowly comes in and unexpectedly erupts with quick riffs and dark strings. I still really like this song and it fits into the album very well.

talkin’ 2 myself’s B-side, decision, follows right after. It makes sense to place it right after talkin’ 2 myself because it shares a similar structure from beginning to end, but features stronger riffs and a more powerful chorus. Hamasaki really belts it out at the end with all those “yeahs” too.

Track 5 is my favorite song on the album because it shows the more vulnurable side of Hamasaki. GUILTY is really something else because of the unique electric guitar accompanied by distant piano and drums. The riffs sound very dark and gritty, almost borrowing elements from alternative grunge rock. The song never gets out of control and Hamasaki’s vocals are not strained. The disembodied voice talking in English during the chorus was a strange, yet welcome addition as well.

fated is a great follow-up song to GUILTY since it has the same style, but in a more friendly pop form. The music is still on the depressing side and this is just the beginning of the direction the album takes. This was definitely the better song on the glitter / fated single in my opinion.

Okay, Together When… isn’t exactly new, but I don’t review digital singles so I did a sigh relief when it was included on the album. This song is AMAZING and one of the best emotionally driven ballads Hamasaki has done in a very long time. The song is full of emotion and showcases a great example of how pace and tempo can add to that. The lyrics are really sad and just make everything seem more melancholy.

The next track is the perfect way to set up for what’s to come. Marionette -prelude- is CREEPY. The music is deceptively simple, but oh so effective. It sounds like it came from a survival horror game or something because it certainly builds up an atmosphere. From the music box like chimes to the sound of old rusting clockwork, it gets you ready for the next track.

The prelude was awesome, but how’s the actual song? Marionette does not disappoint and is a huge elaboration of what the prelude offered. It’s the most epic and grandiose song on the album and it includes a more complex arrangement, sweeping strings, and blaring riffs. The dynamics range from the soft chimes at the beginning to the rock orchestra of the chorus. A lot of different and constrasting things were packed into this song and it works brilliantly in the end.

The Judgement Day sounds kind of scary, huh? It’s not as unsettling as the prelude to Marionette, but there are some good moments. I thought the organ was perfect for this interlude and I loved how they got faster and faster when the pace of the music changed to a dance like atmosphere. The funny thing about this interlude is that it leads to the 2 HAPPY tracks of the album.

This is where glitter enters the stage, but it sounds a lot better on the album after that cool interlude. I used to dislike this song A LOT, but it has grown on me and it is a nice change after all those depressing songs, despite being out of place. The summer sound of previous pop songs is definitely there with a catchy chorus to go along with it.

MY ALL is also an upbeat, summer type of song that opens with a bright electric guitar. Just like glitter, this song has a light-hearted and cheery pop sound but I didn’t find it all that memorable. It just sounds nice, but lacks a catchy hook like the previous track.

Well, here’s another interlude. reBiRTH has an ambient opening but I did find the music to be really pretty. Everything just seems to flow beautifully during the middle portion of the interlude where the piano and strings come together.

The album’s final track is a very important song to Hamasaki. The entire album was dedicated to her deceased friend, but untitled ~for her~ was written especially for this friend. The song is very heartfelt with its pop arrangement and it attempts to close the album on a lighter, yet still bittersweet note. I thought Hamasaki accomplished this because the music is a little upbeat side but everything else is just plain somber. She definitely got her message across, that’s for sure.

GUILTY has gotten a lot of criticism by people who think it sounds like everything else Ayumi Hamasaki has done, and they are sort of right. She might be up to her old tricks again, but it’s never sounded so damn good. The album contains her most emotional and serious material to date; each track containing excellent lyrics and so on. Unlike her previous album Secret (which was poor in the construction department), the transitions are smoother and the interludes are better as well. The songs of GUILTY feel more put together and you could tell that Hamasaki put a lot of thought and work into this album because the overall production value is excellent. I guess you could say I’m guilty for enjoying this album. =O

Overall Rating

4½ stars

SINGLE REVIEW
Ayumi Hamasaki - talkin’ 2 myself

1. talkin’ 2 myself “Original mix”
2. decision “Original mix”
3. fated “Orchestra version”
4. talkin’ 2 myself “Original mix -Instrumental-”
5. decision “Original mix -Instrumental-”

This is Ayumi Hamasaki’s 42nd single and it was released on September 19, 2007. This single reached #1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and it has sold 110,628 copies.

talkin’ 2 myself is such a drastic improvement over Ayumi Hamasaki’s previous single glitter / fated. The song opens with blaring, quick electric guitar chords and low key strings that instantly set the dark and unsettling mood of this track. Hamasaki’s vocals lower pitched vocals blend in with the music quite nicely and it gives her voice extra power as well, especially during the fast paced chorus. When it comes to the composition, this is easily one of the best I have heard from her.

The B-side, decision, follows the same style as talkin’ 2 myself since it begins rather softly and then explodes into a rockish frenzy that quiets down when the first verse arrives. Once again, Hamasaki displays more powerful vocals during the chorus. The song’s structure and darker atmosphere is similar to that of the A-side.

The 3rd track is a beautifully orchestrated version of fated. This was definitely the better track on the glitter / fated single and to hear it performed by only a string section is amazing. The strings give the song a whole new level of emotion. This is much better than the original version in my opinion.

Overall Rating

4½ stars

SINGLE REVIEW
Ayumi Hamasaki - glitter / fated

1. glitter “original mix”
2. fated “original mix”
3. Secret “original mix”
4. glitter “original mix -Instrumental-”
5. fated “original mix -Instrumental-”

This is Ayumi Hamasaki’s 41st single and it was released on July 18, 2007. This single reached #1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and it has sold 166,203 copies. The 2nd track was used as the theme song for the Hideo Nakata movie Kaidan.

glitter is typical Ayumi Hamsaki, pure and simple. I can’t stress it enough. The song is basically a mish-mash of past ’summer’ type songs like fairyland and BLUE BIRD but not as good. You’d think that Hamasaki would try something new since this is the beginning of her ‘third chapter’ but noooooo. Despite all of this, the formula still works and the song is catchy and very upbeat.

fated is by far the more interesting of the 2 A-sides. The song is slower but it has dazzling electric guitar chords and strong percussion. The chorus is great and definitely the best part of this very dramatic song. If only the single was called ‘fated / glitter’ instead. XD

Track 3 is Secret, the ending track from the studio album of the same name. This song was included on the single because it was used as the theme song for the Japanese release of the Chinese movie Confession of Pain. It’s still a great song and if you haven’t listened to the album yet, this track might interest you.

Overall Rating 

3½ stars