The album opens with Introduction. The song instantly starts off with a fast dance beat before it starts to get more of a "thump" sound at the 0:14 mark. Her voice appears at the 0:42 mark but it is echoed until we hear her more clearly at the 0:57 mark. Overall it is a good introduction for the album, very dancey and will prepare you for whats ahead!Fly High instantly begins with her singing until at the 0:14 mark she begins to rap as her voice has been electrolised. The songs beat is electronic and not as fast as Introduction's was but once the chorus kicks in she begins to sing faster and higher as the beat begins to thump more. At the end of each chorus she raps and in my opinion that is what makes the song, it is catchy and makes the song seem more dance oriented. Her voice is clear and nice in this song, during the chorus she sings higher but that is not present through most of the song. The breakdown is nice as we hear the instrumental and hear just how dancey this song is. The lyrics talk about how she doesn't want to leave a place/time and is scared of what is ahead, she is trying to convince herself it might not be as bad as she thinks. Overall the song is enjoyable, it's not a highlight of the album but at the same time it isn't a lowpoint.
| "I couldn't leave at all, because there's scenery i've gotten so use to seeing" The next track Trauma starts off with a guitar solo before her voice begins to play. The beat has become more dancey and she seems to be having more fun in this song, if it makes sense her voice feels less constrained. During the verses the beat reminds me of something from the 80's but once the chorus kicks in the beat becomes faster and similar to to Fly High Ayu begins to sing louder and higher. You can't help but tap along to this song, it feels very uplifting and happy! Once the breakdown begins we hear the guitar solo again, a catchy and fun guitar solo it is before she begins to sing slowly before the final chorus begins again. The lyrics talk about how she is always in a different mood each day yet she is rarely ever happy. This song is worth a listen and is definitely a highlight of the album, much better than Fly High in my opinion! "Time is sometimes a cruel thing, but sometimes the present is made by that cruelty" The next track And Then starts off with a dark and slow dance beat before Ayu begins to sing over the beat. Her voice isn't as fast as the previous songs on the album but at the 0:30 mark the beat begins to fasten up before at the 0:47 mark she begins to sing faster as well. During the chorus she and the beat go faster and her voice goes higher, she sounds as if this song is close to her and she seems to be putting alot of effort in this song. The song still sounds dark but during the chorus it begins to seem "lighter". After each chorus we hear the instrumental becoming faster and more dancey. The song talks about how she is remembering something said long ago to her which has parallels to whats going in her life now. Overall this song, like Fly High are good but are far from being highlights to the album. "If I find an important thing I won't tell anyone" Immature (album version) is the next track on the album and is a highlight! The song starts off with her singing slowly over a slow beat making you think it is a ballad until at the 0:17 mark when a dance beat is heard and we know this song is far from a ballad. Throughout the verses she does sing slower than any songs on the album so far and the beat isn't as "hard" as Fly High but it is dancey. Once the chorus starts you will be shocked, the way she sings Bokura wa kitto is very unique as there is no instrumental playing when she sings that. She sings faster during the chorus and the beat becomes faster as well, you may not necessarily dancing along but the song is catchy. The instrumental is refreshing and the song is worth a listen. The lyrics talk about how her broken dreams hurt her. The song is definitely a highlight of the album! "It's not that I couldn't see anything in my solitude, ït's that I didn't want to"  We now head into a fan favourite and one of Ayu's most known singles, Boys and Girls! The song starts off with her singing ta-la-la until an electro-rock beat is heard until finally she begins to sing the chorus. The beat is dancey (much more than Immature's was) and her voice is clear and nice to listen to. She sings to song fast and with that plus the beat you get excited for whats ahead. The chorus is fun if that makes sense. The beat becomes fast and during most of the chorus she sings in a higher pitch, probably the highest pitch we have heard on this album so far. Both the pre-chorus and breakdown are catchy and during the breakdown the beat begins to slow down, it sounds quite dark and throughout the song you do get a dark vibe, a dark dance track! The lyrics talk about what makes someone happy, someone she knows has everything and still isn''t happy. It took me a while to like this song but once I did I deemed it a highlight of the album!"It's on my lips, it's in my dreams" Another highlight to the album, To Be is one! The song starts off with a slow beat whilst a guitar is played slowly, the guitar sounds very Spanish. Ayu begins to sing slowly over the beat until starting to sing faster at the 1:21 mark. Her voice sounds clear throughout the song and shows how good her voice really is. During the chorus her voice sounds somewhat restrained in some parts but at the same time she sings higher notes, the chorus like Immature is unique and catchy. The breakdown is nice and sounds very refreshing, we begin to hear a guitar solo through it as well. The lyrics are nice, they talk about how once person has made her life's journey better, people may think he is weird but she sees the true him as his imperfections shine. A highlight of the album this is! "Even though you will never be perfect, you shine in your imperfection"  The next track on the album End Roll starts off with a soft sound of bells being jingled, it sounds very Winter-esque. Ayu begins to sing over an almost non-existent beat, the beat isn't really dancey but has dance elements in it. She continues to sing slowly until the chorus kicks in when she sings louder and higher as guitar are soflty played in the background. The song gives off a Winter vibe throughout it and her voice sounds nice to listen too. During the breakdown a guitar solo is played and it suits the song. The lyrics talk about how she is missing a time in her life but she realises it's time for her and the one she loves to go on seperate paths. The song is good but the chorus isn't what I expected, a great song but not a highlight."I can't go back, no matter how much I miss it" We now head into a string of highlights beginning with PSII (Powder Snow II). The song starts off with a hard beat before we begin to hear clear Ayu singing over the thumping beat. Her voice is great in this song, better than usual you could say. The song is dark and even during the chorus you get a dark vibe surrounding it. Her voice during the chorus reminds me of how she sounded in the To Be chorus. Her voice fits in with the song and the song is a pleasure to listen too. During the breakdown she begins to sing higher over a lite beat and you can hear how good her voice is before the final chorus begins. The lyrics talk about how she wants to look in the past and see how things are different, time has passed since then a now. Personally I prefer this over Powder Snow and find it a highlight of the album! "Can I cry just because I want to" We now head into another highlight of the album, Whatever (Dub's 1999 club remix)! The song starts off with a trancey beat which lasts for about 1:24 minutes until we begin to hear Ayu's voice, already we can tell her voice has been electrolised during that part to suit this song even better. The beat is catchy and you will be dancing throughout this whole song. Her voice sounds strong and in touch with the beat during the instrumental (and during the chorus) and that alone makes this song catchy. Her wow-wow-wow's are also catchy (she sings them after the chorus). The song is exciting to listen to and would suit any dancefloor, her voice just moulds well into this song! We hear the instumental for about 1:20 minutes at the end of the song. The lyrics talk about how she has been away from someone and will be there soon, she is regaining her thoughts. I also recommend watching the PV. Overall a great track, a highlight to the album! |
"It's been long, just a little more. It seemed like it'd freeze so I closed my eyes"
We now head into Too late. The song starts off with a dark dance beat before Ayu's vocals are heard, they sound echoed like earlier tracks such as Fly High. Infact, this track will remind you of earlier songs on the album. During the chorus Ayu begins to sing faster over an uplifting dance beat before just after the chorus we hear the dark dance beat and echoed Ayu singing again. Her voice sounds good throughout the song and you will be tapping along but there isn't much besides the dark dance beat to remember of this song. The breakdown however is enjoyable and you will want to dance to that. The lyrics talk about how there is more to life than money and honor and how we continue to make ourselves believe that's all to life. A great song but not a highlight to the album."There's more to life than money or honor"
We then head into Appears (album version). The song starts off with sounds which sound underwater esque until Ayu is heard singing over a soft beat. Guitars are heard playing in the instrumental which gives us the vibe this is a pop-rock song. Her voice sounds great throughout the song, one of her best vocal songs on this album. The chorus is like a mix of songs like Boys and Girls and PSII. It sound's dark and her vocals sound dark but there is a Boys and Girls sound surrounding this song. During the verses you almost think this is a acapella esque song, you can hear the instrumental but her vocals are whats running this song. The instrumental is nice and shows this song isn't as hard as previous songs. The song talks about how lovers may seem happy on the outside but only they know the truth, what goes on behind close doors. The song is nice but isn't a highlight to the album.
"The lover's seemingly happy, hold hands and walk"
We now head into Monochrome, another album highlight! The song starts off with mechnical sounds before an electro beat is heard as well as a guitar playing. Ayu's vocals sound dark and mysterious and over the dance beat she sounds as if she is hiding a secret. The beat will make you tap along throughout the whole song. Once the chorus starts when Ayu sings louder and higher. After the chorus we heard the guitar playing which gives us the dark vibe of this song. The breakdown is dark, it gives off a magic vibe if that makes sense and just gives off this song a more epic vibe! The lyrics talk about how all she wants is someone special she holds close to her heart, she imagines them but doesn't know if it is dream or illusion. A great track and an album highlight!
"Maybe it wasn't there to begin with, that fun, sad, and kind story"
We now head into the one and only interlude on this album, Interlude! The song is dark (like most of the album) and very dancey/trancey. This (like Not Yet) would have made great full songs and I prefer this over Introdction.
Time for another highlight, Love refrain. The song starts off sounding very 80s-90's until Ayu's soft and quiet vocals sing over the quiet beat. The song is far from dancey, it is more of a laidback mid-tempo and as the chorus kicks in she begins to singer faster and higher over the slightly faster thumping beat. The song is nice to listen too and after the whole album being very dancey it fits into the album well calming you down. The breakdown sounds even more relaxed and Ayu sounds even more relaxed! The lyrics talk about how she has just met someone who makes life worth living and makes her smile just looking at him. A highlight to the album!
"Surely everyone is carrying something, painting sadness and beauty"
We then head into Who. The song starts off with the sound of a piano being played until Ayu's soft vocals are played over a soft beat. We are into ballad! Her vocals sound nice and like Appears this is one of her best vocal songs of the album. Once the chorus kicks in Ayu sings with more passion over what sounds to be a gospel choir backdrop. This is one of the songs which if someone doesn't believe Ayu can sing then you need to show them this song. The breakdown is nice as we hear more of the gospel choir background. The lyrics talk about how there is someone who was always there for her even when she was heartbroken and she hopes that her singing voice will reach them. A nice song but not a highlight to the album.
"When I was heartbroken, who stayed by my side"
We now head into the final track of the album, the hidden track Kanariya. The song starts off with a airy feel, it almost sounds bluesy. We hear Ayu's voice over the calm beat and as she begins to fasten up we hear a male singer singing, in English! The song sounds very mysterious and once the chorus kicks in Ayu sings faster and more higher than anything she has sang on the album so far. The lyrics talk about how she is scared of her dreams waking up and how she is scared if her heart breaks. Overall a nice track and a great way to end to the album, a highlight to the album!
"The city is alive, the people are restless"
Overall this is a great album, the fact that 3/4 of the album is highlights speaks volumes, I don't know why people don't mention this album more. The dancey feel suits this album and even though some people criticise her vocals being too high pitched I don't find that this album is too high pitched and everytime it is I think it suits the song. Even after a decade I can still play this album and this is going to be one of my most played Ayu albums!
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