Deep Dive: Ayumi Hamasaki Part Fifteen (NEXT LEVEL)

    We are back again with part 15 of Hamasaki Ayumi's Deep Dive! This time with her 10th studio album, NEXT LEVEL. This album is a complete departure from her previous effort, GUILTY. Though GUILTY curiously laid the groundwork for this album. Hamasaki leaned all the way into electropop, which was all the rage back in 2009, for NEXT LEVEL. And it fit her like a glove. Let's reach the next level and deep dive!

    

We begin our journey this time with an opening, "Bridge to the Sky." Which really sounds like we are ascending. Which may be poetic and symbolic as Hamasaki was in the lows of the depths with GUILTY.

 

    Then we have the ray of sunshine that is the title track. Hamasaki hits it out of the ballpark once again. "NEXT LEVEL" is a head bopping inspirational pop track with Hamasaki's various signatures all over it. The chorus is a highlight of Hamasaki's whole discography. And she sounds great here. It strikes a great balance between those of us that love Hamasaki ballads and those of us that love Hamasaki dance tracks.

    We then move into "Disco-munication" which is a interlude Hamasaki should kick herself for for not expanding it into a full-length track. This is my biggest regret for this album. It's just asking for some lyrics and a sick chorus. It would have been the de facto song of NEXT LEVEL if it had been a full-length track. Oh well. c'est la vie. 

    I guess we at least have the thumping "EnergizE" to look forward. It's so 80s. It's so 2009. It still sounds good though. If songs were done right from that year ("Poker Face," "Hot 'n' Cold," and "Tik Tok") then they still hold up. The guitars on the chorus give it that needed umph to get us where we need to go. The "put your hands up together..." hook is made for concerts. We really begin to see electropop through Hamasaki's vision with this song.

    Then we come to the first single track off of the album, "Sparkle." The intro has always sounded so cool. It's cool. It's mysterious. It's chic. Then the chorus kicks in and gives us something spicy. I feel it has also aged very well too. Simply because of Hamasaki's amazing artistry. It's like if you combined "Connected" with "evolution" you'd get "Sparkle." It really borrows from those late-2000s rock trends that embraced pop a bit. 

    "rollin'" is a guilty pleasure. There's a meme in the TeamAyu fandom that features Hamasaki performing this song. I can't help but think of it when I listen to it, so this has become a bit of a silly song for me. It's super fun. The opening is just lovely with its intricate music-box vibe. Then we get the video game sounds. Then it is pure adrenaline from there on out. Autotune is used here for the first time. Which is rare for 2009 which was filled to the brim with autotune in the music landscape. I think this decision has helped NEXT LEVEL age gracefully. Autotune was used to add effect and not just to pander to trends. 

    

    Hamasaki has made songs with similar vibes to others such as her winter ballads. She has yet to replicate the magic that is "GREEN" though. It sounds like an African safari. It's dramatic. It's unique. I don't think I've found a song quite with this style. Hamasaki sings in such a movie star style too. Very cinematic. Which we have not seen much from her. Besides "Mirrorcle World" from A COMPLETE which has a more noir feel. I think you could argue lightning strikes thrice on this album with this cinematic-esque flair with "Days." It sounds nothing like the album we had listened to so far though. Not much electropop going on. And not an interlude to lead us into this which is surprising given Hamasaki deploys this tactic on pretty much every album.

    Now we have an interlude though in the form of "Load of the SHUGYO." It brings us back to the album's style. And it does it well. The interludes for this album are so interesting. I really wish they were full-length songs. I feel it could have given some more artistic integrity to the album. Not that it isn't present with songs like "GREEN," "NEXT LEVEL," and "Sparkle."

    "identity" feels like a Secret track. It's in the same vein as "1LOVE." The rock style is nice, and Hamasaki sounds right at home. It's got some things going on in the background to keep it engaging. The chorus and hook are great. 

    

    "Rule" is one of my favorite songs from this album and of Hamasaki's discography overall. It's exciting, it's dangerous, and it's a thrill. A product of 2009 in the highest caliber. The guitars raise anticipation, and when that chorus drops it is serious. Strictly business. It's some pop, mostly rock, with that Hamasaki flair we have come to adore. And the bridge feels like an action movie. 

    "LOVE 'n' HATE" isn't a song I seek out to listen to an awful lot. I think because it follows the high adrenaline of "Rule." It's like a weaker version of "alterna" from (miss)understood. It's still enjoyable. And it's a nice moment of experimentation for the album as it takes the most risks and is the most playful. 

    Then we have another interlude to help wind us down and transition us into the album's final moments. "Pieces of SEVEN" continues the counting motif from "LOVE 'n' HATE." It's a beautiful interlude that becomes so exciting. It's one of the album's most experimental moments. If only it was a full-length track. That is my biggest gripe with NEXT LEVEL. It's also pretty long for an interlude clocking in at 2 and a half minutes. Some lyrics laid over it could have made it into a nice, short song for Hamasaki. 

    "Days" is one of my favorite Hamasaki winter ballads. She just nails it every time. In the context of the album and its established themes, it does kind of stick out though. It's not dance. It's not electropop. It's winter pop completely with light rock undertones, orchestra, and snow. The guitar before the final chorus is a chef's kiss moment of any artist's discography. I'll never complain and not sing along to this song though! It's absolutely charming and sincere. 

    Then we have the album closer, "Curtain Call." A piano ballad to end an electropop album. I also don't seek this song out that much. "JEWEL" did the piano ballad much better. Hamasaki's vocal performance here is nice though, and it livens up as the song goes on. 

    Overall, I very much enjoy NEXT LEVEL. I have a couple of gripes with it though. It has the same pitfalls as GUILTY, but GUILTY managed to incorporate them better and feel like it was intentional. For instance, you look at the visual concept for this album and it looks like a bright video game. So you expect lots and lots of electropop. And you get that. But Hamasaki doesn't lean fully into and embrace it. Part of this is because the album's first single was released so long before the actual album as is standard in Japan. Second is that she wants to please everybody and cover as much ground as possible which is near next to impossible. "GREEN" and "Days" could have used an electronic album mix. "Curtain Call" either needed some touches of electropop with some blips and beeps or needed to be left off entirely. It's a snooze for an album that starts out with "NEXT LEVEL" and the high-energy "Sparkle." "Days" is a much more appropriate ending though with its energy or a song like "Rule" would have ended us on high-energy. Or full-length versions of "Disco-munication" or "Load of the SHUGYO." It would have slapped us out of our seats and been unapologetically fun. Ballads just don't have a place here conceptually like they did on GUILTY. 

    GUILTY had "Glitter" and "MY ALL" which were unlike the rest of the album, but "MY ALL" felt cold like the rest of the album, and "Glitter" had an interlude that lead us up to it. And those sounds were sprinkled throughout in other songs.

    Don't worry, though! Hamasaki will go on to rectify all of this mostly with her follow-up, Rock 'n' Roll Circus. Which I can't wait to cover and talk about! I still love NEXT LEVEL though on a song-by-song basis. When it's fun, it's fun and doesn't apologize. That's where it shines the most.

Rank: A Rank

Recommendation: when you miss 2009.

Standouts:

    "NEXT LEVEL"

    The singles for sure!

    The interludes (I seriously had "Disco-munication" as my ringtone back on my first iPhone).