Deep Dive: Ayumi Hamasaki Part Seventeen (Love Songs)

    The year was 2010, and Hamasaki Ayumi had already released one album, 3 singles, and then BOOM! We get a second album the same year. Truly getting spoiled. And it is such a stylistic departure from Rock 'n' Roll Circus, the previous album. That album was Love songs, the one we're going to talk about today! Love songs has always held a special place in my heart. I think because I really liked the concept of it back in the day, and I still do. Hamasaki shows a lot of growth and maturity here which is helped through the album's signature sound which would drive Hamasaki's general artistry into something more melodramatic. But it's good. Let's love and deep dive!

    

    We immediately open with the banger that is "Love Song." You know I couldn't listen to the rest of Love songs for about a month because I couldn't make it past this song being on repeat. I'm glad that I did eventually. The orchestra arrangements on this album are just gorgeous and are the bread and butter of it. I love it. Hamasaki's playful and comfortable delivery is nice as well.

    Not sure if anyone has seen the Japanese film Helter Skelter which Hamasaki's own "evolution" was the theme song for. Ninagawa Mika directed it, and it's based on the manga series of the same name. It's an insane film that is vibrantly beautiful at times like much of Ninagawa's work. I highly recommend. I randomly bring this up because someone mentioned how much Sawajiri Erika's character resembled Hamasaki's look here in the "crossroad" PV. And I think it's interesting to draw parallels between the Lilico character and Hamasaki's career. 

    Anyway! The opening of "crossroad" gives me chills every single time. It's beautiful and almost feels like it could be a soundtrack for "Romeo and Juliet." The chorus is a career highlight for Hamasaki. The way she dances over the verses are nice as well and her voice itself is almost a hook for the song. Once again the strings are just stunning and add the atmosphere to the song. 

    We're 3 track in and the album is just loaded with intense hits. 'MOON" is next. I've always found the opening portion of this song so mystical and wonderful. Then the guitar hits and you get blindsided for a moment until you're just left saying "wow" on that first listen. It's absolutely a classic Hamasaki track. Her vocals have such emotion in them too. 

    Then we arrive at "Sending Mail" which also has an interesting opening. There's a cool vocal effect on Hamasaki that sounds like echoes at times. There's also a lot going on with the instrumentals in the background. And that first verse slow burns into a rapid fire until the first chorus. It's nice. The chorus has lots of attitude. 

    I'm going to take a moment to talk personnel. We have Komuro Tetsuya making an appearance on a Hamasaki album for the first time. He first produced her single "crossroad" for the album marking their first time working together. And Komuro does wonders here on Love songs injecting Hamasaki with a melancholic life that she could have used on NEXT LEVEL. I like to think Hamasaki and Komuro brought out the best of each other because Komuro's style of production was well out of fashion by 2010. He upped his game here though and made the album. He's always had a knack for making outstanding, energetic songs. 

    I just find it really interesting that Max Matsuura kept Komuro away from Hamasaki during her early career on purpose, and now he's brought them together to make magic and a new style for Hamasaki that she would adopt and adapt to Love song's immediate follow-ups from FIVE to Colours. But specifically she would make a stylistic return, pretty much copy and paste, on Love again. It's sad Matsuura did this as Komuro was having financial difficulties. He had sold his catalogue multiple times, I think. Which he couldn't do. It's that Avex family bond, y'all. 

     "Last angel" is a pure example of classic Komuro updated though. And it's nice. It's the most club ready track on the album, but it's like a princess style. It's regal. And it's still fresh. And it's still hot! The song helps Love songs appeal to 2010. Which is not a bad thing at all. We all love 2010. 

    "Insomnia" is the album's first interlude. It sounds anxiety-filled. And it does a great job of leaving off from "Last angel" and preparing us for "Like A Doll." It is very 2010 though. Do you hear those synths!? Yeah. It's the most direct progression from Rock 'n' Roll Circus as it is just about the only track that has that same dark, seriousness.

    "Like A Doll" has always been a favorite of mine from the album. I think the vocal production makes the song. And the "like a doll" hook is simple yet effective. The song reminds me of some of Hamasaki's past works from RAINBOW yet the gorgeous vocal layering and pre-chorus give it its own distinction. And the chorus only continues the fun. 

    "Aria" is not something like an opera. Which is honestly what I expected upon first listen. Though the orchestra sounds like it could be. Am I the only one that feels like this interlude is a wink to the sound and style of I am...?

    

    Imagine that your music video got delayed because the male actor in it defected from his boy group. That Tohoshinki disbandment was WILD. Anyway! If Rock 'n' Roll Circus and Love songs had a baby, it would be "blossom." The rock note is in the same vein, and the orchestral elements feel so this album. It's a very nice track with a lot going on in the background. The hook is nice too and a classic Hamasaki one. 

    "Thank U" continues the fun and vibe going. That opening is like a spring morning. It's so bright like you're starting an adventure. Then we get the standard Hamasaki "la la la" hook. Every album gets one it seems like. The production is carrying this one because the "la la la" chorus does not.

    "Sweet Season" is just as sweet as the title described. It's a summer song in December. The more acoustic elements help bring out that whole vibe from the album altogether. It's a satisfying midtempo number. 

    More opera terms as we get another interlude in the form of "overture." Which usually kick albums off and not help prepare for their ending. It reminds me of Zelda music. 

    It's not a 2010 album without a song that has a crazy repetitive chorus. We get it here in the form of "Do It Again." The piano intro is fantastic. Depending on how you feel about repetitive choruses might be the make or break though. It's all in English too! 

    "November" usually gets a spin from me every November. I feel it captures the essence of that time of year well. It's got a lot going on in a good way. And it's perhaps the album's most experimental track. Hamasaki sound fantastic here especially in the pre-chorus.

    "Virgin Road" is winding us down in a ballad type of way. I feel like Love songs is one album of Hamasaki's where the ballads and uptempos blend so seamlessly together. Mostly due to the orchestra and strings elements. Whereas these could have been a little jarring in the past *ahem* GUILTY, (miss)understood. I don't find that to be the case here because there's that element that links them all together. "Virgin Road" itself is perhaps Hamasaki's most cinematic ballad thus far. It's also the longest on the album at almost 6 minutes. Which is pretty risky for a ballad. 

    Then to end this fantastic album we get a cover song! It's "SEVEN DAYS WAR" originally by TM NETWORK and released in the late 80s. Komuro was a member of TM NETWORK, and he often has acts he's produced for sing covers of his songs in one way or another. Hamasaki originally covered "teens" by TRF that was featured as a b-side on her single "Startin'/Born to Be..." "SEVEN DAYS WAR" is just gorgeous here in the Love songs style. Hamasaki sounds perky here unlike the rest of the album. It's a great ender for the album as it perfectly encapsulates its themes and motifs. 

    We love Love songs! I think it's a great album that managed to reinvent Hamasaki yet again and renew interest in her and her sound. Though it's a shame that her personal life around this time was garnering her some raised eyebrows from the public. (That first marriage was a DOOZY, am I right?) It's hard for female artists to have the longevity that Hamasaki has had, so it's a shame to see her legacy tarnished by things that have absolutely nothing to do with her work. I think Love songs helped to prolong this though.

Rating: S Rank

Recommendation:  when you're in an orchestra mood yet want to sing at the same time.

Standouts:

    The singles

    Love Song

    Like A Doll