2025 in 2025: Day 119

Love Again - Ayumi Hamasaki

This is not an album I listen to often - quite likely my least listened to Ayu album, or at least right up there. It is not necessarily bad or anything - there a few awesome songs and the interludes are really great - but I find it a bit... generic. This whole little period post-Power of Music is her most average. Colours was awesome and put an end to that. I should listen to Colours again...

Highlights: snowy kiss, untitled for her... story 2, Ivy, Bye-bye darling

7.5/10

Love and Fear - Jimmy Barnes

Barnesy's usual brand of Aussie rock, but with more of a modern/updated sound. Which, at this point, is now 20 years-old. Big rock guitars, a few big beats. No rapping on this one, but def some R&B on that one song.

Highlights: Time Will Tell, Temptation, Love Gone Cold

6.5/10

The Love Below - Outkast

Or really an Andre 3000 solo album with Big Boi on a couple of tracks. Look, Imma be real with you with all: I find Andre 3000 really pretentious and annoying. And this album is a lot of nonsense and sex, without actually being sexy, if you know what I mean. In the middle are two certified bangers, but they are just surrounded by the stupidest collection of skits and... whatever this is. None of it feels like actual songs.

Highlights: Hey Ya!, Roses

4/10

Love Demolition - Zowie

I think this is NZ pop? I was given this CD by... someone? And they were given it... somewhere? Clearly a heavy influence from Lady Gaga going on here. It is actually mostly decent. Or at least listenable. Hey - that is a very high compliment for me when it comes to New Zealand music!

Highlights: You Treat Me (Like I'm Software), My Calculator, Nothing Else, Ping Ping

6.5/10

Love Gun - Kiss

This album is just what I needed this morning to get back on track! Just about peak Kiss, right here. Well, I mean, they peaked for like 3 years and it was basically downhill after this, but this album rules the schools.

Highlights: I Stole Your Love, Love Gun, Got Love for Sale, Plaster Caster

9/10

Love is Hell - Ryan Adams

No one will ever convince me this album is as good as people try to pretend it is. I am not saying it is terrible - because I listened to The Love Below this morning, so I know terrible - but it is not the amazing triumph that Ryan Adams fans think it is.

Highlights: This House is Not For Sale, Love is Hell, Wonderwall, Please Do Not Let Me Go

6/10

Love is Hell Rarities - Ryan Adams

Some of these songs are fine. Some are better than some of the songs on Love is Hell. Some are just a continuation of the miserable mediocrity found on Love is Hell. And this version of This Is It is the worst I have ever heard.

Highlights: Gimme Sunshine, I Want to Go Home

5.5/10

Love is Hell: New York Sessions - Ryan Adams

I am going to kill myself...

Highlights: I am dead like Charlie Kirk

5/10

Love Live! School Idol Project - μ's

Oh hey, I did a cleanup of this stuff a few years ago. I actually thought it was last Winter, but apparently time goes VERY quickly! Yeah yeah iDOL is SHiT and all that, but this is exactly what I needed after 3 hours of DRA being a black cloud. These girls are the rainbow and sunshine washing his BS away. I need to learn No brand girls on guitar. And bah gawd that bassline in どんなときもずっと is phenomenal.

Highlights: No brand girls, どんなときもずっと, Wonderful Rush, 僕らは今のなかで

8/10

Love Live! Sunshine - Aqours (and others)

Why, yes - I did a cleanup for these songs the day after doing so for μ's. This was more complex, because I had everything still split across like 4 albums and all sub-unit names are being used for the artists, etc. I may have to watch an episode of this show tonight.

Highlights: 勇気はどこに？君の胸に！, 君のこころは輝いてるかい？, SELF CONTROL!!, Landing action Yeah!!

7.5/10

Love Songs - Ayumi Hamasaki

Start the day with Ayu and end the day with Ayu! I always forget this album actually came out before the Power of Music concert - mostly because there is almost nothing from it performed at that show - and I consider it the start of the 'lame' period of Ayu's career. Well, first lame period. The second would be the last 4 or 5 years. Like most Ayu albums, it is a mix of various styles, but country rock is certainly a first!

Highlights: Thank U, Love song, MOON, blossom, sending mail

7/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1044

FREE PALESTINE

Music Talk: Aqours

A brief introduction:

I was first introduced to the world of Love Live! through the second series idol group, Aqours. I had no idea what any of this "Love Live!" business was, but decided to go to some live concert experience at the cinema (a friend suggested I get out and try and meet people with similar interests. I quickly found idol otaku are not that). Anyways, after that, I went back to the beginning and watched the original series. It was great fun. So then I watched season 1 of the sequel, Love Live! Sunshine!! - I think season 2 had just started airing, perhaps? Anyways, my takeaway at the time was that Sunshine!! was the better show, but the original show had better music. I think on rewatch, my opinion of the shows reversed, so let's see what happens with the music - because if this is worse than μ's, I'm in for a hell of a day...

My collection is only their singles from 2015 to the end of 2017. Which is still 50 songs, surprisingly...

Maybe I'm just in a better mood today? Because so far, this is a barrel of fun! Like, it's all still cheesy and some songs are typical IDOL is SHiT, but I find their voices less annoying than μ's (sorry, Pile). I think what maybe swayed me earlier was that the good songs by μ's and SUPER good, whereas the good songs by Aqours are just mostly good. Except for the Opening/Closing songs - particularly 勇気はどこに？君の胸に！, which is actually amazeballs - I would really just say these songs are harmless fun pop songs. So where μ's have far more peaks, Aqours just kinds of hover around the middle.

I will probably be keeping half of these songs. Sure, I still won't listen to them around the house in fear of divorce, but when I need harmless total upbeat vibes, this could be a good go-to. Like, if I could delete the bad songs now, I'd probably give this all a re-listen on shuffle right about now.

Crazy times.

There are 4 more years of Aqours songs out there. And another 2 Love Live! series' that I haven't seen. I'm not quite sure I'm ready for that...