Shuffle And Repeat

I LOVED YESTERDAY is YUI’s 3rd studio album. It was released on April 9, 2008, and reached #1 on the weekly charts. It sold a total of 474,815 copies and charted for 12 weeks.

Album Review
YUI – I LOVED YESTERDAY

tracklist:
1. Laugh away
2. My Generation
3. Find me
4. No way
5. Namidairo
6. Daydreamer
7. Love is all
8. I will love you
9. We will go
10. OH YEAH
11. My friend
12. LOVE & TRUTH
13. Am I wrong?

I LOVED YESTERDAY opens up with the not so yesterday track, Laugh away. I think it was a good choice for YUI to make this song the album’s main promotional song because it was full of energy and very enjoyable… which actually shows how this album is, Energetic and pretty well-done. Anyway, Laugh Away was absolutely perfect! I love how up-beat it sounds, how catchy it is and how YUI’s vocals blend with the arrangement so well. I mean, she always sounds great with guitars and all but this time, she’s not just great, she’s oh God, AMAZING! I hated Laugh Away when it first leaked but, I’m glad I heard the YUI Acoustic version of this song in the Summer Song single because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t like this song at all. In conclusion Laugh Away is Definitely a great opening track and is really, very, highly recommended! XD

Putting My Generation next to Laugh Away was a brilliant idea because it constantly carries the happy atmosphere of the album. Actually, my views on this song hasn’t changed at all. I still LOVE it, I still sing along with it and I still think it’s catchy to death.

The 2nd new track on the album, Find me, was a bit slower than the previous 2 tracks but, it still carries a happy feeling. I like how up-beat this song sounds and I really like the constant use of acoustic guitars in it. The verses were fine and the chorus was quite catchy. My favorite part of this song would have to be the guitar solo near the bridge because it’s really energetic.

No way is like RUIDO part II. If some of you guys were wondering what the hell am I talking about, RUIDO is the 5th track from her CAN’T BUY MY LOVE album, running for only 51 seconds. Yes, only 51 seconds, which made me think No Way was RUIDO part II because of both songs’ similarity, Just like their length. RUIDO runs for 51 seconds, while No Way runs a bit longer for 1 minute and 16 seconds. Both songs sounds almost the same, using lots and lots of guitars! Even though it’s like a carbon copy of a sort-of old song, it still sounds great but, one thing really bothers me about it. And that bothering thing is that…

… they placed that completely energetic song before Namidairo? Why? What on earth were they thinking? Placing a powerful rock song next to a song that sounds like an elegy? That’s just bad… Well, Okay. I’m done complaining now. Good thing this song was a great song because it makes me forget the fact that it’s placed right beside an energetic song. Anyway, Namidairo never gets old for me. I still love it! It might actually be one of the album’s best tracks because of the emotion it carries. I just really think that placing it after No Way was a bit awkward, but, overall, Namidairo is such an excellent song!

We come to one of the album’s highlights, Daydreamer. It has that happy atmosphere and has a furious energy that sounds a bit similar to My Generation. This song is very catchy and I really like the way YUI energetically sounds in this song. I absolutely love the guitar sounds at the beginning of the song because it adds excitement over the song but, my favorite part of this song would have to be the part where she sings the “daydreamer…” lines because it adds a more interesting sound to the song. The verses were fine, but the chorus was a blast! Daydreamer was such an excellent song! It’s so excellent, that it makes me want to daydream with her! :]]

After hearing the album’s strong points, We come to the album’s probably weaker points with Love is all. It wasn’t all that bad, It wasn’t all that great either. Love Is All was just okay because it gets a lot repetitive but, without the repetition and all, this song would’ve become a great one! I think this song was quite a let down because the first half of the album was great, so, it made me not know what to expect for the next 6 tracks.

The next two tracks, wierdly has the word “will” on their titles but contrasts a bit. The first one being I will love you, a mid-tempo rock song. I will love you carries the same atmosphere as the previous track, but is a bit better. The verses of this track were far more interesting than the chorus because the chorus was quite boring. But, at least we hear something new from YUI.

the next track with “will” on it’s title is We will go, the opposite of I will love you. While I will love you was quite a slow track, We will go turns the tempo up a bit. This song is more energetic than the previous one but, was less interesting. I believe that if she just tweak this song for a bit, it will become another great treat.

Just when I thought the album was getting bad, OH YEAH comes in the spotlight and saves it. OH YEAH was a savior with it’s catchy tune, up-beat atmosphere and completely energetic sound! It opens with a guitar, then the verses comes in. It is then followed by the great chorus and goes over the verses again. What can I say about this song? It’s really a great song with it’s catchy lines and the “baby..” lines at the background! It’s overall a great song, with a saving power! XD

Sadly, the next 3 tracks are slow. But, on the brighter side, the 3 of them are excellent!

Track 11 is My friend, a slow & calm song. I personally like how this song sounds like a lullaby because, it can slowly rock me to sleep at night! XD It’s like the improved version of Understand (the other A-side on the My Generation single), only, it’s shorter and of course, better.

The next song is LOVE & TRUTH, the catchy, emotional song that makes me like YUI a lot more! Okay, I take back what I said when I said that YUI lacks 240 hours of sleep, in the single review. I think that this song is great and really fits how she sings it. I also love the accompaniments in this song because it completely adds the emotional factor in the song. Overall, another great track from the album.

The album’s ending is Am I wrong?, a song that brings back the memories of her FROM ME TO YOU era. I don’t know why but, It just reminds me of that. Whenever I hear this song, I think of the songs she released for FMTY such as TOKYO and Feel My Soul. Well, I guess that’s what YUI wants us to think when we hear this song because It reminds us of how she cahnged a lot after her debut. She Improved, and rose to fame! As I have said, Am I Wrong is a great ender because it reminds us of how YUI was and how she is now, and of course, It’s an excellent song!

Overall, this album was kind of a step down compared to her previous album because unlike it, I LOVED YESTERDAY lacked effort. There’s no doubt about it that this album was well-done and good but, compared to her previous one, it’s not that WOW-ing. Let’s just hope that YUI gets her game on again and releases a greater album than this one.

Favorite Tracks:
Laugh Away, Daydreamer, Namidairo & My Generation

shuffle rating!
A-

Single Review
YUI – LOVE&TRUTH

LOVE&TRUTH is YUI’s 11th single. It was released on September 26, 2007 and reached #1 in the oricon charts. It sold a total of 144,651 copies and charted for more than 6 weeks. The title track was used as the theme song to the film Closed Note

tracklist:
1. LOVE&TRUTH
2. Jam
3. My Generation ~YUI Acoustic Version~
4. LOVE&TRUTH ~Instrumental~

Way back in April, when I discovered YUI’s music because of Namidairo, I decided to give LOVE&TRUTH a try. I liked what I heard from it because Namidairo and this song share the same feel and atmosphere. I love the instruments, especially the strings, and the overall melody of this song. The melody is somehow really catchy and is very unique-sounding. I also love the emotion YUI shows in the song because it really fits the acoustic sound paired with it. I love a lot of things about this song but, one thing just kind-of stops me from loving it… The way YUI sings in it. I mean, YUI is an excellent singer but, sometimes when she is singing, she sounds like a person lacking 240 hours of sleep. I don’t want to offend anyone. I just think that she lacks a lot of power in this song. The overall accompaniment is really really good… So good that it kind of steals the spotlight from YUI. In conclusion, this song is good but, I think YUI could’ve done better.

If the A-side was very dramatic, The B-side, Jam, is the complete opposite. It is very energetic, up-beat, and yes, YUI doesn’t sound tired in it. In fact, this song might even be better than the A-side. It’s catchiness and liveliness are the main reasons why I like this song.

Wow~…
That’s all I had to say after listening to the YUI Acoustic Version of My Generation. I really like the way the original version of this song sound so up-beat but, dear Lord, This version is 400X better. The “ooohhhss” found at the background made me want more of the song. It’s amazing how she can still make the song sound so upbeat and relaxing at the same time without the percussions and stuff, and how her voice fits the melody of the song. Here’s all I have to say now…

YUI, I want MORE!

Favorite Track:
LOVE&TRUTH and My Generation ~YUI Acoustic Version~

shuffle rating!
A-

Single Review
YUI – My Generation / Understand

My Generation / Understand is YUI’s 10th single. It is her first double A-side single and was released on June 13, 2007. It reached number 1 in the oricon charts and has sold a total of 135,093 copies. This single was the 55th best-selling single of the year.

tracklist:
1. My Generation
2. Understand
3. CHE.R.RY ~YUI Acoustic Version~
4. My Generation ~Instrumental~

To tell you guys honestly, I never payed attention to My Generation before. I hated it and never listened to it again. But, just recently, I gave it another try and apparently, I liked it. I liked everything about it. The catchiness of the song, the playful tune it had, the melodic instruments it had and of course, the great vocals offered by YUI. It opens with a not-so-energetic electric guitar followed by the verses. After that, It finally comes to a full blast and reaches the chorus. Okay, It comes to a full blast but sadly, it wasn’t as furious as her song, Rolling Star, but, it really is great! Just like in all her previous songs, (Tell me, I repeated that phrase in other reviews, right?) It has a certain beauty that catches the attention of the audience. What beauty? Well, It simply makes me smile when I listen to it, It makes me feel at home and somehow, It really brings out the kid in me. Overall, My Generation is another great pop/rock treat from YUI and is now one of my favorite songs from her.

Unlike the first A-side, Understand was slower-paced and didn’t contain that much Rock elements. To be honest, I don’t like this song. I listened to it a lot of times but sill, I just can’t seem to like it that much. I know that many of the instruments used in this song is soothing, but for me, It doesn’t help. It actually brings the song down because it makes the song sound like a lullaby sung to a 50-year-old.

The acoustic version of my favorite YUI song, CHE.R.RY, makes an appearance on this single. I’m not fond of acoustic versions but, with the YUI Acoustic Version of CHE.R.RY, I’m willing to make an exception. After listening to this track, I still think the original version is better but, this acoustic version is still good. It removes all the drums, electric guitars and all the instruments from the original version and is replaced by acoustic guitars and other acoustic elements. It sounds calmer than the original but, It still continues to sound cheery.

Favorite Track:
My Generation

shuffle rating!
A-

Single Review
YUI – Namidairo

Namidairo is YUI’s 12th single. It was released on February 27, 2008 and is the theme song of the drama, Yonshimai Tanteidan. It reached #3 on the weekly charts and has now sold a total of 115,168 copies.

tracklist:
1. Namidairo
2. I wanna be…
3. LOVE & TRUTH ~YUI Acoustic Version~
4. Namidairo ~Instrumental~

All I can say about Namidairo is that it’s another golden treat from YUI. I won’t forget this song because it’s one of the songs that got me hooked up with YUI. But, why? Why did I like it? Well, As with almost all of her songs, It features good instruments such as guitars and violins, an inspiring thought in the lyrics and most of all, YUI’s vocal excellence. Seriously, YUI is one of the artists in the Jpop music scene that you have to watch out for because she constantly makes great songs which is done mainly by one reason… Her voice. YUI’s voice is good, but, In this song, it’s not just good, It’s excellent. It truly fits the acoustic theme of the song and creates an emotional feel in it. It opens with an acoustic guitar, accompanied by a violin, then, is quickly followed by the first verse. From the first verse until the chorus part, the only instruments that can be heard are the guitars and the violins but, later on with the next verse, the drums and everything comes in. My favorite thing about this song is the constant use of the guitar. The guitar plays a very important role in this song because it adds a certain beauty in the song that gets one person into listening to the song. In Conclusion, It’s another WOWing YUI song that automatically makes the listener hooked and makes the listener crave for more.

Unlike the A-side, The B-side, I wanna be…, is more upbeat and fast-paced. To be honest, I think this song is not actually B-side material but, what can we do? It’s already here… Anyway, I think it’s not B-side material because it’s very catchy especially the “I wanna be…” lines you can hear every chorus and the melody, purely made up of Rock elements such as electric guitar sounds and fast-paced drum beats. Another reason why this song is good is because It’s cheery feel isn’t too much. It is cheery but not as cheery as one of her previous songs, My Generation. Overall, A great B-side song that’s not a so B-side material after all.

The YUI acoustic version of LOVE & TRUTH comes next. Sadly, It isn’t as good as the original version because it sounds very incomplete. YUI’s vocals are good but is sometimes shaky, the guitar is alright but still, It’s seems to be missing something. It sounds so dull with only the guitar as the accompaniment but, it does get a lot better when the acoustic guitar solo comes in. The rest is just okay. JUST okay.

Overall, this single isn’t bad at all. In fact, I consider it as one of YUI’s strongest singles because of it’s somehow big crowd popularity. I really enjoyed this single a lot and really, I don’t regret buying it ^^.

Favorite Track:
Namidairo and I wanna be…

shuffle rating!
A+