(For the billboard, I bumped in to some fans yesterday whilst I was in Shibuya)

Mirror has been available today and I have my hands on all the different versions.

Code for live stream.
Code for livestream with the Japanese version of the CD given for pre-orders, early purchase, the code is on a piece of paper separate from the CD packing.
There will be a form to enter your details, it won't be checked so don't worry too much about Japanese phone number and which location you live in Japan, once summited it will immediately send you an automated email with the URL to watch the livestream, the livestream will be archived.

My 2 cents:

Spoiler:

Remember the livestream is a promotion to encourage people to purchase the new album and to support the band, if you need to listen to the album for free you can use Spotify and other streaming services.

All new content for "her" Diary
Limited Edition A (CD+DVD)
The DVD with the her Diary is all new content that has not been released on YouTube, so worth checking out.

Music video DVD
DVD+Merch (CD+DVD+Merch in a box).

The Music Clip DVD the first 6 videos that have been released on YouTube/broadcast on TV.
The 7th track is

Spoiler:

The CD booklet is slightly reflective (shame they didn't go for a mirror look), CDs in the Mag/Merch edition are not wrapped, so are already "opened", save some plastic wrap.
The HMV small bag is also shiny too, as is the Box with the Merch Edition.

Other bonus items I looked at are the key charm, smartphone stand, and of course all the clear files, pretty much like other releases.


Hopefully you all get your hands on it soon, else you can stream it on Spotify/Apple Music etc

Being in love as an adult is painful,,, Such a good song,, 【RINA】

It was so bright on the balcony,, 【HARUNA】

It was odd that we finished shooting this video basically without seeing each other because there weren't any scenes that called for the four of us to be together (I only got to see MAMI since our makeup times overlapped a bit) 【TOMOMI】

Shooting went by in a flash - On that day it was like I just stopped by the dressing room to eat the lunch that was prepared for me【MAMI】

So we are back to geo-restricted music videos now?

joon wrote:So we are back to geo-restricted music videos now?

I think it's just temporally until it's the 26th in other countries. 


Just bought it from Mora.jp through VPN and started the listen 

The album just released here in India and I'm absolutely, crazily, obsessively in love with Kanojo wa Wave! I have it on repeat! I need to listen to some of the other new ones a few more times to form opinions, but first I need to satiate my KwW obsession!! <3

From the songs I hadn't heard before the album was released, I liked Kanojo wa Wave and Yuugure, Tokeru the most.

ankur_chipps wrote:The album just released here in India and I'm absolutely, crazily, obsessively in love with Kanojo wa Wave! I have it on repeat! I need to listen to some of the other new ones a few more times to form opinions, but first I need to satiate my KwW obsession!! <3

SAMEEEE

I have an obsession with Kanojo wa Wave and Ai no shotai! So good oh my god

TY wrote:Has anyone else noticed that Mami has had her ears pierced in the music video?

I'm pretty certain she's just wearing clip-on earrings. They're in a weird spot on her earlobes and far too high up to be real piercings.

Surprisingly, this album kind of reminds me of their 7th album (YELLOW) based on how diverse the songs are in terms of style and composition. Wonder how these new songs sound during live especially Kanojo wa Wave.

If I have to pick my favorites it would be Mirror and Ai no shoutai. But overall, I like the album all-in-all.

P.S. Yuugure, Tokeru sounds like a theme song from a Super Sentai series.

Will be streaming the album all day on Spotify (cd to arrive later on)

Despite the album's "sound" not being 100% my cup of tea, we're all scandal fans and here to support the girls! I'll enjoy the album with the same enthusiasm as i always do!

This album is really diverse and I feel like it will take a while for me to fully grasp and love its entirety. The lyrics for Ai no Shoutai made my heart flutter so much (In a good way ha ha) even though that kind of genre is not my cup of tea. As for now my favorite among the songs that I haven't heard before its official release is Mirror and Yuugure, Tokeru. While it may be a little impossible for Scandal-san to come to our country for this Album tour, I hope to hear these songs someday live. 

Oh look! It dropped in at #5 on Oricon!

dchan419 wrote:we're all scandal fans and here to support the girls! I'll enjoy the album with the same enthusiasm as i always do!

Hey Boston! They're coming here Jul 13, let's start promoting the date, let's fill the venue to capacity for them. Good chance COVID will be out of our way by then

I just listened to whole album and I'd say it's pretty diverse, but in a good way. The two songs that stand out to me are Kanojo wa Wave (this one is a banger) and Yuugure Tokeru (the vocals on this one remind me of Bright).

I really hope to see all songs performed live, specially KwW and MIRROR :D

I think it's way to early to do a ranking of the songs , but my top 12 (including the bonus tracks) so far: 

1. Ao no Naru Yoru no Sukima de 
2. one more time
3. eternal
4. Spice
5. Ai no Shoutai
6. Ai ni Naranakatta no sa 
7. Kanojo wa Wave
8. Mirror
9. Prism
10. Yuugure, Tokeru
11. Living in the city
12. Ivory


Once i listen to the album more, I'll write my thoughts. So far, I'm loving it!

As much as I'd rather get sort of a return to roots from them, this turned out to be a very lovely album. However, I feel that the production is pretty bad in places. The ballads sound great, but during the more upbeat songs when everything gets louder, it's at times kind of hard to tell what's happening in that bass-heavy mess. Whoever was in charge of the mix on the faster tunes should probably not go anywhere near our girls ever again.  

I'm really looking forward to the live performances. Even though I'm not a fan of how much they are relying on the backing track nowadays, I think these songs will definitely sound better in concert. I'm a bit worried about Haru though, she seems to be going a little bit beyond her usual vocal range on a few of these tracks. I wish her luck. 

Other than that, great job as always! 

p.t.r wrote:My presumptive ranking of the songs, based on snippets from the trailer (and songs we already know)

Spoiler:

I think, I'm going to have to revise this order. This time though, I'll include bonus tracks too.

1. Spice
2. Ivory
3. Yuugure, Tokeru
4. Ao no Naru Yoru no Sukima de
5. Ai ni Naranakatta no sa
6. Mirror
7. Kanojo wa Wave
8. Prism
9. Eternal
10. Living in the City
11. Ai no Shoutai
12. One More Time

The nicest surprise was Yuugure, Tokeru. I did not have a big opinion of it based on the trailer, but it turned out much better, than I expected. By contrast, the biggest disappointment was (considering my expectations) Mirror. Another song that I hoped for more of, despite the unconvincing trailer, is Kanojo wa Wave. It's a bit monotonous. I still like those two, though.

Still, with or without the bonus tracks, this album ranks as my second least favorite SCANDAL album, after Temptation Box.

If there are songs, that I absolutely don't like at all, those are Ai no Shoutai and One more time. In fact, if I'm going to be completely frank, I'd remove those two songs and put Spice and Living in the City as regular songs (the latter mostly just for the sake of having a Tomomi song on the album, although I don't like that song that much either). Doing this would put the album a bit higher in my rank (not in my top 3, though).

This is a studio album. I mean it's an album where the studio is the main performer. This album sounds really cool, but I can't really tell what parts the members do and what parts are Apple laptop. Sure the main vocals are real, but even the harmony vocals are suspect at times. Is that real guitar or a sample? Are those real drums?
My favorite Scandal song is Image. It's from when Mami was using volume 3 of the "how to write hits" pamphlet she got from a ragged street vendor. (actually it was from paying attention in the studio for years). Rule #1: songs need an A melody, B melody, C melody, etc. In other words write a song with a sophisticated structure. Image had that.  The verse, chorus, bridge, and a two part interlude. Rule #2: Scandal will do all the parts. That was it. (It was a small pamphlet) No sweetener tracks, just straight out, right from the stage.
Now Mami has the updated pamphlet, volume 8, which she's shared with the others. Rule #1: Use the "Millennial Whoop". (go to YouTube and search for it if you need to). Rule #2: Get the hook out as soon as you can. Rule #3: Do an umbrella ella ella ella repeat. Rule #4: Keep it simple.
Now listen to the title track to Mirror. Three out of four rules checked off in no time. That's how you write a hit these days. Note I said these days. I long for the old days, but they're gone. They're just a reference point.
So when I ask if the drums are real, the answer is, does it matter? To a lot of people, no. To someone still reading out of volume 3, it does.
(Wave) Rina is a dear, but her vocal range in probably an octave. It's not easy to find melodies she can sing comfortably. I'm glad she came up with one. I bet she looks good on the dance floor. Or wants to. This is one of those songs like Shojou M where they'll haul out a fake mix station and strike poses while singing along.
(Love's True Colors) Leon Russell and Joe Cocker are looking down from heaven and smiling at Tomomi for her efforts. The song suffers a bit from the producer showcasing all his cool effects, and the drums need a bigger room to record in, but the spirit is there. How cool would it have been if Tomomi had gotten drunk and went for the high note full throat instead of falsetto at least once?
I've talked about Ivory before, but I still really like it. I like the pops like vinyl on the lead in and lead out. It's about the only studio effect I can cheer for. And this song is almost the only one where I like Rina's new thick snare sound. I usually prefer a bright pop.
And oh, Haruna. (Dusk) What a song. That one alone is worth the price of admission.
(Gaps of the Blue) I didn't lose anyone during this pandemic, but I know that hundreds of thousands did, and for them a song about loss might be cathartic. The drums in the middle like time marching on beyond our control, The sudden end. Yeah, it can feel like that.
(Prism) That's the sound of a music box being wound at the beginning. Haruna is a tiny balerina singing the most comforting and gentle lullaby ever written, her swaying movement reflected in jewels.
I've talked about the other songs before.
Staying at home waiting for a chance to do what you do for a living must be hard. What you do for a living. The pandemic took away Scandal's living. No wonder the album's a bit subdued. A nice hard stint of touring will definitely make them feel more alive. This is like when Tomomi was really down, and Mami said she'd feel better once they got out there on the road. I'm sure Scandal will feel a LOT better, and future songs will reflect it.
 

Flame Bait:

hogradish wrote:Now Mami has the updated pamphlet, volume 8, which she's shared with the others. Rule #1: Use the "Millennial Whoop". (go to YouTube and search for it if you need to). Rule #2: Get the hook out as soon as you can. Rule #3: Do an umbrella ella ella ella repeat. Rule #4: Keep it simple.
Now listen to the title track to Mirror. Three out of four rules checked off in no time. That's how you write a hit these days. Note I said these days. I long for the old days, but they're gone. They're just a reference point.  [/spoiler]

I wanted to mention this in my previous post: As somebody, who does not listen to radio, and is therefore completely out of touch with what is today's "top popular music", I wouldn't notice or even know about the so-called millenial whoop. After watching the video you linked in "Say What You Want" topic, I can't unhear it in Mirror, and knowing about it slightly ruins the song for me. So thanks a lot!

Ignorance is (sometimes) a bliss, I guess.

I actually never did get the guy who invented the term millennial whoop.I wonder if he was one of those "B-class critics" in the AMDJK lyric. I say that because this sort of vocal and backing-vocal technique is as old as the hills (meaning even older than me). It seems to me the only thing the millennium added was studio autotuning. 
I think I see what you're talking about in Mirror and I also in Ao no naru yoru. As for me I do like all the new songs but it's just those two that obsess me! 
I agree any technique can be annoying if it's overdone or just thrown in. But I don't feel that way about these SCANDAL songs. I feel the backups work well, bringing out the atmosphere the band wants to convey in each song. The members remind me of the chorus in Greek drama, they seem to express a wordless reality behind HARUNA's lyrics.
Back in the day we used to play a kind of game, while listening to pop and rock music, trying to guess what other songs they reminded us of. (The only one that usually threw us for a loop was David Bowie) But in the end it didn't matter what the sources are.You either like a song or you don't.

@hogradish

While I agree with a lot of your points, I think it's rather ironic, that you chose Image as an example of a more interesting song. You never thought that the chorus and the verse might just be a little too similar in that one? It doesn't matter which song you prefer, but if you want to negatively compare MIRROR to something, especially when you also happen to mention simplicity as a one of the deciding factors, then it would be better to pick an example which does really have more unique parts. Not to mention that MIRROR in particular hardly checks off two, let alone three out of those "volume 8 rules" you came up with, as its structure is not very simple and the hook doesn't actually come anywhere near the beginning.

And if they didn't use the millenial whoop, they'd have to use something else that would surely have some name too. It's 2022. Music has been around for thousands of years, everything has been done many times before. I happen to be a nitpicker myself, but this is on a whole other level.  

"Their songs rely a lot more on computer effects and sound way closer to contemporary mainstream stuff than they used to." There you go. I saved you an essay.

Wikipedia says this: "The millennial whoop is a vocal melodic pattern alternating between the fifth and third notes in a major scale, typically starting on the fifth, and often using the "wa" and "oh" syllables. It was used extensively in 2010s pop music." Whoop
It goes on to say the person who coined the term acknowledges it has probably existed "always".
The notes of the aforementioned "whoop" are in the first 15 seconds of Mirror. It is considered a hook. So that's two of the rules checked off.
It may sound cynical to call them rules, but music is a craft as well as an art. As a craft there are rules. For rock or pop, as a rule keyboards and guitars are good. Bagpipes are not. As an art, breaking rules is good. The balance between sometimes relates to one's balance at the bank.
I stick with my choice of Image. Please note the "TLDR" in the title of my lengthy essay.

---

@etwee
Yes, I'm a pretentious song taster. "Oh, this has nice color......Hmm.....Good ear......I'm getting hints of Yasutaka Nakata and the Verve, with undertones of Beatles and Bangles...ah a hint of Katy Perry.... smooth finish. Refreshing, but not one to cellar. I prefer the 2016."

I won't lie I kinda had let SCANDAL sideline in the last few years as other artists captured my attention. I wasn't overly hyped about this album being released. I guess coming with no expectations was a the better approach; surprise me I suppose. I wasn't overly wowed by SCANDAL's last few releases. I may gave them a couple listens at best but never replayed them to make myself love them. 

But yeah, for me Mirror is a very dynamic sounding album but had good album flow between the songs. I never paid much attention to eternal and Ivory as singles but they fit well like a puzzle in the album tracklist. I think this is probably the first album where electro and synth used actually fits the song very well. I've been impressed on the first listen listening to the new B sides only then on the second whole album listen through. The album goes down very smoothly in the same direction. I think SCANDAL has moved themselves into the alternative genre at this point. 

I was particularly impressed with Kanojo Wave which got me the the Its Nice its Unusual Its different vibe from me but it worked. I can imagine that being the next get down at the club trance banger. Yuugure had a nice wall or as I like to call cave of sound effect at the start that reverberates. It reminds me of 90s & 2000s sort of sound. Aononaruyorunosukimade which contrary to the usual 'it sounds better live' I paid no attention when they played it at their 15th anniversary concert I took to it instantly on this album. I feel like sound wise Prism sounds a continuation part B to the Aononaru. 

Anyway I'll write more about my review as thoughts come to mind. But in a nutshell I've been thoroughly impressed with this album even without SCANDAL's stereotypical hard rock hits. 10/10 would listen again and again.