I've not been so excited for their album since HONEY and I must say, this album really really exceeded my expectations. Can't really pick a favourite because each song is so different and good in its own way. 

The overall feeling I get from LUMINOUS is nostalgic and refreshing at the same time. They did an amazing job with this one! Haven't ordered my cd yet but will definitely be ordering, since this is the album I really want to own as a physical copy

I love how the album sounds overall. It's refreshing and exciting at the same time. I can't pick a favorite but Anata e has been on repeat lol.

Loop is also a surprising track which I am pretty sure will be stuck in my head for a while.

Just heard all the songs. Overall, the Album has a very cool vibe, I like all the songs so far. I'm really liking Plum and Loop. 

I'm now waiting for CDJapan to ship my copies

Loop is going to become a concert staple, I'm sure.
I do like LoS, Highlight and Fanfare a lot, but I think this is the first album where I actually prefer the album tracks to the singles. The experimentation/variety has really paid off.

I have a question ‍� 

I pre saved the album on Spotify and it appeared in my playlist today but only Candy, Vision, Highlight and Line of Sight are available, new songs are not showing up. Does the album release later in Europe? or is there any other reason?

Mitchan wrote:I pre saved the album on Spotify and it appeared in my playlist today but only Candy, Vision, Highlight and Line of Sight are available, new songs are not showing up. Does the album release later in Europe? or is there any other reason?

https://kaaes.github.io/albums-availability/#6ZUsrWnD49CNAg0yqb4AWx


It looks like the album is unavailable in Georgia as of right now. Their licensor has always been pretty unreliable... But hopefully it'll be made available for you soon!

thoseguiltyeyes wrote:

Mitchan wrote:I pre saved the album on Spotify and it appeared in my playlist today but only Candy, Vision, Highlight and Line of Sight are available, new songs are not showing up. Does the album release later in Europe? or is there any other reason?

https://kaaes.github.io/albums-availability/#6ZUsrWnD49CNAg0yqb4AWx


It looks like the album is unavailable in Georgia as of right now. Their licensor has always been pretty unreliable... But hopefully it'll be made available for you soon!

Thank you so much.!

I remember MIRROR was available the same day as the release so I was a bit confused with this one. 

No other way than to wait then

That the Album in my home from CD Japan, can't wait to listen to it on repeat when I go to work tonight.

I definitely enjoyed this album more, than Mirror. Mainly because there are more rock songs (something that was pretty much absent from Mirror, disregarding Spice as the bonus track.)

As I mentioned previously, my top three favorites are Fanfare, Loop and Anata E, with Line of Sight being my fourth most favorite song, at least on the first listen. Meanwhile, my least favorite (on first listen) is probably Plum.

I will still need to listen to the album more to see, where I'd put it in my Scandal albums ranking.

Fanfare video shoot location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/yrrf9t7E7cALjeF28

After listening to Album on repeat for nearly nine hours, for me Loop for first place.  This should have been track 1 on the CD and move Pleat to 7,  Fanfare and Plum come in at 2nd and 3rd place. 

As for the whole Album,  it big upgrade from Mirror and hopeful it be in top five in the Charts.

Well, it looks like it dropped in at ＃9 so they still managed to stay in the top ten. Green Day's 11th album (Tre) hit ＃13. The 11th album for the Kinks didn't even chart in the UK, and hit ＃70 in the US.
So it might be a bit disappointing, but these things happen to the best of them.
UPDATE: It's up to #6!

Ok, here we go:
Gunjyo Pleats. This is the kind of song I categorize as light jazz, not rock. This style seems really popular in Japan, not so much in my house, lol. That's ok though, since I understand why people like it. The melody in the chorus is really memorable and to me the song is worth it just for that.

Fanfare. Great opening guitar riff. Remember "Heavy Rotation" by AKB 48? Remember how it went right into the chorus? This song might have benefited from the same arrangement. That chorus, again with that great melody, should get to the audience as soon as possible, before they wander off. Mami's solo is just really good. I dislike pattern riffs, and she's really good at avoiding that stuff. Any any song where I can hear Haruna's guitar gets a huge thumbs up. I hope that high note Haruna hits doesn't become troublesome on tour. It sounds pretty strong here, though.

Watashi Tachi. Another adult contemporary type song with a mix that completely ignores the 3 guitars and a drummer format, but what are you gonna do, be limited by that your whole life? The main thing that strikes me about this song is Haruna's confidant singing. The sliding notes, the whole performance. If she ever does a solo record, this should be on it. Great performance.

Plum. I don't go to dance clubs, but I hope this gets reworked by someone into a super heavy dance mix.

Candy. I really have a soft spot for Tomomi songs. The way the chords walk down the scale is usually associated with a sad song, but the melody by itself is cheerful. The contrast kinda jerks your emotions around, like "am I the only one crying here?" The way the chords kinda whoosh in makes it sound so big and epic, it makes me wanna get up and windmill some Pete Townsend air guitar. I kinda wish Tomomi had sung it, but I have her "Wildstock" version, so I'm good.

Vision. Worth it just for the break in the middle. That's gonna get the crowd going at live shows.

Loop. I've been waiting to get to this one. Just great. Did you read the Natalie interview? They had fun doing this one, just being a band. I have a vision in my head of a video where they're wearing those embroidered dusters Japanese gangs used to wear (tokkō-fuku, I think), going into a music store, plugging into some equipment and doing this song. The sound at the end is the store manager (perhaps the same actor that played the groundskeeper in Shojo S) unplugging Mami, and kicking them out. Another great Haruna vocal. If there was ever a Scandal song to start a bar fight, it would be this one.

Line of Sight. I've commented before on this one. Classic Mami formula for making a hot song and very appropriate for a video game. I like the random yelps and squeaks, like ink splashes.

Anata. Something to replace "Koe" as a Mami standard. It really brings out the stridency, a kind of frustration, and it makes me want to do something to make her feel better. So... I like you Mami. You're a good kid. Keep going, you're doing fine.

1:47 Da da da da. I like Haruna songs. I'm not sure why. "Dusk is Melting" is another fave.

Highlight no Nakade Bokura Zutto. Good song to end the album. Leaves a pleasant aftertaste, lol.

So. Really good album. It kinda brings back the fun of the first few albums, but a more adult kind of fun. Like, if a mother and her little kid go to a park, the kid will run around in circles giggling at everything, and the mother will just smile. They're both having fun, but it's a different kind. Am I making sense? So this album is bright and cheerful, but in an adult way.

I just know I'll end up adding to this, but this is all I got so far.

You are all crazy. "Plum" is one of the best things they have ever done.

I'm just joking, I respect the genuine opinion of all of you, but I mean it when I say "Plum" is an A+ production-wise among their career.

Album is still not available for me on Spotify in Georgia… I wonder how much longer it will take. This has never happened before with any of their singles or albums 

@Liokt: I agree . Plum is a great song! My favorite on the album

After listening to the album a few times, I like it. It takes some time to like it but that is good thing. My favorite is LOOP, of course. Mami's song is also good.

Yeah, that #6 stings a bit, but the album is hanging in there. I'm looking at Spotify wondering why "Loop" isn't getting the plays other songs are, but that's completely off-topic, lol.

Yeah, 11 isn't working out to be their lucky number. It was around 500 copies short of the top 10, so it was close to being at a good compromise position. The 5 year anniversary of being with Victor is coming up, so I hope this is a good enough result to keep their relationship amicable.

My take on opening sales is that it's more of a reflection of the last album than the current one.  

Good albums sell well over time.  After all, Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" was released on March 1, 1973 and didn't get on the charts until two weeks later, ranking in at 95.  It went on to be the best selling album of the year.  We all know the rest.  I do hope Scandal gets a little of that mojo.

I got the digital version the day of release and have so far given it only one listen.  I like it better than the last two albums, but I'm not ready to do any sort of review yet.

---

Don Dio wrote:My take on opening sales is that it's more of a reflection of the last album than the current one.

Still, MIRROR sold almost the same amount in the first week (9,600 copies) and they were able to chart at ＃5 with that. Unluck does seem to be a kind of big factor this time, especially with idol groups occupying the top 2 spots.

Don Dio wrote:My take on opening sales is that it's more of a reflection of the last album than the current one.  

Good albums sell well over time.  After all, Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" was released on March 1, 1973 and didn't get on the charts until two weeks later, ranking in at 95.  It went on to be the best selling album of the year.  We all know the rest.  I do hope Scandal gets a little of that mojo.

I got the digital version the day of release and have so far given it only one listen.  I like it better than the last two albums, but I'm not ready to do any sort of review yet.

I kind of agreed with you,  this one of their best Album in years and I hopeful it will have staying power.  Mirror is one of weakest Album to date while there is song or two which suits fans choice of music, you would not know what Gene it fall under, it had Pop, Rock, Dance and a touch of Jazz. I feel many fans fell away from Scandal because of it.
(could blame it on Lockdown)

The other things that kind of bug me is the Album cover. there nothing on the front of the CD or the fancy box it came in had the word Scandal.  If you saw it for first time in Tower or HMV you think of it as Dance or K Pop group. I feel they over think about Artwork for Album when many of their group pictures they had taken over last couple months could easily been use.
Hopeful with words get around, the sales will stay steady.   I told my brother who never been a fan of Scandal to have listen to the song Loop and I saw him and girlfriend next day and both them loved it plus couple other songs.

Andy666 wrote:

The other things that kind of bug me is the Album cover. there nothing on the front of the CD or the fancy box it came in had the word Scandal.  If you saw it for first time in Tower or HMV you think of it as Dance or K Pop group. 

From a marketing perspective, I think the lack of featuring themselves on the cover for the last three albums was not a good decision regardless of what music was inside.  

For good or bad, they are a photogenic band.  Casual fans who may have never purchased a CD of theirs before to have thought to go out and actively buy their new release, could have perhaps spotted them on the cover while flipping through CD racks at a store or perusing through an online site, and this could have caused them to stop and consider picking up the CDs because their faces looked familiar.  Rock and pop fans are likely not to buy an album with an artsy cover thinking the music inside is also too artsy for their taste (ie. pretentious).  They're not a prog band, but you might not know that just looking at the covers.

Everyone in this site loves Scandal, and that thought never really occurs to us.  We're going to buy their new release anyway no matter what the cover looks like because we know the band.  We don't have to see them to enjoy the music, and we all read the interviews where they explained why they choose to make their covers the way they did.  

Blah blah blah, I'm just an old man yelling at the clouds.  I know I'm really not the target audience anyway.  I do hope this album does better for them with the greater audience they have and are yet to find.