Album Battle: A Song for xx vs. Rainbow

I've talked about Ayumi Hamasaki in the distant, distant past. According to Wikipedia she is known as the "Empress of Pop." This Japanese pop singer has released 14 full-length albums, 5 EPs, and countless remix albums. I have a couple of her CDs that I picked out of bargain bins at a used music store. A Song for xx is Hamasaki's major label debut album and debuted at #1 on the Oricon charts, where it stayed for 5 weeks. Rainbow is Hamasaki's fifth album, which also debuted at #1 and even reached #2 on the yearly charts. These, like her other albums, were big hits. They're also both 16 tracks long, if you include the hidden track on Rainbow, so let's compare them track by track.

Track 1
Really, both are prologues, but "Prologue" is a plain piano piece, while "Everlasting Dream" has more going for it with some ethereal vocals.
POINT: Rainbow

Track 2
"We Wish" is a little more complex, but "A Song for xx" is lovely example of late 90s J-Pop.
POINT: A Song for xx
 
Track 3:
This isn't a contest. "Real Me" is one of my favorite songs off this album. "Hana" is still peppy and fun.
POINT: Rainbow

Track 4:
Also not a contest. "Free & Easy" has that beautiful chorus with strong piano, then after the haunting string and bells. "FRIEND" is very bland, very "album track filler."
POINT: Rainbow
 
Track 5:
Both "FRIEND II" and "Heartplace" are kind of middle-of-the-road, mid-tempo, mid-whatever pop songs. "Heartplace" has a bit of an edge. It's not a real edge, but a pop edge. It's still a good one.
POINT: Rainbow

Track 6:
"Poker Face" was Ayumi's debut single. It is very, very 90's idol J-Pop. There isn't really an edge or personality to it. Just a safe coolness and sweetness. "Over" is a pretty but unmemorable ballad.
POINT: A Song for xx

Track 7:
"Wishing" is a sweet but bland ballad. "Hanabi" is emotional and sad and has some subtlety.
POINT: Rainbow

Track 8:
No contest. "You" was Ayumi's second single and is my favorite song from this album, and it's even better remixed. "Taskinillusion" is an instrumental.
POINT: A Song for xx

Track 9:
"Everywhere Nowhere" is another favorite off this album. It has such energy and a very catchy chorus. "As If..." is cute but the chorus isn't much of a hook. It kind of fizzles.
POINT: Rainbow

Track 10:
What contrast these two songs have. "Powder Snow" is a winter ballad, "July 1st" is an uptempo summer song. As I'm writing this when it's freezing outside and it's not even winter yet, I'll give "Powder Snow" the win.
POINT: A Song for xx

Track 11:
Does it look bad if I keep giving the win to the singles from Ayumi's first album? "Trust" was the third single and is a fine uptempo late 90s J-Pop song. "Dolls" is is more complex and more slickly produced, but ultimately not as exciting.
POINT: A Song for xx

Track 12:
Fun yet unpolished pop song vs spooky instrumental track. "Everlasting Dream" sounds like it would fit in on the Final Fantasy X soundtrack, which was released the previous year, or any other JRPG from that era. If it was more developed I would give it the win, but it's too short so the win goes to "Depend on You."
POINT: A Song for xx

Track 13:
This exercise is really showing that I prefer uptempo songs. "Signal" is much more interesting than the mellow "Voyage." Even though it's less polished, it's more charming. It has that sort of girl-next-door feel that a debuting idol typically has. "Voyage" was much more successful, charting for 28 weeks as Hamasaki's longest charing single.
POINT: A Song for xx


Track 14:
"From Your Letter" is kind of bland. "Close To You" is a beautiful ballad.
POINT: A Song for xx
 
Track 15:
"For My Dear..." isn't a particularly exciting ballad, but it has that single feel that shows more effort was put into constructing its melody. "Independent" is very middle of the road with some guitars for a fake edge.
POINT: A Song for xx

Track 16:
"+" is actually a hidden track on the album. There's a little too much "la la la la." "Present" isn't very exciting either but the tempo and the title is making me think of Christmas so due to the season it gets the edge.
POINT: A Song for xx


WINNER: A Song for xx