I need more remixes of Ladies Night. I love another night and the afra beatbox remix. Everything about the song is awesome. Give me more. lol

I think we should not forget this happened.

^WUT!? I never know that

HA! I totally forgot about that, it was in 2012 right?
She's so hot haha, we can see her "tramp stamp" tattoo

Christ on a bike, I had completely forgotten about that. Why did you have to remind me? :cry

Oh I remember that LOL

I'm kind of living for that look. She's turning it out.

Has anyone ever stopped to count exactly how many songs ayu has that incorporate a choir of "oohing" background vocalists/vocals? SEASONS, Beautiful Day, key, etc. She uses this technique A LOT to create a warmth and evoke a sense of nostalgia.

Another thing, has anyone else noticed what appears to be the sound of a school bell ringing in the distance in Key, from 1:11-1:20? It's very faint, but it always catches my attention.

What PV was it?

A Song for XXX

LOLLL! I have no recollection of what the picture is from. What is happening there?

STFU OMG LOL :laugh

Ayu should really do some horror. the creepy themes in Marionette are not creepy enough. give us Vampire/Zombie something!

BUTTTT, you guys, don't forget how AHS has blessed ayu to tears:
http://i.imgur.com/uFYoHn1.jpg

I have been OBSESSED with listening to momentum lately idk why. it's always been one of her best songs imo but I'm just having this INTENSE appreciation for it at the moment

I was lucky enough to be blessed with snowfall after I exited class yesterday at 6:00pm. I was sure in April I had seen the last of snow until next winter, but I was overjoyed, because it gave me a chance to experience momentum once again as it is meant to be experienced. I listened to it over and over as I stood gazing all round me, admiring the beautiful snowfall. This morning, it was snowing as well, and so I was able to walk within the world of momentum today on my way to class. I remember having the thought of intense appreciation as well. momentum truly is magnificent, because it is not only a song, it is an environment.

^I don't post much but I just wanted to say that I always love reading your posts about how you experience music, because you obviously have an intense love and appreciation of music, Zeke. : )

UGGH, I remember people really hating on this song, but it has always been second place to "No Way to Say" for me ;_;. I miss this style of catchy ballad from ayu.

LMAO

lol I just purchased that (essentially useless for the diehard, long-time fans) A THEME SONGS compilation thing because I need to own all her stuff. Would've also purchased the WINTER BALLAD thing but it's not on US iTunes. Hell, not even Colours is on US iTunes yet (not that I plan on purchasing that one on iTunes since if a release of hers has a CD format I get the CD). avex/iTunes get ur shit together

I remember the first time I came to Japan was during winter in 2010 and when I first saw a snow falling from the train window, I was listening to CAROLS' chorus and it felt soooooo right

I'm in the process of burning CD-Rs (original source files being lossless in the first place) of Ayu's albums for my boyfriend, since he was a fan before he met me but he only had a huge handful of songs on his computer from like youtube or something lmao.

And my mom says to give him only 2-3 CDs at a time, and I was just like, "No I told him he's getting all 16 albums at the same time the next time we see each other." and my mom replied sarcastically, "That's not obsessive AT ALL!" And I didn't include the mini-albums and the compilation albums in that count so lol

Although I don't necessarily consider A ONE and Step by step bad music, I feel like ayu is in a very ambiguous state in her career. I feel as if her vision for her career at this moment isn't really solidified. Like I can't really see what she's aiming for with her music or the direction she's going in. Like the music isn't bad it's just...lacking something. Wonder if anyone else feels this way.

Well, I think her vision has gotten a bit cloudier and less laser focused as it had been in the early to mid 2000s. However, I think that is because she may be taking a more relaxed approach when it comes to her music after getting married and moving to LA (ish).

It's not a bad thing necessarily, but you can see in what she's put out that she isn't exactly looking to be ~perfect~ anymore.

Totally agree. I don't see it as a bad thing it just feels a bit...weird? I guess. And I definitely see it as her taking it easy. Whenever I'm close to calling her easygoingness as "lazy" I remember her constant touring, CDLs, and now the mini-album announced immediately after A ONE. She's working hard and it shows. It's all just an interesting thing to see as someone who's been an ayu fan for a while.

Nobody answered my question.
I'm curious is that sound is supposed to be a school bell or what it is.

Right now I think she's mostly just releasing so she can tour something, hence the super mega safe songs she's been releasing that sound like they exist primarily to be inoffensive tbh.

^ Then why would she be releasing the mini album in august since she just released A ONE and started the tour???

As for your question Zeke. i do hear a very distant sound of a bell, but it sounded more like the bell announcing the arrival of a train than a school bell. I can't really choose because the sound is not loud enough.

how the hell did you hear that? I had to loop that 10 second section for like 10 minutes to hear it.

I know what you mean, but I think it just sounds like a bell ringing. Not the school bell or anything, but a musical instrument bell. Like a a faint jingle bell or something. At first I thought it was the sound of Engine Brakes on a train when they slow down as they enter a station and the brakes make that screechy sound.

Ah, I am not familiar with train arrival bells. I was just trying to figure out the significance of placing that sound into the song and whether it connected with the lyrics somehow.

Lol, I listen to my music full blast and I open my senses to become aware of all the different layers when listening. It seems there is always something new to hear no matter how many times you've heard a particular track.

I agree in a sense. Although I think she had more of an idea with A ONE, I'm not sure if she thinks this is exactly how she wants her career to be. Idk if she knows what she wants her career to be. I'm okay with most of A ONE in the sense that it's a more mature sound. That can be boring, but I've realized lately that I'd like ayu to go the direction I think she was going with MY STORY and (miss)understood and make more mature music (not that her old music immature or stupid). Like, no more cutesy things and etc. No more XOXOs. I feel like when she released blue bird and beautiful fighters she regressed in that sense. And she put herself in this place where she would still release cutesy shit that may be more appealing to a younger generation. And it's not bad. And ayu is very grown up and mature and can be so thoughtful and wise and lyrically it's all there. I just wish she would continue in a direction sound and image wise that showed that. She can't be the forever young and hip type.

Idk. My thoughts are jumbled. Ayu can do whatever she wants and someone will like it and there's nothing wrong with what she does. I just know what I want to see. Also, ayu could still have something more when it comes to the arrangements of some of her songs.

Also, it's good to see you back, love

Answer is in my original post.

@Zeke. : I think this bell can be related to a marriage bell or something like that, because I read somwhere that Key was a song about marriage (?), and the ~eternal tie version~ can be a sign towards this interpretation too.
Can anyone confirm this ?

Wow. you explained A ONE in words I couldn't quite put together. I couldn't figure out how to say that the album was safe and non-hectic compared to Colours. What you said is exactly what I think about the album.

every song except maybe warning tbh

Colours is one of my favorite Ayu albums of all time. Is that one of the most unpopular opinions in the world or what? :laugh

An album with lelio, xoxo, and terminal... enough said lol

it's my #2 album by her actually. The most unpopular opinion would be that my #1 album by her is Party Queen, which it actually is.

My opinion is probably the strangest. I like all the albums for different reasons so they're all #1 in some way oops.

I love Colours. I don't think it's one of her best albums by a long shot, but I really love it for what it is. After the three albums before it (especially LOVE again), it was really refreshing to have something that was just sort of fun and a little sleek. The only song I really don't care for at all is Pray, which of course sticks out like a sore thumb siiighs.

I didn't realize so many people actually disliked Colours until A ONE leaked lol

Asfxx ayu's magnum opus tbh. Tight vocals, great melodies, and superb mixing.

I never got why people didn't like colours. Ayu gave us the electo legend terminal, with lyrics that were actually interesting.

^ Not jpop enough, I guess?

Were you not paying attention when it was rumored that Terminal was going to be a single? So many people were against it. When I made a thread, I quoted all the negative reviews.

Let's also not forget the people who said it was more disgusting than the Armin van Helden remix of inspire, and worse than Bold and Delicious.

I think people were being over the top, and that was all just for Terminal. I think more people were against Colours than were for it.

Let's take a walk down memory lane, shall we?

^I'm gonna be very lazy but could you post the link to the thread about that with the negative reviews?
They called it worse than my namesake? OMG where was I when this happened?

Edit Oh the mess happened in July. That's why I don't know. I was in Japan and I was like in some bubble or something.
Not too sure about the exact quotes you had in mind though.

As mentioned, I felt CoLOURS just didn't go far enough. It was a bunch of "EDM-esque," only one of which (Lelio) felt like a real "hit" as far as Electronic Dance Music goes. Terminal was a letdown; especially if you are familiar with the trance genre, and Armin's previous works, it was seen as a major fail within the community (on message boards, by trance fans). It really does feel like an album of rejects that big-name EDM artists/vocalists had no interest in so Ayu scooped them up for herself.

For the record though, those remarks were not referencing whether or not Terminal was a good song, they were referencing whether or not it was realistic to believe it would be released as a single.

^^People were fucking crazy, I'll see if I can find the exact quote. I remember them so well cause I absolutely loved Terminal when it first came out, and all those posts left a horrible taste in my mouth.

I don't know what to say about that, Zeke. I love the every little thing trance album you suggested and I also love terminal.

idk, I thought it was mostly because... the rumor had been going on for like 1800 years at that point without any confirmation and everyone was getting sick of everyone else continuing to spread it around lmao.

And yeah, what Zeke said. It wasn't directed at the song itself so much as the rumors.

Terminal is like, somewhere in the middle for me tbh. I expected a lot more for a trance track but it grew on me.

I can't find the post calling Terminal Disgusting, and I can't find the post saying it was her worst song while also saying Bold and Delicious was one of her best songs ever, but on my way to find them, here's some quotes I came across.

Let's face it, B&D is one of her best songs and the best song for my alarm.

Terminal sleiiiiiiighed.

^^ lmao! I still remember hearing the preview for Bold & Delicious for the first time when the single was coming out. It was............................................... . jarring. I had a laugh tho lol. Sunrise ~LOVE is ALL~ is my fav wake-up song and Feel the love is pretty good too!

@orangeakira: Terminal just feels like... a bit of wasted potential to me tbh. I like it but I can't help but feel like it could have been SO much more. The vocal parts are divine, the rest is a bit flat.

I think it was made to be performed live. The experience must have been surreal to have Terminal ~ Connected done.

If she has another trance track on the new mini... oiiii.

She's been giving me what perfume hasn't for about 2 years. Ayuma better sleigh my summer again.

Yes I do :D

God, Duty really is that album. I don't even know if I'd consider it my favorite Ayu album, but it's just so good.

I have the biggest question marks for eyes reading all that negative feedback for Terminal.

It's like really, of all songs, Terminal? Please.

All this hate for Colours is so fucking tiring lmao Colours was a fun album, that's all. The fuck y'all expecting masterpieces for. This bitch isn't Mozart. (even though Tereminal is so flawless it leaves hoes scalped and Merry-go-round none of your faves could ever come close).

Omg..Terminal is epic
how can people hate it so much?

I understand disliking Terminal... I enjoy it, but not NEARLY as much as I enjoyed the original ayu trance & Connected & all the Trance stuff that I really loved between about 2001 and 2006 or so. The anthem/progressive stuff from back then gives me tingles, and Terminal is enjoyable, but I am left utterly tingle-free by it. Not a goosebump to be found.

Terminal is the best piece of art and music ever created. Even now i can listen to it over and over again not getting tired of it, it's just so awesome

i just don't get the hate for it and Colours, both are flawless in my eyes

I love the new mix of Tell All!

I wish there was a studio version of Wake me up like the live sfmmm. :cry It kicks the song up from nice to FUCKING BAD ASS. I wonder if it would be possible to meld the original mix and the Remo-con mix to recreate it???

You mean this?

Also loving Thx A Lot - is this an unpopular opinion? I just love the classic TK sound on this one. It's also nice to hear Ai Otsuka again, as I haven't listened to her in years.

I wouldn't mind if TK did a song like this/Seven Days War for Ayu - it'd be a good concert ending song.

Yes! This is exactly what I was talking about. Thank you for linking! Is there an MP3 for this floating around anywhere? :blove

You're welcome! I just uploaded it to mediafire! I got it from another youtube video with better sound quality looooong time ago.
(Btw, I didn't know how this track was supposed to be named, so I wrote the name of the video xD)

Enjoy! :)

OH MY GOD The 2015 Remix of Tell all is amazing! It sounds like it could be a "Hal's 2015 Progress" or something. I love it. It really makes me want A Ballads 2. If she ever does it, this remix needs to be on it.

I concur wholeheartedly.

Thank you so much. I was at the CDL and I love this version! So many great memories. ;_;

LOL I still think it's bad as f. I just can't come to love it. It just drags and drags what seems like forever. I still greatly dislike it. I don't hate it anymore,though, so that's changed, but i would still skip it, actually i skip the whole album xD The photoshoots were awesome thought!

however i still am not quite sure why people take others' words personally... folks on here were no less vocal about Last minute lol And that song probably jumped to the top 10 Ayu songs of mine lol And i'm like " Being different is awesome xD


Also YES the new remix of Tell all is awesome, though i think it would have been even better if she rerecorded the vocals too! Imagine how would that have sounded!

Thank you! <3

I don't care what anyone says. I consider Terminal a Summer single. The cover is her on a beach, and even though it was released october 1st the original release date was supposed to be September 17th which was summer, because the Autumnal equinox (which marks the first day of Autumn) was September 24th.

So yeah, even though it was released in october, it was originally meant as a summer single.

Y'all should get in the orgel thread! The BALLAD one is really good.
Ayuma orgels are so nice.

I could never get into orgel which is surprising cause I love that simplistic melody stuff. But, I went to checkout BALLAD, it's lovely. It really brings out the melody of the song. It sounds so haunting.

Oh holy frick frack, the new Tell All mix is great! I was expected a very slightly different mix so this is a nice surprise. Are the vocals new? Because they sound different. Ayu needs to put this version in the tour! Like, bump Microphone off or something...!
Now if they could go back and re-do Last Minute like this...

I've been thinking about Virgin Road recently, how it is one of her coolest songs. It is so dramatic and it kind of goes on and on, but that's what I like about it. The song truly sounds like a journey. I love that the Love Classics (or whatever Love title it had XD) truly made me love that song even more. I think that version of the song makes it even more powerful.

She just has these specific songs that I want to label as masterpieces, but I totally get that some people won't think of them the same way.

Tell All 2015 mix gives me LIFE !!!!

They will be praising it in 2 or 3 years... :P

Good art tends to be divisive... Until it gets 100 years old and people starting liking it not because they think it's good, but because it's considered good art. :P

I didn't think I'd ever see Ayu's ass until I saw her new beauty clinic CM.

^ i don't think that it is ayu's ass. I am more inclined to think it is a stand in model/body double ;)

Clearly you've never seen her Facebook profile pictures.

^ Nope, I have not. Now I might out of curiosity.

https://fbcdn-profile-a.akamaihd.net...d8af8d0b536253

there you go, bb :heart

http://sia1.subirimagenes.net/img/20...2517689049.jpg

Oh YES!

I just can't get over her ass antlers. She hid them so well for so long :laugh

Oh my.... :thumbsup

whew!

This feels weird lol

Does anyone know the meaning behind the title of Microphone? The lyrics doesn't seem to relate directly to it, from what I get it's about a strong relationship, sometimes unstable but still strong :dead2

^She is talking about her art. She is talking about music, then she is talking to her "microphone". The lyrics hasn't love meaning ^^

It's about her relationship with the Microphone (as a representation of her music, her career, the stage, etc). All of the songs from the first part of this AT are about her career... x,x

I wonder when she got that tattoo done! The first time i saw it was in the NAKED TALK photoshoot back in 2010

^ I think she had it for longer already though
If I'm not mistaken it's visible in the off shot for thr Rule PV
at least there is one picture in the Team Ayu mag where I'm certain it's that tattoo.

I would like to know when she got the tattoo on her hip area done

Oh, I was thinking it was related to a person. It makes A LOT of sense now :yes Thanks for the input, guys!

While we were talking about the tattoo on her lower back earlier..
I like how she added a star on each side in the later years. At first it was just one each.
I wonder if there is a reason for this or if she just thought it would be prettier this way or something

I'd love to see more of her tattoos - I always think the designs are very pretty. And I like how they're all a similar style.

The Show Must Go On is a REALLY great motivational workout song! It gets me pumped when lifting - keeps me going, like if I want to quit and I haven't hit my rep range yet, I think "it must go on" and helps push me through to the level I need to be at.

Out Of Control has really nice sounding guitars. I've always thought that call is missing something and now I realised that it was all about the guitars.

Relistening to GUILTY.

(don't) Leave me alone is so fierce. Could have fit well on NEXT LEVEL IMO.