I love singles and I want singles!!! It feels so strange that we don't get one.

Same. :yes I would like for her to release singles again, but it's not a big deal for me as long as she is still releasing albums.

While I wouldn't say Party Queen was poorly received, I do agree that it is kinda a mess. Secret and Guilty were great albums, and I felt that had a great flow. Party Queen was everywhere, especially the show tunes. Lyrically, I don't think it flowed as well either, not like NEXT LEVEL, which flowed really well lyrically even if the instrumentals was a bit messy.

She can make albums around the singles, and "lately" it seems the singles are released with a similar theme. (Love Songs, anyone?)

But answering the main question of this thread, no, I don't really think Ayu should release more singles if she doesn't want to. Her tours are what bring in the big money, and you can really feel that she loves singing live. Also, it's a really good way to promote her yearly albums.

^Guilty and Secret are two of her messiest and worst albums IMO...

I think we were just used to that flow though...back then. So it wasn't weird or messy.


Anyways. I think I honestly don't care anymore what she releases or does. I just want her to be comfy.

I don't really see any possible redeeming factors between me and her potential music, or even lyrics, as far as listening goes. So it really doesn't matter.

I always feel so alone in my position that Party Queen is her most cohensive album yet...mainly cohensive because every song has the same high level of production + composition and flows lyrically and musically, not because they sound similar.
Ayumi's albums always had far above average flow for a Japanese album(let's face it, most Japanese albums are single collections with a few added new songs randomly thrown in), but Party Queen felt like a revolution in itself to me.

You're not alone - I agree with you entirely. Ayu's albums have all been genre-hoppers (in my opinion, her BEST albums were). Some did it better than others. I think "Party Queen" has the same genre-hopping-but-still-all-one-album feel that "I am..." had.

That and the progression of sound to sound on "Party Queen," admittedly, makes MUCH more sense if you know the lyrics. It has the personal, heart-wrenching, relatable lyrics of "A Song for XX," the unity/disunity in sound of "I am...," and the storytelling nature of albums like Tori Amos' "Boys for Pele." It's a very very very very good album artistically, but it's not a good pop album by sound alone - you have to know the words.

The album really does tell a good fall-from-grace-then-redemption story about an alcoholic with self-esteem issues who has to reevaluate her life after a divorce and a friend's near-death experience. Listen to the album with THAT summary in mind and you'll enjoy it much more.

IMO MY STORY is probably her most cohesive sound wise, problem is Ayu always has too many cooks in the kitchen (except Love Songs and I would have to say that's probably my fave post-peak album).

MY STORY is actually another very good one, but I still often forget that more polished-sounding single tracks like "INSPIRE" and "CAROLS" are on it, they still stick out like a sore thumb for the most part. "Moments" and "Game" fit in nicely with it, however.

Yeah, I even sometimes make the mistake of thinking CAROLS is on Memorial Address. INSPIRE could easily be on Memorial Address or Memorial Address. Where as all the other songs really could only be on MY STORY except HAPPY ENDING which kinda I've always thought to be some sort of Close to you/Dolls and HANABI love child.

aww.. the greatness that is... everyone has their own opinion on what makes a good album or not...
I find secret a very good album, but include it in the bottom of album list (along with the horror that was guilty), because its something completely different from what ayumi had done before... Both albums (secret and guilty) were pretty much rock albums, and they didn't have a very good variety.
I love having crazy mixed up albums. Screw cohesive! I want good music.

It feels like Ayu's bored with the whole single-idea, but I really dislike her digital-releases how beautiful you are and Happening Here. They got now attention, nothing. I completley missed them and yeah, find them quite useless. I like Ayu trying new stuff, but she's too focused in touring, I feel even her albums are suffering from it. She's a workaholic, I know, but I would want her to put as much of her energy into her CD's like she doesn on the touring.

I don't think that'll happen until the CD release profit margin is higher for performing artists. I think Ayu is trying to make a living now, rather than trying to break records or make a splash in the media, which is all CD releases do. She'll write & record new material, but I think her musical releases from now on will be focused more on whatever message she wants to convey, rather than pleasing the general public. I think we've officially reached the point in Ayu's career where her CD releases will get further & further apart, because she won't force material like she has in the past.

^Everyone (that was successful enough) gets to this point sometime... She will release more comercial albums from times to times... But I have to say Love songs started the best part of her career so far IMO

^^ I dont know if she was ever forced to make material..
Now, avex could/did force her to release stuff, but I think she is at the point in her career where she can basically say what and when she wants to release.
Also, at the same time, avex does has some input...
She wanted to release to CD's for party Queen but wound up only doing one... anyone know why?

I imagine she probably wanted to save the songs for later or didn't fit her ~vision~, originally the album started with Call so something changed somewhere...

L was such a flawless song to end her singles (apart from sweet season obviously)
1. Last Angel
2. Do It Again
3. Virgin Road
:love

^ yeah... i knew about that, but I wonder what changed at the last minute...
and yes, L was a perfect way to end a record breaking single run.
All three songs are amazing... a that album is... I just love it so much!

^This is fine, imo.

TeamAyu2004 - I dont know if she was ever forced to make material. Really? How about the whole A BEST -situatuion? Of course she's been forced, it makes perfectly clear, to avex she's a product and that what products do! Pity for avex, Ayu's got her own mind and losing Ayu is not an option for avex. Didn't songs like alterna tell about her anxiety towards her label?


Oh, and I love Sweet Season, hhihi ^^

Yeah, alterna's PV is directed at AVEX though I always had a sense that the lyrics are directed at critics and even fans. (miss)understood is also similarly themed against certain kinds of fans, and alot of her singles from I am... are themed against AVEX and/or her lack of freedom as a product.

To answer the TC, I do wish we had more singles if only because I loved watching her TV lives.

I said new material. They never forced her to make new songs for A Best, she did that so that people would have reason to buy the album, because she didn't want a best album. The album itself was put together by avex, Ayumi really had nothing to do with it.
It goes with her singles as well. She made the songs (NEVER EVER and unite!) but she didn't want it released as singles, avex did. They forced the songs as singles, but not the actually songs.

And the entire Dearest, MY STORY, stuff is about her not being a product (which is arguable). She still choose to make those songs... I hardly doubt that avex told/forced her to write songs about how badly they treat her.