Party Queen album thoughts II
 

I don't have any thoughts on this album; maybe I'm just not interested...

...but if you would like to talk about the album more, here's another thread. The first thread (here) is already too full, 500+ posts.

Does anyone get HANABI vibes from the opening of Return Road and the composition. Both songs' opening have the same melodic progression and that pre-chorus part...where she sings slightly faster and the key is raised halfway during that...it's existant in both songs!

well..no surprise since DAI is involved in both but...just something i felt...

I'm really glad I didn't get bashed for my strong opinions in the previous thread :laugh

anyway, the next LOVE & Eyes, Smoke, Magic are.. actually getting nicer to me. I'm more into them xD

my friend asked me why are her PVs this time round (i didn't show him NaNaNa and Shake It :heart cos yeah...) so full of black.

then i was like.. hmm that's true. "black" is a really common theme in her PVs this time round. even the other 2 dance PVs were predorminatly "black"... without much color in them. seems like it represents her "color" right now eh :laugh

the next LOVE has grown on me. Still hate Eyes, Smoke, Magic.

After a week the album hasn't changed much for me. The starting three songs are okay, from taskebab to tell me why is fantastic, and after that point its a mixed bag. Not consistent enough to make it near my top 5 ayu albums. Not even close.

Decided that I'll be using 'the next LOVE' as the dance for my final dance in class. ;) Still like it that much.

tbh, i am surprised i liked this album. i didnt have the urge to skip any tracks.

perhaps i am a fan of club-type of music. So i like Party Queen, NaNaNa and Shake It. probably NaNaNa has too much of Timmy. a pity.

The mid section is also good for me even though all sounded pretty sad. Return Road was definitely the highlight. I can feel it in Tell me why.

I also liked ayu's venture into Jazz. i am sure these 2 songs will be performed "Sexy little things" style in her concert.

Finally, i liked how the album end with a song that is of totally different genre from the first song. :)

In general, i like this album other than the covers. -.-

I wanted to dislike this album at first. The title, the covers, the song titles all instantly turned me off. And yet, this is Ayu. So I've grown to appreciate the image and made the interpretations I could to like it. Whether she is a "lonely queen" or a "party queen", she deserves to be happy. She'll always be the same Ayu I've always loved. So I support this effort 100% now.

I liked how versatile the album was. However, while there weren't too many extremely "weak" songs, I'm not sure there were epic songs either. NaNaNa and Shake It will hardly stand the test of time, I doubt I'll be playing them a year from now, but who knows. Luckily, reminds me, Return Road, and the next LOVE were all superb and fantastic. Those are on repeat and my personal favorites on the album. The title track, Party Queen, I actually enjoyed a lot too! Tell Me Why was the other great song on the album. The rest of the songs were okay, not great, but not horrible.

This album takes awhile to digest since it is very unique, but after it is fully digested, I think you can start to appreciate it. I definitely am glad I bought it and appreciate how all the tracks aren't copies of each other. I really wonder what is in store for her in the future, too.

Letter has grown on me. I thought it was kind of bland at first, but I like it now. Mostly thanks to the lyrics lol. Only Eyes, Smoke, Magic and call don't really click with me.

All in all, I really the album <3 She really stepped up with her lyrics again imo.

So I just watched NaNaNa PV 'cause I'm tired of waiting for my box to arrive... I was really expecting something terrible, after all this talk 'bout Timmy's rap being so horrible and completely intolerable. OMG ppl r U serious? He fits there so good, I'd even say his voice sounds hot there. I didn't even know it was him. This song is ****ing awesome. this is my IMO it is not absolute or anything.

It is really sad that ppl r givin him so much hate, though yes in Return Road his was kinda out of place. Anyway I will definitely try to give him more support via twitter.

Can't say anything about album itself as I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive (plz be here nxt week).

I think I'm glad that AYU's trying something new on this album. Eventually out the way of Love songs album, haha!!
I have to say I really love the two broadway style songs, the next LOVE and ESM, I don't really listen to jazz a lot, but this two songs just hit my ears and I have to say this two are the best that I love.
Return Road is also good, the emotion in this song is strong, especially with the opera-like style , AYU's really good in singing with chorus, which I think she's the only singer in Japan now can do this good job.
Others like call and Letter are good, the lyrics is sad, reminds me is good as well.
NaNaNa and Shake it are not bad, besides the PV of this two LOL.

Anyhow, I put over 5 stars on this album.

To be honest, I actually feel quite disappointed :yrolleyes... because I really liked the album, I loved almost all songs, but then the release date came closer and no promotion (on tv) happened, I felt so much disappointed! it almost hurts me to see how low her sales are... and you know, I feel quite angry. I can't understand why doesn't she make a tv-live, at least one, why did she do those upcoming "interviews" so late? why? why doesn't she act like the new album release is something special. like she doesn't care about it? like it's just another album released, nothing to be excited for...

why the promotion sucked so much? it was obvious that those PQ cars in Shibuya won't help promotion that much... and those magazines where she appeared are only for girls...

I hope you guys understand me :headache

The lack of promotion is really depressing. I feel as though Ayu and Avex have been quite complacent with EVERYTHING especially promotion.

I think the promotion problems are something to do with AVEX, they should be blamed.

If they promoted it better, I think Japanese would eat up songs like call and Letter. They are very radio-playable imo. Maybe even Tell me why. The album really stands a good chance at connecting with the general audience I feel. She's given got club-ish/disco/party tracks in the start, totally playable and remixable in clubs.

The only songs I play are NaNaNa, Party Queen, reminds me and Return Road.

When I listen to NaNaNa I always smile awkwardly out of nowhere because I find it so funny how BAD Timmy sounds LOL. Happened yesterday at the subway. :/

I thought the album was pretty good at first listen (except for Party Queen which is just horrendous imo), best album since GUILTY I'd say.

But after a few listens I have no desire to listen to the album anymore... :l except for maybe reminds me... The songs sound pretty forgettable to me, I don't even remember what most of the songs sound like

I'm gonna be firm at believing that 'sad lonely queen' was just a promotional stunt

I wonder what will be in like 10 or maybe 15 years? Will anyone remember songs like "NaNaNa" or "Party Queen"? I think everyone will remember "SURREAL", "AUDIENCE", "evolution", "JEWEL", "Days" etc. But "Party Queen" as a whole will be forgotten, I am so sure xD

OK, the fans who buy everything and listen to everything of Ayu might not forget "Party Queen" though, I admit.

I still prefer NEXT LEVEL. I like those songs much more :curtain call >>>>> HBYA

Shake It♥ is becoming my favorite on the album now. can't stop listening.
i guess i'm just going to go through a lot of favorites over time since this album is full of so many amazing songs lol

I still play the album, especially Party Queen, Shake It & Return Road.
NaNaNa is still amazing but i've decided to not play it too often, i don't want to get tired of it.

Shake It<3 is definitly the track that has growed on me the most, i found it rather dissapointing at first but it may just be my favorite on the album now. IT'S SO HOT.

And to my surprise some of the tracks i loved the most at first have become my least played lol, Call is great but it got boring quick. And Letter just does nothing to me it seems.
I've found a weak spot for Eyes, Smoke, Magic. i can't help but love it now.

So my opinion on the album is pretty much the same, just with some opinions changing.

Yes! Shake it♥ is awesome. I love bounceback :D

woman could be dangerous woman could be generous IN ORDER TO SURVIVVVEEEEEE

Shake it is growing on me as well!

Soooooort of. Not HANABI specifically but I get strong vibes of the albums Duty and RAINBOW with all the tracks on this album

Sounds like it would fit in Duty/GUILTY (sad rock ballads)
reminds me
Return Road
Tell me why
the next LOVE (she's never done jazz but I think Duty would be the closest
Eyes, Smoke, Magic
how beautiful you are

Sounds like it would fit in with RAINBOW/NEXT LEVEL (R&B, electronica)
Party queen
NaNaNa
Shake it <3
call
Letter
how beautiful you are

Me too my boyfriend gets it stuck in his head too hahah and he's not a fan maybe he will be in the future... :innocent I'll just let him fall into his own trap.

YES I get RAINBOW feelings from Party queen -- Letter tracks those first 5 sound so RAINBOW to me

My thoughts on this album:

I still haven’t warmed up to “Party Queen”, and I don’t think I ever will. I haven’t liked this song since hearing it at CDL, so it’s an automatic skip for me.

However, the other two party-ish songs, “NaNaNa, and “Shake It ♥”, I like those a lot. Don’t even mind Timmy taking over most of “NaNaNa”.

“Taskebab” was just meh. Whatever.

Moving on to the rock section, I really like “Call” and I love “Reminds Me”. I’m not sold on “Letter” at the moment, but maybe with a few more listens. “Tell Me Why” was okay, a little boring though. Halfway through the song, I was like meh, next. After listening to “Return Road” in full, I don’t really like it.

I think I like “A Cup of Tea” a little bit…

“The Next LOVE” kinda reminded me of “Giving Him Something He Can Feel” by En Vogue. Not really a fan of this song though, I listened to it twice and I have no desire to ever listen to it again. It wasn’t as bad as “Eyes, Smoke, Magic”. I couldn’t even get through that song once. The part where the music picked up a bit was cool, but after that I was done.

“Serenade in A Minor” is…meh. Pretty, but meh.

I think “How Beautiful You Are” is a nice closing song. Also pretty much the only song composed by Timmy that I actually like.

So to wrap up, I found the album to be pretty average. The first half was nice (except “Party Queen”), but after “Reminds Me”, I found the album pretty dull. To be honest, I wish I hadn’t spent money on this and downloaded it instead. There's just too many skippable tracks here for me.

My first post. :D
I felt like this album was average overall...

Party Queen: This actually one of the only songs on the album that feels like it had some form of effort put into it to me. Anyway, I think it's kind of like a HONEY; it's not meant to be taken seriously. It serves its purpose nicely.

NaNaNa: I laugh every time this just happens to pop up on my iPod's shuffle. Don't get me wrong, I love the beat, it's great. But Timmy's rap...did Ayu write this, or him? Anyway, it's one of the less generic songs on the album, and I praise Ayu and her composers on their work here.

Shake it <3: I'm not sure how I feel about this. Yeah, it's addictive. But so is 'Lollipop' by Koda Kumi. Anyway, it sounds like Ayu is trying too hard with its erotic lyrics. I'm not going to say its generic, but it's not...I don't know. It's decent I guess.

Taskebab: It reminds me of Ladies Night ~another night~. Instant love.

call: Hey Ayu, Last Links called and wants its guitar back. :P I just don't like this. It's just so weak. So, so brittle....Ayu could have done so much with this. Maybe Ayu should have put this as the opening track? I mean, Bold & Delicious didn't sound nearly half as terrible as the (miss)understood opener...

Letter: What call should have been. Honestly, call shouldn't be on the album due to the presence of this song. Although Ayu's vocals aren't brilliant here, I think it actually suits the overall mood; she sounds very emotional in it. When she goes for the high notes, she reminds me of the Duty Ayu. Anyway, I think she's going to cry during this song at her tour. :(

reminds me: I have been waiting the day for another NEVER EVER to come along, and I think this is it. It is absolute desperation coupled with melancholy, and it works so well. I think it will out last every other song on this album in terms of impression, and be the only one that will gain classic status.

Return Road: Epic; but that is all it is. It has been heavily based on M, but unfortunately, I think it'll be a bit like progress and become forgettable in a few months time. That's actually another point; Ayu does this every album. She has this epic song that seemingly blows everything else out of the water, but lately, I feel as if all of them do not have the lasting impression of RAINBOW, Duty, Free & Easy, and Mirrorcle World, and consequently, fail to become classics. Also, I think the choir featured in the instrumental should have been throughout the song, as it just feels so out of place being suddenly featured in the latter of the song.

Tell me why: It's not terrible, but it's definitely generic. This sounds so influenced by Western pop, and I'm not sure if I like Ayu going down that route as Western pop is just so manufactured now (haha, not that I have a choice what she does!) Anyway, it's a filler, but I'm not going to complain as its not a 'meaning of Love' type that has seemed to weasle its way onto every recent Ayu album.

cup of Tea: I'm not really a fan of dubstep, so I don't really like it. But, it seems as if dubstep fans love it, so I'm going to assume that its a great interlude.

the next LOVE: I love Jazz, Ayu has that kind of husky tone that suits seedy saxophones. :lech Anyway, it's probably the most original song on the album, and I am so, SO pleased that it is a jazz based as it stands out in her discography; it'll have its own special place among other devastation based songs such HOPE or PAIN, SCAR, still alone, and Pride. It's a shame that it's been so disapproved by fans, as it has redeemed this album for me.

Eyes, Smoke, Magic: Yeah, yeah; everyone loathes this song. But they're all going to do a 360 when Ayu goes all Chicago and does it justice at her tour this year. I like it, it's different.

Serenade in A minor: Beautiful, but bland.

how beautiful you are: Great message, but its been done before. It's a disappointment. Curtain call is better (Yeah. I went there).

Overall, I give Ayu 3.5 for this album. It's not her greatest, but it's definitely not her worst. It has the best lyrics Ayu has had in YEARS. I mean, I think these lyrics are on par with the ones featured in MY STORY, and (miss)understood. Unfortunately, half the songs have already been done by Ayu before, another quarter are just plain generic, and then there is the remainder that have actually made this album worth listening to.

Best songs:
reminds me, Return Road, the next LOVE, NaNaNa.

Decent:
Shake it <3, Party Queen, cup of Tea, Taskebab.

Good luck next time Ayu:
call, tell me why, Serenade in A minor, how beautiful you are.

Is going to change everybody's minds at her tour:
Eyes, Smoke, Magic, Letter.

All the songs grew on me. Repeated the album for 823726291028x times, so I have my new likes and dislikes.

Party Queen: Grew fast on me when the radio rip leaked. Still like the song.
NaNaNa: Had to hear this one four times to know where it was going. Now it's one of my favourites on this album.
Shake it: I hated Shake it from the beginning, but I like it now.
call: Liked this song, but I have kind of heard it now.And I notice I am skipping this song a lot lately.
Letter: It's okay, I guess. Never have been a huge fan of this song. Another skip.
reminds me: My playlist says I listen to this song a lot, apparently.. but I have still no idea how the chorus is going, actually. Allthough, this is that song with that long rock-guitar bridge, right? Well I love that part. Lets say I like it.
Return Road Masterpiece. Loved it from the 15seconds-preview. I am still amazed. The smashing piano-shock is over.
Tell Me Why I like it a lot, but I have been skipping this song a lot as well, lately.
the next LOVE Grew on me. But... still no fan.
Eyes Smoke Magic Oh, how much I hated this song. But it grew on me and I cant help it to sing along with it. It's such a cute song. Deleted it from my iPod though because I think it's not a really good Ayu song.
how beautiful you are That's the thing with singles, right? You have kind of heard it now. But HBYA is beautiful. Even now I am not listening to it as much as before.

I guess my opinions are okay for now. They will not change very much

to me.this album is like a combine of next level and rock and roll circus.

the song - 5 star (so many enjoyable songs...esp the first of three one)
the pv - 3 star
the cover - 1 star
the booklet - sorry i really dont like it.

i like it...but (don't) like it.

btw ,where's HAL go? i miss their "dreamy" effect song,like they did on rainbow.i think this album is too far from rainbow.its as close like next level and rock and roll circus.and i dont think this is like guilty.guilty is a very sad/angry/dark atmosphere album.glitter shouldn;t be there :P

I'll never stop expressing my discontent with Eyes, Smoke, Magic, and the next LOVE. MANNNNNN lol

I feel like these songs were a great use of her voice in it's current state (contrasted with HBYA, where the music and her voice quality just clashed imo), but unfortunately I really hate theatre-style/musical-style music. They are the only tracks on the album where I can say my dislike is entirely a matter of genre-preference.

Ayu should never, ever touch jazz again. period. she's done it. now never do it again.

I'll jump on the bandwagon of people who "shake it" grew on them. Love this track now.

Wow, I really feel like an odd one out here. For me personally, Party Queen-Nanana-Shake It are my least favourite tracks on the whole album... and Eyes, Smoke, Magic is easily one of my favourites.

It's weird, but i really was feeling dissapointed after the first 3 tracks, and almost considered stopping the album until a later time, but once i hit Call, that all changed and i felt it went from strength to strength after that.

Return Road is a true highlight for me, and i absolutely love how beautiful you are. Still though, as mentioned earlier, i really think my standouts for the album are Eyes, Smoke, Magic, and also the next LOVE. I'm not trying to be different, heck i didn't even know what anyone thought about the album until i checked here just now :o.

I tend to skip passed tracks 1-3 when i listen to this album, maybe they're just not my kinda thing. Sure, they could fit in with the whole Next Level style etc... but i don't think any of these three songs are quite up to the standard of that album.

That said, i'm quite interested to see Nanana live... I've been won over to songs in the past based on live performances (Step you most notably) so anything's possible.

you dislike jazz music in general lol

Anyway, I can't listen to them cause its just too much cheese.

I really really hope she changes up the arrangments or does something cool musically for them when she does them live...but knowing her, it'll all be about the theatrics.

You're not alone, I dislike PQ and NaNaNa too. Maybe Shake it♥ will grow on you?

It may grow on me, but not sure if and when lol. It's probably the best of those three songs, but on a whole it just seems like one of her weaker tracks overall. It's a shame really

Reminds me is such a great song lol, I bet she's gonna own it live

1. Party queen - wasn't too keen on the first listen but it grew on me fast. I like the beat and the chorus sounds amazing. The lyrics themselves appeal to me, too, but I love the club scene (how I miss living in a city rather than this small coastal town) so I find it relatable.

2. NaNaNa - this is possible my favourite track on the album. I've always loved clocks as symbolism, so I was hooked from the "tick tick tick" of the opening. Oh, and I love Timmy. The things people were saying about his contributions made me wary but, somehow, I love his presence on this album (loved him in BRILLANTE too, mind). Also adore the PV! It's perfect.

3. Shake It♥ - brilliant track. It doesn't feel polished, but I think that only adds to it's appeal. I really don't like the PV though.

4. taskebab - from about 50 seconds onwards this interlude is golden.

5. call - beautiful and I love it. It usually takes me a while to warm-up to ballads but I loved this one before she even opened her mouth. On the first listen the quality of her voice bothered me somewhat, but the chorus is perfect!

6. Letter - amazing, but I think I prefer call. However, I will admit that I think her vocals are much stronger here and that, overall, it is technically the better song.

7. reminds me - the lyrics here are so beautiful and honest and I just love how she sounds here. <3 Although the the long instrumental/lalala bit bores me.

8. Return Road - I really like this. As for the PV, I love the concept but can't help but find it a little dull.

9. Tell me why - I like it while it's playing - but once it's over I have trouble recalling how it sounds. I guess it isn't memorable for me. :/

10. a cup of tea - like taskebab, I love it.

11. the next LOVE - not too keen on it! Maybe it'll grow on me.

12. Eyes, Smoke, Magic - wasn't keen on the first few listens but I love it now. The lyrics themselves bother me in relation to the style.

13. Serenade in A minor - another perfect interlude.

14. how beautiful you are - love, love, love it. And the PV is gorgeous - but I wish it were in colour!

I agree with this. I preorded Party Queen and was really looking forward to it. I enjoyed a few songs at first, namely NaNaNa, reminds me, Return Road (and I actually really like Eyes, Smoke, Magic :innocent), but its only been a week and I am kinda bored of the album already. I was still regularly listening to Love Songs right before Party Queen came out. I quite like Letter, my only problem is I find the vocals to be a little ummm.. raw perhaps? especially towards the end of the song.

I think the the second reason I bought the album was my excitment to watch and hear CLD all polished up. But even then I felt a little underwhelmed, poor do it again :( I generally prefer listening to live performances but this time I'm going to stick to the studio version, especially near the end!

Like alot of others I found that Timmy's presence in the album really stood out, I don't mind him at all but it was too much all of a sudden for me. While I quite enjoy NaNaNa I feel like I keep it a secret because I would be so embarrassed if people heard Timmy's part. But that's my opinion of the album :) This is probably my first proper post on the forums after being a member for a few years. I'm not sure what made me want to voice my opinion this time around. Maybe it's my first dose of disappointment since becoming an Ayu fan when Secret was released. Love Songs and GUILTY are still my favourite albums for sure!

After listening to it nonstop for a week, I can finally form an opinion of this album. I think this might be the worst album quality and conception wise since her first rap one.

Positives: Some songs are fresh, the album is pretty addicting.
Negatives: the lack of A-single/album quality songs, cover, only PQ/NaNaNa/Shake It fits the title, bad pvs except RR, too much fillers, repetition from other songs?

A-single quality: Return Road,
Album quality (like Jewel, Microphone etc): NaNaNa, reminds me, How beautiful you are
B-single quality (Aka album fillers): Party Queen, Shake it <3, call, letter , Tell me why
Worse than fillers: all the interludes, Smoke Eyes Magic, the Next Love

The problem might be that this is her most fillerific album to date. Only return road can be used as a-single and maybe NaNaNa because it's incredibly addicting. The other 2 album quality songs are pretty standard ayu quality that I expect from her. The B-sides are all pretty addicting, but they're kinda generic. The call and letter music composition are both copied & pasted from Last Links/Hope or Pain. Although those songs are great, the fact that they're using almost the identical composition/guitar rifts makes it really sad. :(

I think the major factor that blogged this album down are the worse than fillers category. The interludes do not add anything to this album; it’s not my cup of tea haha. I don’t feel the ayu-magic like when she did sparkle, don’t look back, B&D, GREEN (when ayu ventured into many genre of music before) etc and reinvented it in her own way in SEM & the NL.

The results lead to a mish-mashed of genres like many other Ayu Albums, but this shouldn’t be the case since all these songs were recorded relatively at the same time. This album should have been a mini album with the fillers axed, or at least be renamed as “Filler Queen”.

PS. I do enjoy this album a lot more than GUILTY, but I think GUILTY’s quality and cohesiveness blows this album's quality out of the water.

V*Edit: Ops thanks, I meant cohesiveness not coherent lol! Yeah I think this album is easy to understand.

^I really don't get it... this one of her most coherent albums to date theme wise... maybe even her most coherent...

But ok...

call was my least favorite and it grew on me so much!
it reminds me of some old Ayu song, I can't remember which :(

theme wise sure, but musically no.


but GUILTY had so many of those boring filler rock tracks...I was bored. Cohesive yes, but boring for me. Like Love Songs.

I just realized that one main thing I dislike about this album is titles.
If reminds me would have diffrent title, it would immaditalety felt like A-single track to me. I would call it Dark Room or sth more "heavier". NaNaNa and Shake it feels like random cute pop songs from young girlsband, I would call NaNaNa sth more "partier" and Shake it more partier and "rockier" cause it doesn't sound anything like light-party rock song...

I would also change the next LOVE for sth more ironic, cause it's typical Ayu-filler/b-side track name, and the song itself could do an a-side for me :P

I don't find Guilty to be particulary cohesive sound-wise... and I'm not even saying this because of Glitter... Jpop albums tend to be uncohesive by nature, LOL

After listening to the album at least 30 times, I have to say it has grown on me considerably.
I don't like to listen to any song by itself, but rather as a whole. Sometimes I tell myself I don't even like the songs due to this fact, but I actually can't go through a day without listening to the album at least once. I can even stomach Eyes, Smoke, Magic and NaNaNa completely. I'm addicted to this album, in other words. I really feel the concept, which is multiple musical genres mixed into a theme unified by Ayu's lyrics (that's what I believe to be the concept).
If there is a song that I can just listen to by itself, its HBYA. I love a cheesy, yet moving, ballad any day! :P

I still love this album...
after listening to it every time I go somewhere it still doesnt lose my interest.
I have grown to like the next LOVE.. i do not love it, but there is just something so personal about it from ayumi...
I still hate Eyes, Smoke, Magic... I skip it, dont even thing it is there half the time... I used give it another shot though...
Shake it... I just dont really care for this song... I like and listen to it, but I just feel it is a poor man's rip off of NaNaNa... its sad, because I think its just because I listened to NaNaNa first... (this happened with evolution and UNITE! but after years I have grown to love both songs, so I think this will happen with NaNaNa and Shake It.)

Listened to the album quite a few times through now, and I still LOVE it.

Except for the next LOVE and Eyes, Smoke, Magic, which I always skip. But with the newness slowly fading, I definitely think this is a solid album.

Finally received my copy and listening to Tell me why at the moment. But so far, the songs are not as bad as I have thought based on many negative opinions... Guess I have 5 more songs till completion before I can really judge

I listen to the first 3 tracks very often... Return Road and hbya quite frequently too, Tell me why sometimes... and the rest , nah not really.

most disappointing album for me. But the first 3 tracks are just :heart

Received it yesterday, and have listened to the whole album nine times so far. I was really confused at first listen, i didn't know whether i was disappointed because i was expecting something better or idk, i felt this way till the next LOVE started, from the first seconds this song made me go all omgyesyesyesyes, and same for Eyes, Smoke, Magic. Seriously those two are perfect, and i don't even love jazz usually haha. In the end i thought people have been overreacting about Timmy singing in the songs, i love his rapping in NaNaNa (one of my fav songs btw omg this song is beyond perfection) and his chant in Return Road. So right after i listened to the album again and still didn't know what to think about it. And then i listened to it again and i suddenly realized its awesomeness. But there is still something ~bothering~ me, the reminds me~Return Road~Tell me why part makes me feel so depressed, i really love the songs but listening to them makes my chest hurt, they sound so harsh, bitter, painful, ew ): The only songs i feel like skipping are call and Letter, i like them but to me they are quite Last Links ~episode II~ (especially call) so yeah i have to be in a certain mood to really enjoy them. I like taskebab and a cup of tea even though they are not her best interludes, serenade in A minor is pretty boring in my opinion. I cried while watching how beautiful you are pv, which surely means a lot since i'm not the kind of person who cries often anymore. I hope i won't end up hating this album due to overplaying though~

My (not so wise and not so elaborated) opinion about the songs again, having played the album for 2 weeks (while having 9000+ plays of Return Road on last.fm OMG):

Party queen - GREAT opener aka LET'S DRINK *****ES. (actually, she's basically saying that: "We need a drink ★".) <- okay not but still.. So desperate yet so awesome! (I've to admit that I like the LIVE version more. It's nicer and there are more instruments; more lively. AND when ayu says 'kampai' for the second time it's almost like she's blasting someone with the same gun from Virgin Road PV. "kamPAAAAAAAAIII".)

NaNaNa - Dark upbeat song I LOVE IT. Love ayu's first part, so full with attitude somehow (even though it's autotuned almost to the standards of western artists). So fierce, and then Timmy starts singing. SO ANTI CLIMATIC, want to scare cats now and bully them. Whatever. I will never introduce this song to my friends ever. (the PV is horrible except for the sexy ayu dancing during her first heavily autotuned part). edit; I also don't like that this song is directed to GORGEOUS BOIZ only. Guess GORGEOUS BEAUTIFUL girls and ugly boys and girls are left out this time! Sorry guys, ...(

Shake It ♥ - Rough and upbeat again! It's almost like Party queen. But I'm not really digging this song, it's weird. This, you play when aliens come to abduct you. Oh- and the "I ♥ Girls" is confusing too. (And I really hear Timmy say "Turn me on" after the chorus during the, 'Shake It, Shake it LaLa'

taskebab Like the intro! Oh I like the first 51 seconds, don't like the part after it. So stupid get it out of my face.

call Oh my this is SO nice, but very boring. NEXT prease.

Letter I like this song too, but it's so forgettable. Like when someone with a very complicated name introduces herself / himself to you, and you like forget their name in 7 seconds, but 30 times worse.

reminds me - YES, THIS IS WHAT I WANT. Give me upbeat rock songs! Her vocals are PERFECT in this! Though the 'lalala's' at the end makes me wonder whether she had enough inspiration for the lyrics or not. BUT NONETHELESS, it's very good!

Return Road - THIS IS MY FAVORITE SONG FROM THE WHOLE ALBUM! Everything is so epic, I ADORE the chorus! Then the soft part, which is awesome too. Then the CHORUS AGAIN, YES! Then the weird break or something, piano smashing, Timmy chanting. Not liking that, but it grew on me, since I wanted to (@(%*%(@)@)@ whenever I heard Timmy chant during that beautiful song. This was my most anticipated song too (I overplayed the preview + PV preview), so therefore I was terribly disappointed with the Timmy chanting. Ah whatever. AND WHAT I ALSO ADORE is ayu's 'Yeah, yeah' so freaking amazing! DO WANT!

Tell me why - Wouldn't ever expect this to be an ayu song. So weird and different. nah, Not liking it.

-now it all gets boring-

a cup of tea - not my cup of tea.

the next LOVE - Hmmm.. This is very very very interes.. no get it out of my face now.

Eyes, Smoke, Magic - see 'the next LOVE'.

Serenade in A minor Deserves a D-.

how beautiful you are - AH beautiful song! Love the arrangement (GOOD JOB JIMMY). I also love the chorus, really appealing background voice! (Though I'd rather had have someone correcting ayu's English on some words).

I think ayu meant that we literally had to get drunk during the first track (Party queen) -on a Saturday night-. I can see how being in an altered state can make 'the next LOVE and Eyes, Smoke, Magic' seem like MASTERPIECES. Might try it.

Haha. After the first 50 seconds is where I start to love it and wish it had been a full length track. :P




Did this Tuesday night. Still hated the next LOVE.

YES YES YES AND YES. Can't agree more.

PEOPLE WHY U NO LIKE THE NEXT LOVE AND EYES SMOKE MAGIC? :(

hello! i'm new here - finally decided to join after trawling this place for years for news etc. thought this thread was just as good a place to start as anywhere.

i personally love the album. even "Eyes, Smoke, Magic" and "call" have grown on me now, even though i thought they were the album's weakest points at first. it's not her best, but then nothing will ever beat "I am..." for me. having said that, lyrically it's one of her best albums to date.

all that aside, "Shake It ♥" is my jam atm. that song is dope as!

i think the reasons people have given for not liking the album are actually quite cogent. but i know she's gonna KILL these songs live.

Personally, I simply do not enjoy those styles of music. But if it's any consolation, I think that those two songs are the best combination of music + her vocals on the whole album. It's a really odd position in which I find myself...

They are personally two of the better songs for me! I listened to them today and I too can't understand why people don't like them.

i can get it with Eyes, Smoke, Magic since it's kind of weird but i love it (i'm also a lover of Sexy little things for its weirdness). but seriously, it's brilliant. nobody can say it sounds like any other song she has ever released which i also think is awesome.

the next LOVE i can't understand the hate for though. it's so gorgeous/sexy.

Eyes, Smoke, Magic and the next LOVE are both amazing, in my opinion. Eyes, Smoke, Magic in particular I absolutely adore. It's so interesting.

the next LOVE > ESM

I only don't like ESM cause it's too Broadway for me. Like, if I wanted to listen to the soundtrack to Chicago, I'd listen to the soundtrack of Chicago lol

the next LOVE however is like that too, but it reminds me more of some of the jazz singers I've listened to....even with the "wow"s in it.

Finally listened to it 3 times and I do enjoy myself in the album.

I am not sure what ayu really wants to tell us, but in my opinion, I have managed to have a glimpse of the life of a Party Queen - how she portrays what the media wants to view her as (paarty and disco etc), and her behind media life and the performance she put up on stage aka broadway and finally hoping that we can accept who she is in hbya after making certain decisions on her future.

Eyes, Smoke, Magic didn't interest me as much as others. Prefer the next LOVE more. But I do like the intro of ESM.

Is it just me or did anyone think about ever free with reminds me's intro? *_*

I still find myself enjoying every single one song in this album.

I don't care if people don't like the next LOVE and ESM, I adore them and hope she can get more into these genres in the future :yes

She could totally pull it off *o*

^Lord no. No more jazz

Im glad she tried it, but no more please!

Me too. I don't listen to any of the songs anymore tbh. =( I still listen to some LS tracks though. The only track I really play from time to time is return road. PRoblem for me is that usually during spring I like upbeat songs or songs that are a bit more out there, there are no such tracks on PQ for at least no that outdo some other releases right now (like namie's latest single even if they aren't that original. ) Maybe I'll get back to the album later on, but now i*m not really in the mood for PQ.

I first listened to it today.
I think it's amazing!!!Every song is unique,and it sounds so different from her previous works...
for me,it deserves a 10

my PQ came today and i am really glad that i bought it. For me its a gorgeus album :) and i love all the songs on it :) the pv s for them are...ech..i love HBYA ♥ and i really like return road, but i think something is missing...and Shake it ♥ and NaNaNa -- its like i am watching my own party :D cuz it looks the same in my life at the weekends :D ..so for me this album is 9,5/10 :)

Well my copy of PQ came yesterday although i have previously downloaded
the album and already heard the songs I was actually more interested in PV's
Considering there are only 4 of them,first two are uninteresting(at least for me)
although i like that effect with "lady bug cameras'' in NaNaNa(they were shown in making of). Return Road PV is the one that I like the most because its (obviously) meaningful,emotional and that black dress was WOW <3
HBYA was simple,but I cried my eyes out from beginning to end.
Every scene with couple's is touching and one-of-a-kind special for everyone of them
As for the songs maybe my least favorite is the Next Love,but i absolutely ADORE
Eyes,Smoke,Magic and the lyrics are interesting too.
Covers and pictures are nothing special,although you need to know that the line between being sexy and vulgar is thin.
It's not that i hate them,by any means NO,i was just expecting to see a few more
wardrobe variety but oh well
For me this album gets 9.0/10 (love it <3)

We need a drink. ♥

I've listened to this album enough to make my own decision and, perhaps, a short, totally incompetent review - as I see it, as I hear it, as I feel it :)

First of all, I am completely sure that Party Queen completely fits Love songs and continues the story to its logical final. IMHO, the duet "Love songs ~ Party Queen" has serious plot with tie, culmination, epilogue and postscriptum. This is a mature story about in-your-face reality and your confrontation with it.



So, this is it. I wish we can see, maybe in September, special LIMITED EDITION of the AT'12, a story of lonely party Queen at HOTEL Love songs. This would be perfect re-creation of the awesome CDL 11-12.

Forgive my awful English, please, and do not throw rotten tomatoes in me :) And my biggest thanks go to Misa-chan and tenshi no hane for posting the translations :)

My thoughts eeeeeeeeexactly.

There's nothing about this album that makes me want to go back and listen to it. It's not that it's necessarily bad, but it's generic sounding. If you asked me to tell Letter, call, Return Road, reminds me or Tell me why apart, I couldn't even do it. They are the definition of generic pop-rock tracks that she's done a million times.

Party queen is obnoxious, NaNaNa has amazing choruses but the verses are just okay, Shake It is atrocious and then the album just progresses into that chunk of generic songs. The next LOVE sounds too forced/try-hard or something, but it's not terrible. E,S,M is horrendous and then How beautiful you are is nice, but boring.

I think it's better than NEXT LEVEL, RnR Circus and Love songs, but that's not really saying much.

I actually love this album. With the exception of the next LOVE and Eyes, Smoke, Magic, I pretty much adore every song. The first track order and the pacing of the theme/story makes it a really unique Ayu album. Not having singles before actually allowed her to release her most cohesive album in a very long time without it getting all messed up by having to put on songs that clearly didn't fit, just because they were singles (i.e. Sunrise on RnRC, etc.).

NL gets a lot of hate, but I love that album as muh as MY STORY .NL interludes are good, the songs are good, EnergizE >>>>>>> Party Queen, etc etc.
I like PQ album, but too many songs annoy me so I can't say it's "the best ever". It's better than GUILTY, Lovesongs, FIVE and RnrC. That's it.

NEXT LEVEL is been one of my favorite ayu albums since it came out. I love the covers and the other pictures, the pvs, and the songs. I find the album pretty fluid and cool.


reminds me is like my favorite song from PQ atm, I love it so much. I would've loved to be the director for its pv lol I would've placed ayu wearing a dress like the one in hbya but black, at a beach on a cloudy and misty day, walking around, and then show images of the guys in the band walking around too, yoochan holding a broken guitar, the guy in the drums holding drumsticks looking for his drums, princess looking stunning walking around, the keyboard guy with a portable keyboard, I dunno LOL in my mind it's pretty cool :) I can't explain it perfectly in here.

*o*

oooh....nooooooo....I thought we were so similar :cry lol ;)


anyways, honestly, I liked this album...but I'm totally over listening to it already. I actually think NL had a few more standout tracks...at least it had Sparkle :laugh

this one for me doesn't really have any "omfg so amazing" standout tracks...it's kinda like Love Songs in that way...

I'm so in love with the album, got it last Monday and still playing it non stop. I've been listening 2 Party Queen only 5 days in row, after that I started listening to it on pair with GUILTY. And since I mentioned GUILTY now I can tell that it's my favorite Ayu's album since it.

Seriously, not a single track I don't like. I love how this album has 3 chapters + hbya ending. I even loved jazz tracks. Eyes, Smoke, Magic is very fun track.

Dunno, why ppl call 'call' n 'Letter'. Both tracks r simply amazing and reminds me is so underrated. One of my favorite tracks from the album.

Easily one of my top fav Ayu's albums. Now I'm wondering what will come next? NEXT LEVEL came after GUILTY. What will come after Party Queen? The Great Salvation?

P.S.: lovin' lyrics for all songs as well, even for first three tracks. bravo Ayu, bravo! *applause*

my play count so far

its rather interesting, songs I love are least played and songs I wasnt crazy about are most played.

my play count for PQ is so weird to me lol

1. how beautiful you are 150
2. shake it <3 53
3. party queen 45
4. nanana 45
5. the next love 21
6. eyes smoke magic 21
7. return road 13
...

wow mine are so sad lol

http://pixhost.tk/img/3cr6.png

^ mine is even sadder.

My most played song has 5 plays D: The rest have 2 or 3, wait no, I have FOUR tracks with 1 play :S

...and no urge to listen again.

Party queen 227
NaNaNa 181
reminds me 170
Return Road 169
taskebab 168
Shake It♥ 166
call 163
Tell me why 163
The Next Love 158
Letter 157
how beautiful you are 157
Serenade in A minor 155
a cup of tea 155
Eyes, Smoke, Magic 152


lol mine are insane

Same goes for me! :(

"Party Queen" is just such a horrible album (it's also the first Ayu-album I'll not buy!).
Normally I listen to a new Ayu-album for at least a week non-stop, but I was fed up with "Party Queen" after a day!

Got this album last Monday and still very much enjoying it. Still listening to it all the way through at least a couple of times a day. :heart
Even woke-up this morning and listened to how beautiful you are before I even got out of bed. ^^;

Plays:

This is my mini review/opinion of the songs and album:


1. Party Queen - I would like this song a lot more if it didn't have the "kanpai" and alcohol pouring sound effects, they sound awkward and interrupt the flow of the music. But I remember it's sound and can tolerate it, and even find it mildly catchy, if unpolished.

2. NaNaNa- When I first heard this song, I was like, "Oh wow, nice beat! Like Ladies Night II !" But then that... "rapping" comes in... and I was utterly grossed out. After hearing this and seeing the word play on the title of "Eyes, Smoke, Magic", I took down all of my Ayu posters, and they probably will not go back up.... the first time since 2005. It's like Ayu traveled to USA and became American and made a song of this culture's somewhat=stereotypical carp that they are known to pump out. I especially hate the part where Timmy says, "Ugh! We done!". It just creeps me out! I just imagine him thrusting his pelvis as he says that. But then one day I imagined it was just Popeye rapping... it sounds a lot like Popeye. Now, I don't love it, but I can at least tolerate it. But I always turn the volume down if I'm driving and worry someone will "hear" that part. Plus the sirens tend to worry me, lol I drive usually when this CD is playing and I always have to check for actual cop cars, just in case. It would sound WAY better if they slightly distorted or altered the sirens sound, so it wouldn't sound identical to a cop car passing you. :|

3. Shake It - My favorite song on this album! I'm not in love with the whole "Shake it!" theme, and watching the pv was... awful. :| But I pretend she says "shakey" or something (anything but Shake It) and it works out. I love the beat, and Popeye is in it, but minimally, yay!

4. taskebab - Meh, it's okay, but I've come to associate it with "Oh, Shake it went over, time to press the back button"

5. Call - Nothing special, kind of cute but this style isn't what i seek in ayu's music, I don't ever try to listen to it, it only comes on if I don't pay attention that Shake It went over and the CD has played on for a while

6. Letter - Same opinion as Call ^ It's weird that Timmy thought he just had to say "woah woah" and "yay" in songs like these. Kind of over-saturation. :| If he was on maybe 2 songs, that would be more acceptable to me... but it's invasive to suddenly have him everywhere like this.

7. Reminds Me - A little better than Call and Letter, but it doesn't stand out at all

8. Return Road - Lots of people seem to like this, but it's not so great to me. It's like someone thought just adding the organ would make it be insta-loved. And Timmy's "ahhhhs" sound good here and there (kind of), but he goes overboard with the "ahhhs" and it becomes very irritating. He's much better singing with a man voice (like in Brillante) than with an uncomfortable fake-woman voice.

9. Tell Me Why - It's nice, and sounds sad... but it's got a sort of R & B beat to it, and I don't like R & B. But, despite that, it sounds kind of pretty, though also forgettable to me. My favorite out of Call, Letter, Reminds Me and Return Road.

10. A Cup of Tea - Pretty good for an interlude

11. the next LOVE - It's a nice piece for being experimental, but I've listened to it maybe twice, and will always skip it unless I can't reach the forward button. Just not interesting or catchy.

12. Eyes, Smoke, Magic - OMG. Timmy's creepy scary creepy clown giggle at the very beginning is my exact opinion of this song, what a mess. The lyrics are kind of interesting, but that doesn't excuse how annoying this song is. Not to mention the obvious play on words "I smoke magic" (nice, Timmy, so very Ayu ). And Timmy's weird voice keeps popping in there, it's irritating and makes the song even less likeable. I TRIED to like this song.. I can't. Maybe if I listened to it a thousand times, I'd be desensitized to the badness and like it okay, but that's not going to happen (willingly, lol). And now at the end of the Party Queen title song, I also hear Timmy's goofy laugh in the background as the song ends, and it reminds me of how much I hate "I Smoke Magic" and that "laugh" that starts the song. I always try to skip the very very end of PQ so I don't have to hear the laughs at the very end of it.

13. Serenade in A Minor - I heard this once... sleepy ballads aren't my thing.

14. how beautiful you are - The music video is nice... but this song isn't my thing either. Sleepy and boring to me.

Musically speaking and coherence-wise, this is one of my all-time favorite Ayu albums. I really feel like the album tells a story. However, the album art is what brings down the package in my opinion. I like it, but I don't love it like I do with Love songs, FIVE, etc. That was and is disappointing to me. Otherwise, though, the album is spot on and quite original. :yes

I would love to be posting my thoughts on the album right now but despite it being shipped on March 19, it still hasn't come!

mi|kshake~

I didn't know Timmy came up with Ayu's song titles...

? What ? Well, that explains A Lot. :shakehead

my plays are

Party queen-49 (incl. rips from CDL)
NaNaNa-23
Shake It-27
taskebab-2
call-21
Letter-23
reminds me-18
Return Road-24
Tell my why-22
a cup of tea-2
the next LOVE-13
ESM-17
Serenade in A minor-2
hbya-93 (since it was a single and all the rips from CDL lol)

Umm I'm starting to have serious issues with RR. :D I don't know what the heck happened, but first I didn't find Timmy's ~iipy piipy horrible voice~ that horrible, I ignored it and enjoyed the song.

But now whenever I listen to that part, I burst into laughter which is highly uncomfortable in public places. One day I just laughed my eyes out in the subway(metro) and people looked at me "wtf is that girl doing?".
Yesterday I played that song on Audiosurf and immediately when Timmy started his castrato choir singing it was impossible to play anymore because I laughed so much!

I don't really think Timmy came up with song titles (or lyrics)... People are just doing the usual over-blaming...

Now that its been out for a while, I'm kinda over it. I wasn't super crazy about it when it was released, it grew on me a tad, but now I'm listening to other stuff.

I listened to it heaps, now I'm taking a break lol But still listening to ayu... Actually, I've been listening to ayu non-stop for like 2 weeks :/

It wouldn't surprise me, true it's a guess but he did compose this song and that wordplay is all too clear. I really doubt Ayu came up with that title completely on her own. I agree the song's lyrics aren't about drugs, but the title's wordplay is stupid and does sound like it's referring to drugs.

Ayu's already got a song touting her drinking/party skills (which I have no problem with!) so who knows, but it just seems like it wasn't Ayu alone who did that title's name choosing. Again, just a guess by me, I'm analyzing and coming to my own personal conclusion... I'm not claiming it's a fact that Timmy chose that song's title. Just a hunch that he at least suggested it and she approved. I could be totally incorrect, it's happened many times. :)

I just gave my opinion, I didn't mean to ruffle anyone's feathers, I'm not even a Timmy-hater, don't worry.

To be honest, I think you could be right. At least the title makes more sense in relation to the lyrics when interpreted that way.

There's just not many reasons why she couldn't have come up with the title by herself :shrug

It's not really like "eyes" "smoke" or "magic" are english words that are uncommon or anything by Japanese standards...they're actually probably everywhere.


So when someone comes along saying that Timmy influenced her, without any hard evidence except "I don't think she could have come up with it on her own"...It just sounds like the common stuff other people say.

idk personally, I'd find it hilarious if Timmy named his own composition that...I don't really feel like it suits his personality at all...but then that's just my opinion as well.

You guys could ask him~

when i first listened to the album i only really liked party queen, shake it, and call. i thought nanana was ok but i hated timmy on it so much that i couldn't even listen to it and he ruined it for me. i thought letter, reminds me, return road, and tell me why were good but i knew they'd have to grow on me after a few plays cause at first they all kinda sounded the same and blended together. i liked how beautiful you are but wasn't crazy about it. as for a cup of tea, the next love, eyes smoke magic, and serenade in a minor.. i thought they were awful and thought i'd never get into them.

anyways after several listens i became obsessed with shake it (my favorite), and letter/reminds me/return road/tell me why all grew on me more and became other favorites. i love party queen too. but i still couldn't get into the last several songs and didn't even listen to them.

tonight i gave them another chance and i don't hate them anymore. i'll never love them tho. i like the next love a lot more than eyes smoke magic.

oh and as for the interludes, taskebab gives me life, a cup of tea can gtfo, and serenade in a minor is pretty..
taskebab is the only one i'll really listen to tho

overall i love the album.. i didn't think i would but i do. i'm really happy with it and i'm glad she tried new things. i kind of wish there were more "party" songs but then again i love the mid tempo songs.

already can't wait for album number 14 lmao

At first I only liked the party songs at the beginning and "call". Most of the album has grown on me now. The only songs I don't love are the next LOVE and eyes, smoke, magic. eyes, smoke, magic is my very least favorite. It's so cheesy.
As for the interludes, I loveee taskebab. It's so great and gets me pumped up lol. a cup of tea kind of sucks. I don't even listen to it. Serenade in A Minor is pretty, I like it.
I can't stannnndddd Timmy. He's so gross and annoying. But I like NaNaNa so much that I just have to deal with him on that one. I don't really care for his compositions. Especially compared to all the amazing people she's worked with before. I want him to go away.

My plays:
Shake It - 52
NaNaNa - 35
call - 26
Party Queen - 25
reminds me - 21
Letter - 19
Return Road - 19
taskebab - 18
how beautiful you are - 14
Tell me why - 11
the next LOVE - 7
Serenade in A minor - 3
a cup of tea - 3
Eyes, Smoke, Magic - 3