Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrenekoi
I never said you used sad music to wallow on your miser, on the same way I love my sad music but don't listen to it in order to wallow on my own miser either... And I don't personally think there's anything bad on the way you consume your art, but I find it funny that you got bothered by my "patronizing" comment, considering how patronizing you tend to be towards me most of the time  I just think that your personal taste in music and how/why you like what you isn't a global standart of artistic merit to anyone that isn't you, on the same way my personal tastes say very little about artistic merit ot anyone else but me.
Another one of Ayu's happy songs: Rainbow, and this is probably my favorite happy song from her. |
I'm going to have to agree with Andrenekoi here. I don't think positive emotions automatically mean a work is entertainment and negative emotions are much more inherent in art. In fact, I'd argue that joyful art requires even more skill to create. And I can think of many examples of art with dimensions of happiness: Shakespeare's comedies, Aristophanes, great children's literature (Alice in Wonderland, for example), musical and comedy films. If this is true in these art forms, then shouldn't these naturally extend toward music? The Barber of Seville, several pieces of classical music, several Beatles songs, several Ringo Shiina songs. I'd actually argue that it takes someone who has been to or knows the darkest of places to create truly joyful music, in the same way that the most unapologetic of atheists can create great religious art (Pasolini). All I'm saying is that I disagree that happy music cannot contain the nuance or depth that darker music affords. Nuance and depth lie in the skill of the artist, not in the mode of expression.
That said, I think that Ayu is strongest expressing herself in darker music, but I do wholeheartedly enjoy her happy music as well. I believe that Voyage has the same insight, depth, and nuance in its understanding of human love as her darker songs, and November is highly underrated. It is a song of complete, unabashed, and unmitigated joy, without irony or cynicism which can often times be tiresome and cliche in works of a lighthearted nature. I do believe that Ayu is more prone to depth and insight when she resorts to darker music, but that doesn't mean that her joyful pieces aren't capable of the same. Ayu is a more well-rounded artist than one who can only find the truth about human nature in darker places. Although, frankly, it's been a while since she has managed to capture the rawness and essential nature of human emotion in her music. Much of her recent stuff feels tired and phoned in.