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I liked 23rd Monster when it was released...but I've only listened to it a handful of times since then. There are some Ayu tracks that I don't listen to often, but still enjoy thoroughly (forgiveness and Close to you come to mind), but I think the issue with 23rd Monster for me is that, while it is certainly a 'stronger' track than previous releases, it does appear to be more of the 'same' musically. It hasn't grabbed me like I thought it would as there are similar tracks in her discography that are more interesting musically and conceptually.
I almost feel like Ayu is...'meta' motivated and inspired (and has been for the last five years at least)? As in, she's motivated and inspired to continue releasing music by internal factors (i.e. her fans, her team, some elements of her classic sound), as opposed to external factors (i.e. new music, popular music genres, the desire to create, attracting new fans, etc.).
I admire the fact that Ayu continues to work hard, but...I wish she would work with different composers/arrangers and production teams to freshen her sound.
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