Rock'n'Roll Circus ~(Diss)ected~ & "never having existed" Disscusion

[Zeke.]

DISCLAIMER: I am not meaning to troll, to spew bile onto the Rock'n'Roll Circus album, or to anger anyone in any way. I am not trying to be harsh, I am just genuinely discussing my opinions of the songs and parts I have chosen as "the best" parts of R'n'R Circus.

So, Rock'n'Roll Circus is here. Finally. Most everyone seems to be enjoying it. Hell, some are saying it's her best album EVER (including Ayu herself). But... I have to admit after giving it numerous listening attempts, that I just can't get into it... and here is the reason why:Almost every song has REALLY GOOD and AMAZING parts... but it does not carry through the entire song/

I made a youtube video with clips of all the parts from the songs that I really like:



First of all...

Interludes: Honestly, my favorite is THE introduction. I love the melody and composition of the track. But the synths used could have had more "power" and "edge" to them. It's like a midi-trumpet. But I like it.

The rest don't interest me too much, where as NL's interludes are really some of the very very few interludes I love. I would listen to NL's interludes all the time, probably more than the album tracks or just as much.

Microphone and Last Links are not included because I really don't have many, if any problems with them. I love those two.
meaning of Love is not included because I didn't like any parts of that song. It kind of reminded me of Secret which I never got into either. People were saying "another Days" and I knew that was impossible because I loved Days (it has a simple but beautifully executed melody and amazing production - everything in that song to me worked perfectly). I think what people meant was that the emotion is kinda like the emotion in Days in parts, but that's the only similarity I see.

So here we go:

count down:

Atashi wa warau wake de mo naku wake de mo nai
Tada zetsubou nanka haruka ni toorisugita kara
Mu ni natte shimatta dake na no nannimo kanji nai no

I don't laugh nor cry
I experienced despair so much in the past
That I became empty, I feel nothing

So I love the part where I started the clip. The build up right before the chorus is so perfect. Right how "Atashi wa~" starts and you can really feel the emotion coming from her while singing this song.

Then it turns into this kind of march build-up during "Tada zetsubou nanka haruka..." that really sent me the message she was singing at that part in the song. I had read that count down was about her "left side" and breezed over the lyrics translation before listening to the song for the first time. The emotion during that part of the song really hit me, and that's why I thought I'd be in love with this song - because of how easily the message was portrayed without me even understanding/trying to translate her words.

Anata wa nan no mayoi mo naku iikitta wa
Ittai are ga nani o sashita kotoba datta ka nante
Sonna koto wa daiji ja nai no motto hoka ni aru no

You said so with no hesitation
It's not important what on earth it meant
There is something more important

Again, these emotions and this part of the song really goes well with the way she is choosing to sing during this piece of the build-up.

The deal-breaker: I can't really fully get into the chorus, and I find it drags onward a bit. The whole time I'm thinking, "I wonder when she'll sing like that part again from before?" - if a songs chorus doesn't grab me and seems too "forced" - then it turns me off immediately. I had this problem with You Were... as well - I felt the chorus was too forced and loud but the emotion/power of the chorus wasn't that pleasing?

Don't look back:

Now upon hearing the clip for the first time in the Panasonic Ad, I hated it. I was really dreading this song and not expecting it to be my style on the album, and I really didn't care that much. I thought "surely that's just one track so far that I don't like. There should be a good chunk of other great songs I'm bound to love on the album." That being said...

The introduction where I started the clip has great use of beats and sounds. The "Don't look back" parts are really nice, and the bridge is amazing! Followed by great use of the "bollywood" beats (that I thought would drag the song down). The outro again I really enjoyed.

The deal-breaker:

My low expectations in regards to this song worked in it's benefit. I was pleasantly surprised by everything but the chorus. That being said, I couldn't get into it 100% but I get in to about 70-80% and it turned out to be one of the 3 album tracks I actually consider "liking."

Lady Dynamite:

I was expecting: Something clubby, maybe a little cutsie but not too much (like a Ladies Night cutsie)... small chance of something wicked like Sparkle but most likely a fun, club song with some good techno/dance-pop beats

The intro is pretty good, but the rest just feels like "noise" - to me it doesn't feel like "music". However, the parts in the clip I posted are absolutely amazing! I get excited at those very parts and feel like "Yeah! This is an Ayumi Hamasaki song~" - it's got that attitude many of my favorite songs by her have. Seriously, if I heard just these clips before hearing any other part of the song, I would have gotten so excited that it'd be one of those tracks upon hearing the preview that I just can't stay away from and continue to repeat it, despite my better judgement of trying to hold out for the full song! This exact part is probably the highlight of the whole album for me.

The deal-breaker: I feel like that attitude throughout the rest of the song is a little forced yet again. I can't fully get into the production of the climax...? It's like, you can tell it's the chorus by the way it sounds but you it doesn't feel quite right... Like, I'm not fully drawn in.

Sexy little things:

I was expecting: Attitude of 1 LOVE's verses and style (kinda burlesque vocals I'd describe them as), power of my name's WOMEN, with a powdered dash of Ladies Night electro-funky

LOVE the intro clip I used. Really would have drawn me in and got me pumped for the song had I not already caved and listened to the ringtone preview on AHS twice. But I had an idea what the chorus sounded like so I didn't get excited at all. Love the vocals and melodies of the singing clips I included. The instrumentals I chose are quite nice for a bridge but there's too many of them. Love the chipmunk voice "1,2,3,4~" and the ending is nice and fits the "Circus".

The deal-breaker: What Sexy little things suffered from me was the facts:

1) It's completely not what I was expecting at all...
2) Right idea, wrong execution

It could have worked out really well - the playfulness is there, but it feels scattered to me. With a lot of instrumental bridges that, separately are pleasing, but all thrown into this song kinda drag them out. One would have been fine and the rest left out. I am not a fan of the chorus at all, as the repeating scale is too repetitive for me (and I don't mind repetitive music much). It's kind of like another "oh, this is the chorus?" - really just annoys me as a song and melody.

Singles:
Sunrise - I loved. Always have.
Sunset - Prefered Sunrise so this kinda seemed like a bore to me. Nice, but I prefer Sunrise and wouldn't mind if this song didn't exist.
You Were... - Disappointed (and my hopes weren't too high considering I loved Days so much that I didn't believe she'd make a better winter ballad that was really "wintery"). The verses are nice and I love the ending~ That part does not seem forced using that simple melody there and not forcing it so much.
BALLAD: Kinda grew to like this one more than I though. I find myself listening to it. Like "in a mood for BALLAD". I've grown to appreciate it for what it is and absolutely love the part after the instrumental bridge, during the part where the music cuts down leading up to and including "anata no youni..." At first listen I thought it was kinda boring, but it works for the song better than most. Like it a lot now.
RED LINE: Love love love! An amazing "concert ender" feel to it with the feel of "hope" and "emotion" and "being connected to Ayu" and her love to the fans.

Verdict: Having not being able to "fully" get into many of the songs, this album isn't my favorite... and actually I would put it at the bottom of my list. Almost every song has it's highlights, but how I judge is by... what songs having heard now, would you not mind non-existing. Say if you had heard these songs as something that Ayu could have released, but never did - what songs would you think "OMG I want that song to exist" and what songs would you not find feeling sad that you missed out on? I listened to it on the walk home from work tonight and found myself thinking "Ok hurry up with this song so I can try another one" and then "Hurry up with listening to R'n'R Circus so I don't have to listen to it anymore" - like I never felt that way about Ayu ever - that "why am I listening to this?" question at the center of my core. Like I was trying to feel it but couldn't "feel" it.

My answer regarding this album: Microphone, Last Links. Those would be the two that'd stick in my mind as great songs that never came into existence. The rest wouldn't bother me had she not made them. Singles I would say BALLAD (now), Sunrise, and RED LINE.

Anyone have any songs they'd like to share on which they:

1) Wouldn't mind not existing
2) Which songs you would just cry if you heard clips of them or heard the full thing one time but could never listen to them again (as they don't really exist or say they were all trashed productions that they left off albums and singles)...?
3) (Diss)ected discussion of any other works