Ayus music today sounds more "dated" than her entire discography

[Zeke.]

I realized something today. I remember someone had mentioned the fact that Ayus music was always pretty great at being "timeless". Maybe it was truehappiness. But I totally agree with that statement. I listen to ayus music constantly, rotating between albums and eras seamlessly. Sometimes when I think of how old a song is I'm shocked because it doesn't feel as such.

However, I think more recently the arrangements have been rather weak and not as fleshed out as they used to be. Which made me realize, her recent works sound like they could have been released before I Am... At least. It's very strange, and why I feel it's difficult to stomach at times. People may complain they want this ayu or that ayu back, myself included, but I feel the most frustrating thing is the fact that she was so successful at owning that "timeless" aura with her music, and even though she may try new things, it's as if she's taking steps backwards. It worked for Love songs, that throwback sound, but somehow everything that came afterwards seems stuck somewhere.

Agree? Don't agree?

Love songs could easily be placed after LOVEppears, LOVE again and Party queen after Duty. No?

[BlackSilence]

the only thing i am am noticing is that her arrangement became dull and choppy... there's something missing... i personally fallen in love with her increadible build ups in her songs back when i first heard her. I've said that Love songs sounded dull to me but even tho i do enjoy LOVE again listening to Love songs now makes me eat my own words... Lots of stuff she's put out is dull not even mentioning the single....It made me appreaciate Love songs much more. Even Party Queen (which i enjoyed a lot) had more depth in arangements than what she's releasing nowadays. That's the only thing that bothers me and also that she's diven into this EDM crap.....that sounds like everything else in the west now. And there are quite a few examples how she took that genre and made it her own in a way only she can, i dunno why she didn't do it this time...
I'm worried that she's becoming mainstream, but what worries me the most are her arrangements getting less and less depth....

[truehappiness]

I disagree. Her most dated works are ASFXX and LOVEppears. Everything else from Duty onward is pretty much in its own encapsulated time space IMO.

[hayasaki]

Honestly, i do feel the same as u guys. I don't know. There are gems on her latest albums here and there but majority of the songs are somewhat lackluster. Perhaps the last song that may have blown me away (really) was Song 4 U. I'm not saying that we might be tired of her but perhaps we are tired of her songs arrangements? Almost all songs got the same patterns; build ups; and rock guitar solos during refrain parts specially on her midtempo songs. i dunno. Its just... its hard to put it into words. Anyway, i'm happy Ayu's trying things lately specially new arrangers.

[ExodusUK]

That's cool, thanks for sharing.

[truehappiness]

Originally Posted by hayasaki

Honestly, i do feel the same as u guys. I don't know. There are gems on her latest albums here and there but majority of the songs are somewhat lackluster. Perhaps the last song that may have blown me away (really) was Song 4 U. I'm not saying that we might be tired of her but perhaps we are tired of her songs arrangements? Almost all songs got the same patterns; build ups; and rock guitar solos during refrain parts specially on her midtempo songs. i dunno. Its just... its hard to put it into words. Anyway, i'm happy Ayu's trying things lately specially new arrangers.

She's always had these sorts of build up-compositions though...

Thinking that the work is "dated" is different from feeling that it is "lackluster" imo.

[Zeke.]

^true, but her arrangements have been feeling more 'empty', where as her older material didn't suffer from that. Which may give the impression of being dated by comparison.

[truehappiness]

I don't really get that... but part of it may be because she has the same arranger or two working on everything for the last 4-5 years. The amount of tracks since 2007 that haven't been done by CMJK or Yuta is insane. tasuku only made a recent comeback and everything that he's done was great.

[channy]

Personally I would not consider "Feel the love / Merry-go-round" as an Ayu single. It's just a nice little single with two amazing remixes that could have been thrown towards electro-pop hungry folks by anyone. That eminent "Ayu-sound" can be found on LOVE again, though. I feel a tad betrayed with her latest output as I honestly thought Avex would come up with something more elaborated and defined after more than three years (if you want LOVE and again to be mini-albums even though you certainly know they are not, tehehe).

For my very own treat I'd always tend to go for an album from A Song for XX to GUILTY.

[hayasaki]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

She's always had these sorts of build up-compositions though...

Thinking that the work is "dated" is different from feeling that it is "lackluster" imo.

What makes a song "dated" anyway?

[truehappiness]

Arrangement, I think. The 'sound' feels like it came from a decade prior for both ASFXX and LOVEppears imo. They are 90s albums though, so it's not that bad, really.

[hayasaki]

For me, some of her songs nowadays sounds dated because they LACK something. Be it the arrangement, effects, and the sound as a whole unlike most of her earlier works (perhaps except for ASFXX album). isn't that lackluster suppose to mean? Sorry if i'm being too objective. I'm speaking from a non-native English speaker's pov. lol

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by hayasaki

For me, some of her songs nowadays sounds dated because they LACK something. Be it the arrangement, effects, and the sound as a whole unlike most of her earlier works (perhaps except for ASFXX album). isn't that lackluster suppose to mean? Sorry if i'm being too objective. I'm speaking from a non-native English speaker's pov. lol

"Dated" means it ages badly or sounds old. A dated track usually is something that sounds so attached to the trends of a time that you can't put that song on a different context.

For example, Madonna's track Like a Virgin. It's production is SO typical of the 80's that you instantly recognize it is a 80's song, releasing it today on the same way it was released on the 80's would make no sense. Billie Jean by Michael Jackson has a typical 80's production, but it was produced on a way it works even nowadays without sounding out of place and time.

It has less to do with the song being "bad" or "good" or "lacking" or not something, and more to do with the song work even if it was released a long time ago.

Aswering the thread. Considering I hate almost everything Zeke loves about Ayumi's career, I think it's obvious I'm gonna disagree. I agree with True Happiness, the only albums from her discography that feel dated to me are A Song for XX and LOVEppears... They actually feel dated to me even considering their time of release. Still, she had some dated tracks after that (I am..., My Story, Secret and Guilty has some), but not full albums.

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

"Dated" means it ages badly or sounds old. A dated track usually is something that sounds so attached to the trends of a time that you can't put that song on a different context.

For example, Madonna's track Like a Virgin. It's production is SO typical of the 80's that you instantly recognize it is a 80's song, releasing it today on the same way it was released on the 80's would make no sense. Billie Jean by Michael Jackson has a typical 80's production, but it was produced on a way it works even nowadays without sounding out of place and time.

It has less to do with the song being "bad" or "good" or "lacking" or not something, and more to do with the song work even if it was released a long time ago.

Aswering the thread. Considering I hate almost everything Zeke loves about Ayumi's career, I think it's obvious I'm gonna disagree. I agree with True Happiness, the only albums from her discography that feel dated to me are A Song for XX and LOVEppears... They actually feel dated to me even considering their time of release. Still, she had some dated tracks after that (I am..., My Story, Secret and Guilty has some), but not full albums.

I wouldn't say you hate what I love but that I hate what you/everyone else loves. Lol.

[ComatoseBunnySnatcher]

I actually think from RAINBOW onwards her sounds is more modern. You'd have to be deaf or dim to not notice how the old j-poppy and dated the other songs sound.

I think you're all looking through nostalgia goggles and need to deal

[emi♡]

Everything after LOVEppears and before Love Songs, is timeless, and it's one of the reasons why I loved it. I also heavily tie that idea in with how unique the songs are. I could never find anyone else that had that timeless quality to their songs, but also managed to keep the songs poppy or rockish, without sounding like generic anime anthems. That's part of why old Ayu = awesome.

Loveppears is like my favorite, but it's definitely reminiscent of that era. Even some m.o.v.e. songs remind me of it.

Love Songs to me is like, purposely dated. It's the only thing I like about the album, because it's the best thing that makes it conceptual to me, and it lets me not concentrate on...ugh everything else.


I think Party Queen and Love again have that old ayu timeless factor, but chunks of the tracks are very NOW. This last single is very NOW, although Merry go Round isn't as NOW lol It reminds me of some 90s tracks.

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by ComatoseBunnySnatcher

I actually think from RAINBOW onwards her sounds is more modern. You'd have to be deaf or dim to not notice how the old j-poppy and dated the other songs sound.

I think you're all looking through nostalgia goggles and need to deal

I Am... sounds dated? For me LOVE again is seriously dated. Notice how I mentioned the more recent albums could be inserted AFTER LOVEppears, making that and a song for the most dated of her discog... RAINBOW is pretty dated too though if you wanna mention that. WE WISH, July 1st, and Real Me all have a specific aura that screams that time period.

[truehappiness]

RAINBOW belongs to no time period.

[emi♡]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

WE WISH, July 1st, and Real Me all have a specific aura that screams that time period.

I think there are elements in the arrangements on that album that are a bit early 00's jpoppy or that were trendy...but definitely not like what everything else sounded like then. And it's mainly only because of how electro and synthy the tracks are.


Damn she was awesome that year.

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by emi♡

I think there are elements in the arrangements on that album that are a bit early 00's jpoppy or that were trendy...but definitely not like what everything else sounded like then. And it's mainly only because of how electro and synthy the tracks are.


Damn she was awesome that year.

True. It's that "hip" dj-scratch sound effect that is really used a lot and was trendy around that time. RAINBOW is much more dated sounding than many of her millennial album releases. The evolution between that and Memorial address is remarkable to be honest. I enjoy RAINBOW but it's there's certainly a time and place for that album more so than other albums. I truly have to be in the mood for that cd, and it doesn't make my rotation very often as it doesn't translate well to current date for me. It's somewhat cheesy.