new album "A ONE" 2015.04.08 in stores IV

[!Lawi!]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

It's listed at Japanese retailers.



I LOVE what she does and don't really have an issue with the songs but it is extremely obvious that some of these songs are similar in more than "oh, it sort of sounds like this" and it's hard to NOT point it out.

I think for Anything For You, it's weird because we also have Walk on the same album and for Step by step it is strange because we JUST got The Show Must Go On which already sounds like a snowy kiss sister track

Originally Posted by hidekirby

I don't know if you knew ayumi before 2008 but I seriously started listening to her in 2003 and by 2006 I never had this annoying feeling that I was listening to something she had already done before (considering her disco since her debut).
Since Secret this feeling is growing on and on for me notably with ballads, summer songs and pop/rock mid-tempo tracks (that is also why Party Queen is far from being original as a whole for me. Of course it's normal because she can't reinvent herself at every release.
But woking with the same exact people may be a part of the explanation (this and low expectations/standards). As I said it's not something incredibly borderline to say "hey, just use this sound/instrument we don't always use/we never have used before". Let's be creative!

If you choose similar melodies and you add similar arrangements...

I'm kind of a new fan, I started listening to her during the Step You / Is this love era, so I do know the feeling. I realise why it's shocking for some of you to have the same melody but then again it's the case for most of this album isn't it? You can fit entire line of Trauma in No future, the Gift almost has the "zutto x2" melody at the beginning of the chorus, and obviously the tsmgo / snowy kiss issue. And I think I could continue like that back to Secret as you said. Every time a friend hears an Ayu song for the first time he or she can almost systematically find a song by another singer the melody of which sounds similar.

Sorry if I overreacted, I just find it weird that people didn't have that feeling before and just went crazy on Anything for you.

[jbrat2219]

I think Anything for you is beautiful! I can't wait to hear the rest. I agree COMPLETELY with whoever said that the fact that some of ayu's melodies are "forgettable" makes the songs better. I find super catchy songs fun but often empty. Like it's sole goal was to get stuck in your mind and "force" you to like it. Whereas, with songs with melodies that are more complicated/harder to remember are often the more interesting.

By the way, anyone find it interesting that Anything for you and Walk are both similar and are both previews for the album on YouTube. I wonder if the songs are connected?!

[Aderianu]

「Last minute」will be opening theme for 「バズリズム」at NTV channel
http://www.ntv.co.jp/buzzrhythm/

--------------------------------------------------------------------

8 April 2015 20:00-22:00
Ayumi Hamasaki debut 17th anniversary
Niconico live special to commemorate the release of new album and CDL DVD

Broadcasting of songs from 『A ONE』and CDL video
and some digest for premium members
special footage of「poker face」
※Ayu herself will not appear

http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv216182333

^not sure in translation

[orbitalaspect]

I hope that the chorus of Anything for you gets a little vivid. Right now, it builds so nicely then underwhelms as she hits the last note on each 4th bar.

[ayu_ready?]

unfortunately there hasn't been any originality put into her ballads for already quite a big time. I don't know if it has to do with producers, songwriters or Ayu herself. I don't want her to go all European or American for her music, but I wish she could somehow reinvent her song patterns, atmosphere and overall production quality (arrangement, sound and recording) with maybe a new team of Japanese producers at least.
the problem is that she probably doesn't even want anything like this, she's comfortable just the way she is

[truehappiness]

The thing is...

The team she has now knows what she wants and how to craft it to a T. They can pretty much do anything. However, I think they do not know at the moment how to break out of the mold for her ballads at least. Maybe they need to do something really out there... like some kind of fusion-ballad that challenges what we think of as a 'ballad' without going in the classical or rock direction at all.

[orbitalaspect]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

The thing is...

The team she has now knows what she wants and how to craft it to a T. They can pretty much do anything. However, I think they do not know at the moment how to break out of the mold for her ballads at least. Maybe they need to do something really out there... like some kind of fusion-ballad that challenges what we think of as a 'ballad' without going in the classical or rock direction at all.

I felt Last angel was very much ballad-like, but trance-based. I would honestly love to hear her do a full trance ballad. Something like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzaFfgmKxhs

[hayasaki]

I love the strings in Anything for you. Sorry but i couldn't keep myself from listening LOL. I think this song's highlight is the string arrangement. I loved what I heard until I listened to chorus. I was like oh now i see. LOL Ayu should've saved this for the next album.

[Mirrorcle Monster]

She needs to stop working with TK. His compositions all sound the same. It's fine when he does one song per album, but no more than that

[Akutenshi]

She needs to stop having Yuta arrange her ballads. That's literally the only thing that makes them sound so homogenized, and I'm surprised more people don't see that. Compositions can be very similar but if the arrangements were different, hardly anyone would notice.

[truehappiness]

I don't think Yuta is exactly at fault here but he should probably challenge himself to go beyond where he is comfortable. He has done upbeat tracks well but he always tends to arrange similarly for most 'grand ballads'.

[thinkingoutloud89]

Maybde she does not wnat to reinvent and settle with a certain sound. not uncommon for artists with an high outputrate in early days

[truehappiness]

Originally Posted by thinkingoutloud89

Maybde she does not wnat to reinvent and settle with a certain sound. not uncommon for artists with an high outputrate in early days

When it comes to her music, I don't think she has ever been one to not want to reinvent. There's usually always one or two tracks that is out there.

[pepper]

I had sooo many dreams and those imaginated songs that popped in my head was better than reality.

Conclusion? I could be her best arranger _0_
Her songs, right after 50th single started to sound all the same. Party Queen and Colours (i still hate that sound but im starting to apreciate that SHE TRIED) was a very good turns and she could stick with looking for alternative sounds (i dont mean alternative rock, i mean alternative way)

Even when she makes something that isnt ballad, it sounds like "title part 2". Her best "out of nowhere" songs was Wake me up and BRILLANTE (and for me, whole PQ)

Song 4 u was "progress part 2"
Tell all was "progress and sending mail"
NO FUTURE is Like a doll with LOVEppears vibe.
snowy kiss, show must go on and step by step have the damn same melody
WARNING is a lil better ver of Lady Dynamite
Out of control is Letter part 2
All of her ballads sounds the same.
Even Feel the love sounds like You & Me continuation.

[pepper]

I guess its not even about arragments and instrumentals or even genres.
Her songs started to sound like remastered versions of songs.. the same melodies all over again..

I dont even know if i would correctly name some songs without seeing a titles. Colours album might be not in my taste (Same for people eho dislike PQ) but at least we can name the damn titles!!!

[truehappiness]

Song 4 u is the way it is probably because of Tales of Xillia.

I have never heard the Lady Dynamite thing with WARNING.

And Out of control only really has the midtempo/guitar thing going for it.

Only a FEW tracks have the issue which is glaringly obvious and it's not that many IMO. For the time being, for ME at least, I can identify nearly all of her recent tracks easily but at the same time I have also listened to them hundreds of times each.

[pepper]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

Song 4 u is the way it is probably because of Tales of Xillia.

I have never heard the Lady Dynamite thing with WARNING.

And Out of control only really has the midtempo/guitar thing going for it.

Only a FEW tracks have the issue which is glaringly obvious and it's not that many IMO. For the time being, for ME at least, I can identify nearly all of her recent tracks easily but at the same time I have also listened to them hundreds of times each.

i know, but she made so many unique songs i cant stand the fact they are even somehow similar.

Inspire, BRILLANTE, identity, Wake me up, Eyes, smoke, magic, Sexy little things, Sparkle, rolling, GREEN, Will, alterna, STEP you, B&D, Ladies Night, JEWEL, kiss o kill, Born to be, Starting, Marionette, do it again, Dont look back... sooo many unique soundings... and my fav, melody-champion... Love song.

[Mirrorcle Monster]

I think that the connection between Lady Dynamite and WARNING is based purely on the similarities between both PVs. WARNING has a completely different vibe

[Aderianu]

promo poster



we almost finish 4th thread! =)

[aliceshields]

Nice promo poster