｢Party Queen｣ Thoughts on album?

[tasking]

Is it just me, or just the whole aura surrounding Party Queen - the album, PVs, etc - seem to be screaming "I'M DIVORCED, WOOHOO!" Of course, we know that's not the intention...but I can see the casual listener or newbie taking it as, "Oh, she just got divorced? Well, that explains all the partying." XD Not to mention the thing at the end of Return Road.

I dunno, I LOVE the album, but I'm kinda disappointed with the PVs this time. I miss her more meaningful stuff, like we got with Return Road. how beautiful you are is also meaningful, but it's been done before. I guess she focused the meaning more on the lyrics this time rather than the PVs.

[jewelbox]

Idk. She want's to drink/party to cover her sorrow?

[amorphose]

Imho, it's better than FIVE & Love songs both, by far and back on level with Rock'n'Roll Circus and her pre-NEXT LEVEL albums. I'm really please with it. Not sure where it will rank overall, I need more time to let the tracks sink in. The only tracks I was disappointed in were Eyes, Smoke, Magic & how beautiful you are. I feel like if you switch a cup of tea with Serenade in A minor the album should've just ended with the next LOVE.

[cosmicfirefly]

After hearing the whole album various times, I can say there isn't one song I'd skip, which is a first (although I'm still not sure how I feel about a cup of tea). I wish the PVs had been better, now I'm just hoping for a fun summer single

Love: reminds me, Return Road, call, tell my why, taskebab, Serenade in A minor, NaNaNa, the next LOVE

[Tony G]

reminds me - return road - tell me why

REPEAT REPEAT.

[Pieces_of_SEVEN]

Party Queen-NaNaNa-Shake It section + reminds me-Return Road-Tell me why sections are incredible.

I've only looked at a few pages here and he few comments about Eyes Smoke Magic have been quite negative... so I was hesitant when it came to listen to it....and I LOVED it! It was fun, it was fresh for Ayumi for sure, but better, I thought it actually sounded good! Probably one of my favourite songs from her in a while

[gogirlanime]

Originally Posted by cosmicfirefly

After hearing the whole album various times, I can say there isn't one song I'd skip, which is a first (although I'm still not sure how I feel about a cup of tea). I wish the PVs had been better, now I'm just hoping for a fun summer single

Love: reminds me, Return Road, call, tell my why, taskebab, Serenade in A minor, NaNaNa, the next LOVE

THIS at first I wasn't big on Eyes, Smoke, Magic and the next LOVE but I really love them now! I don't skip a single song on this album I haven't done that since (miss)understood (NEXT LEVEL and Love Songs I only skip 1-2 tracks though so almost...)

Originally Posted by relmy

Going back a few pages, but...

Having guitars in your music does not make it rock. I don't think Ayu's music is rock at all, she has had mainly rock leaning albums recently

I agree, Ayu is a pop artist although there are some songs she has done that are undeniably rock songs. I mean they aren't "hard rock" but they are rock

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

I'm really not sure exactly what you mean by "menacing sexuality", but that's been done before too. Nine Inch Nails? She also touched upon that theme in the Sparkle PV.

Exactly!!

Are we forgetting about 1 LOVE, Startin', small pieces from Ladies Night/Because of you, and my name's WOMEN? Helllooooo

Originally Posted by Pieces_of_SEVEN

Finally able to just listen to this album over and over, and I LOVE IT!!!!! The only tracks I skip are the next LOVE (it's OK), Eyes, Smoke, Magic (haven't even listened to it in full, so disappointed in this style), and Serenade in A minor (again, it's OK, but I was hoping for a better prelude to how beautiful you are).

Sometimes I'll skip over call, but that's it. Ahhhhh I'm so happy. I DO wish there were one or two more PVS, for like Party Queen and reminds me, but it's all good. I can't wait to receive my blu ray box set!

I agree I am really beginning to love this album I was too harsh at first and now realize I never like Ayu's stuff the first time I hear it but after many listens I usually love it or genuinely don't like it or think it's O.K. I'm going to write another review in a week about the album

[ImpactBreaker]

NaNaNa and Letter are my favorite songs.

It's funny, when I first listened to this album, and I heard PQ and though it sounded a bit weird, and then listened to NaNana and hated it, and then lsitened to Shake it, and was sort of freaked out...and I thought "wow, this is a little more experimental than Next Level, I don't think I'm going to enjoy any of the osngs, so I just quit on listening to the rest. But yesterday, I actually attempted to listen for the second time, and actually enjoyed the weird the songs I had listened first, and liked the whole rest. I love naNaNa now.

Originally Posted by Cardboard box

Idk. She want's to drink/party to cover her sorrow?

LOL better to party in order to forget the sorrow than to rot in a bed crying, I think lol

[love in music]

i'm a Return Road-aholic. i can't stop. it gets better with every listen. and it's making all my previous favorite ayu rock songs look bad.
i haven't been this addicted to an ayu song in such a long time.

[~*Mabushii*~]

Originally Posted by Cardboard box

Idk. She want's to drink/party to cover her sorrow?

I think it's a type of "fake it until you make it" type of approach. You go out, you party, you attempt to move on with life despite how miserable you are. Instead of doing what many (including myself) have done/do which is completely withdraw from the world.

Ayu can't just do that, so she had to be our 'Party Queen' and move on/keep going with life and her job no matter how sad she is inside with her struggles from the divorce and everything else that has happened in Japan and life in general?

[AyUmIXx]

i guess that she's too rush in filming this album's PVs.
and i'm glad that the songs don't sound rush.

[Kouyou]

I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but I think Party Queen is one of Ayu's best albums. It flows flawlessly. It's experimental. It's fun yet meaningful. Most of Ayu's albums are "growers"; I don't instantly love each track. It takes time for me to discover each track and truly come to appreciate it. With PQ, I liked all of the tracks right away. I have listened to nothing else since I downloaded the album.

I do find it interesting, however, that although this is one of Ayu's best albums in a while, the PVs are sub-par. The only one I loved was how beautiful you are, and maybe Return Road. I just feel like there wasn't enough screen time for Ayu in any of them. Here's to hoping her next album's PVs will be more on level with her previous works.

[jewelbox]

I like the album too. It beats Love Songs, FIVE and RnrC easily. But I don't like the interludes,PQ song, HBYA,call,letter or NaNaNa so for me it's hardly the best,but overall I'm satisfied with the result.

[NintendoHTF1242]

Party queen - idk how I feel about this track. I don't think it's that strong of an opener

NaNaNa - What a strange track, Timmy's rapping is really weird

Shake It♥ - Can't remember the melody at all

taskebab - Worst tasku interlude ever

call - The preview did no justice for the song. This is absolutely amazing. This is the Ayu I like.

Letter - Once again, preview did no justice. I love this song.

Return Road - This is straight up flawless

Tell me why - Beautiful

a cup of tea - This ruins the flow of the album. It's too random.

The Next LOVE - This track is pretty chill

Eyes, Smoke, Magic - I don't like this track.

Serenade in A minor - Beautiful! Gorgeous! Stunning!

how beautiful you are - Cute song. Ending is a bit hectic though.

call -> Tell me why = so damn flawless

[Ayu_Love]

I think the album is amazing, I was blown away by it. You can tell she has put a lot of effort and her heart into each song, it really speaks a lot about how she feels about herself right now, about her time with Mannie, how people view her life, and everything she honestly feels. I love it. At first I wasn't too fussed on 'How Beautiful you are', but now It blows me away, and I love the symbols in the PV. It's the perfect song to finish the album, almost like Ayu is finishing by telling her fans, or who she is talking about in that song, how they kept her going, kept her alive. Perfect. The lyrics of what I have seen translated so far are so awesome, really powerful and honest. Some of them really stood out for me because of how I have thinking about what Ayu must be feeling recently, such as from Return Road:

'Others probably call us a joke
But no matter who talks about us with a know-it-all look of his or her face
Yes, only we know the truth'

I hope the people who were making speculations about Ayu's and Mannie's marriage, and even after she had explained the divorce in her own words and didn't believe her, will look at those lyrics, cause at the end of the day, it is only them that know the truth.

I don't find the musical inspired songs as catchy, but I LOVE how she took musicals as an inspiration, and created songs that were original and different. A very awesome and powerful album, I also think because of all the points above it's one of Ayu's best albums. I really liked FIVE, but this is much better!

[channy]

I can listen to this album from "Party queen" to "a cup of tea" and then I am switching to another album.

[adantatu2]

Party queen - I like it a lot. But it reminds me Born this way.....9/10

NaNaNa - It's really unique. The problem is the rapping.....8/10

Shake It♥ - It's growing on me a lot.....8/10

taskebab - I love the electric guitar.....*

call - It sounds like an Avril lavigne song. I like it, but isn't really memorable.....7/10

Letter - It's ok. Nothig else.....6/10

reminds me - Better than call and Letter together.....8/10

Return Road - The best song in this album. It sounds like the old ayu.....10/10

Tell me why - melancholic and good song.....8/10

a cup of tea - Good.....*

The Next LOVE - Horrible and boring.....2/10

Eyes, Smoke, Magic - It's less horrible and boring, but is bad.....4/10

Serenade in A minor - Another interlude.....*

how beautiful you are - beloved -episode II- .....6/10

[Pieces_of_SEVEN]

Party Queen - taskebab = 10/10
call = 7/10
Letter = 8/10
reminds me - Tell me why = 10/10
a cup of tea = 9/10
the next LOVE - Eyes, Smoke, Magic = 1/10
Serenade in A minor = 5/10
how beautiful you are = 10/10

[Mari-chan]

Party queen - I like it.
NaNaNa - Hmm... ok.. but not more.
Shake It♥ - I don't like it.
taskebab - No interesst.. because it's an interlude. I mostly don't matter them.
call - I like it. A nice song.
Letter - I really like this song.
reminds me - Would be greate.. but the bridge destroy's it a little bit. Would be a really greate song without that bridge with the guitar-solo!
Return Road - Greate song!
Tell me why - I love that song.
a cup of tea -Interlude... no interesst.
The Next LOVE - Horrible. I really dislike it.
Eyes, Smoke, Magic - The worst song on the Album.
Serenade in A minor - Interlude.. no interesst in it.
how beautiful you are - I totaly love that song.