11th Album Anticipation Thread 2

[aura~]

^that would be a change... the ladt year she has left some part of the production to her staff... when she takes more controll all is better *-*

And, I thought it too.. that they maybe say all at once... I would like it... XD

[thinkingoutloud89]

nearly 7:15...I don´t wnat to get my hopes high but i would be so happy if I would at least get a title in 1 or two hours!

[jean-baptiste]

this better be one heck of an album...

[Tom Punks]

For some reason, I have a really good feeling about this album. I hope that's a good thing? Like for Ayu's past two albums, I've kind of had this feeling that they wouldn't be very good, and in the end they became two of my least favorite albums she's ever released.

But I feel like she's trying really hard this time and that she's gonna make it awesome somehow. <3 And I don't even really like the song previews we've gotten so far...

[truehappiness]

Like for Ayu's past two albums, I've kind of had this feeling that they wouldn't be very good, and in the end they became two of my least favorite albums she's ever released.

But doesn't that usually happen with self-fulfilling prophecy-ish things like this? If you go into something thinking it'll be bad/it's gonna suck, that's how things will probably go.

IMO, you have to listen to Ayu albums (and albums in general?) with a clean slate and no pre-judgments about the album based on what other people say / what the covers or PVs did to you / etc... just think of it as a fresh experience and base whatever you're going to feel about the album on that, not what you assumed about the album before you listened to it, if you get what I mean.

[GRACE]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

But doesn't that usually happen with self-fulfilling prophecy-ish things like this? If you go into something thinking it'll be bad/it's gonna suck, that's how things will probably go.

IMO, you have to listen to Ayu albums (and albums in general?) with a clean slate and no pre-judgments about the album based on what other people say / what the covers or PVs did to you / etc... just think of it as a fresh experience and base whatever you're going to feel about the album on that, not what you assumed about the album before you listened to it, if you get what I mean.

Dunno, I went into NL really excited and thinking it was gonna be great and I was disappointed. I didn't hate it, but I was disappointed with it in comparison to her old albums

[truehappiness]

I didn't hate it, but I was disappointed with it in comparison to her old albums

That might be where things get weird. I like to judge all of the Ayu albums I listen to as separate entities, since they are all individual pieces of work not meant to be compared with X album because really, they're from different time periods with different inspirations, so I don't think they can even be compared, except for the fact that they're all from Ayumi Hamasaki. (This is just how I do things, haha.) All of her albums save for ASFXX imo are very high quality and are pretty much "perfection" in terms of the musical quality. As far as liking/disliking songs, I don't think I've ever come across a track (including ASFXX here) from Ayu that I haven't liked, so she must be doing something right.

[aura~]

^same here ^^ theres some I prefer over others, but overall I like every ayu-song =)

[thinkingoutloud89]

I actually don´t see her album seperated anymore
Her Music is like her portfolio..each new song is an addition to her backcatalouge. The combination of old and new songs in her tours even proove that.

[Coelacanth]

I hope people don't get their expectations too high. I don't necessarily expect this album to be a HUGE step up from her previous albums... I'm just starved for new material, that's all.

[Tom Punks]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

That might be where things get weird. I like to judge all of the Ayu albums I listen to as separate entities, since they are all individual pieces of work not meant to be compared with X album because really, they're from different time periods with different inspirations, so I don't think they can even be compared, except for the fact that they're all from Ayumi Hamasaki. (This is just how I do things, haha.) All of her albums save for ASFXX imo are very high quality and are pretty much "perfection" in terms of the musical quality. As far as liking/disliking songs, I don't think I've ever come across a track (including ASFXX here) from Ayu that I haven't liked, so she must be doing something right.

See, I like all of her songs too (except AUDIENCE, the one Ayu song that I can't stand), but that's only in comparison to all music that I like in general. When I compare Ayu music to everyone's music, she's always on top. But when I compare Ayu music to Ayu music, NEXT LEVEL sounds like crap to me, even though in reality I still think it's better than like any BoA or Koda Kumi or whoever's music.

I don't know if that even made sense... I'm like incapable of forming sentences right now for some reason. But yeah, I have a good feeling about this album.

[truehappiness]

I think with NEXT LEVEL she had either too much fun or played around musically more than she should've. With this album, I think we should see what she's really capable of... probably more like GUILTY (or if you hated that, Secret.) rather than NEXT LEVEL. She's even said so herself that she wasn't really sure what she should do with some songs in the context of the album... perhaps this one will be a bit more focused in terms of direction/vocal stylings/etc.?

[Picaflor 7/4]

in reality I still think it's better than like any BoA or Koda Kumi or whoever's music.

^I don't get it. You prefer Next Level over anyone elses music? you're basically saying its the best album produced of anyone elses music in all of Jpop productions?

except AUDIENCE, the one Ayu song that I can't stand

I like that song. Only song I can't stand is Bold & Delicious. I'm glad she doesn't regularly perform it. haha. In a concert though, I'd still sit through it. I wouldn't want to fast forward through a concert I haven't seen before even if I don't like 1 or 2 songs.

I'm really hoping we get info on saturday or sunday. to prove this "tradition/pattern" wrong.

[ohsixthirty]

Originally Posted by GRACE

Dunno, I went into NL really excited and thinking it was gonna be great and I was disappointed. I didn't hate it, but I was disappointed with it in comparison to her old albums

i'm kind of opposite...next level is easily my favorite ayumi album! i adore it.

i'm really worried that if she doesn't push this album the way she did with next level, that i will be disappointed and not enjoy it as much. i mean...next level was a pretty big change for her, i think it would be hard to go back to the guilty/secret rock kind of album.

either way, i'm just excited for any new material!

[Tom Punks]

Originally Posted by Picaflor 7/4

^I don't get it. You prefer Next Level over anyone elses music? you're basically saying its the best album produced of anyone elses music in all of Jpop productions?

No. I'm saying that in general, I like it more than most j-pop music even though it's my least favorite Ayu album. There are of course other albums that I think are much better, but generally if you showed me a random j-pop album I'd prefer NEXT LEVEL to it. >>

[ohsixthirty]

Originally Posted by Monkey_D_Ruffy16

nearly 7:15...I don´t wnat to get my hopes high but i would be so happy if I would at least get a title in 1 or two hours!

its 8:01 am in japan now...

we were thinking friday might be the day of some info, right?

i really hope so.

i'll be checking on ahs off and on all night i'm sure.

[thinkingoutloud89]

I think it is rather childish to compare artists...especially when their msusical direction is different...its like comparing Da Vinci to Picasso..

[aura~]

yeah.. I'm checking TA every minute.. XDD If they have to announce the album on friday morning.. it will be inthe next hour or through the morning... if not this afternoon night (jp time)... if not... XDDD then I don't know what are they waiting for!

[ayumisrael]

Originally Posted by walking.proud

yeah.. I'm checking TA every minute.. XDD If they have to announce the album on friday morning.. it will be inthe next hour or through the morning... if not this afternoon night (jp time)... if not... XDDD then I don't know what are they waiting for!

God knows what would they wait for. >_>

This week is the ideal announcing week for the 2 dates (and even 7th April) so I don't get why wouldn't they do it already... It's really wierd that they take their time like this.

Let's hope it will happen soon but then again... don't hope too much since they might not announce it. XD

[Matthew]

I wanna keep hitting F5, but I gotta get to bed. I'll wake up at 3AM to check again. Fingers crossed. Can't wait much longer!