ARENA TOUR 2012 A ~HOTEL Love songs~ information thread [II]

[emi♡]

personally, the only reason I think people love I am... is because it's a solid album that's sort of right in that middle of her "changing" sounds...

as in...it doesn't have the 90s sound of a song for xx, it doesn't have the electronic pop/2000 sound of LOVEppears...doesn't have the darker feel of duty (and it's more solid)...but it was also like, the best of all of the ayu things from there. And it was after A BEST, which...was huge lets just say. So it's all a new album with lots of variety compared to her past albums, and every song is pretty much a good song with the exception of two or three...

Oh and then RAINBOW came out, which everyone hated. And it doesn't sound like that either. So it's like "omg this album sucks" after the last one was so good...or seemingly so good. It certainly looks better after a crappy album comes out

I have such a hard time expressing myself lol


whatever. I think...sometimes people hype it...but I also think there's a good reason why.

Overrated? meh. Her recent eras are just as overrated as her old ones imo. And there's reason for that too.


Personally, I prefer mature ayu, but with old ayu's music. Which obviously I'll never get, so whatever. memorial address-my story is a nice "era" cause it kinda transitions the two for me.

[Andrenekoi]

The first Ayu album (on her chronology) that I really love is RAINBOW... I don't think she has any BAD album, but I don't really consider any album she released before RAINBOW to be that great...

[axmish87]

^ I am... and RAINBOW albums has those DREAMLIKE arrangments,like they are out of this world.
I miss those haunting echoing sounds,so mesmerizing ...
Those albums HEAL!!!
Where is all that CREAtivity now??
Oh well i still have high hopes for Ayu <3

[mizuki-7]

Maybe CREA is not responsible to the arrangements but she is described like a person who choose each elements in her songs so i think it's her who decide how her arrangements must be ...

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by mizuki-7

Maybe CREA is not responsible to the arrangements but she is described like a person who choose each elements in her songs so i think it's her who decide how her arrangements must be ...

As far as we know, Ayu did that before CREA and still does do it nowadays...

And I do agree Dearest, No more words and a song is born are all among her most generic ballads to date...

[jbrat2219]

Dearest is way overrated. And a song is born is just plan bad! Not even getting rid of KEIKO could save that song... just having it ON I am... tarnished the whole album for me.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by jbrat2219

Dearest is way overrated. And a song is born is just plan bad! Not even getting rid of KEIKO could save that song... just having it ON I am... tarnished the whole album for me.

endless sorrow is one of my favorite Ayu tracks... What I am... did to it is unforgivable

[mizuki-7]

As far as we know, Ayu did that before CREA and still does do it nowadays...

Yes I know ^^

[Coelacanth]

lol @ people trying to bash her legendary early work so they can make her new albums look better. Is this really the first thing I have to see when I come back and lurk?

Party Queen sucks. The over-the-top arrangements can't even hide how truly boring all the melodies are in this album. The mixing is terrible on the rock tracks. Songs like NaNaNa and Shake It embarrassingly pander to effeminate, hedonistic gays who listen to Britney Spears / Lady Gaga and refer to things as "fierce." The Timmy tracks are utter camp garbage. She sounds emotionally distant (perhaps even bored?) while laying down her vocals for most of the album.

Doesn't help that she's constantly coddled by her staff and people like Timmy and Leslie Kee - she readily accepts their sub-par work because she's friends with them and they tell her how fierce she is every single day. If she actually looked at the A SUMMER covers and okay'ed them, well.. she must be absolutely loony. You don't even need to have a keen eye for art to recognize how awful those covers are.

Her older work was more minimalist, mature, unpretentious. It was theatrical, yet subtly - not forced or over-the-top. She's regressing.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

lol @ people trying to bash her legendary early work so they can make her new albums look better. Is this really the first thing I have to see when I come back and lurk?

Party Queen sucks. The over-the-top arrangements can't even hide how truly boring all the melodies are in this album. The mixing is terrible on the rock tracks. Songs like NaNaNa and Shake It embarrassingly pander to effeminate, hedonistic gays who listen to Britney Spears / Lady Gaga and refer to things as "fierce." The Timmy tracks are utter camp garbage. She sounds emotionally distant (perhaps even bored?) while laying down her vocals for most of the album.

Doesn't help that she's constantly coddled by her staff and people like Timmy and Leslie Kee - she readily accepts their sub-par work because she's friends with them and they tell her how fierce she is every single day. If she actually looked at the A SUMMER covers and okay'ed them, well.. she must be absolutely loony. You don't even need to have a keen eye for art to recognize how awful those covers are.

Her older work was more minimalist, mature, unpretentious. It was theatrical, yet subtly - not forced or over-the-top. She's regressing.

Respect: Lost

[Ayu-me]

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

lol @ people trying to bash her legendary early work so they can make her new albums look better. Is this really the first thing I have to see when I come back and lurk?

Party Queen sucks. The over-the-top arrangements can't even hide how truly boring all the melodies are in this album. The mixing is terrible on the rock tracks. Songs like NaNaNa and Shake It embarrassingly pander to effeminate, hedonistic gays who listen to Britney Spears / Lady Gaga and refer to things as "fierce." The Timmy tracks are utter camp garbage. She sounds emotionally distant (perhaps even bored?) while laying down her vocals for most of the album.

Doesn't help that she's constantly coddled by her staff and people like Timmy and Leslie Kee - she readily accepts their sub-par work because she's friends with them and they tell her how fierce she is every single day. If she actually looked at the A SUMMER covers and okay'ed them, well.. she must be absolutely loony. You don't even need to have a keen eye for art to recognize how awful those covers are.

Her older work was more minimalist, mature, unpretentious. It was theatrical, yet subtly - not forced or over-the-top. She's regressing.

This post: opinions opinions opinionated comments mixed with personal bias.
Ayu's "regressing" is not a fact, it's an opinion. I personally see Party Queen as her most mature, deep, and emotional album yet. Her vocals are awesome, the dance tracks are catchy and easy to listen to (as dance tracks should be) at the same time as having a subtle poetry, the rock tracks vary between being openly and subtly emotional, the jazz part is immeasurably beautiful with cynicism, playfulness, and dark reflections, and "how beautiful you are" is an amazing classical ballad. Party Queen, in my opinion, is her best album yet. "I am...", "MY STORY", "Duty", and most other Ayu albums aren't nearly as good, in my opinion. So my opinion is that Ayu keeps improving with time.
But my opinion obviously differs from yours, which is fine, except you paint your opinions as "facts", which makes your post very disrespectful.
So I will respectfully ask you to let your opinions be opinions.

[jbrat2219]

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

lol @ people trying to bash her legendary early work so they can make her new albums look better. Is this really the first thing I have to see when I come back and lurk?

LOL at you assuming things you know nothing about. Some of us happen to dislike songs from her previous works. I know. SHOCKING. Some of us don't praise I am... like it was directly given to us from God. If people are allowed to state their opinions about how horrible her new albums are, other should be allowed to state their opinions about her past ones.

For me personally, I never cared for I am... when it came out. I almost gave up on ayu until RAINBOW.

[ayu_ready?]

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

lol @ people trying to bash her legendary early work so they can make her new albums look better. Is this really the first thing I have to see when I come back and lurk?

Party Queen sucks. The over-the-top arrangements can't even hide how truly boring all the melodies are in this album. The mixing is terrible on the rock tracks. Songs like NaNaNa and Shake It embarrassingly pander to effeminate, hedonistic gays who listen to Britney Spears / Lady Gaga and refer to things as "fierce." The Timmy tracks are utter camp garbage. She sounds emotionally distant (perhaps even bored?) while laying down her vocals for most of the album.

Doesn't help that she's constantly coddled by her staff and people like Timmy and Leslie Kee - she readily accepts their sub-par work because she's friends with them and they tell her how fierce she is every single day. If she actually looked at the A SUMMER covers and okay'ed them, well.. she must be absolutely loony. You don't even need to have a keen eye for art to recognize how awful those covers are.

Her older work was more minimalist, mature, unpretentious. It was theatrical, yet subtly - not forced or over-the-top. She's regressing.

and I will say - God bless you for this post!

[Coelacanth]

The songs from LOVEppears, Duty, I am... only get better each and every time I listen to them. These are the songs people will remember forever. Someone mentioned cultural reasons behind her success during this period. Yes, of course. But if the Party Queen album was released instead of Duty in 2000, you cannot tell me that it would have reached the same level of success as Duty. No way. Ayu did not achieve super-stardom through mediocrity.

What is she contributing to the musical landscape right now? Nothing but gimmicks, it seems. I honestly do not think she's working at her full potential. J-pop is in a huge rut right now, and what does one of the most celebrated, iconic J-pop stars do? Release an uninspired mini-album full of Yuna Ito recuts and saccharine pseudo-R&B love songs. Worst of all, since the rise of social media, her AND her staff have been unprofessionally responding to criticism when instead they should just keep their mouths shut and focus on their work.

Regarding A song is born, no more words, Dearest... Perhaps these songs would be "generic" for any other artist to sing, but Ayu's vocal interpretation was nothing short of brilliant. She was a master of pathos in those days. I will say that I think how beautiful you are is a gorgeous song, and one of her better ballads in recent years.

[FoxyPinkGirl]

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

The songs from LOVEppears, Duty, I am... only get better each and every time I listen to them. These are the songs people will remember forever. Someone mentioned cultural reasons behind her success during this period. Yes, of course. But if the Party Queen album was released instead of Duty in 2000, you cannot tell me that it would have reached the same level of success as Duty. No way. Ayu did not achieve super-stardom through mediocrity.

What is she contributing to the musical landscape right now? Nothing but gimmicks, it seems. I honestly do not think she's working at her full potential. J-pop is in a huge rut right now, and what does one of the most celebrated, iconic J-pop stars do? Release an uninspired mini-album full of Yuna Ito recuts and saccharine pseudo-R&B love songs. Worst of all, since the rise of social media, her AND her staff have been unprofessionally responding to criticism when instead they should just keep their mouths shut and focus on their work.

Regarding A song is born, no more words, Dearest... Perhaps these songs would be "generic" for any other artist to sing, but Ayu's vocal interpretation was nothing short of brilliant. She was a master of pathos in those days. I will say that I think how beautiful you are is a gorgeous song, and one of her better ballads in recent years.

and personally I like I am.... (the album and song) one of her best works, I play it often.

[jang-kun]

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

The songs from LOVEppears, Duty, I am... only get better each and every time I listen to them. These are the songs people will remember forever. Someone mentioned cultural reasons behind her success during this period. Yes, of course. But if the Party Queen album was released instead of Duty in 2000, you cannot tell me that it would have reached the same level of success as Duty. No way. Ayu did not achieve super-stardom through mediocrity.

What is she contributing to the musical landscape right now? Nothing but gimmicks, it seems. I honestly do not think she's working at her full potential. J-pop is in a huge rut right now, and what does one of the most celebrated, iconic J-pop stars do? Release an uninspired mini-album full of Yuna Ito recuts and saccharine pseudo-R&B love songs. Worst of all, since the rise of social media, her AND her staff have been unprofessionally responding to criticism when instead they should just keep their mouths shut and focus on their work.

Regarding A song is born, no more words, Dearest... Perhaps these songs would be "generic" for any other artist to sing, but Ayu's vocal interpretation was nothing short of brilliant. She was a master of pathos in those days. I will say that I think how beautiful you are is a gorgeous song, and one of her better ballads in recent years.

Bless this post omg

[jewelbox]

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

The songs from LOVEppears, Duty, I am... only get better each and every time I listen to them. These are the songs people will remember forever.

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

Ayu did not achieve super-stardom through mediocrity.

Totally Agree

[ayu_ready?]

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

The songs from LOVEppears, Duty, I am... only get better each and every time I listen to them. These are the songs people will remember forever. Someone mentioned cultural reasons behind her success during this period. Yes, of course. But if the Party Queen album was released instead of Duty in 2000, you cannot tell me that it would have reached the same level of success as Duty. No way. Ayu did not achieve super-stardom through mediocrity.

What is she contributing to the musical landscape right now? Nothing but gimmicks, it seems. I honestly do not think she's working at her full potential. J-pop is in a huge rut right now, and what does one of the most celebrated, iconic J-pop stars do? Release an uninspired mini-album full of Yuna Ito recuts and saccharine pseudo-R&B love songs. Worst of all, since the rise of social media, her AND her staff have been unprofessionally responding to criticism when instead they should just keep their mouths shut and focus on their work.

Regarding A song is born, no more words, Dearest... Perhaps these songs would be "generic" for any other artist to sing, but Ayu's vocal interpretation was nothing short of brilliant. She was a master of pathos in those days. I will say that I think how beautiful you are is a gorgeous song, and one of her better ballads in recent years.

oh bless this post again!

[emi♡]

I see where you're coming from...but...ouch.


Although I do agree with the minimalistic, unpretentious part.

I can't really stand how contrived her sound/concepts/execution is these days.

But....well...seems to be quite trendy in our pop artists.

[Andrenekoi]

^Nops, the first bolded part is pretty much homophobic, and it doesn't go much far from it...

And the rest is a opinion.. I, for example, am really liking all the results of Ayu collabs with Timmy, and enjoyed everything music-related she did with Leslie.