New album titled 'MADE IN JAPAN'

[NintendoHTF1242]

Originally Posted by njanjayrp

I don't really get the obsession people have with singles nor do I see why would anyone want a best of filled with tracks we've heard instead of a new album...

Because that's how artists promote themselves. Like tokyoxjapanxfan mentioned, it always meant lives and interviews and whatnot. Not to mention singles usually come with B-sides and remixes. But Ayu rarely promotes herself nowadays so whatever lol

[Zeke.]

I think also, singles provide for the opportunity to deliver a concept. A mini "world" and environment can be fleshed out from the songs and turned into a visual spectacle. It allows for a bit of extravagance, and the world of Hamasaki Ayumi seems much larger and expansive when you look back on a year and see all the different places she took you with her paintings of works. It's like the door opens every 3 months and it's a new place to explore, a new vision to be seen. I miss that feeling of waiting for the door to open again, and the curiosity as to what we will be shown this time. As the release date gree closer, we'd all have our ears pressed to that door. We'd begin to hear muffled sounds (snippets, CM spots) - processing the tease of what's to come. That's how I remember it.

It happens once a year now, and it seems to close faster than ever before. Also, it rarely feels like a world at all anymore. It's like a closet door with creaky floorboards and cobwebs. You can tell someone made an effort to clean it up; there are finger trails left in the piles of accumulated dust - but you always feel like more of an effort could have been made to really make that room shine. And you think to yourself "ah, I guess this is how it is now," and you try to accept the fact. But, when you leave that room, and after the door shuts once more, you can't help but wonder if when the next time it opens, what it would be like to see the room completely luminous again.

[Heavenly]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

I think also, singles provide for the opportunity to deliver a concept. A mini "world" and environment can be fleshed out from the songs and turned into a visual spectacle. It allows for a bit of extravagance, and the world of Hamasaki Ayumi seems much larger and expansive when you look back on a year and see all the different places she took you with her paintings of works. It's like the door opens every 3 months and it's a new place to explore, a new vision to be seen. I miss that feeling of waiting for the door to open again, and the curiosity as to what we will be shown this time.

It happens once a year now, and it seems to close faster than ever before. Also, it rarely feels like a world at all anymore. It's like a closet door with creaky floorboards and cobwebs. You can tell someone made an effort to clean it up; there are finger trails left in the piles of accumulated dust - but you always feel like more of an effort could have been made to really make that room shine.

I love your metaphor :'D

[Chibi-Chan]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

I think also, singles provide for the opportunity to deliver a concept. A mini "world" and environment can be fleshed out from the songs and turned into a visual spectacle. It allows for a bit of extravagance, and the world of Hamasaki Ayumi seems much larger and expansive when you look back on a year and see all the different places she took you with her paintings of works. It's like the door opens every 3 months and it's a new place to explore, a new vision to be seen. I miss that feeling of waiting for the door to open again, and the curiosity as to what we will be shown this time. As the release date gree closer, we'd all have our ears pressed to that door. We'd begin to hear muffled sounds (snippets, CM spots) - processing the tease of what's to come. That's how I remember it.

It happens once a year now, and it seems to close faster than ever before. Also, it rarely feels like a world at all anymore. It's like a closet door with creaky floorboards and cobwebs. You can tell someone made an effort to clean it up; there are finger trails left in the piles of accumulated dust - but you always feel like more of an effort could have been made to really make that room shine. And you think to yourself "ah, I guess this is how it is now," and you try to accept the fact. But, when you leave that room, and after the door shuts once more, you can't help but wonder if when the next time it opens, what it would be like to see the room completely luminous again.

Love that post!

Also I think that when she had a few singles over the year her albums where more diverse. Party Queen was the only album since she stopped releasing regular singles that had a diverse sound. LOVE again, Colors, A ONE... they're all pretty boring albums when listening from start to the end.

[pepper]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

I think also, singles provide for the opportunity to deliver a concept. A mini "world" and environment can be fleshed out from the songs and turned into a visual spectacle. It allows for a bit of extravagance, and the world of Hamasaki Ayumi seems much larger and expansive when you look back on a year and see all the different places she took you with her paintings of works. It's like the door opens every 3 months and it's a new place to explore, a new vision to be seen. I miss that feeling of waiting for the door to open again, and the curiosity as to what we will be shown this time. As the release date gree closer, we'd all have our ears pressed to that door. We'd begin to hear muffled sounds (snippets, CM spots) - processing the tease of what's to come. That's how I remember it.

It happens once a year now, and it seems to close faster than ever before. Also, it rarely feels like a world at all anymore. It's like a closet door with creaky floorboards and cobwebs. You can tell someone made an effort to clean it up; there are finger trails left in the piles of accumulated dust - but you always feel like more of an effort could have been made to really make that room shine. And you think to yourself "ah, I guess this is how it is now," and you try to accept the fact. But, when you leave that room, and after the door shuts once more, you can't help but wonder if when the next time it opens, what it would be like to see the room completely luminous again.

+1

I don't even care about the number of singles etc, I was even angry that singles have 2-3 maximum new songs and album gives me a loads of more.. but everything you said above created Ayu. I coudn't write it more clearly.

[voltron]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

I think also, singles provide for the opportunity to deliver a concept. A mini "world" and environment can be fleshed out from the songs and turned into a visual spectacle. It allows for a bit of extravagance, and the world of Hamasaki Ayumi seems much larger and expansive when you look back on a year and see all the different places she took you with her paintings of works. It's like the door opens every 3 months and it's a new place to explore, a new vision to be seen. I miss that feeling of waiting for the door to open again, and the curiosity as to what we will be shown this time. As the release date gree closer, we'd all have our ears pressed to that door. We'd begin to hear muffled sounds (snippets, CM spots) - processing the tease of what's to come. That's how I remember it.

I agree with this to a certain degree. She was SO prolific in her earlier years, and so EVERYWHERE across multiple media, and that just isn't the case now. I'm also not sure it COULD be the case now, even if she went full-force with promo.

When she was in new CMs monthly, getting to hear a snippet of a new song was always so exciting. It usually started out with a 15s CM, then the hunt for 30s one would commence. Rips were so much harder to come by then and unless it was posted on the product's website, it was a HUNT. Then even the wait to see if the full song would be the same, or how they would be altered (different lyrics, different key, etc.). And honestly leading up until Rainbow, we had full single lead tracks MONTHS in advance before the single release in many cases. That still did nothing to diminish the hype for the physical release, and any bonuses on the singles themselves. Then, once the release came by we had covers, magazines, TV appearances. So much of that just isn't aligned to what the reality would be today. So while I'd love to see her really go full force again, I'm afraid it would just make me nostalgic in a bad way at something that is no longer attainable.

[Baernash]

Originally Posted by NintendoHTF1242

Because that's how artists promote themselves.

Not anymore. Nowadays you can successfully promote new recordings ONLINE by releasing digital singles, promoting on social media etc. Times of getting 2-3 singles before album release are over and I'm happy with that.