![]() |
· Ayu's Official Site · Ayu's twitter · Ayu's YouTube · masa's translations · Misa-chan's translations · |
|
#1
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Last edited by Zeke.; 29th August 2016 at 03:23 AM. |
#2
|
||||
|
||||
Connected is the exception that proves the rule and is indeed one of two reasons I said "almost 100%" lol...
For one thing, Ayu did have more or less direct communication with Ferry Corsten when creating the song - they were actual professional buddies for a little bit, and he'd already composed the song ("The Love I Lost") and reworked it & sent it to her as a demo, INSISTING that she be the voice on the track. This wasn't ayu seeking out a collaborator, this was someone seeking HER out - and this is a producer, someone who personally only takes care of instrumentation and mixing, seeking out someone who he knew could legitimately contribute something to a framework he's already laid down. He had a track, and he could just hear Ayu's voice on top of it. THAT was his vision for the track. And then Ayu wrote lyrics based on how she felt about doing the collaboration... Being Japanese, writing lyrics as a message to a western person, she represented Japan by using wordplay in a unique way (a way that was unique even among Japanese lyricists - I have been listening to J-pop a long time and I haven't found another song that uses alliteration yet!) The best collaborations challenge and bring out more talents from both collaborators, and I think Connected was great for Ayu. Ayu's more recent collaborations have been her seeking out producers that she thinks have an appealing sound, or who she thinks she should work with based on their success as pop producers. She said before "Colours" that living in LA, she wanted to take the opportunity to work with producers in LA. Who she worked with was probably based far more on how free their schedules were than what she wanted for the sound of each song. She doesn't appear to have "vision" for a good deal of this stuff... She seems to just trust that it'll all work out because these producers have been so successful, and make music that's enjoyable to listen to. On the other hand, you get collaborators like m-flo who deliberately looked for Ayu to help them with "My Way" and then she tapped them for "Merry-go-round." I do think "Merry-go-round" is the superior track between those two, but I think the potent message of My Way is made FAR better by the fact that it's Ayu delivering it, even if Taku's production isn't as beefy as I think it should have been, and the emotion that the piano loop creates is diluted a bit by the track's generally weak mixing... My point being, Ayu & m-flo had each other in mind for those tracks, and you can tell. Ayu's other collaborations, based more on convenience and availability than artistic intent, are much much much weaker and I think if Ayu sets out to just "do some collaborations" in general, it ends up falling incredibly flat... but if Ayu writes a lyrical concept and thinks "I need a melody from such-and-such, I wonder if they can help me out with this" it'll turn out much better. But given her incredibly fastmoving schedule, I'm not thinking that'll ever happen.
__________________
Twitter: @deliriumzer0 Ayumi Hamasaki Song-A-Day 2015 (new ayu wiki site thing, work in progress, don't click yet) |
#3
|
||||
|
||||
I've noticed that I don't listen to ayu's music that much nowadays
![]() I don't know why but I don't get that much satisfaction from her newest songs like I use to until Colours |
#4
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
![]() |
#5
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Colours was a fun album. I listened to A ONE a lot. But I've watched her scale back a lot since 2010. First the singles, then the promo appearances, then the CDLs and tours became the same show with minor changes, then the albums became shorter and more like mixtapes. Not working with the same producers she usually worked with for even one song. Not calling in producers fans were begging her to work with again. It's still the same Ayu, just not the same Ayu. I think she's been ready to move on, but didn't want to seem like a liar because she assured us so many times that her career was the most important thing to her. I think that's changed. And I've changed from it too, if only because I wish we weren't the best friend Ayu rarely checks in with now that she has a shiny husband to spend all her time with.
__________________
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
#6
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Three to four nicely composed, electronic and not too short interludes would have made it a blast. Leaving out the ballads and adding lengthy instrumental EDM tracks would have been another choice that adds to this thought. A lot of forfeited potential. Which counts for all her albums ever since the beginning of short tracklists back in 2014. |
#7
|
||||
|
||||
It happens eventually. I usually take breaks every so often during long periods of when we don't get much "new" from her.
__________________
|
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Yeah. It happened with me during 2012. The intensity of my passion for Ayu is like a rollercoaster, some periods I listen to her everyday for months and other times I don't really listen to anything.
__________________
Ayu concerts I've been to: ARENA TOUR 2015 A Cirque de Minuit ~Mayonaka no Circus~ @ Saitama Super Arena 2015.04.11/12 ARENA TOUR 2018 ~POWER of MUSIC 20th Anniversary~ @ Saitama Super Arena 2018.04.07 Tokyo Rainbow Pride @ Yoyogi Park 2018.05.06 a-nation' 2018 @ Ajinomoto Stadium 2018.08.26 LIVE TOUR -TROUBLE- 2018-2019 A @ Nakano Sunplaza 2019.02.06 ayumi hamasaki 21st anniversary -POWER of A^3- @ Saitama Super Arena 2019.04.07 |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
So I was looking on youtube for the nicely nice remix of M and the description in the video when I found it had me gagging
![]() Quote:
![]() |
#10
|
||||
|
||||
^ well, didn't you guys enjoy tasky? There are not completely gone. I just think there is not one interlude after GUILTY/NEXT LEVEL era which is - well, good. From Love songs onwards, they have been disappeared into nothingness or they are not memorable. But tasky was a great effort. Well, I don't mind. I am not a big fan of the interludes, so I can do without. Colours sounded fine, even without intro's.
I am still convinched that all those songs orbitalaspect wrote in his comment, will somehow come back. Songs like Last minute and Mad World remind me of Ayu's 'good old days.' I am sure she will find the spark back. Then again, I actually thought she was on a good track with Made in Japan compared to A ONE. Maybe I am too easily intrigued by her new music.
__________________
|
#11
|
||||
|
||||
I think she has just shifted how she views albums much like how she has changed the way she does lives, opting for live performance interludes instead of prerecorded videos.
__________________
|
#12
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Quote:
Edit: I have to agree that Mad World is such a beautiful recall for Ayu. I wish she would have gone all out for the PV just that once. I could easily see this song with a PV like Endless Sorrow, walking proud or Ourselves, which would fit the narrative of this song so much better than Ayu standing before a screen for 3/4ths of the song.
__________________
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Last edited by orbitalaspect; 4th September 2016 at 03:36 AM. |
#13
|
||||
|
||||
This is Ayu related only slightly but... does anyone get 1998 Ayu vibes from the latest Utada album cover and promo shots? The shots with the dress feel like early Ayu singles and the cover has an ASFXX vibe to it.
__________________
|
#14
|
||||
|
||||
^ the red dress is very 90s in general. Simple slip dresses were super trendy, especially thin straps haha. The atmosphere reminded me of Depend on You's video though.
__________________
"Remember, don't let others dictate your music taste. If you like whatever you're listening to, keep listening to it." |
#15
|
||||
|
||||
Now that you mention it the black & white with orange font of Fantome does remind me of ASFXX! I never noticed it before.
|
#16
|
||||
|
||||
I'm OBSESSED with FLOWER. I could listen to it the whole day
![]() ![]() ![]() |
#17
|
||||
|
||||
If Ayu was in Game of Thrones..she would be Cersei or Khalessi?
![]() |
#18
|
||||
|
||||
So does anyone remember the impressions Naomi Watanabe did of Ayu? I'm trying to find them but all the links are dead.
![]()
__________________
I just want to forget it all, without even saying "goodbye." |
#19
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
__________________
![]() |
#20
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
__________________
I just want to forget it all, without even saying "goodbye." |
![]() |
Tags |
anything goes |
|
|
![]() |