NEXT LEVEL album thoughts

[emi♡]

Hello obvious gap between types of Ayu fans and the correlations to when they became fans...

I wonder how many people that totally love Ayu and her newer lyrics think her best albums happened after (miss) understood

Anyway...how to bridge this gap?

I really want to start comparing Ayu to dream theater for some reason...in terms of how long they've been making albums and everything they do and how creative it is...it's all my boyfriends fault...

but anyway...you know, I don't think that saying "SO WHAT IF SHES LOSING HER SPARK SHE HAS ALL THESE ALBUMS AND SONGS." is very good argument. Perhaps we all need to take a step back here and remember that Ayu is NOT a musician. She is a SINGER. Sure she has composed here and there, but that doesn't make her an experienced composer lol. Sure she has written her own lyrics, so what? So does kuu, so does hikki, so does my emi, so does a ton of other artists.

Perhaps we should stop expecting things from her that she never had, or maybe things that she once had, but doesn't need anymore.


Ayu is special, yes, I think we all believe that, I think we all love her, but for instance, I would never expect the same level of quality album after album from her as I get from someone who writes all their songs and mixes them and everything.

I think Ayu's special because she imbues what she's given with more of herself...maybe we don't feel that so much here because we're not used to it...I don't know...

meh...whatever. I miss my LOVEppears/Duty Ayu...and since that's never coming back...All I can hope for her is that she does her best with everything she puts out, if I like it, great, if I don't oh well. I don't listen to her stuff that much anymore...cause...it kinda got boring...

I like this album better than Guilty...by a long shot. But...I still don't think its really anything compared to her previous achievements.

for added dramatic effect: I agree with SunshineSlayer's points. Even if he doesn't agree with me.

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by emiko

for added dramatic effect: I agree with SunshineSlayer's points. Even if he doesn't agree with me.

I agree with you on some points yes. Although I'm a She not a He. I think my username must give off too much of a masculine effect or something...

[Tom Punks]

Originally Posted by emiko

Hello obvious gap between types of Ayu fans and the correlations to when they became fans...

I wonder how many people that totally love Ayu and her newer lyrics think her best albums happened after (miss) understood

I've been thinking that too. It seems like most people who love this album are newer fans, and people don't like it so much are her older fans.

[ayu_ready?]

Originally Posted by Tom Punks

I've been thinking that too. It seems like most people who love this album are newer fans, and people don't like it so much are her older fans.

I LOVE THE ALBUM AND I HAVE BEEN A FAN FOR MORE THAN 7 YEARS

how would you explain that?

[Jason]

Originally Posted by Tom Punks

I've been thinking that too. It seems like most people who love this album are newer fans, and people don't like it so much are her older fans.

I don't think so.

I quite like the album and I'm more of an older fan. I think NEXT LEVEL is an album that splits fans down the middle. You either love it or hate it.

[emi♡]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

I agree with you on some points yes. Although I'm a She not a He. I think my username must give off too much of a masculine effect or something...

omg! NO...okay look, I always thought you were a girl! And then...maybe it was someone else...but they kept correcting me saying they were a guy, and I guess I mixed them up with you lol

Sorry

[Dustie]

I absolutely love the refrain in NEXT LEVEL! It's the best track from the album - the rest sounds rather random...

[Andrenekoi]

The only thing that bothers me is when some people start talking about how bad and not emitional her music is now and how good it was before... I (and a lot of other people) prefer her actual moment than her past one... I hate Fly High, Boys & Girls and Audience to death (even if I like B&G on concerts) 'cause to me it's just a overly happy song with immature girlish lyrics.... I can see myself when she is singing Mirrorcle World, Alterna, Raining Day, Sparkle much more than when she is singing her "classics" and I like how her creative lyrics are much more mature now (even if she never stops writing about the smae things in most of her music).

And I can feel emotion in most of she is singing now (and I can't feel it in some... but I can't feel it in some of the older ones too)... Some people said that GREEN lacks emotion... to me is one of her best ballads ever! And I'm not talking only about music, I'm talking about the lyrics, her voice and all the emotion I feel from this song, even before reading the lyrics (that I really like too)... A lot of people that don't like GREEN loved Days, and to me, Days is another wintery ballad like the ones she releases every year...

If you don't like NL, thats not a problem... but when people starts talking about how bad this album is and how much she needs to rest... then, I don't like it... Because these people is saying that the songs I like are not good and are not respecting that sometimes it's not about how good the songs are... It's just about being or not being someone's cup of tea...

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

If you don't like NL, thats not a problem... but when people starts talking about how bad this album is and how much she needs to rest... then, I don't like it... Because these people is saying that the songs I like are not good and are not respecting that sometimes it's not about how good the songs are... It's just about being or not being someone's cup of tea...

But then you just said that you hate songs like Fly High and Audience and that they are immature, so aren't you doing the same thing? There are always going to be people on either side either criticizing the new era or the old era. That's not likely to stop anytime soon.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

But then you just said that you hate songs like Fly High and Audience and that they are immature, so aren't you doing the same thing? There are always going to be people on either side either criticizing the new era or the old era. That's not likely to stop anytime soon.

There's a huge diference in saying "I think this album is bad, I like her older works better" and "this album is bad, she is losing her spark! Her songs aren't as good as they used to be and her new songs will not be remembered by anyone this time"

Even if I'm a new ayu fan (started being a fan in Memorial Address era because of the Because of You video and the AT03-04), I'm not new to jpop nor to Ayu's music...

[jbrat2219]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

The only thing that bothers me is when some people start talking about how bad and not emitional her music is now and how good it was before... I (and a lot of other people) prefer her actual moment than her past one... I hate Fly High, Boys & Girls and Audience to death (even if I like B&G on concerts) 'cause to me it's just a overly happy song with immature girlish lyrics.... I can see myself when she is singing Mirrorcle World, Alterna, Raining Day, Sparkle much more than when she is singing her "classics" and I like how her creative lyrics are much more mature now (even if she never stops writing about the smae things in most of her music).

Yeah, I'm an old fan and I never felt any strong emotion from songs like Fly high, Trauma, or immature (to name a few). I mean, if you never had access to the translation of those lyrics, would you even know what they were about (if you don't speak Japanese)? To me, emotion in a song transcends beyond words, it can be the power in one's voice. To me, she sings songs like Who..., A Song for XX (A BALLADS version), Together When..., (miss)understood and GUILTY (to name a few) with tremendous emotion which is why I enjoy those songs so much.

But emotion doesn't only have to be about sadness. When she sings songs like independent, or July 1st, I hear happiness in her voice despite whatever the lyrics may say. I haven't heard this album yet because a certain postal worker decided to just leave a note saying "we were here" instead of KNOCKING while I was waiting nearby! <_<;;.... But anyway, from what people say it sounds like this album has distorted her vocals a bit? But from what I hear in songs like GREEN, Rule and Sparkle, she sounds so confident! I get such a "HELL YEAH!" feeling whenever I hear those songs. And Days sounds just soooo sweet! I love the way she sings it, before evening knowing what she was saying I could tell it was a sort of love song.

So when people ask me which era of Ayu's music I like more, I can't really say because there is so much I like about the old and new. But I can say that I feel more in her newer works than her older ones. I'm not saying they lacked emotion or whatever, I just didn't feel any particular vibe because her voice, in my opinion, sounded the same for each song; happy or sad. It wasn't until she redid a few of her songs that I felt what she was talking about without reading the lyrics (i.e. A Song for XX on A BALLADS, talk about WOW). Anyway, that's my two cents for now. When I finally get my copy tomorrow morning, I'll give it a good hard listen.

[emi♡]

Originally Posted by jbrat2219

So when people ask me which era of Ayu's music I like more, I can't really say because there is so much I like about the old and new. But I can say that I feel more in her newer works than her older ones. I'm not saying they lacked emotion or whatever, I just didn't feel any particular vibe because her voice, in my opinion, sounded the same for each song; happy or sad. It wasn't until she redid a few of her songs that I felt what she was talking about without reading the lyrics (i.e. A Song for XX on A BALLADS, talk about WOW). Anyway, that's my two cents for now. When I finally get my copy tomorrow morning, I'll give it a good hard listen.

And this is where I go and tell everyone to watch her sing all those old songs live.

Sometimes I think some people mistake the style she sings in, as emotion. Not saying you, just some people.

Just because her older works had to sound a certain way, doesn't mean that there isn't emotion put into them. When I watch Ayu's old concerts, I'm reminded of why I'm an Ayu fan, because she was just awesome when she was singing, even if she sang a wrong note lol.

But I guess it's just people's preference. A lot of newer fans prefer her new way of singing and performing...I personally don't....I wish she'd go back..at least to AT05.

I really disagree where people think her old songs don't contain emotions like the new ones...if anything, for me, they contain more, because for me, they feel more sincere. Like it was just her...now it's very different in the way she writes, records, and performs.

Maybe it's just the evolution of an artist.

[love in music]

Originally Posted by emiko

But I guess it's just people's preference. A lot of newer fans prefer her new way of singing and performing...I personally don't....I wish she'd go back..at least to AT05.

i don't understand why people say that. like you can't be an older fan and prefer her newer stuff? i'm not that older of a fan but i've been listening to her since mid 2001 and definitely prefer her singing style now (minus the vibrato) than her older singing.

[jbrat2219]

Originally Posted by emiko

And this is where I go and tell everyone to watch her sing all those old songs live.

Sometimes I think some people mistake the style she sings in, as emotion. Not saying you, just some people.

Just because her older works had to sound a certain way, doesn't mean that there isn't emotion put into them. When I watch Ayu's old concerts, I'm reminded of why I'm an Ayu fan, because she was just awesome when she was singing, even if she sang a wrong note lol.

But I guess it's just people's preference. A lot of newer fans prefer her new way of singing and performing...I personally don't....I wish she'd go back..at least to AT05.

I really disagree where people think her old songs don't contain emotions like the new ones...if anything, for me, they contain more, because for me, they feel more sincere. Like it was just her...now it's very different in the way she writes, records, and performs.

Maybe it's just the evolution of an artist.

I understand where you're coming from with the live performances, I've seen a few of her older ones. But I'm talking about strictly on CD. I don't hear it come across on CD, which doesn't mean it's not there. I think live performances are different than recorded vocals anyway. There's almost always more emotion live than on the CD (unless you're just dull).

For example, I've listened to Koda Kumi's moon crying plenty of times and never cared for the song. But when I saw her perform it live, she had so much emotion during the performance it really made me take notice of the song. I still don't listen to the CD version though.

Also, I think the "older fans only like her older works and newer fans only like her newer works" is just plain annoying. I mean when I got into Ayu around her I am... era, I did my research and checked out all her old stuff and loved it (in fact I think I even bought so much of her older stuff I couldn't afford I am... lol). I love her new stuff too, I love this album despite it's faults and it has nothing to do with the date I became an Ayu fan (not saying anyone said it in particular). I think people like what they like and they dislike what they like. As long as they have an intelligent reason behind it, it's all good.

[sparkle glitter]

I like everything except for the interludes. I was expecting more. Ayumi needs to just get rid of interludes altogether. This is just annoying now.

[waterballoon]

@SunshineSlayer: Okay, I get what you mean. I agree with you that she honestly needs a long rest though... I really like this album, but I've never really agreed with the release date.

Anyway, what I meant in that quote where you were "What?", was that you made it sound as though you're enjoying something like Fly high just because it contains a lot of 'regrets' in it (in the lyrics), as compared to another song of similar style but with lyrics that are extremely confident and positive (EnergizE), which makes me wonder if a happy-sounding song needs to have a tinge of regret/negativity to be enjoyed. But I doubt you're such a person, though you're a sunshine slayer.

In any case, I so disagree with what someone said about Fly high/AUDIENCE/Boys & Girls have immature lyrics! Omg! That is quite a bad song to say, because those songs have really amazing lyrics. I don't think her lyrics from any era is 'better' than lyrics from another era... they are all the relate-able and heartfelt lyrics from Ayu.

For me, I enjoy albums ever since RAINBOW, as in I can listen to these recent albums at one shot and enjoy them a lot.

For her earlier years, I find it hard to listen to them in albums (except Duty), her earlier songs are really stellar as songs, but I don't like listening to them in their albums.

I don't know what that means, but I know I enjoy both the old and new Ayu.

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by waterballoon

Anyway, what I meant in that quote where you were "What?", was that you made it sound as though you're enjoying something like Fly high just because it contains a lot of 'regrets' in it (in the lyrics), as compared to another song of similar style but with lyrics that are extremely confident and positive (EnergizE), which makes me wonder if a happy-sounding song needs to have a tinge of regret/negativity to be enjoyed. But I doubt you're such a person, though you're a sunshine slayer.

lol, yeah I totally didn't mean for my name to be taken in this context when I chose it, haha. In my early days as an Ayu fan it was actually ironic, because I was always super positive about everything, haha. And no, I don't think lyrics need to have regret in them to be good, but its hard to deny the brilliance of her happy but regretful songs though.

Nice that we can agree on some things and disagree on others nicely.

[waterballoon]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

lol, yeah I totally didn't mean for my name to be taken in this context when I chose it, haha. In my early days as an Ayu fan it was actually ironic, because I was always super positive about everything, haha. And no, I don't think lyrics need to have regret in them to be good, but its hard to deny the brilliance of her happy but regretful songs though.

Nice that we can agree on some things and disagree on others nicely.

Oh I know right! Like glitter is a good example of happy songs with regret, but again the songs in NEXT LEVEL have happiness/hope that she hasn't really written before, so it's pretty cool.

[waterballoon]

^ The problem that people have with NEXT LEVEL is that her vocals are too over-produced that they lack emotion. I mean I'm not so sure of that, but hey, that's feedback from the fans too.

One thing I'm super sure of is that if she were to take a break, her vocals would be back in good condition, and she wouldn't need to rely on "layering" or whatever.

But yes, 100% agree with you! A lot of her newer songs (let's take newer = from (miss)understood onwards) contain strong emotions in her voice... fated and Together When... are like prime examples.

That's why Ayu is so important to me... her voice, however un-powerhouse it may be, always contains a lot of emotion.

In NEXT LEVEL, the techno songs might have been a little robotic, but in songs where her voice are not tampered (with vocoders), I feel emotion too, like in NEXT LEVEL, GREEN, Days and Curtain call.

[tourniquet]

Originally Posted by waterballoon

^ The problem that people have with NEXT LEVEL is that her vocals are too over-produced that they lack emotion. I mean I'm not so sure of that, but hey, that's feedback from the fans too.

One thing I'm super sure of is that if she were to take a break, her vocals would be back in good condition, and she wouldn't need to rely on "layering" or whatever.

In NEXT LEVEL, the techno songs might have been a little robotic, but in songs where her voice are not tampered (with vocoders), I feel emotion too, like in NEXT LEVEL, GREEN, Days and Curtain call.

still the vocoder hate? xD that's really something subjective. I never found songs with vocoder less emotional or something. actually, I like that slightly distant, cold sound it produces.



ah, I still haven't got excited for this album. I'm whoring right now kuu's DRIVING HIT'S and it's like fantastic. the whole thing is just a disco mess from a lot of mediocre songs which I totally love. the thing makes we want to shake my ass and get ****ty and all that, but NEXT LEVEL totally leaves my like after some minutes.

I guess she can't make good albums ALL the time. I don't really like I am... or MY STORY as a whole either. may be one of those albums I loop some songs (the singles in this one) but leave the rest alone.