Ayu and ethereal music

Originally Posted by ChrisKay

I know, but I didn't get the ethereal feelings in that song. Perhaps it's just me.

That is kinda why I said "I thought".

[kirika]

What about "I am..."? I know it's a stronger song than Rainbow, but it brings some special powers with it's sound. And Ayumi's voice is like whoaaa...
btw thanks for saying about Akino Arai (checking youtube for more her songs). I've noticed she sang the ending for Noir anime ^^ - awesome :3

[emaNresU]

Originally Posted by Rody!

Ayu can own any style; she proves that every time..

Agrees! Maybe one day she would go :" hmmm maybe ethereal sounds good, maybe Ayu should try it" and wrote a ethereal song.... just like how Bold and Delicious is created

Well, she's a free and easy person that do whatever she likes, right?

[immel]

I think the etheral feel applies to ever free and theme of a-nation '03 a bit, but I'm not very used to the word so I'm a bit unsure.

[AyUmIXx]

excuse me...
what's ethereal anyway?
pls somebody explain to me..

[immel]

Originally Posted by AyUmIXx

excuse me...
what's ethereal anyway?
pls somebody explain to me..

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=ethereal

[HiruNoKaze]

Oh! I forgot about Catcher in the Light and Everlasting Dream! Ever Free, I think the beginning is, but not the chorus.

immel:
1. Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible.
Highly refined; delicate. See Synonyms at airy.
2. Of the celestial spheres; heavenly.
3. Not of this world; spiritual.
4. Chemistry. Of or relating to ether.
[From Latin aetherius, from Greek aitherios, from aithr, upper air.]
*From American Heritage Dictionary (on dictionary.com)

I mean it in the sense of 1., 2., and 3. lol you could probably figure out I wasn't talking about chemistry. I was talking about music that has a heavenly quality about it, a lightness and a dreaminess that uplift you. The word "ethereal" is related to "ether," a hypothetical substance that people used to believe filled all space (as opposed to the existence of empty space, vacuum). Also related to ancient words for upper air, as you can see.


AyUmIXx: do as kirika did and go to www.youtube.com and search for "akino arai," pretty much all of her work is ethereal

[immel]

^Yeah, I figured that . Thanks for the explanation.

I still stand by my choices, theme of a-nation '03 and ever free. I think that still alone qualifies aswell, to my ears.

[HiruNoKaze]

Actually...umm...I guess I'm a little ashamed to say it, but I've never actually heard Theme of A-nation '03... It's like the one Ayu song I've never heard. Back when I was downloading her stuff, I never found it. Well anyways, I've got CDL05-06 now, but I'm watching it veeeerry slowly...so I'll get to it eventually lol.

[immel]

I started listening to Ayu 6 months ago, I heard theme of a-nation '03 for the first time only about a month ago. I had heard it before while watching CDL2k5-2k6, I loved it but I forgot about it and was happily surprised by the & single when I got it .

That song, together with ever free, are my two favourites.

[Larisa-chan]

I can't believe nobody's mentioned Dolls!!! That's like her most ethereal song. I love ethereal music, and I of course love Akino Arai and Hikaru Utada's ethereal songs. Rainbow tried to achieve an ethereal feel, and only half succeeded in my opinion.

Here are the songs that I think are ethereal:
-Dolls
-Rainbow
-Over
-Happy Ending
-Rainy Day
-Ever Free
-most of Ayu's interludes (kaleidoscope is a great example, also Catcher in the Light and Everlasting Dream)

Also, a ton of her songs' intros have an ethereal feel, such as:
-Blue Bird
-Close To You
-End of the World
-Game
-Is this Love
-Liar
-No More Words
-Still Alone

[emi♡]

yes...i love this kind of music....

doea rainy day count as ethereal? I don't know...her voice isn't the same style...with the effects...^^okay it is...gosh it took me forever to edit this post...my computer is all crazy...

[Neo Daydream]

i agree w/ RAINBOW and Passion. and i think Ayu sings like that alot. she has a really different voice so i think it easily sounds surreal. ironically, i think she sounds very etheareal in the brigde in SURREAL

[immel]

Originally Posted by emikotogawa

yes...i love this kind of music....

doea rainy day count as ethereal? I don't know...her voice isn't the same style...with the effects...

It's only you and your ears that can judge that . It has to do with the feeling you get when you listen to the songs, not only how 'mystical' they sound.

[*Petit*]

Originally Posted by kirika

What about "I am..."? I know it's a stronger song than Rainbow, but it brings some special powers with it's sound. And Ayumi's voice is like whoaaa...
btw thanks for saying about Akino Arai (checking youtube for more her songs). I've noticed she sang the ending for Noir anime ^^ - awesome :3

The Huge Fairy tale mix is slightly ethereal IMO. And I am suits it perfectly (it was actually the first version I ever heard of I am..., I diden't hear the album version like more than 6 months after.)

The author of the topic also added the "surreal" part, which by that dictionary isen't related to the word. I don't think ayu has many "surreal" ethereal songs, like björk and the new Utada style. But some of her songs has an ethereal feel, the ones that larisa mentioned mostly.

[sora2522]

still alone AO was more ethereal than the original. the beginning of rainy day was more ethereal than the whole song in a sense. RAINBOW is total ethereal...this is an interesting topic...i should post more in here

[AyUmIXx]

alrite, i'm pretty understand now~

[greggerz189]

RAINBOW and no more words were really ethereal.

[HiruNoKaze]

Is there a specific ethereal style of singing? For me, songs that really stand out as ethereal tend to be breathier in general, regardless of the singer. Sigh, I watch the zegapain ending animation that Arai Akino sings on youtube, and for some reason, it's very hard for me to imagine Ayu singing it. Ah, ok I think I imagine it vaguely now after listening to it a buncha times. I've got a hunch that she'd sound awesome singing that song. But agh, no way to say for sure...

[Dustie]

I would rather say "Passion ~after the battle~" than the original mix...

To me, theme of a-nation'03 was more like a background music with some random vocals.... Not bad, but just... I was quite surprised she performed it on CDL.