Party Queen is 3 years old today...

[SunshineSlayer]

Still not one of my favorites, but it has some gems. The production of the album sounds great and she definitely explored and took chances on the album.

I also grew to like this album a lot more when I saw it live. I actually went to see the show with my fiance and we broke up soon after. The album kind of took up a different connotation in my mind after that since I could relate to a lot of the songs on the album about heartbreak.

[ayu_ready?]

I wish this album never happened. And that post-album MARO thing also never happened. both to Ayu and to the fanbase

[Eewyi]

Yeah, Party Queen really torn fanbase. Some hating it, some loving it. I like it still for what it is. It's not my favorite album, but I've always liked it, and I also have fond memories of it.
I remember how Party queen leaked on New Year's and I was listening to it right before the year changed..and was hyped.

And ofc, I will forever remember this w

[TeddyGrahams]

Originally Posted by HarukaKamiya

lol cut the melodrama

Haha I can be a lot more melodramatic on it. I just dislike it immensely. Partly, the blame goes to myself for hyping it because it was a full album being release with no singles. The potential for it being amazing was so high. It was like a dream turned into nightmare.

I'm not saying it shouldn't exist because I see some ppl like it. For me I was expecting something much better but it's didn't came to be.

The 3 year thing was a bit melodramatic I guess, I just stopped going to ahs and checking on her 24/7.

[js_surrealism]

How was it a nightmare when it gave us some of the most interesting music she's made since 2006?

[TeddyGrahams]

What's so interesting about PQ other than bad covers? (since S/S ~all is love~ got that covered lol.) I really want to know.

Nothing on the album is as musically interesting as Mirrorcle World, Love Song, Progress, & BRILLANTE? Funny how those were released pretty much just prior to PQ.

[truehappiness]

You could listen to it a few more times and see for yourself. It's probably one of her most uniquely out-there albums in terms of the genres she explores.

[js_surrealism]

I can accept that Mirrorcle World was a pretty great song. There's nothing new about Love Song or Progress. Brillante was new because she's never had that sort of Celtic back up vocal in her songs before but the song in general was pretty boring (to me, anyway; never saw the appeal). That's also not counting the fact that the Melody also brought to mind all her 'oriental' type ballads like theme of a-nation, tell all, Ballad.

Party Queen, Shake It, NaNaNa, Tell Me Why, The Next Love - Love them or hate them, were all musical styles she's never explored before. Eyes, Smoke, Magic also, although that was just a bad song.

[waterballoon]

Originally Posted by js_surrealism

How was it a nightmare when it gave us some of the most interesting music she's made since 2006?

you mean the epitome of her unprofessionalism, "Return Road"? LOL. that was a super shameful music video to show anyone because it screamed "I GOT A DIVORCE WITH MY HUSBAND FROM A WHIRLWIND MARRIAGE NOW BEHOLD MY LAST MILKING" like Ayu hun, gurl please... don't embarrass yourself

or you mean her "dancing" in NaNaNa and Shake It with the horrid grandma haircut?

like, fine I get that musically, this album is good, but visually,

[NintendoHTF1242]

The visuals in the Party Queen era are a complete mess and I disregard it, tbh. But the album and it's music, raw and emotional and hella damn good. The album is her best flowing album to date, too.

[chocopockymaster]

Originally Posted by waterballoon

you mean the epitome of her unprofessionalism, "Return Road"? LOL. that was a super shameful music video to show anyone because it screamed "I GOT A DIVORCE WITH MY HUSBAND FROM A WHIRLWIND MARRIAGE NOW BEHOLD MY LAST MILKING" like Ayu hun, gurl please... don't embarrass yourself

This. So much.

Oddly, reading this thread is making me want to go watch AT2012. Maybe it'll convince me to give the album another chance, who knows?

[Delicious n Bold]

Originally Posted by NintendoHTF1242

The visuals in the Party Queen era are a complete mess and I disregard it, tbh. But the album and it's music, raw and emotional and hella damn good. The album is her best flowing album to date, too.

Totally. I tried watching the DVD a while ago and it wasn't as good as I remember. Luckily I overplayed the album when it first came out so now it gives me epic nostalgia and the mixing is actually good too.

[Aokani]

I want to listen to Party Queen with lyrics. I don't remember which user did this one: http://www.dailymotion.com/sakuramina-TCO
But I hope s/he will add the rest of the album soon.

[waterballoon]

the songs that didn't have a PV were the best, or at least it had real meaning. Party Queen had the "hollow" atmosphere despite it being a party song, coupled with the menacing laughter at the end. Letter was defo "Ayu jammin' @ le studio with the feels", ESM & the next LOVE, despite sounding meh, definitely had great atmosphere, reminds me was pure emotion..

[Kazeyomi]

Originally Posted by waterballoon

you mean the epitome of her unprofessionalism, "Return Road"? LOL. that was a super shameful music video to show anyone because it screamed "I GOT A DIVORCE WITH MY HUSBAND FROM A WHIRLWIND MARRIAGE NOW BEHOLD MY LAST MILKING" like Ayu hun, gurl please... don't embarrass yourself

or you mean her "dancing" in NaNaNa and Shake It with the horrid grandma haircut?

like, fine I get that musically, this album is good, but visually,

This so much.
PQ era was a huge mess , too bad because that mess is still overshadowing a gem in her discography imho.

[HarukaKamiya]

I enjoy the PVs for the album, Return Road and how beautiful you are WAY MORE SO than NaNaNa and Shake It, but I feel like because of the story within the album, those latter two PVs had wasted potential, especially because of the "I'm a lonely queen" line in NaNaNa and the part in Shake It where she's jealous of the other girls in the club (or at the party, whatever) getting more attention than her and she feels inadequate.

[TeddyGrahams]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

You could listen to it a few more times and see for yourself. It's probably one of her most uniquely out-there albums in terms of the genres she explores.

I've listened to it over 50 times over the years yet it got worse for me with each listen. I don't mind when she experiments if they were good. Think (m)u or next level. I think it's because she worked with an unknown musician that's why the album fell a little flat with the fanbase.

Originally Posted by js_surrealism

Party Queen, Shake It, NaNaNa, Tell Me Why, The Next Love - Love them or hate them, were all musical styles she's never explored before. Eyes, Smoke, Magic also, although that was just a bad song.

PQ is electro pop which she have a dime a dozen. Shake it and Nanana have western sounds, which she explored before. Tell me why and the next love, she also released some rnb like in m(u) and next level. ESM might be the most unique but it's just terrible.

I think we use interesting differently. I always used it with the connotation of good. Lol

[js_surrealism]

But NaNaNa and Shake It were both excellent songs for me. I would much rather see her perform those live than anything off Love songs to be honest. I cannot name a single song from her discography pre-PQ that sound anything like those songs. Perhaps you can name some for us to compare. I also think that the PVs off this album were Way Way Way better than anything off A One. I understand that most of the fans here like seeing ayu repeat herself but that doesn't mean u should dismiss anything different as bad. Nor do I believe that different = good by default. Love songs is a good example of an album with a slightly different sound (on the TK album tracks) that was bad.

[HarukaKamiya]

^There's nothing in Ayu's discography released prior to Party Queen that sounds like most of Party Queen's music, and I guess that's why people are so put off by this album aside from the concept falling apart.

I adore Love songs, actually, lol. But the fanbase in the West is always like, "AYU DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT" and when she does do something different it gets dismissed as trash because it doesn't sound like something they associate Ayu with. Vicious cycle here.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by TeddyGrahams

I've listened to it over 50 times over the years yet it got worse for me with each listen. I don't mind when she experiments if they were good. Think (m)u or next level. I think it's because she worked with an unknown musician that's why the album fell a little flat with the fanbase.

PQ is electro pop which she have a dime a dozen. Shake it and Nanana have western sounds, which she explored before. Tell me why and the next love, she also released some rnb like in m(u) and next level. ESM might be the most unique but it's just terrible.

I think we use interesting differently. I always used it with the connotation of good. Lol

Western sounds?