Ayu ~Anything Goes~ XVIII

[truehappiness]

I was always confused at why they decided to go for the Jaejoong route with blossom's music video and that it got moved from MOON/blossom to crossroad. Like, come on, I wanted Ayu for that video!

Originally Posted by tokyoxjapanxfan

I just remember everyone hating the covers, the way the songs felt so similar, the singles weren't really blowing anyone away, Thank U's existence...

Maybe I've got selective memory lol

As a lover of Thank U, that part happened for sure, but across the board the album was well liked and the secret slipcase covers were a nice surprise too. Been a long time since that happened with Ayu.

[//ABEST]

Love songs is my favourite album along with Colours it has such a many gems, it is the most nostalgic album in my world. that was the time i adored ayu most, god i miss that time

[Louass]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

Yeeeeeeeeeessss!!! Thank god you saw the light. Lol, blossom is amazing. It's so different from the type of summer songs she released for the 4 summers prior, yet feels so genuinely summer-pop (well, more like late spring - or even early autumn) ayu. I never could understand why people disliked it. Every time I listen to it I feel completely swept away and enamored by it's unique aura. Especially if you listen to it in the right context, it can totally do that to you; when it's slightly brisk, but not too cold, and the sun is shining between scattered cumulus clouds. Maybe today was the first time you listened it while standing in the middle of the aura it represents. After all, music is always that much better when you feel a part of it.

You're totally right 'cause that's kind of how it was outside while I walked home. I live right by the beach and I decided to take the boardwalk home, it wasn't too cold but you could feel that brisk ocean breeze and there was nobody out and about. It was just me, the ocean and Ayu's amazing music xD Her music truly is magical when you're in the right setting, that's why I always love to walk around listening to her music. Last year I went out for a walk during a snowstorm just so I could listen to all her winter ballads in the middle of the snowfall, especially momentum. That was like a religious experience for me, lmao

Also, totally unrelated note but can I just say how much I LOVE Ayu's look in the Lady Dynamite music video?? Especially the little Flintstones outfit, she looked adorable and sexy at the same time!

I'm really not sure why so many people were disappointed with that video, I'm still in love with it, haha. Sometimes I really miss Ayu's older stuff. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy her music a lot but it's definitely missing SOMETHING that old Ayu used to have (and I'm not even talking early 2000s Ayu, even 2010 Ayu had something that current Ayu seems to be missing. For me, at least)

[attractive nausea]

Love Songs also rings a nostalgic bell in me because 2010 was the year i started to become obsessed with Ayu lol My love for her hasn't changed since that year tho, it's just more mature and less "new", i hope that love never fades away

[truehappiness]

Originally Posted by Louass

I'm really not sure why so many people were disappointed with that video, I'm still in love with it, haha. Sometimes I really miss Ayu's older stuff. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy her music a lot but it's definitely missing SOMETHING that old Ayu used to have (and I'm not even talking early 2000s Ayu, even 2010 Ayu had something that current Ayu seems to be missing. For me, at least)

I think it was just very different from any other video from Rock'n'Roll Circus, lol.

IMO you could sense a change in whether or not Ayu had "it" starting with FIVE or Party Queen (which is also the period that she got married / divorced btw) and then from there things never really recovered even though she was still releasing often. That vibe started to come back a little bit with A ONE though so there is still hope.

[Aokani]

I want new mysterious / surrealistic sounding songs from Ayu. She rarely makes those nowadays.

[truehappiness]

I think CMJK tended to helm those kinds of tracks. Sadly, he went on to produce an idol group or something not too long ago.

[DonkeyKongRemix]

I really like blossom as well. It isn't even necessarily a song I listen to a lot, but I think it has this happy energy to it. It's the right kind of upbeat for me.

And the best part is that her voice sounds so natural and totally not forced. I love it. <3

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by Louass

You're totally right 'cause that's kind of how it was outside while I walked home. I live right by the beach and I decided to take the boardwalk home, it wasn't too cold but you could feel that brisk ocean breeze and there was nobody out and about. It was just me, the ocean and Ayu's amazing music xD Her music truly is magical when you're in the right setting, that's why I always love to walk around listening to her music. Last year I went out for a walk during a snowstorm just so I could listen to all her winter ballads in the middle of the snowfall, especially momentum. That was like a religious experience for me, lmao

Omg, SHIT YES! Actually momentum was just playing in my head and I have somewhat of an urge to listen to it outside but the context is not right yet. I prohibit myself from listening to No way to say, momentum, and Days from the time the snow melts until the very first snowfall, just to really enhance that magical experience of feeling "at one" with those songs. This also keeps them feeling "fresh" for me, because there I always look at them with a sense of wonder and anticipate hearing them again.

They each are perfect for different occasions/contexts:

No way to say - Cool, winter night; THICK snowflakes falling (not that super wet, yucky stuff); somewhat windy but there are also calm breaks [really cool when the wind picks up during the chorus and settles down again for the verses]

momentum - Daytime (but can also work at night); grey skies; snowing or not snowing; better for days that feel "harsh" or "unforgiving"

Days - Day of course, cheery (sun feels shining even though it's winter); snowing or not snowing but super great if it's snowing thick flakes like what is appropriate for listening to No way to say at night; good for strolling on the streets past shops and such

I take this seriously, lmao.

[EndOfTheWorld]

Originally Posted by Aokani

I want new mysterious / surrealistic sounding songs from Ayu. She rarely makes those nowadays.

I keep waiting for more songs like ever free or Dolls.
I'd also love to see DAI listed as a producer on an Ayu track again.
But I think Ayu is going in the right direction, just slowly for some reason. Maybe it just seems that way since she releases annually.

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

Was looking at RAINBOW's track list and thought "the song titles for this album have a lot of e's in them"

[Louass]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

Omg, SHIT YES! Actually momentum was just playing in my head and I have somewhat of an urge to listen to it outside but the context is not right yet. I prohibit myself from listening to No way to say, momentum, and Days from the time the snow melts until the very first snowfall, just to really enhance that magical experience of feeling "at one" with those songs. This also keeps them feeling "fresh" for me, because there I always look at them with a sense of wonder and anticipate hearing them again.

They each are perfect for different occasions/contexts:

No way to say - Cool, winter night; THICK snowflakes falling (not that super wet, yucky stuff); somewhat windy but there are also calm breaks [really cool when the wind picks up during the chorus and settles down again for the verses]

momentum - Daytime (but can also work at night); grey skies; snowing or not snowing; better for days that feel "harsh" or "unforgiving"

Days - Day of course, cheery (sun feels shining even though it's winter); snowing or not snowing but super great if it's snowing thick flakes like what is appropriate for listening to No way to say at night; good for strolling on the streets past shops and such

I take this seriously, lmao.

You do take this seriously! That's awesome though because I totally agree her music is just the best when in the right setting, I just haven't gone out to really experience it in the best setting possible, haha. So I hope you don't mind I'm totally stealing those and gonna do my best to listen to those songs in those exact occasions/contexts

I'm gonna try to stop myself from listening to them till the perfect time comes so I can have that total Zeke experience

[Coelacanth]

blossom is so underrated.

I love the strings in Thank U—the song's got some nice moments, but I think it's the standout dud on Love songs.

[mi|kshake]

I love reading about your own Ayu listening experiences Louass and Zeke!

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by Louass

You do take this seriously! That's awesome though because I totally agree her music is just the best when in the right setting, I just haven't gone out to really experience it in the best setting possible, haha. So I hope you don't mind I'm totally stealing those and gonna do my best to listen to those songs in those exact occasions/contexts

I'm gonna try to stop myself from listening to them till the perfect time comes so I can have that total Zeke experience

Haha, yes! Also, CAROLS is good for a really calm snowy night, when there's almost no wind at all and the snow is freshly blanketed causing the sheets to twinkle in the moonlight. Even better if the snow is falling lightly, giving the effect of suspended animation. If it's in the daytime and the same effect is happening, JEWEL works great (especially if you slow your pace of walking). And if it's not snowing, yet the snow remains (say like the day afterwards), BALLAD is a good one (I always end up listening to this later in the winter when it seems winter is dragging on, and that sense of death and emptiness aparent in the bare trees remains ever present).

[attractive nausea]

^ It never snows where I live, so many Ayu experiences i'm missing out

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

No way to say and CAROLS are my fave winter songs.

[labello]

CAROLS is one of my all time favorite songs. I just love it so much!! The bridge as well as the acoustic section in the end are heavenly!! The way it progresses back into the more grand arrangement is so beautiful!
I have to agree with Zeke though: the right situation makes the song so much more beautiful. I've been listening to it lately, but it's not the right time yet it's still autumn, leaves are falling and I think CAROLS needs some cold weather with snow preferable xD

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by labello

CAROLS is one of my all time favorite songs. I just love it so much!! The bridge as well as the acoustic section in the end are heavenly!! The way it progresses back into the more grand arrangement is so beautiful!
I have to agree with Zeke though: the right situation makes the song so much more beautiful. I've been listening to it lately, but it's not the right time yet it's still autumn, leaves are falling and I think CAROLS needs some cold weather with snow preferable xD

It really is grand, isn't it? I used to loathe the song actually, lol. I think it was before I had developed my ear and listening capabilities. Now my heart races when it begins to progress into the chorus, and of course the bridge is just SU-BLIIIIME. It's amazing how one's perspectives on tracks can change entirely when you A) listen beyond the surface and B) listen within a certain context.

But to tokyoxjapanxfan's point, No way to say is definitely my favorite winter ballad of hers. Ironically I also used to despise that track too! When Days was released I was obsessed with that track off the bat, and for a while considered it to be my favorite, but overtime No way to say took the crown. I wrote a speech for my Japanese class and speech contest that spoke about my habit of analyzing the weather and my surrounding from the moment I step foot outside and looking into my heart and mind to see which song is expressive of that kind of atmosphere, which lead into talking about my routine of anticipating the first snow fall all year long so that I may allow myself to listen to No way to say. I think I mentioned this once before but even in summer (sometimes as early as late Spring) I begin having dreams about the first snowfall and in them I am always rushing to get a hold of my ipod/headphones and struggling to search for this track so that I may dive into it before the snow stops falling and it all melts away. Usually by the snow melts before I am able to accomplish the goal.

[ExodusUK]

For me the Blossom PV thing was obvious..at the time TVXQ (particularly Jaejoong as the favourite member by the public in Japan) was Avex's golden goose and they were barely holding on to them what with the lawsuit/break up. I imagine a lot of the DVD sales for Crossroad were from BigEast.