The photos for crossroad just get weirder and weirder LOL.

OMFG I need that pic!

One more time i prefer the inside pictures than the cover (i love more the inside pictures of MOON than the real covers too).

:/ It's because the music is epic. Jolting, and exciting. Starts soft, and builds up into something incredible that leaves you stunned.

"more emotional" is really a...bad statement for people to say...cause it could mean a whole slew of things.

Her ballads these days are more soft, more reflective sounding. More "pretty", less raw, but still very heartfelt, emotional, and still very Ayu.

Two different styles. It's obvious that people who fell in love with the style of these new ballads are going to like them better, and vice versa for those who fell in love with her old sound.

Maybe her older stuff is overrated. I mean, I can't even think of a bad song she has before MY STORY, not counting a song for xx. That's the mind set I'm used to. People with similar styles I'm used to being around.

The dearest hate just leaves me X_X here. Because, it's more about how you felt when the songs came out, and you saw her singing it, and it was amazing...did you know that such emotion could exist in a person...

People who werent around for that, wouldn't understand it.

Another thing, is that, a lot of people have really personal ties to her older music. It's gonna be hard for her to top stuff that literally changed peoples lives.

It's just, a matter of understanding perspective...from each individual person. It's not easy...but I think we're all doing fine.



Anyway...crossroad is <3. I'm really happy with the pitch of her vocals in the studio version. It's just exactly what I wanted for the song.

Seven days war...will take time to get used to. It's like MY ALL part 2 or sometihng...one of those songs.

Clockwork yellow remix is :heart :heart :heart

^thx for the inside pic identity~ Loving her in the glasses <3

I am really loving this single so far. I cannot wait for the orchestra arrangements (and hopefully not badly done ala Last Links on M/b.)

i think it was just her voice that was the problem in the Last Links one because the music was still beautiful. i don't have a problem with her voice in MOON or blossom (i think her voice sounds so sweet) so i think they're going to sound awesome in their orchestra versions.

i kinda feel that ayu's vocal for crossroad, Virgin Road is wayyyyyyyyy softer than the one in MOON... i mean, did she try to make her vocal sound deeper in MOON to get the emotional feeling? because I think that way~ it's not liked her vocal sounds bad or rough..but it's just how she's gonna sing according to the songs' meaning...how is she going to interpret the songs' meaning through her vocal abilities..

Yeah, you are probably right.
Maybe thats wats wrong with me. Cuz I really loved for example R'n'RC and MOON from the new stuff. Simply wonerful. Great really. But I have no connection to blossom/crossroad/SEVEN DAYS WAR/virgin road at all. They all are very pretty and sweet and such. But then nothing more actually. Not for me. I feel that they are pretty but bland, pretty tunes, but not special. And that makes me really disapointed cuz in every single that Ayu have released EVER I have always fallen in love with a melody, voice or such. And now I have 2 singles that I feel nothing in. If i wasnt a fan, I wouldnt buy them. And that makes me feel even more crazy since everyone here tend to love everything but me.

Well, I've been around for awhile myself and I can certainly understand where you are coming from.
Ayu isn't a big ball of confusion and angst anymore, she's found her place, so her music will natural reflect the bit of inner peace she has been able to attain. And of course people will have a special place in their hearts for the songs that really impacted on their lives.
It just really, really bugs me when people go on about how much better her older stuff is and give no respect to her newer music, especially when they say she isn't trying anymore and that she should quit. Because, honestly, she still makes awesome pop songs and they deserve recognotion.

And you don't think she had any bad songs before MY STORY?? O__O.
Wow lol.

Though I myself don't think she has ever made a truly terrible song:P

I haven't cared for the crossroad covers at all, but I do have to say, that picture in the glasses is actually pretty cute!

That kind of bugs me too. I've seen it, I understand. Those people seem a little out of touch with, either the industry or themselves.

I don't count A song for xx album lol, but yeah, I seriously loved all her songs...I mean she has some :/ ones here and there...but for the most part, they all own ;)

I would actually say up until (m)u :laugh

That's my main issues as well. People act like she's not creative any more and music is not as good. But maybe it's your connection to the music that is not as good. You haven't progressed along with Ayu. You and her are not on the same wave length and that's not really anyone's fault, it just means it's time for you to let that part of her career go. Don't go through every new song with the mindset, "oh this doesn't bring out the same emotion in me as Dearest (or whatever) so it's not as good." Because NOTHING she will ever do again will bring out that same emotion. Your connection to her older music will never be the same because she has moved on. And if you're still there waiting for the second coming of the magnificent CREA era, nothing she does from then on will be good enough. :shrug

And when some say they don't understand why the song is so loved and why some consider it (one of) the best it's because we feel that connection that some so desperately have been seeking for a long time. This song delivered for us.

I'm VERY happy with crossroad and L. When I get the money, I will spend it on buying the singles. This is the first time I'm excited about something she's done since Sparkle.

hot, nerdy Ayu! How awesome. Cannot wait to see this in HQ~ :D Thanks for sharing it~

What about after that? Does she still touch with some of her music? If you don't mind me asking :)

And you make an excellent point jbrat, I completely agree with you. I couldn't have worded it better.
One of the reasongs I love her new ballads in the sense of peace I find in them. I don't want, or need, all of her songs to completely overwhelm me emotionally. It's nice to have 5 minutes of peace and warmth away from day to day life.

I love the nerdy-but-stylish Ayu on the single :)

that was brilliantly said. :D

Does she? That's very much an opinion and not a set truth. I'll give you that still makes some awesome pop songs but at a constant, overall "awesome" quality? :no
Me feeling this way is not me wanting a song / release sounding like this or that, in a general sense, I'd love to have a song that I just love, I adore again. Consistency is what I'm looking for really.

I will say I haven't listened to crossroad, SDW, and VR yet but I'm waiting for the official release before I do. So for now, this how I feel of Ayu's music.

I think you hit the nail on the head for why people let themselves be blinded by nostalgia. One of the reasons I love Ayu so much is because whatever she sings, she DELIVERS. Every time.

Oh yeah. I love LOADS of songs after that...some of my favorite actually come after those albums.

But I still could find whole songs that I actually don't like on an album, or faults within songs...stuff that's forgettable, etc...

whether before that...no ;) Which is a really big deal, to like literally everything, and I know that's not plausible, and probably shouldn't have ever been...so I don't really look to love everything...but I would like her songs to be, good...entertaining at least.

And they have been...but they don't beat stuff she's done...but that's okay. I'm really at a place where I don't really mind...but I don't think that we should just discount all her older music either, just because the new stuff has a style people like better...

Ayu is ayu. Her music shows all parts of her. We're at a forum lol We can debate about what we think is better or worse, or whatever~

Sometimes people freak...but meh lol


About her delivering...I think that's gonna be different with each person. Sometimes she'll deliver, sometimes she won't.

She never fails to be herself though. And that's good.