Most of pop music (in a very wide sense) is like that. And very little of it is "original" in that it invents something truly new and unheard of. Mostly it's just about adding one or two more or less uncommon elemets from another genre or style, such a as a rhythmic phrase or harmonic progression or even simply an instrument.

Pop music is usually about just "dressing up" familiar harmonies and melodic phrases to cater to certain tastes. I think it was the guy behind the ishkur's guide to electronic music who wrote that "we'll still going to be listening to 4/4 beat untill something more catchy comes along". Chaces are that nothig catchier will come along unless the human brain changes.

I think I can now make a list of the favorites and least favorites...

1. Return road
2. Letter
3. Eyes, Smoke, Magic
4. Tell me why
5. reminds me
6. NaNaNa
7. call
8. Shake it ♥
9. how beautiful you are
10. the next LOVE
11. Party Queen (I actually skip it everytime, the only song I don't need on the album)

regardless I think this is officially my favorite album of Ayu's.

I think that I agree with you completely.
although I still was plesantly surprised by it.

I think that words 'unmemorable' & 'uninspiring' are actually true

that's the reason I don't favour them + her vocal there

Finally able to just listen to this album over and over, and I LOVE IT!!!!! The only tracks I skip are the next LOVE (it's OK), Eyes, Smoke, Magic (haven't even listened to it in full, so disappointed in this style), and Serenade in A minor (again, it's OK, but I was hoping for a better prelude to how beautiful you are).

Sometimes I'll skip over call, but that's it. Ahhhhh I'm so happy. I DO wish there were one or two more PVS, for like Party Queen and reminds me, but it's all good. I can't wait to receive my blu ray box set!

I think Tell me why really should have gotten a PV
like Dearest acoustic version. just simple Ayu with natural landscapes in the background
probably I'm too conservative, but I would be so happy to have it like this :)

Something you'd expect from someone like Nine Inch Nails or insert name of industrial rock band here, but not someone like Ayu.

Honestly, I'm tired of people using the "blinded by nostalgia" card, just because they can't seem to find anything of value in what other people prefer, especially those who like her older work. It's reactionary, simple-minded, and childish, a useless straw man argument. I think My Story is the greatest album she will ever produce. How is this connected to my nostalgia? If I had to resort to nostalgia, I'd probably say I Am... is my favorite, but it isn't.

I'd prefer we actually debate the merits and flaws of the album instead of you dismissing the potential for rewarding argument by just tossing out a half-assed "It's sad how fans can be so blinded by nostalgia" when you don't even know if it's true. Such poor assumptions can only come from the narrow-minded.

Maybe because most people are human beings whose personal tastes are actually dictated by biases and other subjective criteria? Not everyone can be an objective robot/machine.

The sentiment seems a tad condescending and self-congratulatory.

it just ocurred to me...

guys, why did she go to England to film PVs that reflect little of the place? (except Return Road)

I seem to remember at the beginning of the year, it is said that Ayu is in the Middle East for PV filming??? Where is the PV? LOL or I remember it wrong?

I don't think we have seen the PV that was supposedly filmed in the middle east yet. My guess is that it's for a future release (SUMMER SINGLE?!?!!). But that's odd, since as far as we know, she never really does this stuff so far in advance. :shrug

First of all, calm down. I love MY STORY... I'd probably rate it above 'Party Queen' simply because it's been out longer and I have specific memories associated with all of those songs. I just think a lot of fans (including myself) prefer a lot of her older work not only because it might actually be better, but because it brings up a kind of nostalgic feeling for them. But alas... just because it's true for me, doesn't mean that's true for everyone else. I might judge her music on different criteria than others. I simply find it quite fascinating that the same people who are calling "Party Queen" lazy, generic, and sloppy name an album such as "MY STORY" as their favorite - because I personally see similar qualities in both albums.

Isn't everyone condescending with their opinions nowadays? If anything, I just like playing devil's advocate on the Internet.

Oh, I am calm. If I was to go about spilling blood here (or in any forum), it wouldn't be a pretty sight at all.

See, I think it would been a lot more beneficial if you had said that last sentence in the first place, because I have yet to notice the similarities between the two albums but would love to discuss and explore that thread of thought. If someone were willing to open the discussion, that is.

spilling blood on the internet? lol :P

@Coelacanth: I don't see how MY STORY can be considered generic, unless you're talking about the fact that it has the typical audience/fan/last-in-a-concert song (Replace) and the mid-tempo rock ballads. If that's the case, it's completely unfair to call it generic based on the fact that it has her staples, because it was the album that introduced those staples. :shrug That'd be like, idk, calling INSPIRE generic for having one of her 5000 beach PVs, when it was the first of that type. Though maybe you meant it's generic on a more universal pop level, in which case, I still have to disagree, but that's okay. :P

Lazy? It's one of her longest albums and she started planning the sound of the album before she even released the first single, so it was basically the first album she ever planned out meticulously from start to finish. Imo, that's a sign of a lot of effort being put into it. She didn't just randomly pick songs she liked as she went along and then pick a few nice new songs to throw into an album; she picked a sound she wanted for the album and specifically planned around it for a year.

As for sloppy, I have NO idea how MY STORY could be considered that. That album has some of the best mixing, vocals, flow, etc. of her career. She didn't just throw a bunch of **** on a CD and call it an album, she took her time to make it right. lol

I think Party Queen's tracks have a lot of potential, but the production on them is just hardcore lacking. If they had the production quality MY STORY (or Memorial address or RAINBOW or (miss)understood or even Secret) had, I'd probably have pissed my pants at how amazing the album would have been.

Going back a few pages, but...

Having guitars in your music does not make it rock. I don't think Ayu's music is rock at all, she has had mainly rock leaning albums recently, but Love Songs and FIVE were hardly rock. Love Songs was typical Jpop Ayu midtempo ballads, and FIVE was a typical ballad and 4 experiment tracks - while progress was kinda typical Ayu, I feel it was firmly in the anime music genre.

Maybe that's because I think most of her rock tracks are her worst songs, so songs that are on the boundary I see more pop elements in than rock.

It's funny, when I actually listen to the album I find it great, I even slowly start to like some songs I didn't but whenever I stop and just try to remember the songs or when I see PV screencaps I start to dislike it and want to cancel my order.

Fortunately, I still didn't do it, I'll laugh about it one day :)

I'm listenening to reminds me, but I had to check because before lalala part I'm never sure if it's already reminds me or still letter.

If only Eyes, Smoke, Magic sounded completely different, and the next LOVE had that jazzy sound taken out, this album would be perfect! Those are the only two tracks I have issues with! Sigh

I'm so used to people on the forum just throwing statements around without ever really elaborating, I've gotten lazy as well.

I'll write about MY STORY later.

Ayu is back ! Her best album since "Secret" for me....(six years !).

The best of Party Queen :

- NaNaNa
- Reminds Me
- Return Road
- Shake It♥
- Tell me Why

I can listen these songs all day...:luv2

^^Add Party Queen to that, and I agree completely :)

I also adore how beautiful you are