Ayu-View: An unprofessional Review
 

So I have a friend who has started a blog.
It's really unrelated to ayumi, and more about her problems in life and what not, but she decided to do reviews of ayumi music.
She is starting with

A Song For XX

and I think she plans to work her way to present.

I told her if she did I would post it on here





Be nice! she is fragile.. lol

Question... does she know Japanese?
There's absolutely no point in listening to ASfXX album without knowing the lyrics.
"It's very pretty" she says. I always found it to be Ayu's way to make something pretty that's actually everything but. You know the song - lyrics, lives, history - it's not supposed to be pretty, and it isn't! It's like the way ourselves sounds dangerous and scary, PV included, but with the lyrics it's not exactly an uplifting song but still positive (in a mysterious way, I suppose). Or her album Love songs. With pink covers. Not exactley an lovey-dovey- album, now is it?

Giving a review to a song while you're a) in a moving car and b) listening to the song while you talk is a very very stupid idea :D Next time, pull over!!

I've no intentions on hurting your friend, but this was a very weird video! I'm sorry, but reviews like "it's pertty, but a bit... you know", "sounds like a videogame" I find completley useless if I actually want to know someone's thoughts on a song :P But this is just my opinion, she could do it a bit different next time, and I'm sure to give it a look.

"Feels like I'm playing Legend of Zelda" I will never listen to Prologue the same ever again.

@Sandy
She knows a little japanese, but thats not the point I dont think. Not everyone on here knows japanese and they still like ayumi.
I love ayumi, but I dont listen to her music with lyrics in front of me.

And bringing in love songs. Filled with pink and lovey-dovey stuff. I think it would be the way you interpret the songs. An over all feeling from the album is about ones feelings and love.

And why is talking in the car and reviewing bad? I dont understand this?

^You can't really hear a song on it's full potential on a car... Not only because some details get lost if u don't have a good pair of earplugs, but also because of the traffic noise. I also would never review something I never took the time to digest...

And this forum is dedicated to a popstar know mostly by her lyrics... The lyrics are what contextualize her image, her videos, her concerts, her melodies and her arrangments. Sometimes someone comes *****ing around "oh, I don't care about her lyrics, the music sux", and you can see the same person on another thread screaming to the world how her lyrics changed their life or something. :P All this aside, most of A Song for XX's merit cames from her lyrics... it's what sold the album in the first place, and the only actually praised part of it.

I know you can say this is just a non professional review done for fun... But them... what's the pointing on recording a video of this and putting it on youtube, and on an Ayu forum after that?

I don't think one can give a full review without knowing the whole consept. Without the lyrics, you can't get the whole concept. My opinion.

Love songs - maybe for you. Let's agree to disagree, ok?

There's a lot of noice, made it hard for me to hear what she says, that's all. And without her listening to the songs at the spot, the vid would be have the time. It's kind of like you're just waiting there, watching her expressions. I just wanted to skip to the opinion-part unti realising she was talking during the songs.

Sorry you got offended. :(

Im not offended. But you still didnt answer the question about the car...

You just dont like the way she reviewed it.
Over all she said she liked it.... I will tell her to review more, talk less. (I agree about that) I would of edited it differently as well.

@Andrenekoi

I see what you say. I like her lyrics as well. I'll tell her that maybe she should have the lyrics in front of her for the next couple of songs.

This is also her first time doing something like this, so... it's gonna me rough.

Well, I NEVER pay attention to Ayumi's lyrics, and still, I have my favorite and not so favored albums. Why is it so hard to understand that lyrics are a bonus? This is MUSIC we're talking about, not poetry or something.

^Yes I did. Two times now.
There's a lot of noice, made it hard for me to hear what she says, that's all. And it's quite obvious, isn't it?

XFER:
:shrug lyrics + arrangement + vocals = :luv2:luv2:luv2
I don't say you can't enjoy music and not know the lyrics, I just have this approach to music, you have yours. Let's just leave it at that. It's not what the topic's about anyway.

^ well, it is.
This has two points.
Ayumi music reviews and feedback to make better reviews.

but you are right, you have your own approach to music.

Exactly. I don't typically listen to music and songs for the lyrics, I listen for the music. I particulary love songs that have a strong bass sound.

Sometimes I too prefer to listen to the music without knowing the lyrics.
It lets me listen to the actual music and not what is being said/sung. (and I think this when im writing.)

I could tell A song for XX is a super sad song and emotional without the lyrics, thas why ayu's music is so good it transcends words for me

to your friend, she seems really sweet!! and tell her to keep on making videos :) but maybe put a little more effort into them XD

^ yes! thanks! I agree!
She is just starting out, so maybe the next round of songs she could try something different!

About not having potential on the sound in car, actually I sort of disagree. You don't need earplugs in order to fully enjoy a song and sometimes I feel like some songs are more enjoyable if you let the ripples propragate through the air around you. I don't have a spectacular sound system in my car, but it's pretty good and I can enjoy listening to music a lot in it. The outside noise usually doesn't bother, because the speakers create a surround unit that actually cancels the most annoying traffic noises.:P Of course if you make a recording from inside the car you won't really get a good idea of the qaulity the person was listening when they were inside it though.

About the lyrics, the huge majority of non-japanese ayu fans became fans of her music because of vovals, compositions and arragements, not lyrics. The good lyrics indeed came as a bonus. If ayu had ****** lyrics I'm sure I'd still be part of this forum unitl today, while if she had bad compositions and arrangements but amazing lyrics, I'm sure I'd never have even joined this forum lol.

And while A Song for XX is about sadness and insecurity, the arrangements and compositions tell otherwise. I think YOU is a very beautiful song, so I don't feel like it's bad that someone will tell them the whole album feel is actually lovely, regardless of the lyrics.

^Well... one thing is enjoying... another thing is listening in order to review. If I'm going to review something, even for fun, I will try to listen to the song with all it's details (that's why I think earplugs would be better) and understand the context of the piece of work... Most of Ayu's context is given on her lyrics.

I couldn't care less about how people enjoy their music xD

^This. Thank you. You can enjoy music in hundreds of different way, but we're not talking about that, we're here to talk about a review.

I myself injoyed the Japanese movie Tokyo Gore Police without subs or any kind of translation. But I can't really review it, now can I? Yes I know movies are different from music, but you get my drift :yes

What does she think of Poker Face? That's all I want to know :P

^ I dont know what she's up too yet... I'll find out though.

You can review the movie in every aspect but what they are saying.
Just like music, movies have multiple, if not more parts that make it a whole.

You can review one part without reviewing another part.
And a review, professional or not, is just someones opinion on the subject. Which is what she gave. Im not trying to start anything, just stating something.
You didn't like it, thats fine.