Quote:
Originally Posted by LEOyumi
Walk is very Love Again-esque, though it's not a bad thing for me. Some parts remind me of SAKURA, others of untitled, and her voice sounds a lot like it sounded in petal.
And yeah, Zutto... definetely the weakest...
But it's a wise choice for a PV, I think, since it's the easiest song to promote to the general public. And it's the kind of ballad the japanese people love. I just hope the PV is pretty.  |
I think the association to LA is because Walk sounds a little like Ivy. I agree that Zutto should have been the PV if she did only one, so she was smart. It is the ballad that Japan would want a PV for more than the others.
Quote:
Originally Posted by End1ess_sorr0w
I think i'm the only one who thinks this single could've been better. I think they are pretty good songs but i definitely won't be listening to them again and again like i've done with M or No way to say. Those are EPIC winter ballads. She'll never sell music like she used to if she keeps catering to a small group of people IMO.
If i have to say something good about the single though...Zutto actually reminds me of her older music like ayu-mi-x III acoustic orchestra album. I don't think it's generic at all, it just doesn't SCREAM at you like walk aka MOON pt. 2 haha. (if you couldn't tell it's my least favorite song on this single.) Last minute is WAY better than anyone was anticipating which is why i like it. It's a medley of HEAVEN & Sakura. All in all i'm grateful she's still making music. Just wish she'd bring back Bounceback to help her make music. le sigh haha
|
Well, I think her older music was very similar. The only difference is that the audience for Ayu's style as dwindled. Take Taylor Swift. If she just released the same style of country record as her debut five times in a row, no one would buy her records. Ayu could really use a whole new genre, but it's not really her style and she doesn't want to take away from her personal life like Namie to be a big star again. But I believe Ayu could definitely top the charts again if she switched genres.
Quote:
Originally Posted by artcika
i am waiting for the day when she releases something and EVERYONE will love it. Though i don't think that'll ever happen, cuz we're all so different lol
Also i never understood the obsession with some songs from her earlier years, like M or SEASONS, or walking proud, also while i likes No way to say or others i can't really see anything special in them either, to me they are pretty generic stuff. ANd most of them just sound alike to me.
I'd take stuff like this over Colours ANYTIME. It was like a bad dream for me, that album i couldn't wait for the stuff to be over and for her to release something new and fast! this single totally will help to forget the bad taste Colours left lol
|
Yeah. It won't happen. Colours has its place though. XOXO, as bad as it was for some people, was such a fun experience for me as an Ayu fan. It as a throwback to NaNaNa and Shake it <3 but done better, which as bad as Party Queen was, it also had its points.
This single is a major return to form for Ayu. She will never be the Ayumi we knew 10 years ago, but I think hearing this single just makes me feel okay with what she does moving forward, even if its another album like Colours. For me, I just needed to know that Ayumi Hamasaki still exists. And this is enough confirmation for me to feel like it's all okay.
In some ways, this single makes me tear up a little because I remember her work on Ls and FIVE, and this is very similar to LOVE and again, and I had just met my ex right after FIVE was released. So, I remember sitting in our living room and listening to Missing and Ivy and Sweet scar a year later when we decided to move into an apartment together.
Anyway, enough nostalgia. I am more than overjoyed with this single, and I hope that Ayu has a lot of chart success with this one. If you haven't read the lyrics, that's where the bulk of the work went on this single. It seems like she revisits her relationship with her dad on Last minute and might be talking about looking back at how much her life has changed since 2010 in Walk. And I think she lined everything up very well, especially for Walk in the lyrics.
I think the only thing we are missing is more electronic-sounding production akin to stuff like M and No way to say, more orchestral intros on everything, more ethereal effects in the music. But this is very much Ayu.
I am also impressed with her vocal quality. I can hear that she has been with a voice teacher over the last couple years. I noticed a huge change in her voice for her live performances, but I can definitely hear it on this single.
And come on, for the Zutto... haters, it's a nice winter love ballad. Considering we can't name a single female j-pop artist that has released a winter love ballad in recent years, this is a nice song to hear. It doesn't stick out from her history of songs, but it definitely fits in well. And I like the production.
My only gripe with this single is the mix on Last minute. Her vocal sounds a little detached from the production, and I would have preferred to hear it mixed in better... akin to how it was on GUILTY. But either way, it doesn't sound anywhere near as detached as the average Mai Kuraki song.