[Charts & Rankings] The Official Oricon Thread of ~You were.../BALLAD~

[truehappiness]

I don't think that striving to get the #1 spot has anything to do with the "generic" quality that some speak of when it comes to her music as of late. If anything, the only thing that the #1 streak affects usually is the date that it is released.

I feel bad for Ayu because if she does something too experimental or out there, people might completely reject it like B&D/Pride and t2m. She's stated in the past that her singles tend to be the more easily digestible tracks, but by no means are they generic imo. If she's doing the innovative and out-there stuff on the album and the songs meant for the public as singles, then what the heck is there to complain about? That she isn't trying hard enough to be break away from her own sound?

[jbrat2219]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

I don't think that striving to get the #1 spot has anything to do with the "generic" quality that some speak of when it comes to her music as of late. If anything, the only thing that the #1 streak affects usually is the date that it is released.

I feel bad for Ayu because if she does something too experimental or out there, people might completely reject it like B&D/Pride and t2m. She's stated in the past that her singles tend to be the more easily digestible tracks, but by no means are they generic imo. If she's doing the innovative and out-there stuff on the album and the songs meant for the public as singles, then what the heck is there to complain about? That she isn't trying hard enough to be break away from her own sound?

You have a great point. I mean GUILTY gave us Marionette, Mirror/Mirrorcle World and (don't) leave me alone (even the title track I find to be highly experimental). NEXT LEVEL gave us a whole boat load of experimental tracks. People keep saying she's in her comfort zone when for the past two albums she's been way out of it.

[Crystal_Ageha]

Originally Posted by KarenPang

^ erm maybe because it's just a record on 'paper' & that somewhere down the line , it might get written over/broken

but I'm not going to deny that it's 1 of the many great accomplishments she has attained in her career but sometimes people are making something like it's such a big thing where other people perceived it as just something small & minor

I hope I'm writing something that has some sense , I woke up at 7am today so

Aa... I guess I understand about the whole "only on paper" thing, but... I guess, I just don't understand not caring at all, now that she's so dang close. >_< Eh.

Originally Posted by jbrat2219

You have a great point. I mean GUILTY gave us Marionette, Mirror/Mirrorcle World and (don't) leave me alone (even the title track I find to be highly experimental). NEXT LEVEL gave us a whole boat load of experimental tracks. People keep saying she's in her comfort zone when for the past two albums she's been way out of it.

This. Like I've said before, Ayumi is one of the most experimental artists I've ever come across. Anybody who thinks that she hasn't gone out of the "safe zone" since MY STORY is either oblivious or making **** up, just so he/she can complain. (miss)understood is not only, by far, one of the most versatile albums she's had, but it is also very experimental in general (alterna, Will, Criminal; plus, making up new arrangements for the sweetbox covers). GUILTY, like Brat said, has Mirror and Marionette, and I also agree GUILTY is experimental. NEXT LEVEL has Sparkle, rollin' and GREEN. And now we have BALLAD. (You could also consider it experimenting with Sunrise/Sunset - the actual concept, of course, not the songs themselves.)

So, is this really staying firmly in the "safe zone"...? Um, no. Obviously not. What, do you expect Ayu to churn out a hit suited for Tupac or something?? For cryin' out loud, she's done nearly every thing she can do without selling out or sounding ridiculous--What more do you want?


Also.....
YAY FOR ANOTHER NUMBER ONE!!

[GRACE]

Originally Posted by Crystal_Ageha

This. Like I've said before, Ayumi is one of the most experimental artists I've ever come across. Anybody who thinks that she hasn't gone out of the "safe zone" since MY STORY is either oblivious or making **** up, just so he/she can complain. (miss)understood is not only, by far, one of the most versatile albums she's had, but it is also very experimental in general (alterna, Will, Criminal; plus, making up new arrangements for the sweetbox covers). GUILTY, like Brat said, has Mirror and Marionette, and I also agree GUILTY is experimental. NEXT LEVEL has Sparkle, rollin' and GREEN. And now we have BALLAD. (You could also consider it experimenting with Sunrise/Sunset - the actual concept, of course, not the songs themselves.)

GREEN says that BALLAD isn't experimenting, it's following a new pattern. We have NO experimentation with these singles, which means god knows what the album's gonna sound like.

I kinda love the suspense <3

[Not~Yet]

Originally Posted by GRACE

GREEN says that BALLAD isn't experimenting, it's following a new pattern. We have NO experimentation with these singles, which means god knows what the album's gonna sound like.

I kinda love the suspense <3

Tbh I don't see why everyone thinks GREEN and BALLAD are that much the same, they both have strings and traditonal asian elements here and there and she sings in the same key or whatever is the correct term but that's pretty much it for me really. Well, first of all GREEN is faster and has way more going on, and I personally don't qualify it as a ballad genre while BALLAD clearly is a ballad. Then, the mood and feeling is totally different. GREEN's arrangement is more aggressive and melancholic while BALLAD's is soft and wistful.

In my opinion though there are not two original songs in her discography that I think sound the same. (I definitely can't think of any at the moment. Hmm..) Lol I could probably write an essay about differences in songs that might seem similiar if someone asked me to though. It's amazing, but maybe it's just me who thinks that. There are only a couple of other artist that I think the same of, and none of them are generally qualified as "pop-artists".

Just my 2 cents!

[Crystal_Ageha]

^ People relate them simply because they both have East Asian influence. Which, I do think of them as similar, but only the Asian instrument/composition part. Like you said, they're different tempos, even, and have very different themes. They're similar, but not enough that I would ever confuse them or anything.

Originally Posted by GRACE

GREEN says that BALLAD isn't experimenting, it's following a new pattern. We have NO experimentation with these singles, which means god knows what the album's gonna sound like.

I kinda love the suspense <3

I see your point, but on the other hand... So, what you're saying is, just because there's more than one type of song, and within sooner than a few years time, that automatically negates both songs from being experimental..? I have to disagree. Yes, they're both taking the same path, but that path is an experimental one, ya?