What is the cure?

[paper_doll]

^ lol yeah, I'd say Rock'n'Roll Circus is a bad example of Ayu still being able to put out good music. That album was bad, bad, bad.

[jewelbox]

^Agreed, RnrC is one of her worst

Originally Posted by tinka69

This may sound very generic and shallow but maybe if musicians decided to actually concentrate on producing some decent music they wouldn't have this problem?

This. I think that Ayu's new music lacks the high quality.
Whole Party Queen sounds cheap and awful, nothing like you would expect from the richest woman in Japan, and I'm not just talking about the compositions).
And You & Me sounds also very cheap. Where's the quality, Ayu?
I know that some of you around here don't appreciate Kpop, but man, people like GD can produce and compose some quality pop songs with a fresh sound.

[letter]

I think that after POWER of MUSIC, she had the chance to prove that she's capable of producing a great album. It wouldn't necessarily have to be a strictly pop record. It could be a mixture of classical and pop, or pop-rock. I wish she would look at this from a professional point of view, dismiss her perception of her fans' needs, and concentrate on her strongest points. She's lost her professionalism, because she's grown too fond of her co-workers. Her satisfaction with Party Queen is enough proof of that. Either her judgement is clouded, or her standards have gone down.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by letter

I think that after POWER of MUSIC, she had the chance to prove that she's capable of producing a great album. It wouldn't necessarily have to be a strictly pop record. It could be a mixture of classical and pop, or pop-rock. I wish she would look at this from a professional point of view, dismiss her perception of her fans' needs, and concentrate on her strongest points. She's lost her professionalism, because she's grown too fond of her co-workers. Her satisfaction with Party Queen is enough proof of that. Either her judgement is clouded, or her standards have gone down.

So, I guess this means people who actually consider Party queen to be among her strongest works just have poor taste...

[letter]

^I really don't feel like including "All of the above is my opinion only" in every single one of my posts.

[ayu_ready?]

but PQ's sound is really too-too cheap. not to bring the topic of covers again....

although I do have some provocative Kuu in my current ava

[Andrenekoi]

^Koda Kumi... such a creative e inventive pop act...

@letter Sorry, it's just that, it didn't look like a opinion, even if you put a "IMO" over there.

Her relases since Next Level all polarized her fan-base... She only released "love/hate" albums since her 10th anni, and this is very interesting IMO... It shows she is actually trying new stuff and aproaches instead of playing safe just for the sake of doing it.

[letter]

I'd like to know why, though. Why this thing now, or that then. I remember in the naked talk interview she said something along the lines of feeling like being naked now, or more simple, like the way humans were born. Why is she experimenting? Is it because 1) she doesn't know what she wants, 2) is trying to find out what she wants/see what works, 3) is simply going with the flow, agreeing to do whatever comes to her mind at that moment without serious consideration, 4) knows exactly what she wants, hence we get this disordered (IMO) result. I'd like to think that after all those years, she knows what she wants, even if the final effect is experimental in nature.

[Andrenekoi]

She is experiementing because the only other option is to repeat herself to death...

[isthisLOL?]

Maybe she is just experimenting because she wants to be more than just another pop act? I would do exactly the same she is doing really, I'd let new influences flow into every single album. Try new things every time instead of repeating myself. And, the way I see it, that is just what Ayumi has been doing since NEXT LEVEL, where influences outside of the usual pop and rock got way heavier and therefore more people were disappointed - while some others loved it. She isn't releasing "safe" music anymore, she is releasing unique and diverse music. Unique and diverse music is polarizing no matter how good or bad it is.

It has nothing to do with not knowing who you are and what you want - neither is it some form of master plan or confusion. It's simply the natural next step in her evolution as an artist. Every artist goes through stages of experimentation - some sooner, some later. Some from the beginning, some only when they grow sick of what they have produced before.

[jewelbox]

I think she's currently more like "every other pop artist" than ever before

[paper_doll]

^ I totally agree with you.

I don't think there's anything "unique" about what she's doing now at all. I'd say her music is just as "safe" now as it ever has been, except (imo) with a huge drop in quality steadily but surely over the years.

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

Eeeew! Rock'n'Roll Circus!

Originally Posted by paper_doll

^ lol yeah, I'd say Rock'n'Roll Circus is a bad example of Ayu still being able to put out good music. That album was bad, bad, bad.

Omg, I thought everyone hated this album besides me.
Well, I actually don't hate it so much now. I still dislike Lady Dynamite and cannot stand Sexy little things (which most people seem to like - I could only handle the live version) and think You were... is her worst winter song ever. I can't even enjoy it and I crave synth-y winter-style ballads.

[primavera♥]

You were... is one of my fav winter ballads O.O it's so powerful and gorgeous, I loved that single when it came out.

[isthisLOL?]

Originally Posted by jewelbox

I think she's currently more like "every other pop artist" than ever before

Erm...no. Party Queen has many influences that are quite rare in pop music and melodic progressions completely different from anything else in the business right now. Except maybe Lana del Rey, Björk and some Hikki tracks. Either you have a highly superficial view of her music disregarding the entire compositional level or you have no idea what you're talking about tbh.

[hidekirby]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

She only released "love/hate" albums since her 10th anni, and this is very interesting IMO... It shows she is actually trying new stuff and aproaches instead of playing safe just for the sake of doing it.

???
Apart from 2 songs on each album she's releasing the same stuff since 2003...
When she does try new things people complain (sexy little things, the next LOVE,ESM..).

I would LOVE her to experiment much but she doesn't. She is stagnating more than evolving and exploring IMO. Look at Party Queen, half of the songs are typical uninspired pop rock songs we've already heard on her previous albums. That's one of the reasons I was already bored with it when I received my parcel.
I feel that her job has become a mere routine, something she has to do because she likes it and that's all. She is not taking any real decision and let her staff do what they want. I don't feel any passion. You can see she still loves performing but that's it.

[ayu_ready?]

Originally Posted by hidekirby

I feel that her job has become a mere routine, something she has to do because she likes it and that's all. She is not taking any real decision and let her staff do what they want. I don't feel any passion. You can see she still loves performing but that's it.

me too, honestly

[jewelbox]

Originally Posted by isthisLOL?

Erm...no. Party Queen has many influences that are quite rare in pop music and melodic progressions completely different from anything else in the business right now. Except maybe Lana del Rey, Björk and some Hikki tracks. Either you have a highly superficial view of her music disregarding the entire compositional level or you have no idea what you're talking about tbh.

I know what I'm talking about, sorry if it doesn't suit your taste.
Party Queen has unique influences? eh, rock pop songs like Shake it and NaNaNa are nothing unique. I've heard those kind of pop songs even from Britney Spears. And groups like B.A.P has also rock influenced pop music. Using some " dubstep" like in "Shake it" is also very very mainstream now.

Ayu does now what every other artist is doing. Nothing new, nothing unique about that. I wouldn't mind experimenting but the outcome wasn't even that good. I don't even say anything about the covers.

Only experimental tracks in that (IMO)cheap(IMO) album are the two musical inspired songs and that's it. Most of the album is pretty much the same thing she has done for a decade.

The cure is quality top notch pop music with her heart in it.

[waterballoon]

if there is a problem, it's that she has opened herself up and trusts her co-workers more. i mean kill me if i'm wrong but 2001 Ayu will NEVER EVER approve to

- HORRIBLE fish-lips in 2008-9
- bad photo-shop from Leslie Kee recently
- the Party queen album.

i think after the GUILTY era she probably felt more comfort in her friends and felt it's better to let your friends do your job. yep, and she forgot the record has her name to it, not "ayumi hamasaki, Timmy, Leslie Kee, Tom, ****, Harry, Jane, etc etc".

i somehow feel that she has forgottent he kind of responsibility she holds over her music. i'm happy she trusts her friends more now, but letting them take rein over your career and having them participate in every of your projects (even if they suck badly), is just.. on another level.

[channy]

Ayu has been continuously smashing the music charts for the past 14 years.