A ONE thoughts and reviews

[truehappiness]

IMO she is more experimental now than she ever was back then.

Yes, we do get a lot of mid tempo, but Ayu of 2000-2002 would never have done some of the things that Ayu does now.

[HarukaKamiya]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

The arrangements feel very Ayu.

Of course those albums seem diverse from way back when, they were like 60% singles if not more. Unfortunately we're sort of in a different age of Ayu post-2006 and post-2010.



Just which songs are you thinking of?

was gonna say that um hello LOVE ~Destiny~ was her first #1 single and that's safe and pedestrian. lol.

[truehappiness]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

That being said, I agree that the album doesn't sound like "Classic Ayu" to me... I don't even find it all that similar with Love again or Love songs, because even if all of them are ballad heavy, they all differ on the aesthetic influences those ballads have. Love songs has a lot of orchestral elements going through them, Love again take a lot from the 90's jpop ballads, while A ONE is pretty much Ayu doing what people are doing with their ballads right now... It's a very... up to date album on this sense.

To me, it's some of the sounds used in the arrangements. Very much like what we'd hear from early/mid 2000s Ayu.

And I think NO FUTURE could fit on LOVEppears potentially.

[Ashen Twilight]

Originally Posted by HarukaKamiya

was gonna say that um hello LOVE ~Destiny~ was her first #1 single and that's safe and pedestrian. lol.

Ugh tell me about it. That song is so basic.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

To me, it's some of the sounds used in the arrangements. Very much like what we'd hear from early/mid 2000s Ayu.

And I think NO FUTURE could fit on LOVEppears potentially.

I don't see much more similarities to her past work than I see on her other albums tbh...

IMO the time she was at her safest was between 2003 and 2008. Safe summer singles, safe winter singles, safe concert ending songs, the same concert structure every year, avoiding controverse like crazy...

During the NEXT LEVEL era she actually started trying to break her own mold, and she actually did break it starting with Love songs. Right now, even if she releases a ballad I have no way to know it will sound like No Way to Say, her concerts can be pretty much anything, having a classic on her setlist doesn't mean it will be the same old tired arrangment, she openly touches controversial subjects and she finally acts like an adult.

A 36 years old woman producing music based on teen angst would be pretty pathetic... And it kind of annoys me that she actually got in her 30's doing that.

[love in music]

Originally Posted by HarukaKamiya

was gonna say that um hello LOVE ~Destiny~ was her first #1 single and that's safe and pedestrian. lol.

True, but I have to say I adore that song. I wish she'd recycle that ballad instead of the ones she recycles nowadays

[Bigtop]

For anyone who has been tracking this so-called 'Ayu vs. miwa' battle - or even the upcoming Ayaka album next week - I'm sorry miwa and Ayaka, but A ONE has got to be one of the best albums I've listened.

This is what I call 'classic Ayu.'

There's no Ayu than Ayumi Hamasaki - and A ONE really gets me back into Ayumi Hamasaki. Literally! To be honest, I have NOT listened to Colours (yet!), which is pretty unusual (or even most of 'LOVE again' album). This is the FIRST Ayu album I've listened in FULL since 'Love songs' back in 2010. I mean, really?

She's 36 years old right now?

Well, I have something to say: Don't play around with her age! Even at 36 years old, she can still write good songs! 'Long live the Empress!' - that might be a suitable quote.

In the midst of Ayu vs. miwa battle, I think Ayu's album stands out. (I think by a mile...)

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

I will disagree with you over here....

Love~Destiny, To Be, Seasons, Far Way, Dearest, Voyage, No Way to Say, Hanabi, Moments, Carols, Heaven, Together When, Days
You Were

Yes, but those were all spaced out over 16 years - they were not all on one album. Plus some of those I do not consider to be totally safe sounding ballads. I don't consider Hanabi to be typical, Heaven has an unorthodox structure, and Far Away is actually a rock song at heart. The rest are pretty typical, but done extremely well. But for every one of those songs and then some, you had Evolution, Surreal, Free and Easy, Microphone, appears, M, Step You etc etc etc etc.

When I look back and think about Ayu, I don't think "Oh yeah, that's the girl who sang really cookie cutter ballads over and over again", I think "Oh yeah, she had some really innovative sounding songs AND she had some great contemporary ballads too."

Her "roots" to me were in a being a trend setter, in taking chances while still creating catchy pop songs, by being edgy while maintaining a balance of sweetness.

I think this "getting back to her roots" concept is just an excuse to get back to something safer; and therefore safer sales. I can attest that Hello New Me got some pretty good airplay in Japan.

I don't hate the album. It's nice. But that's all it is.

[njanjayrp]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

To me, it's some of the sounds used in the arrangements. Very much like what we'd hear from early/mid 2000s Ayu.

And I think NO FUTURE could fit on LOVEppears potentially.

While it's reminiscent of LOVEppears. Don't really think it would fit in all too well.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

Yes, but those were all spaced out over 16 years - they were not all on one album. Plus some of those I do not consider to be totally safe sounding ballads. I don't consider Hanabi to be typical, Heaven has an unorthodox structure, and Far Away is actually a rock song at heart. The rest are pretty typical, but done extremely well. But for every one of those songs and then some, you had Evolution, Surreal, Free and Easy, Microphone, appears, M, Step You etc etc etc etc.

When I look back and think about Ayu, I don't think "Oh yeah, that's the girl who sang really cookie cutter ballads over and over again", I think "Oh yeah, she had some really innovative sounding songs AND she had some great contemporary ballads too."

Her "roots" to me were in a being a trend setter, in taking chances while still creating catchy pop songs, by being edgy while maintaining a balance of sweetness.

I think this "getting back to her roots" concept is just an excuse to get back to something safer; and therefore safer sales. I can attest that Hello New Me got some pretty good airplay in Japan.

I don't hate the album. It's nice. But that's all it is.

I was talking about hits, not really albums... To part of the public she is that girl who sings sugar coated generic ballads. I also don't really think everything in A ONE is overly safe ballad-wise, from the waltz influence on Zutto... chorus to the progression in Anything for You and Walk, there are some twists here and there to make them not too generic.

But I agree with you, at heart, this is a safer album to attract sales... Her marketing machine seens to be at full force since Colours, and she most likely will plan her next few years around the idea of having a comercial comeback.

Will this make her give us her best stuff? Most likely not, but (at least from afar, you, living in Japan has a more accurate vision of it) it's nice to see her getting some attention as a popstar, and not as a celebrity, again.

[Zeke.]

"Seasons, Dearest, No Way to Say, Hanabi, Moments, Carols, Days"

The thing is, there is a clear distinction between these tracks, and her recent trend of watered down ballads. The former, although easily palletable, I honestly don't feel are "run-of-the-mill" by any means. Everyone who tries to sell this argent always says "they could have been released by anyone" but you know what? they weren't. They were released by ayumi hamasaki, and I honestly have never heard anyone release such easily palettable yet strong, impactful, catchy, and enjoyable tracks on par with them. It just doesn't happen. It's like you want her to release shit that's difficult to get into. Like releasing tracks that aren't aren't catchy or enjoyable makes her a real and unique artist.

That's not why I came to like her. I came to like ayu cause she was able to release tracks that were SO easily like-able and powerful.

She has gone from releasing songs (or ballads) that are both TIMELESS and CAPTIVATING, to releasing songs that are neither of the two.

The feeling I get with most all of my favorite and most enjoyable ayu track is "dang, even if you weren't a fan of ayu, and/or you did not know who she was/is, how could you not enjoy this track?", similar to the earlier post of "I could show this to my friends and they'd have to agree." But in recent years, I don't feel that way, even about the tracks I like.

[freedreamer]

^
i think thats because she no longer singles of such. I feel its the idea of releasing SINGLES that gives the song its own moment. Though tbh, I felt Last minute had its fair spotlight and so would Zutto... have if she actually promoted them.

i think it's just a psychological thing.

and that because there is comparison to a ballad in the past which was BIG, the new ballads will kinda never surpass those..

[AyUmIXx]

I enjoy A ONE album a lot.. Love almost all the songs..
for me the weakest song is The Gift, because the composition is nothing extraordinary even though its still quite an ok song. my most favorite track is story.
what i love about this album is the awesome lyrics.
The songs that are stand out for me is WARNING, NO FUTURE, Out of Control, Last minute, Story & The show must go on.

my score: 4/5

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by freedreamer

^
i think thats because she no longer singles of such. I feel its the idea of releasing SINGLES that gives the song its own moment. Though tbh, I felt Last minute had its fair spotlight and so would Zutto... have if she actually promoted them.

i think it's just a psychological thing.

and that because there is comparison to a ballad in the past which was BIG, the new ballads will kinda never surpass those..

I don't believe it's psychological for a second, cause you either feel the impact on the first listen, or you don't. Zutto... certainly had zero impact, and there have been many other singles in that I had similar feelings about. But, Zutto... is certainly the worst offender. I can't think of a single ballad single that had less of an impactful feeling.

Also, it does not take into account the many album tracks which had a "bigger" sound to them, despite not being a single and not being promoted as heavily.

Another thing to consider is when the songs have an impact on you even if you came to the fandom late and weren't around during the promotional process or active during the time of the singles release. Which takes that psychological impact out of the equation.

[HarukaKamiya]

It IS a psychological thing because you're talking about your PERCEPTION of music, and perception VS reality is a really interesting thing when it comes to psychology, because every human perceives things differently.

(and also no one said Japan has impeccable taste in music when AKB48's still topping the charts and god I still love them to bits but their music has gotten so bland) (and yes I'm aware that the multiple-type sales and handshake/vote gimmick plays a part in that but I can still feel their music has become bland)

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

"Seasons, Dearest, No Way to Say, Hanabi, Moments, Carols, Days"

The thing is, there is a clear distinction between these tracks, and her recent trend of watered down ballads. The former, although easily palletable, I honestly don't feel are "run-of-the-mill" by any means. Everyone who tries to sell this argent always says "they could have been released by anyone" but you know what? they weren't. They were released by ayumi hamasaki, and I honestly have never heard anyone release such easily palettable yet strong, impactful, catchy, and enjoyable tracks on par with them. It just doesn't happen. It's like you want her to release shit that's difficult to get into. Like releasing tracks that aren't aren't catchy or enjoyable makes her a real and unique artist.

That's not why I came to like her. I came to like ayu cause she was able to release tracks that were SO easily like-able and powerful.

She has gone from releasing songs (or ballads) that are both TIMELESS and CAPTIVATING, to releasing songs that are neither of the two.

The feeling I get with most all of my favorite and most enjoyable ayu track is "dang, even if you weren't a fan of ayu, and/or you did not know who she was/is, how could you not enjoy this track?", similar to the earlier post of "I could show this to my friends and they'd have to agree." But in recent years, I don't feel that way, even about the tracks I like.

You know that everytime you talk about the Zeke's Seal for Epic Awesomeness by Zeke, you always describe the material you love and the material you hate on a very subjective way, right? It's not like you are talking about technical aspects of the songs, but about how you feel about them, something that is very personal and that only you can trully understand. Most of the songs you point that you love are well crafted innofensive pop songs, most of them very easy on the ears, to the point that most of them being released on key moments were every big jpop star releases their safer works... and that's not wrong with that.

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by HarukaKamiya

It IS a psychological thing because you're talking about your PERCEPTION of music, and perception VS reality is a really interesting thing when it comes to psychology, because every human perceives things differently.

My comment regarding the psychological aspect was a direct response to the following comment:

Originally Posted by freedreamer

^
i think thats because she no longer singles of such. I feel its the idea of releasing SINGLES that gives the song its own moment. Though tbh, I felt Last minute had its fair spotlight and so would Zutto... have if she actually promoted them.

i think it's just a psychological thing.

I was denying the assertion that the aforementioned songs are only perceived as "BIG" due to having received heavier promotion and the the advantage of being classified as a single.

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

You know that everytime you talk about the Zeke's Seal for Epic Awesomeness by Zeke, you always describe the material you love and the material you hate on a very subjective way, right? It's not like you are talking about technical aspects of the songs, but about how you feel about them, something that is very personal and that only you can trully understand. Most of the songs you point that you love are well crafted innofensive pop songs, most of them very easy on the ears, to the point that most of them being released on key moments were every big jpop star releases their safer works... and that's not wrong with that.

Is "catchy" a relative term? Maybe so, but generally, people agree on whether or not a certain tune, melody, or jingle can be described as "catchy." I have gone into heavier details and referenced various layers in specific songs as to why that song stands out amongst the rest - but those are the posts that get overlooked.

It cannot be denied that there is a system to music. It is something I am not completely educated by-the-books on, but it is something I am working to grasp. There are certain notes, certain chord progressions, etc, that sound "GOOD" together - that sound in "HARMONY." That's the feeling I get from the more standout tracks, the tracks I coin as being "big" and "powerful" - they have a great sense of "harmony" - from the melody, to the chord progression, to the way the verses are constructed making you anticipate and try to piece together what everything is leading up to and imagine how that release will be. Musically, they are predictable, but in a way that evokes a clear vision and that everything "makes sense." It doesn't take a genius to know when certain notes are complimentary toward each other, you can instinctively tell whether or not it "feels good" when they are played together. That is the feeling I get when listening to her "bigger" tracks. Like, in reference to theory and mathematics, the way they were constructed just "makes sense."

I am trying to draw a distinction between those tracks, which are often referred to as "safe," and the most recent releases, like the cookie-cutters on LOVE again and A ONE, that are also being referred to as "safe" - because, the latter lack the feeling of being "big." Although not displeasing to the ears, they don't sound as "complete" or as heightened harmoniously as they could possibly be.

I'm trying to say, she's lacking songs that evoke similar feelings. "Like" and "dislike" are subjective, but for the most part, I fail to see how perceiving the power of a song, the harmony and the size, ie. "BIG"ness, is subjective.

[Delirium-Zer0]

Speaking as someone who actually reviews music, Zeke is completely right for reasons that are absolutely quantifiable with more than just sales numbers, even if he can't quite articulate it.

Granted, who gets feels from what songs and why, YES that is definitely subjective - but there are truly tangible, real reasons why many of Ayu's older "safe" ballads could easily be considered higher quality from a compositional standpoint than a ballad like "Zutto..."

First, of course, is the level of risk-taking involved in these respective tracks. Take "HANABI" for instance... nothing in its composition is risky - nothing in it could have been considered noisy or weird at the time. It's not experimental. it's still a 4/4 song, it's in a standard key and doesn't have any changes to those two aspects of its composition (unlike some great CREA tracks which routinely have key changes for the last chorus or two, and "Will" which has time changes). What HANABI does have is unconventional instrumentation - reverberating plucks of bass guitar take the lead alongside strings that only appear briefly before disappearing when Ayu sings in the verses; the music box sound at the beginning is not that of a relaxing, twinkling, wintery sound but that of a somewhat rusted and worn-out old family heirloom; the drums sound like they're being played in a rock arena very slowly, there's plenty of space between most of them which makes the whole song sound dark and empty. This gives Ayu space for her choruses to swell up, more layers of instrumentation - with added reverb and slightly increased volume on some of them - fill the empty space, and the emotion works much better thanks to the contrasting fullness between the verses and the choruses.

SEASONS took even FEWER instrumental or compositional risks, but it still had that gradual buildup from the verses to the choruses, it still had that contrast. It also had that very complete & dynamic mix that had reverb and amplification changes in all the right places, plus the fact that each instrument has its own solidly catchy melody so when you listen and, say, ONLY listen to the piano or ONLY listen to the lead guitar or ONLY listen to the bassline, that's a great standalone melody just on its own, AND it never sounds out of place or like it's interrupting the full song.

Zutto sounds like it was automatically generated by comparison. Each individual instrument sounds like it's sticking close to a single note all through the chorus or all through the verses, but it's otherwise sort of improvising, hovering around its target note like a drunk bumblebee. The bridge between the verses has a TINY bit of a swell but its restraint makes it sound old-fashioned and conservative rather than pleasant and inoffensive which was probably the goal. The chorus isn't big enough compared to the verses because there are the same fill-in strings in the song as a constant presence the whole way through and the volume of the strings is just amplified to a miniscule level - the flavor of the chorus doesn't change despite the key shift from the verses which is just kind of sad. Add that to the relatively constant drum track - they don't change much from one part of the song to the next. The whole song feels like a blurry beige mass rather than the colorful journey up & down green hills and flowery fields and autumn leaves that you get from ballads like "SEASONS," "Dearest," and "Days."

And for the record I think LOVE~Destiny~ is in the same camp as Zutto... so this certainly isn't nostalgia talking. I've never really liked LOVE~Destiny~, though I'm glad it happened because it helped boost Ayu's reputation as a relatable lyricist.

[Andrenekoi]

^In other words, they are well crafted pop songs, and that was my point. ^^

[NintendoHTF1242]

Originally Posted by Delirium-Zer0

Take "HANABI" for instance... nothing in its composition is risky - nothing in it could have been considered noisy or weird at the time. It's not experimental. it's still a 4/4 song, it's in a standard key and doesn't have any changes to those two aspects of its composition (unlike some great CREA tracks which routinely have key changes for the last chorus or two, and "Will" which has time changes). What HANABI does have is unconventional instrumentation - reverberating plucks of bass guitar take the lead alongside strings that only appear briefly before disappearing when Ayu sings in the verses; the music box sound at the beginning is not that of a relaxing, twinkling, wintery sound but that of a somewhat rusted and worn-out old family heirloom; the drums sound like they're being played in a rock arena very slowly, there's plenty of space between most of them which makes the whole song sound dark and empty. This gives Ayu space for her choruses to swell up, more layers of instrumentation - with added reverb and slightly increased volume on some of them - fill the empty space, and the emotion works much better thanks to the contrasting fullness between the verses and the choruses.

I have nothing to contribute to the discussion at hand but I just wanted to say that this is the most beautiful description I've seen for describing HANABI, one of my all-time favorite Ayu songs. You put my thoughts into perfect words.