Ayu - Anything Goes Thread -XIV-

[Miduhyo]

Every time I decide to check out this thread we're always talking about a song that I have a hate/love relationship with. Blossom is one of those. Every time it comes on, I go: 'Ah, this is nice.' And I know the lyrics. I know the melody. I can sing along without problem.

I just never remember the name.

Ever

Not once.

[paper_doll]

Never liked Love songs, but it's not my least favourite album (and I can't believe it came out in 2010! Where does time go?). For a long time the only song I liked off it was Love Song but recently I got into Virgin Road.

[Delirium-Zer0]

Love songs has so many great melodies and really fantastic lyrics (except Like a doll which is a rehash of Marionette, but the way she plays with the sound a bit more here is pretty cool)... but god I just want to hear someone remix/reproduce THE ENTIRE THING except for "Love song." That's seriously the only song that sounds like it's finished. x_x That song was like a false freaking promise lol.... it wrote a check the rest of the album just could not cash.

Except "insomnia." Truth, that's my 2nd favorite song on that album.

I thought the early video mix of "Sweet season" was MUCH better, where you can actually hear the banjo (I think it's banjo?) playing. I probably wouldn't hate the song so much if THAT was the mix we got XD

[//ABEST]

^ early video mix?

[orbitalaspect]

I'm sorry to inject a complete change in direction, but it's just struck me over these last few days that I think Ayu ruined how beautiful you are with the lyrics. There's something highly memorable for me about the instrumental version, which I think fits very well among Ayu's other ballads, but the lyrics and singing are the parts that ruin it for me.

Anyway, I've fallen in love with the instrumental cut of the song, which I think was done quite well in contrast to the track with vocals.

[YuriChan]

Originally Posted by Delirium-Zer0

Love songs has so many great melodies and really fantastic lyrics (except Like a doll which is a rehash of Marionette, but the way she plays with the sound a bit more here is pretty cool)... but god I just want to hear someone remix/reproduce THE ENTIRE THING except for "Love song." That's seriously the only song that sounds like it's finished. x_x That song was like a false freaking promise lol.... it wrote a check the rest of the album just could not cash.

Except "insomnia." Truth, that's my 2nd favorite song on that album.

I thought the early video mix of "Sweet season" was MUCH better, where you can actually hear the banjo (I think it's banjo?) playing. I probably wouldn't hate the song so much if THAT was the mix we got XD

I've always thought that "Like a doll" was a mixture of And Then and Dolls (the structure is similar to Dolls, but with that "And Then" vibe). ^^;

[DonkeyKongRemix]

Originally Posted by orbitalaspect

I'm sorry to inject a complete change in direction, but it's just struck me over these last few days that I think Ayu ruined how beautiful you are with the lyrics. There's something highly memorable for me about the instrumental version, which I think fits very well among Ayu's other ballads, but the lyrics and singing are the parts that ruin it for me.

Anyway, I've fallen in love with the instrumental cut of the song, which I think was done quite well in contrast to the track with vocals.

I'm just gonna say it, it's been hanging over me for a while...

HBYA is hands-down, without a doubt, my LEAST favorite Ayu song of all time. The background is pretty, but aside from that...her voice, the melody... D:

It's not about it being boring, since the GIFT is one of my favorite Ayu songs (and I know people think that song is super boring). It's just that melody...

[love in music]

I don't like How Beautiful You Are either. The English lines and her voice ruin it for me.
Anyone remember Sunset ~Love is all~ ? I remember there was so much hate for it when it first came out for being boring. Has anyone's opinion changed on it? I still think it drags a bit but is a nice listen.

[chocopockymaster]

Originally Posted by love in music

I don't like How Beautiful You Are either. The English lines and her voice ruin it for me.
Anyone remember Sunset ~Love is all~ ? I remember there was so much hate for it when it first came out for being boring. Has anyone's opinion changed on it? I still think it drags a bit but is a nice listen.

I was firmly in the Sunrise camp when the single came out and never paid much attention to Sunset, but then I went to go see AT2009 and my life was unfolding in such a way at the time that being at Yoyogi and seeing the performance and really listening to the lyrics for the first time was like...the emotional equivalent of being hit by a freight train. I remember sitting there sobbing, trying not to disturb the people around me, lol. I've had a soft spot for it ever since.

[Miduhyo]

Originally Posted by love in music

I don't like How Beautiful You Are either. The English lines and her voice ruin it for me.
Anyone remember Sunset ~Love is all~ ? I remember there was so much hate for it when it first came out for being boring. Has anyone's opinion changed on it? I still think it drags a bit but is a nice listen.

It definitely drags on but my opinion has changed somewhat of it. When the single was first released, it was Sunrise that I was so drawn to. It's just fun and bouncy and a great work-out song (for me). Sunset was just... boring. And I still find it boring but I'm not entirely against it now. I even sang it for a friend's wedding reception because the bride (another Ayu fan) asked me to. I think it was that moment there that made me change my mind about the song. Like you said, it drags but it's a nice listen. Not one I ever find myself going 'Huh, I feel like listening to Sunset.' But I don't skip it when it comes on.

[Zeke.]

She's released A LOT worse since Sunset. So whenever it comes on now, I actually find it quite soothing by comparison.

[jiarongisme]

Originally Posted by chocopockymaster

I was firmly in the Sunrise camp when the single came out and never paid much attention to Sunset, but then I went to go see AT2009 and my life was unfolding in such a way at the time that being at Yoyogi and seeing the performance and really listening to the lyrics for the first time was like...the emotional equivalent of being hit by a freight train. I remember sitting there sobbing, trying not to disturb the people around me, lol. I've had a soft spot for it ever since.

That's such a beautiful experience

[orbitalaspect]

Originally Posted by love in music

I don't like How Beautiful You Are either. The English lines and her voice ruin it for me.
Anyone remember Sunset ~Love is all~ ? I remember there was so much hate for it when it first came out for being boring. Has anyone's opinion changed on it? I still think it drags a bit but is a nice listen.

I loved Sunset when it came out. In fact, my only gripe with it was that it had all the trappings of a classic Ayu ballad but didn't come together production-wise. Today, I mostly miss the feeling of expecting a new single. So, because Sunrise/Sunset was Ayu's last summer-themed single, I respect and appreciate it much more now than I did then. I just wish that it wasn't the last.

There are many things I can handle Ayu not doing, but the hardest among them all has been her cutting down the singles. The day Ayu comes back and says, "Hey! I'm going to release singles regularly again," will be the day I think a lot of us breathe a collective sigh of relief.

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

I preferred the more poppy sounding preview from the kiwi commercial. The final product was a bit too acousticy for me?

[jean-baptiste]

Originally Posted by chocopockymaster

I was firmly in the Sunrise camp when the single came out and never paid much attention to Sunset, but then I went to go see AT2009 and my life was unfolding in such a way at the time that being at Yoyogi and seeing the performance and really listening to the lyrics for the first time was like...the emotional equivalent of being hit by a freight train. I remember sitting there sobbing, trying not to disturb the people around me, lol. I've had a soft spot for it ever since.

Very nice story.

Originally Posted by Zeke.

She's released A LOT worse since Sunset. So whenever it comes on now, I actually find it quite soothing by comparison.

My feelings exactly. Wasn't a big fan of the single when it was first released, but in retrospect its a great single.

[Yumsushi]

Originally Posted by ExodusUK

November and blossom are blights on an otherwise FANTASTIC FLAWLESS AMAZING album.

fixed it for you lol

Also I just cant sit through her concerts anymore. Her voice is so good but there are waaay too many things going on stage. Like when she sang Duty on her last DVD....how can I watch and enjoy her singing about the end of her world when there are clowns doing backflips and juggling things?

[channy]

Originally Posted by Yumsushi

Her voice is so good but there are waaay too many things going on stage. Like when she sang Duty on her last DVD....how can I watch and enjoy her singing about the end of her world when there are clowns doing backflips and juggling things?

For the most part I prefer Ayu being alone on stage with her band... Concert Tour 2000 appeals so much to me as there were many moments when the stage seemed empty or at least not crowded by Japanese dancers.

I also prefer the TV lives, when she used to do her thing without heaps of random dancers around her. Last time I got angry for this reason was the "A Song is born" live performance at Music Station. I would have loved to enjoy it but there were so many distracting people surrounding Ayu, trying to look emotional.

Ayu + Tetsuya & her band would have been the perfect constellation for me. Or just Ayu and Tetsuya in a piano duet...

[Yumsushi]

Originally Posted by channy

For the most part I prefer Ayu being alone on stage with her band... Concert Tour 2000 appeals so much to me as there were many moments when the stage seemed empty or at least not crowded by Japanese dancers.

I also prefer the TV lives, when she used to do her thing without heaps of random dancers around her. Last time I got angry for this reason was the "A Song is born" live performance at Music Station. I would have loved to enjoy it but there were so many distracting people surrounding Ayu, trying to look emotional.

Ayu + Tetsuya & her band would have been the perfect constellation for me. Or just Ayu and Tetsuya in a piano duet...

I think she feels like she needs to fill the stage for the concert to be enjoyable, but she doesn't. There has to be a balance between the number of people on stage and the song. My Story tour and premium countdown live are good examples of that I think.

I would LOVE a stripped down Ayu and Tetsuya show. They have enough songs together that it would easily work.

[Delirium-Zer0]

Yeah, Ayu's concerts are like... Whenever I have to design a website or an ad, and the client says to "emphasize this... oh, and can we make this pop a little more? ... I wanna draw more attention to this, too..." and by the time he's done telling me to make EVERYTHING pop, NOTHING actually draws your eye at all, it's just a big old mess. There's no focal point, there's no flow that draws your eyes from one thing to another, it looks like a child's messy playroom.

That is what Ayu's concerts are like for me a lot of times. lol

Originally Posted by //ABEST

^ early video mix?

Yeah, an early edit of the video was posted on Vimeo by one of the kids' parents, and the mix of the song is VERY different. The guitar & banjo have more emphasis, and a bunch of the studio-synth isn't included or has been greatly reduced. The drums are more complex & less polished, as well. The whole thing just feels a bit more... singular, I guess. It's more nuanced.

You get the feeling like Ayu recorded her vocals on top of the original first-run instrumentation (maybe it's on top of the original demo's instruments), and then mixing afterwards just stripped it of EVERYTHING even remotely uneven, thus stripping it of all its character. I mean this version of the song feels like... Ayu's first foray into Country Music lol. It's actually pretty unique to me! It's not an AMAZING song, but holy crap, everything good about it was, for me, just GONE by the time it got released.

[Yumsushi]

When you watch her concerts now you wouldn't ever think this is someone whos been around for over 15 years. But then its the same thing with many albums, album covers and PVs. The attention to detail and drive to deliver a product worthy of putting the Ayu stamp on it is gone. What we are left with now is generally mediocre and sometimes (often) cringe worthy.

Sometimes I think I need to stop listening to her and quit the fandom all together but I just can't quit on something that I've invested so much money, time and emotion into. Thankfully she still puts out a few gems every now and then and it's not a total and utter loss.