New album 'Love songs' & Ayu-produced single 'Dream ON' 12/22 [VII]

[YuriChan]

The only thing is this... BLUE BIRD= fairyland part 2, glitter= Greatful days part 2, and fairyland is just fairyland!

[Tony G]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

I don't think that's being lazy, it's just making a new summer tune for people to love, haha. I mean those songs were some of her biggest hits of the year, especially BLUE BIRD! And even if those were pretty formulaic or w/e due to all being arranged by HAL, there was always a song to back it up like alterna, Beautiful Fighters, or fated. BF was probably closest to a summer song of the c/w tracks though, but I think it was new territory for Ayu since it was a feminine "girl power" themed cheer song (literally).

Oh, and about the cohesiveness of this album, I wonder if it helped that most of the tracks that were singles were relatively midtempo so she could fill in the blanks when it came to ballads or super upbeat tracks? Usually she has one really sore thumb in the album that sticks out a lot. (imo, Sunrise and GREEN are big ones, haha)

I think she has been writing consistently over the last few months, that she has just come up with an album that sounds like an album. There hasn't been a big break where she's thought 'time to write an album'. She wrote the singles, and they were all consistent in sound, and the rest of the album seems to have turned out that way. I'm really excited and hope the album turns out to sound like one piece. It'll be the first in a long time.

Its not her fault most of the time - the Japanese system of singles before albums makes it hard because you would have to plot the concept for your album months (or years) before it even comes out for consistency purposes. I think she's lucky here that the single releases and albums are so close that she could do it this time.

The example you used is the most obvious! I love NEXT LEVEL, but Green/Days almost derails the album completly in momentum. I think that album would have been so much stronger if every song stuck with the electro/rock concept. I sometimes wished she left GREEN out entirely. Days only works next to curtain call.

Nothing against the summer singles as well. I loved fairyland! blue bird was the same-sy for me so I couldn't appreciate it as much (still listened to it lol) and glitter was just terrible.

[truehappiness]

Nothing against the summer singles as well. I loved fairyland! blue bird was the same-sy for me so I couldn't appreciate it as much (still listened to it lol) and glitter was just terrible.

Whoa~ glitter was not terrible! I think it's a favorite of mine, haha. It's got that NO NO NO and YES COZ BELIEVE IN LOVE that you just can't hate~

Her summer songs during that period all sounded "similarish" to people because HAL basically made them sound the same. It was like there was this preset for arranging they had for an "AYUMI HAMASAKI SUMMER SONG" and slightly tweaked it to fit each song. I never felt they were all that similar though because I could easily differentiate them, but when they were released... wow... people were basically saying all of them were the same as whatever the last summer song was, haha.

Oh dream on oh oh oh ~

[Tony G]

lol, well i cant deny it has a cheesyness value :p

[jbrat2219]

I still can't tell the difference between fairyland and BLUE BIRD anymore... I sing fairyland's verses and then somehow switch to BLUE BIRD's chorus... it happens EVERY TIME!

[freedreamer]

^HAHA sometimes that happens to me too! but their choruses to me have a different feel. fairyland's chorus doesnt have an upbeat melody like BLUE BIRD..maybe coz our minds remember what is more upbeat haha

[jbrat2219]

I think it's because with fairyland my favorite part of the song is the verse and with BLUE BIRD my favorite part is the chorus... so I kind of fused them together to make the perfect song in my mind I guess LOL.

[nanakopy87]

Originally Posted by jbrat2219

I still can't tell the difference between fairyland and BLUE BIRD anymore... I sing fairyland's verses and then somehow switch to BLUE BIRD's chorus... it happens EVERY TIME!

lol.me too.i have difficulties to memorize this two songs.i always mess up the chorus XD

[njanjayrp]

Originally Posted by nanakopy87

lol.me too.i have difficulties to memorize this two songs.i always mess up the chorus XD

I guess it's different when you take your time and read the translations, especially if you understand some Japanese yourself. For me it's impossible to mix them up.

[Earth_maiden]

Originally Posted by njanjayrp

I guess it's different when you take your time and read the translations, especially if you understand some Japanese yourself. For me it's impossible to mix them up.

I feel the same. Fairyland is also personally iconic for me, since it was the first PV of Ayu's I ever watched, and is part of the first Ayu CD I ever received, which made me fall in love with her. There's no comparison between the two songs for me at all.

[SURREAL__RAINBOW]

this thread is seriously gone OT, and no, to me fairyland don't sound like BLUE BIRD, BLUE BIRD don't sound like glitta, and glitta don't sound like fairyland, or whateva

[roanmy]

^I agree. And even if they did, their lyrics sound nothing a like.

ON TOPIC: I am reaaaaaally loving the preview for Like a doll and November ^^

[My Rainbow]

I actually miss those "hippie" songs she used to make for the end of her albums: girlish, flower garden, independent, +, humming 7/4... It's been a while...

[waterballoon]

^ love all those except Humming 7/4

I guess we've Thank U though

[Sirea]

Haha check this out. I was shopping online at Aero this morning and came across this for anyone who has $25 and a thing for Dream ON...

http://www.aeropostale.com/product/i...536151.2038748

[jbrat2219]

Originally Posted by Sirea

Haha check this out. I was shopping online at Aero this morning and came across this for anyone who has $25 and a thing for Dream ON...

http://www.aeropostale.com/product/i...536151.2038748

HAHAHA I WANT IT!

[joshohhhhh]

BLUE BIRD and glitter are interchangeable to me

[Pieces_of_SEVEN]

^^they blend well in the summer mash up mix, but to me they obviously different songs.

[isthisLOL?]

Originally Posted by joshohhhhh

BLUE BIRD and glitter are interchangeable to me

Different melodies, instrumentals, lyrical themes, tempos...

[jbrat2219]

Originally Posted by isthisLOL?

Different melodies, instrumentals, lyrical themes, tempos...

Doesn't mean it's not possible to get them mixed up. I'm not personally saying they're similar, but for some reason I tend to fuse them into one song. I can't even remember what fairyland's chorus is, it's all BLUE BIRD to me lol.