Reviews of Free & Easy and H from The War Against Silence

[everlastingRAINBOW]

Originally Posted by Uemarasan

True, the reviews are much too short, but I think they're good reviews because he actually described the musical process WITH ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE OF MUSIC instead of going "oh I like this song because it touched my heart" or "I remember this song because it reminds me of when my kitty died that's why it's the best" or "I like the song because it is lively and it sounds great!". That's like 90% of the reviews of J-pop I find online. They're always based on extremely subjective experiences. Why not show us an actual grasp of musical knowledge?

I fail to see where his "musical knowledge" comes into play. Is it because he talks about the build of music in Free & Easy? Is it because he knows what different instruments are? This review is pretty subjective, and says nothing profound about the musical arrangement or anything even related to music theory. It's just a short, uninspired review.

[Minttulatte]

I think these reviews were too rude. :< I don't understand why but I got a feeling that the reviewer doesn't like Ayu that much, especially those four songs. Okay I confess I'm not a big fan of Free & Easy but as a whole this single is amazing. And H is good too. Of course if the reviewer doesn't like then it's his mistake. And I don't understand how in hell does single version of independent sound different than the album version?

[JackieRos]

I don't go with reviews but meh is an ok review

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by Queen-Of-Hip-Pop

I fail to see where his "musical knowledge" comes into play. Is it because he talks about the build of music in Free & Easy? Is it because he knows what different instruments are? This review is pretty subjective, and says nothing profound about the musical arrangement or anything even related to music theory. It's just a short, uninspired review.

Like pretty much all jpop fan reviews x_x

[sora-kara]

Originally Posted by Uemarasan

True, the reviews are much too short, but I think they're good reviews because he actually described the musical process WITH ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE OF MUSIC instead of going "oh I like this song because it touched my heart" or "I remember this song because it reminds me of when my kitty died that's why it's the best" or "I like the song because it is lively and it sounds great!". That's like 90% of the reviews of J-pop I find online. They're always based on extremely subjective experiences. Why not show us an actual grasp of musical knowledge? I have yet to read someone identify the instruments used in Ayu's music and explain how they work and WHY they work and make for a pleasant listening experience. And a review doesn't always have to be clearly positive or negative or pass judgment. It can be merely descriptive, or refuse to pass judgment.

I must say, I don't know how anyone can say they are poorly written. You can argue content, but he uses complete sentences, correct punctuation, grammar, and spelling, and develops his point well throughout. Maybe it's because people have been brainwashed by the shortcuts of Internet-speak? Also, he describes Roxette in a couple of sentences, as a point of comparison! Last I heard, it's perfectly acceptable when trying to put a point across.

He's not a fan of Ayu at all and I disagree with him A LOT of times (I do think Rainbow is one of Ayu's worst albums, though, not in terms of content but the way it's constructed), but going over his site you can't deny that he writes more intelligently about music than most of the mainstream publications out there (or most anyone, for that matter). Most people write about music like children evaluating their food (good! bad! sucks! rocks! pretty! ugh! hot! not! wah!). It's always very black or white, "I like" or "not like". There is no nuance or subtlety. He writes with the same passion and conviction as Christgau and like an actual ADULT. He actually stands for something.

On the other hand, every review on J-fan sounds like it was written by people who obviously haven't found their calling in life.

Pommy, thanks for the correction, I missed that! I've always disagreed with his comparisons between Ayu/Britney and Hikki/Christina. Pretty short-sighted and Western-blind.

That review of Exodus is the best ever written about it (even if I still hate the album). Everything else I've read about it pales in comparison.

Yes! Thank you! Basically, you put down much of what I was thinking reading the comments here.

also:




i find the hate in this thread really surprising.

i actually really liked the reviews because it was clearly evident that the reviewer actually really sat and listened to the music quite thoroughly.

sometimes a review becomes more of a reflection on the way the sounds impacted you than an actual opinion on "this was good/bad/etc". music is completely subjective anyway. as an artistic expression, each person in the world will perceive it in a different way. there is no way to measure accurately if something is actually "good" or "bad". so, if the reviewer chooses not to like something, that's fine. you can review things you don't particularly like, or are unsure of. I often use reviewing as a way of sorting out my thoughts and feelings for music.

the reviews may be short, but i find them quite potent. they are thoughtful and the feelings of the music as perceived by the reviewer are clearly imparted to the reader. not to mention, they're honest, and the language use is excellent (something most reviewers really need to improve upon). for the linguistic style alone, these reviews are a joy to read; regardless of whether or not i agree with the opinions.


id like to think that this is the type of review i have been writing.




it's strange writing a review of a review!
haha

[Bad Wolf]

I found the review to be interesting and well-written, but it's not exactly astounding (for me, anyway)... I've seen better written reviews on this forum, or on other Jpop places :x

[Andrenekoi]

(I do think Rainbow is one of Ayu's worst albums, though, not in terms of content but the way it's constructed)

I didn't notice this before, but... hello Secret?

[Uemarasan]

Sora-kara, haha, I think there should be more reviews of reviews, actually! I'd love to read one of your reviews

Originally Posted by Queen-Of-Hip-Pop

I fail to see where his "musical knowledge" comes into play. Is it because he talks about the build of music in Free & Easy? Is it because he knows what different instruments are? This review is pretty subjective, and says nothing profound about the musical arrangement or anything even related to music theory. It's just a short, uninspired review.

I already said enough on my previous post. The bit about identifying how things work and why they work. Having musical knowledge does not automatically equal to an obligation to use music theory when writing about music. Anyway, how profoundly can you (not you, specifically) talk about music without coming across as an arse? At its purest it's so abstract that to make sense of it through some kind of deep "reading" ends up in ridiculous overstatement. Also, if you read more from his site, then the context in which he writes these reviews becomes a little clearer along with what kind of stand he takes when considering music.

Also, see keikeiaznqueen's quote from the website on post number 20. (Thanks, keikeiaznqueen!)

One thing that I like is that he never writes about Ayu's lyrics (although not by choice). Lyrics are the easiest musical element to write about.

[Uemarasan]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

I didn't notice this before, but... hello Secret?

Personally, Secret's track progression makes as much sense as Guilty's (Guilty's is far better, though). Secret starts manic, almost bewildered and moves towards exuberance and clarity in the same way that Guilty progresses from heaviness towards lightness, both with a moment of enlightenment in between.

Rainbow was just a random selection of tracks, rushed to capitalize on sales.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by Uemarasan

Personally, Secret's track progression makes as much sense as Guilty's (Guilty's is far better, though). Secret starts manic, almost bewildered and moves towards exuberance and clarity in the same way that Guilty progresses from heaviness towards lightness, both with a moment of enlightenment in between.

Rainbow was just a random selection of tracks, rushed to capitalize on sales.

Sorry, but anyone who doesn't know Secret was her most rushed album (mini-album turned into full album on a month?) doesn't really follow her

About Rainbow... opinions will always be opinions... u find it bad, I find it one of her best