Ayu ~Anything Goes~ XV (AHS' Ayumi Hamasaki General Discussion Thread)

[ExodusUK]

I loved Love Again and I wasn't upset about the whole mini-album/single thing because it was painfully obvious it was going to happen the minute Avex the "5 consecutive releases for 5 months" thing. Ivy, Sweet Scar, Song 4 U, Petal, Wake Me Up, Snowy Kiss, Missing, Melody and Sakura are some of my favourites in recent years.

[truehappiness]

Some people were completely "blindsided" by it though and got unnecessarily angry over it IMO.

[Yumsushi]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

The taint around LOVE again mostly has something to do with the LOVE -and- again releases and then coming together as LOVE again as though it was some sort of strange joke. Maro was an issue too, but I think for the most part, the Western fandom at least was rolling their eyes at the LOVE again announcement. Both minis were super strong IMO but then... that happened.

Knowing that most of the tracks were older probably didn't help, but they fit in their own weird way.

I'm thinking that mashing together the minis as LOVE again and not attempting to create a concept in any way other than "here's LOVE and again with some other tracks" left a sour taste for most people.

Personally I really enjoyed Love again when I got it a year after it was released and I forgot about the whole ripping the fans off fiasco. I think it has alot of solid songs. Too bad about the production like many have said.

Just adding that I think the fans had every right to be angry over the Love and Again releases that were promoted and sold to fans as albums but were not.

[truehappiness]

I dunno, I didn't particularly care too much about the mini label. They were amazing releases.

[truehappiness]

I feel a new album announcement coming in a week or so. Anyone else feel the same? So much hinting till now...

Don't think I could wait till the end of the tour for an announcement though.

[Aderianu]

seems Ayu done with her "writer-block" (or at the very end of it), so soon she'll go to studio for recording
usually we get announcement at this time

[truehappiness]

Yeah, since January she's been talking about plans for the new album. I wonder just what it'll be like.

[Aderianu]

I hope she will not stamp songs with same lyrics
I don't want more songs about how it's important to be yourself

[truehappiness]

I think we'll get at least two of those. And maybe one about being someone's one and only.

However, I hope for more general issues.

[attractive nausea]

Originally Posted by Aderianu

I don't want more songs about how it's important to be yourself

I'd rather have that than songs about her asking her lover to let her stay by his side forever because he's her final love.

[hayasaki]

Originally Posted by attractive nausea

I'd rather have that than songs about her asking her lover to let her stay by his side forever because he's her final love.

or if she'll have one wing on her back, or if one of her wish will come true lol

[Aderianu]

even if she's great lyricist, maybe that's because she has too many songs

Originally Posted by Delirium-Zer0

The lyrics to "Catcher In The Light" and the chorus of "Sparkle" both say "If you just stand there looking at it, it'll never be yours."

She has a few other overarching concepts that come up often... a fear of the future, difficulty putting feelings into words, losing something & wondering how it would be to get it back again, reactions to people who pass by her, the imagery of flowers and in particular their ability to bloom despite their fragility, requests that someone lie consistently so she can believe it's true regardless, the finality of saying "farewell" versus saying "see ya" like it's no big deal, the differences between reality and dreams or ideals, thoughts she has while looking up at the sky, making choices & taking one's own destiny into one's hands... There are a ton of common concepts she uses to illustrate her feelings & her life.

[280301]

I always find it interesting reading about how other people's perceptions of albums change over time. I feel like I've come to appreciate GUILTY more in recent years, it is ~so~ underrated in her discography imo. I feel like the quality of the album-only tracks is on par (if not greater) than the single tracks (aside from fated because that song is perf). It's probably not the album that I would recommend to somebody who was interested in checking out Ayu, but I think it is still a solid album with overarching themes and concepts that are lyrically unique and common to Ayu's overall body of work, and the production, whilst not comparable to work released in her peak, is still quality (particularly in comparison to now).

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by 280301

I always find it interesting reading about how other people's perceptions of albums change over time. I feel like I've come to appreciate GUILTY more in recent years, it is ~so~ underrated in her discography imo. I feel like the quality of the album-only tracks is on par (if not greater) than the single tracks (aside from fated because that song is perf). It's probably not the album that I would recommend to somebody who was interested in checking out Ayu, but I think it is still a solid album with overarching themes and concepts that are lyrically unique and common to Ayu's overall body of work, and the production, whilst not comparable to work released in her peak, is still quality (particularly in comparison to now).

Totally. I adore GUILTY. I feel like it is so true to the Hamasaki Ayumi image and sound, brand, quality of music and style. I think it was the last album to feel like that in a complete fashion, from head to toe. It's very representative of practically every portion of her catalogue.

[ExodusUK]

The title track is my favourite song from GUILTY, it's lovely.

[Surreal17]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

^It was Petal and Marionette, and I never got that one either...

Ayu herself stated in a 2013 magazine interview that petal is one of those songs with a mysterious allure, similar to Marionette. Trying to find the original quote.

She was probably refering to the sound of these two songs, the way the synths are used which I agree.

[oaristos]

Originally Posted by ExodusUK

The title track is my favourite song from GUILTY, it's lovely.

I absolutely love GUILTY (the track, not a big fan of the whole album).

[Gustavopc]

GUILTY had just been released when I came across ayu and along with Duty made me fall in love with her. The album is just so... complete, I'd say. A shame it wasn't supported properly by a tour, I feel like the album is a whole story and the raw emotions in it would be amazing to be set in a tour.

[truehappiness]

IMO, Love songs was her last complete package (maybe Party Queen as well) and since then she'd sort of been making things because she felt she had to without conceptualizing the release ahead of time or make releases for the sake of making releases. GUILTY had a strange unfortunate creation in that she seemed to be suffering from writer's block and had to force herself to create that album when she really didn't want to write and that might be kinda why that album never got a proper tour, like she felt guilty for the album's birth somehow.

From her debut to MY STORY to (miss)understood to Secret to GUILTY though, she was creating album after album of the SIGNATURE Ayumi Hamasaki sound, but then after that it seemed like she was lost. Loved NEXT LEVEL but that is where things started to feel off and you could tell from just about every release that came after.

Thinking about it and linking it with interviews throughout the years, I get the sense that she started to get a bit of fatigue around the time of the 1st and 2nd ASIA TOUR and was pushing herself to her breaking point.

However, despite all this, I think she is coming back in full force as the Ayumi Hamasaki we knew after A ONE and sixxxxxx as much as people disagree about those albums.

Originally Posted by Aderianu

even if she's great lyricist, maybe that's because she has too many songs

I think she's had some amazing lyrics lately like in A ONE or sixxxxxx, so I think there's still some good stuff coming! I'd just like a bit more general stuff that is all encompassing like some of the tracks on I am... that had lyrics that were more than just "love" but they were about humanity, you know? I know Ayu has something to say about these topics but I guess she may be wary of bringing it to her music.

From Misa-chan's blog:

With the crazy schedule of the 5-month consecutive release project, there’s not much time to spend reflecting on the 15th Anniversary too (laugh). Shall we leave that to the end, and talk about “petal” first?
“It’s a mysterious song, like “marionette”. The song and lyrics are different from ayu’s usual style, so much so that the production staff were amazed. However, the lyrics are not strange for the sake of being strange. When I heard the song, things just fell into place, and I managed to pen the lyrics almost immediately.”

I would say that it is more SCAR-like than Marionette, but it does have that vibe.

[Aderianu]

I wish ayu will take as much time for this album as she need to
and will do it more thoughtfully
Soon she will be busy with rehearsal, not much time for recording

btw, Guilty is my most favorite album