[Article] Time Out Tokyo's James Hadfield reviews Party Queen - Page 4 - Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai
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  #61  
Old 23rd March 2012, 06:04 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cosmicfirefly View Post
"escalating absurdity"? the songs sound anything but absurd to me, I don't even see how that's a good word to describe music, maybe the lyrics, and those aren't absurd either, maybe he should recheck his vocab.
But as much as I like RR, I too agree that there was alot of nonsense going on in the middle of the song. Escalating absurdity is a pretty good way to refer to it. The piano, the organs, Timmy's stupid choir vocals; layer upon layer of noise. None of it was necessary, the song is strong enough to stand on its own without all that.
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  #62  
Old 23rd March 2012, 06:14 AM
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^^I still don't even hear Timmy on RR. I did start to hear him on Shake It, and now that part really annoys me. LOL ugh
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  #63  
Old 23rd March 2012, 06:14 AM
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Can we just move on to the next (DAI composed) album already please.....
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  #64  
Old 23rd March 2012, 06:18 AM
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Originally Posted by Pieces_of_SEVEN View Post
^^I still don't even hear Timmy on RR. I did start to hear him on Shake It, and now that part really annoys me. LOL ugh
How is it that you can't hear him? The moaning after every line Ayu sings after the piano organ nonsense is him. I wish I could tune him out but I can't.
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  #65  
Old 23rd March 2012, 06:22 AM
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He has a point about Reminds me, it's like they literally flicked through the book of epic cliches and threw it into the middle of the song but it doesn't really add anything to the song.
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  #66  
Old 23rd March 2012, 06:25 AM
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So I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks of Michelle Branch when I hear call ...

But I kind of see what he means...as much as I have commended this album & enjoyed it, there is a stark difference between the songs...
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  #67  
Old 23rd March 2012, 06:27 AM
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Wow, what a harsh review. If I weren't a fan of Ayu's already, I very well may have agreed with it completely, but since I am biased, I actually quite like the album with the exception of the broadway songs. Literally every other song is good but those.
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  #68  
Old 23rd March 2012, 06:29 AM
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^^Not sure, I just have not heard him yet. Maybe my mind is purposely blocking him out. LOL idk...but I'm using Bose in-ear phones, so it's definitely not the quality.
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  #69  
Old 23rd March 2012, 07:21 AM
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not agree.i love this album freaking much.
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  #70  
Old 23rd March 2012, 07:22 AM
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not agree.i love this album freaking much.
+1
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  #71  
Old 23rd March 2012, 06:15 PM
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Originally Posted by relmy View Post
but if you hadn't read Ayu's twitter etc... would you really get the message?

I think his review perfectly shows the difference in perception of a non-fan, casual listener who has no idea what Ayu has said about the concept, and us fans who read her every word.

He isn't bashing or hating, he's really praising the opening tracks for their mixture of styles, impact and power. The reviewer just doesn't think the rest maintains the quality.

Did people miss HIS point completely?
The way Ayu aproach the concept on the lyrics is pretty literal... The "lonely party queen" thing begins already on the 2nd song, on a line written in English... To get the "story" behind the album u don't need to go deeper than reading the lyrics in order...

Sorry, but this review is pretty lazy...
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  #72  
Old 23rd March 2012, 06:30 PM
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^ but consider how the line is presented, in a quite silly rhyming line that isn't even the focus of the song. It's not exactly a unique line she is presenting, he can't be blamed for overlooking the line as something to add half hearted emotional depth to the album when the rest of that song betrays that concept.

I get the concept, 'cause I am an Ayu fan, but the lyrics - aside from dealing more explicitly with her divorce in some places - really aren't anything we haven't come to expect from her, and her her standard Jpop output now - sans ESM & tnL of course.

I don't think he's lazy, he's doing his job, listen to the album how an everyday consumer would and say what he thinks, it's a sales review not an artistic album critique. Ayu IS only pop music at the end of the day, no matter what fans (including myself) dress her up to be. :/
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  #73  
Old 23rd March 2012, 06:38 PM
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LOL he's saying the best part of the album is the first three songs? To me, the album becomes a masterpiece after call, so we totally diverge on this.
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  #74  
Old 23rd March 2012, 07:20 PM
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Originally Posted by relmy View Post
^ but consider how the line is presented, in a quite silly rhyming line that isn't even the focus of the song. It's not exactly a unique line she is presenting, he can't be blamed for overlooking the line as something to add half hearted emotional depth to the album when the rest of that song betrays that concept.

I get the concept, 'cause I am an Ayu fan, but the lyrics - aside from dealing more explicitly with her divorce in some places - really aren't anything we haven't come to expect from her, and her her standard Jpop output now - sans ESM & tnL of course.

I don't think he's lazy, he's doing his job, listen to the album how an everyday consumer would and say what he thinks, it's a sales review not an artistic album critique. Ayu IS only pop music at the end of the day, no matter what fans (including myself) dress her up to be. :/
I'm sorry, but any professional music reviewer MUST know that the tracks order and the way the melodies communicates with each other, and how the lyrics communicates with each other is something to be looked into while reviewing an album... As this is what really makes an concept work or fail... Being this person reviewing Bob Dylan or Justin Bieber.
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  #75  
Old 23rd March 2012, 09:41 PM
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Originally Posted by LEOyumi View Post
LOL he's saying the best part of the album is the first three songs? To me, the album becomes a masterpiece after call, so we totally diverge on this.
This. First three tracks I cannot stand but everything after call unfffffffffff
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  #76  
Old 23rd March 2012, 10:01 PM
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all he did was review the name of the album thinking it would be something else which is a lousy job on his behalf, then bash the album because it wasn't a "party" sounding CD
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  #77  
Old 24th March 2012, 02:16 AM
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Originally Posted by emi♡ View Post
What's wrong with you people? He PRAISED the first electro tracks for being fundamentally different from kpop and for seemingly bringing something new and interesting to the Jpop scene.

He got lost at Call, which imo is incredibly understandable. As I've said from the beginning, it much more reminds me of the generic songs koda likes to sing. Not that it's a bad thing, I love me my kuukuu. But still.

The Rock section is going to be the main difference of opinion obviously. He didn't feel it was effective, and I appreciate his view being someone who is outside the Ayu fandom, as someone who isn't used to those types of songs from her.

I think it's noticeable here that he would have preferred a whole electro album.


Then he moves on to the jazz, and really, who wouldn't be blindsided by them? I was, and I've been a fan since forever :/

And if people don't agree that hbya is generic...god damn you have some bigger problems.


Yes the songs are beautiful, yes they have heartfelt lyrics. Yes, we love them. But that doesn't mean everyone has to look and appreciate those things when they listen to it. Some people are going to be in it for only the music or the casual listening, and some people aren't going to like it. Big deal.
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  #78  
Old 24th March 2012, 02:22 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrenekoi View Post
I'm sorry, but any professional music reviewer MUST know that the tracks order and the way the melodies communicates with each other, and how the lyrics communicates with each other is something to be looked into while reviewing an album... As this is what really makes an concept work or fail... Being this person reviewing Bob Dylan or Justin Bieber.
But casual listeners hardly go into such depth :/

idk whatever. I don't necessarily agree with him, but he makes some valid points.

Points that even people here made in the Thoughts thread.

he might be the biggest douchebag ever...but...lol idk guess I'm used to looking past that.
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  #79  
Old 24th March 2012, 02:31 AM
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But casual listeners hardly go into such depth :/

idk whatever. I don't necessarily agree with him, but he makes some valid points.

Points that even people here made in the Thoughts thread.

he might be the biggest douchebag ever...but...lol idk guess I'm used to looking past that.
Well... I don't think casual listeners have any obligation to analyze in depth... I don't think a hardcore fan have any obligation of analyzing the album in depth (unless they are complaining they can't get it and the fact they can't get it makes it a bad album :B), I don't think anyone, not even the reviewer, has any obligation to like it...

But someone whose job consists of listening music albums (or watching movies, or appreciating fine arts) and objectively analyzing it and saying if it's good or bad should at least take a look on the whole material (lyrics included) and do some research about the context in what the piece of work was made. He is not a casual listener, he is not a random listener... He is someone being paid to give his impressions about it and say on mass media if it's good or bad, if people should buy it or not... So, IMO, the way he did it is pretty lazy.

If he said something like "she was trying to portray how lonely a party queen is and how much they strugle with their own lifes, but it ends being pretentions and empty" for example, I would disagree, but wouldn't find it either bad or lazy...
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  #80  
Old 24th March 2012, 02:34 AM
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'How Beautiful You Are'. As Hamasaki emotes her way through this wretched, generic bit of fluff, it's like the hangover kicking in at the end of an all-night karaoke session: it was fun once, but this party ended a long time ago.

I can agree on this line, at least. Overall, I would give Party Queen a B, personally.
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