[Article] Rock'n'Roll Circus - Professional album review from allmusic - Page 2 - Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai
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  #21  
Old 2nd August 2010, 05:09 AM
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Man, I don't even know what "gothic rock" is supposed to mean. o_O i hate overly specific genre definitions, they make my head hurt. Linkin Park are a rock band. >_<
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  #22  
Old 2nd August 2010, 05:25 AM
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^Lol, me too. I just classify everything as music. (unless it's one of those songs that don't even seem to have a melody)
Makes it a lot easier.
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  #23  
Old 2nd August 2010, 06:21 AM
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I could see how they came to these conclusions...

but I do agree with Deli. I don't think the generic songs are enough to take the album down to 3 stars...I think 4 would have been better...

but perhaps they save 4 for like, really great albums that arent perfect...and then 3 for all the just "a worthy listen" albums.

The anime reference is kind of annoying though...cause...I think the anime music scene, and the jpop mainstream scene are really different...but whatever.


lol Maybe gothic rock is just...dark...sounding...rock...lol
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  #24  
Old 2nd August 2010, 06:44 AM
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^One reason why I dislike AllMusic is that some bizarre stuff like Hilary Duff albums got 4 stars x_x'
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Old 2nd August 2010, 06:59 AM
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^were the hilary duff albums bad? I've never heard them...

maybe they prefer the more mainstream sounds? idk. I mean...they did name specifically Linkin Park and Evanescence lol
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  #26  
Old 2nd August 2010, 07:10 AM
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^I don't think they are bad, but i also don't think anything she did deserves a 4 and 1/2 stars like they did... Some rates they give to music are just plain strange... and they have tons of errors on non american artists profiles... as I said, they seen to take little to no consideration about cultural and musical context...

Even if i also disliked RNRC, and even if to me it deservers 3 stars, most of the remarks they did sounded like steriotype ideas about jpop
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Old 2nd August 2010, 07:13 AM
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^which is interesting...because apart from the ballads...none of Ayu's music sounds like the real stereotypical jpop lol

They probably just suck.
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  #28  
Old 2nd August 2010, 09:38 AM
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I love it how everyone's getting so defensive just because the writer has a different opinion of the album. IMO, the author's spot on, so there!

And as for the stereotypical J-Pop comment (I haven't listened to much JPop properly, coz it's kinda a crummy genre as far as I'm concerned), I agree with the writer because most of the songs sound like stereotypical Ayu songs and she's such a defining icon on the JPop scene...but yeah, "they just suck" too.
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  #29  
Old 2nd August 2010, 10:17 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by emiko View Post
^were the hilary duff albums bad? I've never heard them...

maybe they prefer the more mainstream sounds? idk. I mean...they did name specifically Linkin Park and Evanescence lol
OMG, Hilary Duff albums are AMAZING!


Well, I was obsessed with her for the longest time. She's my dream girl after all.


But seriously, Hilary's albums are great. My favorite is the 2nd one, just titled "Hilary Duff" - it's sooooooooooo gooooooooood.
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  #30  
Old 2nd August 2010, 12:17 PM
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I think this writer needs to do their research.
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  #31  
Old 2nd August 2010, 01:26 PM
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^which is interesting...because apart from the ballads...none of Ayu's music sounds like the real stereotypical jpop lol

They probably just suck.
And I wouldn't be surprised if some stuff that is considered stereotypical jpop ballads today isn't just some Ayu's influence on today's jpop...
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  #32  
Old 2nd August 2010, 01:34 PM
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You know what this review feels like? It feels like someone at allmusic staff gave it three stars, but someone else on staff had to write the review and they were assigned "make a review that says 3 stars." So they had to really stretch to call the album weak. None of their criticisms are all that valid, it sounded for the whole first half of the review like the reviewer actually liked the album.
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  #33  
Old 2nd August 2010, 01:58 PM
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Oh God...here we go again.
I mean...I don't mean to be a pest...but my Biology study is boring and it's easier to sit here and point out how ignorant all your comments are.

I'm not a good person.

1. Delirium-Zer0 - The reviewer never implies that he likes the album. He just says that the first couple of tracks live up to what the title promises, but then the album just follows standard J-Pop structures, which undermines the title Rock'n'Roll Circus which he says was given to the album to separate it from her previous albums. Then he just continues to say that the album is unoriginal, which dulls its overall effect on the listener, making it less powerful. Sounds like the reviewer thinks its a 3 star album to me.

2. People on this forum continuously getting aggressive and defensive over any piece of information that shows Ayu in a negative light really only exposes insecurities. Yeah, ok your passionate about the artist, but no one's perfect and there will always be people with divergent views. Just relax. You like the album and that's fine, just don't label everyone with an opposing view as some retard that can't do their job properly.

I think I've preached enough and my Biology won't read itself...
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  #34  
Old 2nd August 2010, 02:04 PM
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^ No one has gotten aggressive or defensive that I have seen in this thread. Certainly not Delirium-Zer0. In fact, your post is the most aggressive. And your standing up for this person expressing their opinions on the album...what about the people here expressing their oninions on the review? You make them sound wrong for doing it. It's a two way street y'know.
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  #35  
Old 2nd August 2010, 02:21 PM
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kagami,
Aggressive was the wrong word, I'll admit as I read over AHSs comments, but I certainly stand by defensive. And secondly, I never specifically labelled Delirium-Zer0 as being either of those two things, in fact, I thought her idea that "It feels like someone at allmusic staff gave it three stars, but someone else on staff had to write the review and they were assigned "make a review that says 3 stars." " was really insightful. I just debated her point that the reviewer changes his tone half-way through the album.

But, back to my defensive point. Your post is a perfect example. Just as you defend Delirium-Zer0 because you thought I was critising her entire point of view, so does most of AHS irrationally defend Ayu if someone with authority, such as the reviewer, critisizes her work. Everyone (generalisation, I know, but you know what I mean!) suddenly feels the need to diminish the person's authority as if the whole world needs to see Ayu as a perfect being. I mean...come on, get some perspective. There is plenty of talent out there.

The point of a forum is to discuss different points of view and ideas, right? So, is it so wrong of me to want to inspire some debate rather than blindly worship my J-Pop Queen and just dismiss everything the reviewer says as unsubstantiated and just plain wrong?

Damn, I like to procrastinate...
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  #36  
Old 2nd August 2010, 02:35 PM
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While i do agree in some aspects, the reviewer seems to be too attached to clichés. What kind of people reviews here? Obviously this person does NOT follow closely what Linkin Park/Evanescence does (what about doing a little research before quoting an artist?). This person also seems to ignore that NOT every artist in Japan records to be in anime soundtracks. Honestly, these ideas take him off a little of credibility and objectivity (like some of you guys already stated).

But, like i said before, i agree with him in some points. Ballads are definitely her weakest point in this record, except for You were.../Ballad. He is correct when he says she tries to be versatile;this has been a signature of her in several of her albums. However, i didn't sense this versatility as much as some of her previous records. May be because she is been doing this for so long every single year (so i understand it) but like the guy said in the review, some of her music already sounds too attached to a formula.

And thanks for the review Maxker, it's cool to see how people (and not fans) see her work. Not everyone can worship what she does... and i like this review because he's expressing his thoughts without being disrespectful to her or her work (unlike some people here ).
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  #37  
Old 2nd August 2010, 03:06 PM
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I don't think people here defending Ayu because reviewer has criticize her.
But just the reviewer don't know what he was writing about. It seems he listen to Ayu just a couple of times and then 'oh wow a new album! Let's write a random review about it!!'

He said
Quote:
may induce the audience to believe that Hamasaki is serious in her attempts to intrude on the terrain of Olivia and Anna Tsuchiya
Ayu made pop-rock songs since Duty-I am... era. So it's not her first attempt.
But her songs are way different from Olivia and Anna Tsuchiya, especially from Olivia 'cause she's more indie. He talks about anime, so I assumed he listen to Olivia and Anna Tsuchiya just for NANA :| but those songs don't represent their styles at all. And Olivia and Anna Tsuchiya are not the only 'rock' female artist in Japan.
And then he puts random western groups like LP and Evanescence, calling them 'gothic rock'. What the hell seriously..

I don't mind about bad, good reviews. When I listen to an album, I don't care about reviewers seriously. If I don't like an album, I wouldn't change my mind if the reviewer said 'is the best album of the year' and I still like an album even if the reviewer said 'it sucks lol'.
But they must do their job well.
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  #38  
Old 2nd August 2010, 06:55 PM
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...conventions of J-pop, even if she had created those herself.
Can't believe no one has brought this up.
Girl still rockin' it.
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  #39  
Old 2nd August 2010, 10:33 PM
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This is Hamasaki's eleventh album, and so songwriting routine is to be expected, to a degree, but she would have been better off going all the way with the alt-rock gimmick instead of meekly complying with the already trite conventions of J-pop, even if she had created those herself.
Most insightful part of the review, in my opinion. That's Ayu's problem these days: she's frozen herself into the very conventions she herself has created, ironically those same conventions that began as her attempts to re-define contemporary J-pop.

I agree, though, that the review should have been put into better context especially with regards to today's J-pop scene. I would say that Ayu in fact greatly influenced the rock-as-pop music of Olivia and Anna Tsuchiya. Do they even know what Olivia's early music was like (i.e. Color of Your Spoon)? It ain't nothin' like what she's doing these days.
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  #40  
Old 3rd August 2010, 01:29 AM
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I don't think people here defending Ayu because reviewer has criticize her.
But just the reviewer don't know what he was writing about. It seems he listen to Ayu just a couple of times and then 'oh wow a new album! Let's write a random review about it!!'

He said

Ayu made pop-rock songs since Duty-I am... era. So it's not her first attempt.
But her songs are way different from Olivia and Anna Tsuchiya, especially from Olivia 'cause she's more indie. He talks about anime, so I assumed he listen to Olivia and Anna Tsuchiya just for NANA :| but those songs don't represent their styles at all. And Olivia and Anna Tsuchiya are not the only 'rock' female artist in Japan.
And then he puts random western groups like LP and Evanescence, calling them 'gothic rock'. What the hell seriously..

I don't mind about bad, good reviews. When I listen to an album, I don't care about reviewers seriously. If I don't like an album, I wouldn't change my mind if the reviewer said 'is the best album of the year' and I still like an album even if the reviewer said 'it sucks lol'.
But they must do their job well.
My feelings exactly. Hell, I agree with some of the stuff he said but it was obvious he had no idea what he was talking about, what 'gothic rock' is, who Ayu is, her style, nor listens to much J-pop (if any) yet make those claims. If you're going to review an album and make comments on the artist's musical style, at least do some research. The comparisons made and his tone suggested that he believed this to be a first attempt by a strictly pop artist to break into the rock genre. Like seriously, Ayu's been doing pop rock for how many years? Stuff like that on sites where people actually read the reviews from the staff just bugs me, it's so unprofessional.
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