Kyle-x Posted October 9 Posted October 9 I love independent but it's okay she's out, too many other smashes ahead of her whew 1
Graves Posted October 9 Author Posted October 9 Alright girlies, let's power through to 65 and call it there unless some others show up. ... Um, y'all are dead wrong for this one tho? Track #10 on A Song for ×× HIGH SCORE: 10 x 4 (Kyle-x, Curaga, blueberries, AMIT) LOW SCORE: 3 x 2 (AvadaKedavra, Fevesy) HOST SCORE: 8.5 This is about the point where I briefly start really like this album. The hits just keep on coming, and POWDER SNOW is one of the album's crown jewels. A long-form exploration on doubt and regret, one of the few debut tracks where Ayu truly allows herself to wallow in negative feelings and expresses them rather beautifully. The fleeting nature of the falling snow being her one opportunity to unleash such pent up negativity, at least until it all dries up - it's a wonderfully written song for sure. And the lyirics pair beautifully with the song's soundscape too. Starting out so softly and delicately, and then gradually evolving over the five-minute journey. Until the song hits an emotional blitz of a climax, with bells sounding on the horizon and the guitar going wild. It's an intense moment, and a huge emotional payoff. Undoubtedly this is album's peak to me, and funnily enough I don't think any later Ayu album could carry it as well. Something about the youth in her voice and the shakiness to it helps to sell the scene so wonderfully. Despite everything else, this track allows us to see Ayu as the young, twenty-year-old girl that she was at the time. Scared, emotional, full of doubt, but only willing to spend a brief moment dwelling on any of those. Suilen: a nice song, though I can't say that I particularly care for it, also drags a bit. Kyle-x: I loveeee this song so much. The lyrics are maybe the best on the album after the title track. I love the "DEE MIX" included on the Trust single. Invisibility: Really appreciate PS in both of its incarnations. They're two sides and stages of the same nostalgic coin. Curaga: A 10 for the best version, the acoustic orchestra version on ayu-mi-x, like OMG... absolutely gorgeous melody and chords. The additional instrumental elements on the album version and on P.S II only bog it down, I fear. AMIT: such a powerful song, hits EVERY TIME. 6/17 1
Katamari Posted October 9 Posted October 9 8 minutes ago, Graves said: 27th Single「H」 Track #15 on RAINBOW 11 x 1: @Katamari HIGH SCORE: 10 x 4 (Kyle-x, UrMom, blueberries, confide in me) LOW SCORE: 3 x 2 (Maresia, Fevesy) HOST SCORE: 7 A shock? Or maybe not? independent is the lead song of the H EP, RAINBOW's own multi-song EP release. The summer smasha, if you will. And smash it did, the EP rocketed to number one and sold over a million copies back in Summer of 2002! Not only that, but it was the #1 on the year-end Oricon charts - narrowly beating longtime chart rival Hikaru Utada's traveling. It's got impressive stats for sure, but how is the song? To me, independent exists in the same camp as something like UNITE! in that it is a fine, and even enjoyable bop at times, but pales in comparison to many other songs in her discography. She just does this airy rock bop better elsewhere, I fear. I think the pre-chorus is the moment where this song feels at its most loose and enjoyable, but once the chorus hits I just tune out. I swear I've heard this song from her several times now... Given how crazy Ayu's schedule was back then, between recording, touring, filming TV appearances... it isn't a huge surprise that this had no music video to promote it. And despite being the lead song on the EP, and thus the one included in the COMPLETE SINGLES compilation, it actually pales in comparison to the streaming and digital sales numbers of the other H tracks. Oof. Rough day to be independent. Why don't we turn it over to some fan testimonials? Suilen: thank for for the short version. [I'm pretty sure this was genuine thanks but why does it read shady, nn?] Kyle-x: An anthem, always goes off in concert. Invisibility: Works as a complement to July 1st very well. AMIT: noisy in a not so good way I'm afraid. Fevesy: almost 10 minutes is crazy for this... 10/16 Oh that's not
Curaga Posted October 9 Posted October 9 3 minutes ago, Kyle-x said: It was very popular in the 90s, Namie's early singles are like this too! The CD was smaller so they housed it in a skinnier packaging. Ayu actually re-released all of hers on regular sized CDs in like 2001 for even more sales sksksks. But they didn't fix the artwork, they just resized them to the corner and put her logo around it sksks. I photoshopped versions of these back in the day for my iTunes library to make them squares unlike the botched avex ones sksksk I used to make non-square art squares too, but now I'm just in the habit of making transparent margins, like this one I uploaded https://www.last.fm/music/浜崎あゆみ/LOVE+〜Destiny〜 and omg these are so awkward, wtf
Katamari Posted October 9 Posted October 9 This was the first ayu song i ever heard. It played on an old PBR WiFi battle 1
Kyle-x Posted October 9 Posted October 9 Farewell, POWDER SNOW, you absolute gem her vocals carry a weight here that is unlike anything else on the album so it really stands out 3
Kyle-x Posted October 9 Posted October 9 1 minute ago, Curaga said: I used to make non-square art squares too, but now I'm just in the habit of making transparent margins, like this one I uploaded https://www.last.fm/music/浜崎あゆみ/LOVE+〜Destiny〜 and omg these are so awkward, wtf I do that for the other girls sksk, I was too lazy to do all the intricate reworking for anyone but miss ayu
Graves Posted October 9 Author Posted October 9 2 minutes ago, Curaga said: I used to make non-square art squares too, but now I'm just in the habit of making transparent margins, like this one I uploaded https://www.last.fm/music/浜崎あゆみ/LOVE+〜Destiny〜 Girl, not one upvote being enough to make it the main image. Let me go upload some porn. 2
Kyle-x Posted October 9 Posted October 9 3 minutes ago, Katamari said: This was the first ayu song i ever heard. It played on an old PBR WiFi battle @AvadaKedavra and @Fevesy should be worried 1
Graves Posted October 9 Author Posted October 9 This one did NOT deserve to be above POWDER SNOW... Track #3 on A Song for ×× HIGH SCORE: 10 x 2 (Curaga, AvadaKedavra) LOW SCORE: 3 x 1 (Fevesy) HOST SCORE: 5.5 To me, one of the less memorable tracks on the debut album. Hana suffers from an issue that plagues large parts of A Song for ××. The instrumentation is so dated and jarring, especially coming after the smooth title track. This sort of noise-assault approach to pop feels years out of time, even for 1999. Even the diva albums of the mid-90s would turn their nose up at this. There are some interesting melodic moments under the suffocating production, but they just don't have a chance to shine on the album version. This track was lucky enough to get a second chance on the first ayu-mi-x album. Whether stripped down to an orchestral mix or rebuilt as a trance vibe, the decent melodies of the song have a lot more breathing room when not fighting against the arrangement itself. Another track concerned with themes of growth and change, flower blooming imagery will reoccur in Ayu's lyrics many times, but here is where it was done first. Certainly not where it is done best, but growing pains, eh? Suilen: I don't think I paid much attention to it before, but it seems pretty good now. Kyle-x: A cute bop, honestly it was dated by the time it came out in 1999 even dddd but it knocks anyway. Both remixes of this on ayu-mi-x are smashes. Invisibility: The overdramatic horns alsksjdjd plus it's one of the shrillest sings in the album, but still, it's charming. Curaga: Sounds like a perfect anime intro. AMIT: let's bop while you tell us the latest news mama. 5/17 1
Kyle-x Posted October 9 Posted October 9 Oh miss ASfxx is getting lashed tn I like this song but about half of the ones eliminated from this alberm should be higher than it 1
Graves Posted October 9 Author Posted October 9 1 minute ago, Curaga said: Not POWDER SNOW already wtf There was a point it was in the top forty but those late voters just kept on lowballing it
Curaga Posted October 9 Posted October 9 1 minute ago, Graves said: There was a point it was in the top forty but those late voters just kept on lowballing it Hateful... lol @ all the comments about Hana being so dated... the way I said I was reluctant to let nostalgia guide my 11, but had no problem letting it guide me in giving all these debut songs 10s
Graves Posted October 9 Author Posted October 9 I'm an xx doubter but even I think she was done a little wrong with this. I'd keep YOU, As if... and POWDER SNOW still in for a bit longer. 1
Meloetta Carey Posted October 9 Posted October 9 i feel like the dated critiques are kind of dated. no shade, but all of these songs are two decades old like ... in b4 one of my comments calls another song dated 1
Kyle-x Posted October 9 Posted October 9 3 minutes ago, Graves said: There was a point it was in the top forty but those late voters just kept on lowballing it At least the devotees understand it
Kyle-x Posted October 9 Posted October 9 Just now, Meloetta Carey said: i feel like the dated critiques are kind of dated. no shade, but all of these songs are two decades old like ... in b4 one of my comments calls another song dated The reverse warholian experience of it all 2
Graves Posted October 9 Author Posted October 9 1 minute ago, Meloetta Carey said: i feel like the dated critiques are kind of dated. no shade, but all of these songs are two decades old like ... in b4 one of my comments calls another song dated But like my point is that even for a 1999 album this sounds like it was out of time. And not in like an intentional way necessarily.
Graves Posted October 9 Author Posted October 9 1st Single! Track #6 on A Song for ×× HIGH SCORE: 10 x 2 (Maresia, AvadaKedavra) LOW SCORE: 4 x 1 (sanzo) HOST SCORE: 6 What do we make of this then? Officially the first Ayumi Hamasaki song, the one that started it all. Is it fit for the throne? Did it erupt out the gate with as much success and impact as Automatic? Or Body Feels EXIT? Well, no. poker face was a slow burn. A #20 peak was not bad for an unknown commodity like Ayu, and it even scored her first TV theme tie-in when it was used as TBS's COUNT DOWN TV opening song for March 1998! It was a foot in the door, but she didn't bust the door down from the onset like some of her contemporaries. It's not hard to see why either. The package is just not very dynamic. If the title track of the debut is a testament to Ayu's artistry, poker face is lacking in a lot of it. It's a nice song but nothing special, it plods along in a perfectly pleasant manner but never raises the bar or makes you pay attention. poker face is pretty low here, so it seems my opinion of it is not a unique one. Supposedly Ayu is not too fond of it either, as her beloved grandmother passed away during the recording of the track. It has seen only occasional live outings as a result. The music video is quite good, however. Especially for a first attempt. The visual of all of those TVs in the tree is a striking one, and it is clear that Ayu was making an early push as a visual artist even from single number one. Suilen: I'd like to say that she ended Gaga, but unfortunately, she didn't. Cute, but it lacks the oomph other debut songs from that time had. I do wonder how many people discovered her while looking for Gaga's song, though. Kyle-x: A cute official debut song, who would have predicted everything to come based off of this? The PV for this one is underrated! Invisibility: Very subdued and kinda boring for a debut single I fear. Bad Decisions: a cute debut! AMIT: a tender bop, perfectly encapsulates her debut era. 4/17 2
Curaga Posted October 9 Posted October 9 Just now, Graves said: 4/17 lkajsdgiuoapapwioeu you are just trying to get xx out of the way tonight aren't you
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