Graves Posted October 12 Author Posted October 12 Track #14 on A BALLADS HIGH SCORE: 10 x 2 (Kyle-x, SA*KURA) LOW SCORE: 3.6 x 1 (Curaga) HOST SCORE: 7.5 How often do we get covers from Ayu? 卒業写真 (Sotsugyou Shashin for the girls who can't read Kanji) is a cover of the 1975 Yumi Matsutoya, or Yumi Arai, track. Matsutoya is a legendary figure in Japanese music, one of the best selling artists in the country's history as well as an inspiration for any female artist to come after her. She's an uber-talented artist who was writing and composing all of her own music, even back in the '70s. 卒業写真 is taken from her COBALT HOUR album, one of her most beloved. Matsutoya is still releasing new albums to this day, over seventy years of age. And they're still getting gold and platinum certs, mama. See when you're a legend... Oh, Ayu's cover? It's quite nice! I think it's a well-done cover for sure, but something is missing too. I won't pretend to be a long-time listener of Yumi Matsutoya, but even just taking a listen to some of her top songs it's easy to see that some of her appeal is her eclectic vocal stylings. While Ayu delivers this as a very straight cover. I think the track is kind of missing something without the original author there to guide it. It's lovely for a listen, as a sort of bonus at the end of A BALLADS, but it pales in comparison to Ayu's own material or the Yumi Matsutoya original. Glad to have heard it and been introduced to a new artist but won't be going back to it all that much either, you know? Suilen: her fangirling over miss Matsutoya is cute. Kyle-x: A beautiful cover and the production is gorgeous. Invisibility: Such a mixed bag. You have the ambience greatness at the start, but then it devolves into Disney schmaltz and that hideous keyboard preset that I only ever enjoyed in Hikki's Bad Mode (song) and like... yeah. AMIT: cute but it's just a cover and a ballad at that so. 2
AvadaKedavra Posted October 12 Posted October 12 (edited) Maybe its too early sister do you want to wait for them like 1 hour? Lmfao. Cause its like 8pm here Maybe theyre like this. Running to the house for this iconic rate. Goin for some thai food first after leaving their jobs Aww this is so pretty. Not the biggest fan but is sweet. Feels like a hug turned song. As sweet as a dessert I was not aware the original singer of this song was that iconic Edited October 12 by AvadaKedavra 1
Suilen Posted October 12 Posted October 12 It's funny that despite all that stanning for miss Yumi, her lyrical style (at least in the early career) is closer to that of Miyuki Nakajima, Yumi's rival, whose song she covered earlier this year. She definitely looked up to Yumi when it comes to reinventions and stuff. A certain user tried it with me by asking who's a better songwriter between Ayumi ans Utada, and, well, the answer is that Ayumi leans into the Japanese poetry except modernized while Utada's lyricism was more westernized, so it's the question of which style you prefer. They switched at some point, though. 3
Graves Posted October 12 Author Posted October 12 4 minutes ago, Suilen said: It's funny that despite all that stanning for miss Yumi, her lyrical style (at least in the early career) is closer to that of Miyuki Nakajima, Yumi's rival, whose song she covered earlier this year. She definitely looked up to Yumi when it comes to reinventions and stuff. A certain user tried it with me by asking who's a better songwriter between Ayumi ans Utada, and, well, the answer is that Ayumi leans into the Japanese poetry except modernized while Utada's lyricism was more westernized, so it's the question of which style you prefer. They switched at some point, though. Wait, what was the cover song?
Suilen Posted October 12 Posted October 12 2 minutes ago, Graves said: Wait, what was the cover song? 時代 but it's region-blocked outside Japan
Kyle-x Posted October 12 Posted October 12 Oh this one is truly so lovely but a cover must see the door earlier than the other material 1 1
AvadaKedavra Posted October 12 Posted October 12 (edited) 8 minutes ago, Suilen said: It's funny that despite all that stanning for miss Yumi, her lyrical style (at least in the early career) is closer to that of Miyuki Nakajima, Yumi's rival, whose song she covered earlier this year. She definitely looked up to Yumi when it comes to reinventions and stuff. A certain user tried it with me by asking who's a better songwriter between Ayumi ans Utada, and, well, the answer is that Ayumi leans into the Japanese poetry except modernized while Utada's lyricism was more westernized, so it's the question of which style you prefer. They switched at some point, though. Is hikki native from both languages'? People native from 2 are very lucky. Imagine feeling things in two languages When youre not native is honestly very difficult to write something good in your second language. it comes clunky Even if you have the skills you will never grasp the songs in the same way i know english to some extend but i will never be able to write a decent english song without the help of someone native in the language. I cant recognize if things rhym well in a different languages. If they work. Ayu has so many english lyrics and for her they feel good but for someone native from english...They probably feel ridiculous sometimes. Edited October 12 by AvadaKedavra
Kyle-x Posted October 12 Posted October 12 I really ought to familiarize myself with more of Yuming's material at some point 2
Graves Posted October 12 Author Posted October 12 I did want a biT more of a crowd for this next one, but...
Graves Posted October 12 Author Posted October 12 16th Single Track #9 on Duty HIGH SCORE: 10 x 6 (Kyle-x, SA*KURA, UrMom, AMIT, sanzo, AvadaKedavra) LOW SCORE: 0 x 2 (Invisibility, Curaga) HOST SCORE: 8 Shocked? Surprised? Gooped? Gagged? I mean, maybe you shouldn't be. SEASONS is Ayu's signature song - as well as her most streamed, and probably most beloved by the Japanese GP! And that made it a target rife for some sabotage. Hey, the same thing happened to First Love in the Utada rate. The girls are getting predictable with the sabotage I fear... I can't say I don't understand it, ya know? In a discography full of interesting and groundbreaking pop music, this rather simple ballad is the one that she's remembered for? But is SEASONS really worthy of this much ire? It's still a really sweet and cute ballad. It has that classic sing-along feel that endears songs to the masses. I don't rank it among her best, but it does make for a nice listen when I put it on. It's hard to resist a chorus so smooth. I fear you girls didn't need to all pile on with the sabotage at once. Perhaps there were other targets you could've directed your venom towards? I suppose we'll find out soon, ladies. SEASONS was released in June of 2000 as the third single from Duty. It was a huge number one hit for Ayu and went on to sell over 1.3 million copies, making it among her best-selling songs of all time. Despite that, it isn't as much of a concert staple as something like SURREAL. Maybe Ayu got a bit tired of it? She did perform it on every promo slot available back in the day. She would've showed up to the opening of an envelope to perform SEASONS back then. The music video is... uhm! The ambitious thing about the Duty era was the three-part musical film that acted as a joint MV for vogue, Far away, and SEASONS. A narrative set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland with little kids and Ayu posing in some outfits. It might sound like I'm underselling it, but that's really the synopsis! The fact that one of the classic J-pop ballads has a music video in which Ayumi stands in the middle of a wasteland, wearing a funeral dress, as fire spouts from the ground around her is kind of hilarious to me. She was giving seasons alright, Nuclear Seasons. Suilen: it used to be my favorite from the album, but something shifted. And the intro always throws me off. Kyle-x: Iconic whew. She was at the funeral of several careers in the PV. Just such a beautiful ballad. All of the classical and acoustic versions of this eat, the "2003 ReBirth Mix" on A BALLADS is lovely. The garage version "BUMP & FLEX RADIO EDIT" is soooo good, you wouldn't expect it. The "H-H remix" is iconic if you've never watched her concerts. If you like weirder remixes too, the "Yuta's weather report mix" is very fun and "Dub's Rain of duv Remix" makes you an island gyal. Invisibility: The fact that she's one extraordinary balladeer, with dozens of examples to prove it, and yet this is like her No. 1 staple ballad... Curaga: Looks like this is her most played song on Spotify? How could I resist sabotaging... This song does very little for me Meloetta Carey: Why are Japanese music critics so afraid of putting this song on their best-of lists? Like it has to be something more than her marrying two white men and dating a grass-eating backup dancer or whatever. Bad Decisions: overrated. AMIT: this is probably my fave ballad of hers. it's breathtakingly beautiful, from the melody to her vocals and the arrangement. it just gives me that all-time classic energy. 8/13 1 1
Kyle-x Posted October 12 Posted October 12 Top 50 Is a bit sacrilegious, honestly, even if there is a deliberate sabotage
Graves Posted October 12 Author Posted October 12 If it's any consolation, it climbed a lot over the last half of voting. Those two zeroes came in quickly and had poor Seasons sulking around in the eighties for most of the voting period.
Kyle-x Posted October 12 Posted October 12 This doesn't really ever get old for me, I love this song so much 1
AvadaKedavra Posted October 12 Posted October 12 (edited) There's something so unique about the instrumental of this song. So melancholic yet so beautiful This is nostalgia bottled in a song. Nostalgia about a reality-world i didnt live but at the same time about how time has passed and how transient is life Listening to this is like taking a trip to my childhood in the 2000s and the special feeling of that time I dont know. I find honestly this song very grand. I get the love the instrumental is captivating the dududu dududu in the background Edited October 12 by AvadaKedavra 2
Kyle-x Posted October 12 Posted October 12 1 minute ago, AvadaKedavra said: There's something so unique about the instrumental of this song. So melancholic yet so beautiful This is nostalgia bottled in a song. Nostalgia about a reality-world i didnt live but at the same time about how time has passed and how transient is life I dont know. I find honestly this song very grand. I get the love You spilled and the chorus is so satisfying too 1
Graves Posted October 12 Author Posted October 12 Track #5 on Duty HIGH SCORE: 10 x 5 (Kyle-x, blueberries, Maresia, AMIT, AvadaKedavra) LOW SCORE: 5 x 2 (Invisibility, Katamari) HOST SCORE: 8 Can I just say that I love the opening of this track? That automated telephone operator voice reciting some nonsense over the distorted synth line? It's art! The rest of the song is never quite as interesting or as out-there as the intro, but it's good too. It's still a very nice track, very melodically sound. It has a sort of nursery-rhyme meter to it, right? The bouncy way she flows through the choruses. The guitar that accompanies her for the final chorus is really great too, and offers some release after all that edging she was doing to us. SCAR is a nice track but I would've liked it even more if it leaned in to some of the quirkier elements of the song. SCAR was revived for Ayumi's 2022 shows after over a decade of absence. I always think it's cool to see an old, forgotten album track get brought back on a modern tour. You know, as long as its one of the songs that I like... Other than that, SCAR has only received a small handful of once-off performances over the years. I've always thought this song was fun, and a nice palate cleanser, but sort of falls between the sides when compared to the heavy hitting songs around it. Not it's fault, Duty just has some tough competition! Kyle-x: The guitar on this one eats and her vocal delivery is amazing. The lyrics really HIT too. Curaga: a What Child Is This tea. AMIT: I never get tired of this song, so atmospheric and enthralling, the climax gets me every time. 7/13 2 1
Curaga Posted October 12 Posted October 12 19 minutes ago, Graves said: THIS CLASSIC VIDEO ASDLFKHADOSGPA Sorry, I was at dinner and thought I had till 8:30 like last time we did late reveals, but I'm here now much to everyone's chagrin 1
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