Graves Posted October 19 Author Posted October 19 @Suilen @Kyle-x @SA*KURA @Invisibility @UrMom @Curaga @Meloetta Carey @blueberries @Maresia @Bad Decisions @AMIT @Fevesy @sanzo @Katamari @AvadaKedavra @confide in me @Britneyfan09 Our last day together, divas. Be here in twenty minutes for the finale of the Ayu rate. 2 1
Curaga Posted October 19 Posted October 19 Emotionally preparing for my 11 to not make top 10... but I hope it does!!!
Graves Posted October 19 Author Posted October 19 22nd Single Track #15 on I am... HIGH SCORE: 10 x 8 (Graves, Kyle-x, Invisibility, UrMom, blueberries, Fevesy, AvadaKedavra, confide in me) LOW SCORE: 5.6 x 1 (Curaga) HOST SCORE: 10 Despite the depressing title, Endless sorrow isn't really about sorrow. It's about hope. Something that appears confusing and desolate, but hides a hidden optimism underneath the surface. Every aspect of Endless sorrow embodies this sort of opposite relationship. The lyrical content, the sonic atmosphere and even the abstract music video. No matter how bad things seem, there's nothing that can't be undone. Even, as Ayu surmises in the imagery, if you're left flightless - with only one wing. Of course, I wrote all of this referring to the single mix. The album version is... pleasant but not my taste. The more rock-influenced version is where it's at for me. The album version just doesn't hit the right dramatic notes. I find the video is kind of a mixed bag also. I like it conceptually, but it is a bit on the nose with the imagery. The scarred throats of the prisoners? Surprisingly visceral! The continual focus on white kids in her videos? Confusing, and a little bit weird. I never liked this song that much until I got into the single version, upon which it became one of my favorite tracks of the I am... era. I think the rougher soundscape elevates this to a level very few of her songs reach for me. Though I initially wasn't a fan of the lyrics (I think my edgy side expected something different because of the song title), I actually came to love them because of the disparity between the sound and the message. It really represents fighting through adversity. Also hit single, went #1, hundreds of thousands of copies sold, yadda yadda... you get the point on that by now. Suilen: I was too focused on the album version and its annoying length/more muted production that I forgot about the single version, which kinda slaps. Kyle-x: I used to prefer the original mix but the ~gone with the wind ver.~ has become my favorite over time. My favorite traditional remix is the really strange "Brent Mini's gothic mix" but I like the "nicely nice skyblue remix" a lot too. She's back with the random white kids in her videos again but I like how it mirrors the lyrics. Invisibility: The album version is cute enough, very soundcheck vibes. But the single version is a collapse! Totally one of her most dramatic moments on record, in the best way. Curaga: Great album closer—this sounds like the resolution music to a feel-good movie without being too cliché, which is funny given the title. I'm not sure totally sure from the lyrics, but it seems hopeful to me... Album ver. > Single ver. Meloetta Carey: the album version reminds me of royalty-free background music on a boring seminar about customer or insurance. AMIT: the single version hits way harder than the album version (and is the one I rated oops). feels like they neutered the chorus for the latter. 4/16 3
Invisibility Posted October 19 Posted October 19 1 minute ago, Graves said: The continual focus on white kids in her videos? Confusing, and a little bit weird Okay but is there anything more iconic than early Ayu and her trademark White People™ on her videos? I think not! 2
Suilen Posted October 19 Posted October 19 Yet another song from the album that's better somewhere else
Kyle-x Posted October 19 Posted October 19 Absolutely legendary song she was cooking with gas when she came up with this one
Curaga Posted October 19 Posted October 19 Oop, I should've spent more time with the single version I guess I remember liking it, but I think I only listened to it once.
Kyle-x Posted October 19 Posted October 19 We have to acknowledge the iconic performance during COUNTDOWN LIVE 2005-2006 where she performed it on a cross months before Madonna would perform on a cross btw https://www.facebook.com/100063479983741/videos/ayumi-hamasaki-滴崎步-endless-sorrow-06-countdown-live-2005-2006-a-中文字幕/200999130434266/ 5
Invisibility Posted October 19 Posted October 19 1 minute ago, Kyle-x said: We have to acknowledge the iconic performance during COUNTDOWN LIVE 2005-2006 where she performed it on a cross months before Madonna would perform on a cross btw https://www.facebook.com/100063479983741/videos/ayumi-hamasaki-滴崎步-endless-sorrow-06-countdown-live-2005-2006-a-中文字幕/200999130434266/ Oh Godyumi your endless impact 1
Graves Posted October 19 Author Posted October 19 Track #3 on RAINBOW HIGH SCORE: 10 x 8 (Graves, Kyle-x, UrMom, blueberries, AMIT, Fevesy, AvadaKedavra, confide in me) LOW SCORE: 4.1 x 1 (Curaga) HOST SCORE: 10 I always expected this to do well, but I never expected it to be the last man standing for RAINBOW... At least it shows we don't have a single-driven bias? Real me is a neat little tune. I mentioned earlier that I believe RAINBOW to have western influences in many creases of the record. Real me doesn't shirk away from that, and in-fact embraces that influence wholly. The harpsichord melody that plays throughout is straight out of US early '00s R&B radio. It already makes for a promising song, Ayu doing R&B? Well, yes... but doing it in a very Ayu sort of manner. Though the verses are disarmingly smooth, she floats like a butterfly across them, the chorus has a frenetic sort of rallying cry feel to it. Much like the previously booted my name's WOMEN. They're both feminist anthems too, how about that? I like that this is very much Ayu's attempt at an R&B banger and thus retains a lot of Ayu-isms. The aforementioned chorus delivery is so her, and she even sneaks a guitar solo in here. It's great fun. Not a single, but a recipient of a rather cute music video. Ayu plays the villainess in this one, a high-tech cloning facility and some sci-fi camp nonsense. It's a cute watch, really! Kyle-x: The PV for this is everything. She did this for the feministas. I love the "RAM RIDER REMIX." Invisibility: One of Ayu's top empowerment anthems. I LOVE the use of autotune/vocoder here so much. Curaga: She absolutely served in the MV, but the chorus is kinda irritating nn. I liked it better when I couldn't tell she was singing parts in English AMIT: a feminist banger. 1/16 3
Kyle-x Posted October 19 Posted October 19 The album version is a bit underrated I see, I really enjoy it!
Suilen Posted October 19 Posted October 19 1 minute ago, Kyle-x said: We have to acknowledge the iconic performance during COUNTDOWN LIVE 2005-2006 where she performed it on a cross months before Madonna would perform on a cross btw https://www.facebook.com/100063479983741/videos/ayumi-hamasaki-滴崎步-endless-sorrow-06-countdown-live-2005-2006-a-中文字幕/200999130434266/ That was her pettiness after ayuma's vogue ended hers 1
Kyle-x Posted October 19 Posted October 19 Just now, Invisibility said: Oh Godyumi your endless impact Our mother and the dress she's wearing is gorgeous
Invisibility Posted October 19 Posted October 19 Looove Real me but it's barely top 5 on RAINBOW for me so it was its time to go
Kyle-x Posted October 19 Posted October 19 Just now, Suilen said: That was her pettiness after ayuma's vogue ended hers We're still waiting on ayu's excommunication from the church, maybe she should have released Connected in Italy instead of Germany 1 2
Graves Posted October 19 Author Posted October 19 HIGHEST SCORERS 1. Kyle-x - 9.719 2. blueberries - 9.625 3. confide in me - 8.438 4. Invisibility - 8.344 5. UrMom - 8.25 LOWEST SCORERS 1. Curaga - 4.694 2. Fevesy - 6.188 3. Katamari - 6.313 4. Meloetta Carey - 6.544 5. Suilen - 6.844 Average 7.466 Adjusted average (no b-sides, no interludes) 7.658 4 1
Suilen Posted October 19 Posted October 19 Well, at least she served feminism with this one, which is much needed after my name's WOMEN got deleted. Curaga keeps spreading misogyny, I see. 2
AvadaKedavra Posted October 19 Posted October 19 (edited) I love it. So y2k. Watching the video Feels like im going back to the early 2000s when everything was very brigh,colorful and in that futuristic style. Perfect for kids Now everything is so muted colors and minimalistic and Zzzz Lmfao. Love the visual effects of the video. One of her catchiest the chorus hits hard Love the verses too. Edited October 19 by AvadaKedavra
Kyle-x Posted October 19 Posted October 19 This was for the girls who have fun and the girls who are like a nun 1
Kyle-x Posted October 19 Posted October 19 Love the performance at ARENA TOUR 2003-2004 where she's serving pink wig thick ass give 'em whiplash 【ayumi hamasaki ARENA TOUR 2003-2004 A】 【精准空降到 07:24】 https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV16W411Y7iH/?share_source=copy_web&t=444 1
Kyle-x Posted October 19 Posted October 19 3 minutes ago, Graves said: LOWEST SCORERS 1. Curaga - 4.694 1 1
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