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[Blablurn]

So! Ayumi Hamasaki is going to release her new Album Secret in a few days! I already had the chance to listen to some of the new songs and they are simpley amazing. Especially the new songs (until that day, kiss o' kill) rock! So people: What's your opinion on it?

 

[El_Victor]

Is there a music video for any of the songs yet?

 

[sprsk]

She is sooooooooooooooooooooooo old hat.

 

[mollipen]

To be honest, I think 95% of her music since I Am... has been total garbage. (The godliness that is Ourselves, and a few Rainbow tracks excluded.) Still, though, I'll check it out, and see if it's worth it or not.

She is sooooooooooooooooooooooo old hat.

See is, but she's still got the ability to pull a kick-ass song out every now and then. (Again, see Ourselves.)

 

[Blablurn]

Is there a music video for any of the songs yet?

Startin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVndNXoQwLM

Jewel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lar1V5ehhsY

Born to Be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83zD_DU_6Ys

 

[Jake.]

isn't startin' old? what's it doing on the new album? i liked miss understood alot when most people hated it.

 

[tnw]

ayumi hamasaki represents the rot and hollowness of modern japanese youth culture.

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

Is it true about her plastic surgery? She certainly looks strange.

 

[tnw]

Is it true about her plastic surgery? She certainly looks strange.

I don't doubt it. The chapatsu, the wierd result of western beauty ideals being put on Japanese people, etc.

Anyone listen to other Japanese stuff like Rei Harakami, Shibuya kei, Cornelius, etc?

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

The only music from Japan I listen to is the Boredoms. Most Japanese music is so generic and boring.

 

[sprsk]

The only music from Japan I listen to is the Boredoms. Most Japanese music is so generic and boring.

You much search deeper my son.

 

[Jake.]

I don't doubt it. The chapatsu, the wierd result of western beauty ideals being put on Japanese people, etc.

Anyone listen to other Japanese stuff like Rei Harakami, Shibuya kei, Cornelius, etc?

i listen to alot of old japanese punk/hardcore bands. i also like a bit of jpop but not much; ai otsuka, yui etc.

 

[tnw]

You much search deeper my son.

Help us out here. We're interested. NPR did a special on a girl from kyoto that plays the ukelele. Forget her name. I liked that kind of.

 

[platypotamus]

The best thing I've heard out of Japan, musically, is Eastern Youth. They opened for someone I saw once in LA, I don't even remember who anymore, because Eastern Youth was that amazing.

Totally have no idea what they're singing about of course, but ya can't win them all.

 

[ferrarimanf355]

If it's one thing I learned about Japanese culture, it's that the battle between Ayumi Hamasaki and Hikaru Utada is like the battle between Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon.

Spoiler

amirite???

 

[tnw]

I've never put those two on the same level. I don't know who those other singers you mentioned are either.

Utada Hikaru is bit more wordly and not so much a player in the rot of japanese youth culture. At least not in my opinion.

 

[sprsk]

If it's one thing I learned about Japanese culture, it's that the battle between Ayumi Hamasaki and Hikaru Utada is like the battle between Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon.

Spoiler

amirite???

They've both been trumped by Koda Kumi anyway.

 

[Jake.]

They've both been trumped by Koda Kumi anyway.

her video for 'juicy' > any american pop video.

 

[mollipen]

I've never put those two on the same level. I don't know who those other singers you mentioned are either.

For quite some time, they were the two "queens of J-pop." Maybe not the same musically, but as far as market position, they were competing.

Of course, now Koda Kumi has snuck in there. Still cracks me up that I was trying to tell my girl (who is Japanese) about Koda, long before she became popular, and she would always laugh at me when I mentioned her. (She was pretty much "who?!?")

Now who's laughing, you dirty whore.

 

[cloudwalking]

Eh, Ayu will always > Kumi for me, but then again I've been a huge Ayu fan for years. Kumi's still pretty new in my eyes.

I'll definitely be buying Secret, I think it's going to be better than (miss)understood.

 

[Ichirou]

She's had way too much plastic surgery, so now she has weird bug-eyes. Looks like some sort of space alien.

 

[Blablurn]