The Gateway Drug

Ayumi Hamasaki
GUILTY
Avex Trax
January 1 2008

The Gateway Drug

Arguably the most fiercely loved J-Pop (Japanese Pop) act circa year 2000, Ayumi Hamasaki, dubbed the “Empress of J-Pop” and also known as “Ayu” to hardcore fans, is the all-encompassing, all-powerful gateway drug into the Japanese music scene. Nobody really knows why Ayu became so popular. Her voice is reedy and slightly aggravating. She’s so shamelessly marketed that her angriest works can be used to promote juice. Her carefully fabricated image makes it hard to distinguish between Ayu the pop star and Ayu the person. She’s even admitted that she realizes herself as a product and that she “understands it’s [her] role to realize people’s dreams.”

And yet, she’s the most successful female and solo Japanese artist in history. Her first nine studio albums and four greatest hits compilations, known as BEST albums, all hit #1 on the Oricon Charts, the Japanese equivalent to the Billboard charts. She has thirty #1 singles and has reportedly sold 50 million records in Japan alone.

Fortunately, all these green numbers actually mean something, because the one thing that appeals people to Ayu is her music. Predominantly top 40-sounding pop, Ayu has delved into hard rock, light hip-hop and techno-house music. She’s also the most remixed woman alive, with 17 remix albums under her belt. Ayu also writes all of her own lyrics, and she’s known for being poetic and highly expressive. She’s so deliciously addictive and sublime that it’s not wonder she has fans all over the globe.

Her newest album GUILTY was scheduled for release on New Year’s Day 2008, but CD’s went on sale a couple of days before that. Record stores in Japan, China and Taiwan stocked up and sold the records, which sold so fast that it would put ticket sales to the Spice Girls’ Reunion tour to shame. Unsurprisingly, the whole album leaked days before it was put on the shelves, so fans incapable of grabbing their own GUILTY copy downloaded it instead. See, when you’re addicted to a drug, you do whatever it takes to get it.

Breakdown:

01 / Mirror: GUILTY opens with the ominous “Mirror,” a fitting introduction to the dark-sounding, emotion-wrought album. A mysterious carnival melody plays, and then the song explodes into a grittier sound, with loud guitars and angry vocals. Strings, piano and ethereal backing production sets a high track standard, and “Mirror” is only half a song.

02 / (don’t) Leave me alone: The polished rock of “(don’t) Leave me alone” stands-out with the aggressive attitude and noisy song quality. The dark rock atmosphere follows the veins of “Mirror” and Ayu’s nasally vocals sound strong and confident. Another addition to one of her better rock tracks.

     

03 / talkin’ 2 myself: Kick-ass Ayu brings on the pain in the fearless “talkin’ 2 myself.” Being released before the album, it doesn’t sound dated or out of place. Rather, it fits comfortably in the angry rock phase of GUILTY. Combine hard electric guitars, rock synths, classical violins, synthetic handclaps and resonant vocals and you get head-banging arena rock goodness.

     

04 / decision: B-side to the “talkin’ 2 myself” single is the Evanescence-y “decision.” A threatening piano hook thrives on emotional pain, along with typical quiet verse-loud chorus formula. It’s by no means bad, but it’s a tad predictable.

     

05 / GUILTY: The title track is still rock, and it’s getting old by now.  “GUILTY” sounds same-y, but it’s a good listen, kind of like a Final Fantasy boss theme with words. The guitar twangs in the distance and church bells chime and it’s all atmospheric, until the rest of the song lunges at you. The chorus sounds great, especially with the snippets of English phrases whispering about being guilty.

06 / fated: Ayu’s supposed comeback single glitter/fated was terribly mediocre, but it’s odd that “fated” is one of the best tracks on GUILTY. Initially, it was panned by critics and bloggers alike as a typical rock ballad. It’s not a bad song, but its placement on the album makes the difference, right in between aggressive rockers and power ballads.

     

07 / Together When…: The main promotional song for GUILTY is hands down one of her best ballads since her underrated greatest ballads compilation, A Ballads. Violins, piano and guitar make a grandiose power ballad carried by strong vocals and beautiful lyrics. “I wanted to say thank you/I couldn’t say thank you/Because if I said it, it would be like/Saying goodbye forever,” Ayu sings with all the emotion she can muster.

     

08 / Marionette ~Prelude~: A creepy little instrumental, “Marionette ~Prelude~” seriously sounds like the Are You Afraid of the Dark? theme song. Haunted house music, with a music box/jack-in-a-box melody, a lone flute and ticking clocks, leads us right into…

09 / Marionette: The centerpiece of GUILTY. It keeps with the scary atmosphere the prelude set and comes out as a dark and disturbing rocker, unsettling and chilling to listen to. Powerful and musically delicious, it’s an emotional rollercoaster. Anger, pain, and sorrow can all be pinpointed here.

     

10 / The Judgement Day: Another interlude, and at first, it sounds like Madonna’s “Live To Tell,” though that’s not at all a bad thing. The way it closes the angrier rock phase of the album is genius, as it medleys into a happier beat.

11 / glitter: Another song that was criticised as typical summer-sugar Ayu. Like “fated,” “glitter” sounds much better within the album, because where would the fans be if all they heard was Ayu emoting about her lost love? People need their sugar and thus, “glitter” is the perfect song to make you smile. Catchy, energetic and jumpy, it’s great in all its typical-ness.

     

12 / MY ALL: Happiness pervades on “MY ALL,” an all-smiles celebration song perfect for the summer. It’s an arm-waving concert anthem, and definitely helps GUILTY feel a little less emo and a little more well-rounded. Perky production, perky lyrics and perky la la’s make for a perky song. It’s like glorified white bread.

13 / reBiRTH: And yet, we find another interlude. An atmospheric piano-led instrumental with crystalline synths, muffled digi-percussions and an overall feeling of closure, it’s a good, if not unnecessary, way to close the album.

14 / untitled ~for her~: The new “Who…,” it’s probably going to reach Ayu classic status. Emotional, hopeful, well-written with relaxed vocals and power ballad quality, “untitled ~for her~” demands to be noticed. Combine it with classical influences and a guitar solo, this song is the new concert closer, where Ayu cries and everyone cheers her on.

Loud pop/hard rock prevails on GUILTY, and fans of her angrier, aggressive side will relish in most of the album’s tracks. The ones opting for the happier pop tunes of yesteryear won’t be too happy, as “glitter” and “MY ALL” are the only real pop songs on here. So GUILTY is a matter of preference, though to fully appreciate it, you have to listen to it in full. The placement of the songs is integral, as they add depth to Ayu’s emotional state while recording this album. Darker than most of her album, GUILTY is a milestone in that it reaches new emotional and lyrical heights that Ayu didn’t tackle before. Keep in mind that she came away from a messy break-up with her longtime boyfriend during recording, so that may have had something to do with the album being so painful.

Stumbling upon Ayumi Hamasaki will have J-Pop will invade your music library like bugs. Her music is accessible enough for the stranger to Japanese culture. You can even start your Ayu journey with GUILTY, it’s modern J-Pop’s gateway drug. Mind you, buying J-Pop is expensive, so stop buying real drugs and get this instead.

ONE WORD: GATEWAY

Note: This article was handed in as an elective piece for my Writer’s Craft class.

~ by JJ on January 1, 2008.