recommendations

If you've tried Japanese pop ("Jpop") music before, you've probably noticed that much of it is very different than its chart-topping Western counterparts. Although the pop scene is becoming increasingly globalized, traditional Jpop tends to fall back onto the Eastern music rules of old; musicians play the same melody together rather than harmonize, and lyrics are written with rhythm in mind, not rhyme. Even the vocal styles of East and West hail from different backgrounds, as many traditional Japanese singers utilize the delayed vibrato and hit notes that just don't sound musical to the unaccustomed ear. Not to mention the high-pitched, ultra-cute, young singers that make up many of today's Japanese girl groups can be more than a little overbearing at times.

Although she has accumulated a following across the globe, Ayumi Hamasaki is still a Japanese artist who writes songs for a Japanese audience. Even though I fell in love with her music as soon as I heard "TO BE", I will be the first to admit that I probably would not have welcomed her music so quickly had my first song been her first single "poker face". It's not that it's a bad song, it's just different from what I am accustomed to hearing on the radio, as many of her earliest songs are. At the beginning of her career, Ayu's music followed many of the Jpop rules with little harmonizing in the vocals and background music that was heavy on keyboards and synthesizers. Even now that Ayu's music has grown and matured over time, some songs may be a bit intimidating to those who don't have an ear for the Jpop music sound, therefore, I thought I'd compile a list of songs to try out to help ease your way into Ayu.

The Rock Anthems

Ayu's most "Western-friendly" songs are her rock songs; heavy guitars and catchy choruses that sound right in any language, all the while maintaining a sound that is distinctly "Ayu". Over the years, Ayu has perfected her rock sound into something that's fun to listen to and even better to see performed.

The Ballads

Ayu's ballads are sung with such emotion and arranged with such precision that they're beautiful no matter what language you speak or what kind of music you prefer. Many people cite her signature winter ballads as the first song they heard and consequently fell in love with, so why not give one a shot?

The Dance Tracks

Although her most famous songs in Asia are undoubtedly her signature ballads like "SEASONS" and "Who...", her catchy melodies and and enhanced remixes have extended even further. Before her vast discography was released digitally around the world, remixes of her songs received domestic releases in Europe.

The Acoustic Orchestra/Classical Mixes

Although I have learned to appreciate Ayu's older works, I still don't pull out her debut album A Song for XX very often. However, I do find myself listening to the accompanying ayu-mi-x album a bit more frequently. Where the lack of harmonizing in the vocals and the heavy use of synthesizers was a bit too much on the actual album, ayu-mi-x replaces all of the original instruments with a beautiful string section and accompanying piano; it evens out her young, high, and inexperienced vocals a bit more. Even after she moved on to bigger and better albums and arrangements, she has made some truly beautiful "acoustic orchestra" ayu-mi-x albums. The most recent, MY STORY Classical, in which she accompanied by a full orchestra conducted by Sado Yutaka, is absolutely gorgeous; that's something I would recommend to everyone, even those who aren't necessarily Ayu fanatics.

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