Jay's Qi Li Xiang: 2 POVs (extends to all of his newer music)

[Hyde]

These are just the 2 general sentiments that I have picked up.
Neither are personal opinions.

I'm didn't know whether to put this in this forum or make it a Poll and put it there..
I felt it'll be taken more seriously if in here.


Theory 1:

Jay's music on his new album is still way above the general chinese music industry standard. If anyone else in the industry just came out with an album full of the songs on Jay's Qi Li Xiang, they wouldn't get so much criticism. In fact, they'll be Tremendously Praised. But since the standard we have set for Jay, based on his previous albums, are higher, the critics are not satisfied with the songs on his 5th album because they do not break any new boundaries. Thus, the proportionaly larger amount of bad reviews.

Theory 2:

Jay's music in his 5th album, Qi Li Xiang, is in fact, nothing very special. Sure it's still his style but it has lost it's oomph. If another, unheard of artist came out with an album of the songs on Qi Li Xiang, he would not get so much notice because he doesn't have the fame and hype of Jay. Thus the bad reviews were on firm ground and deserved.

-

Well, I guess it's obvious that most certainly almost all of us will lean to Theory 1. But I'm just interested in what people think.

[kasic_fantasy]

hm...i guess u r right in some way...but to say the truth...i dont really get what you re trying to say...maybe you would like to specify your message?

[vicks]

well... i think both theories are valid cuz trying to decide whether a song is "good" or not is a matter of opinion and the criteria you set. i think songs released by well known artist definitely get more attention because they ARE associated with that artist and there's a built in reputation. of course personally, i really like his 5th album (except for the few really weird songs that seem to appear on all his albums) so i lean towards theory 1 :o)

[Dong Feng Puo]

i agree with seadream98 in that both theories are valid. even as mega jay fans, we still have to acknowledge the facts. fact 1: this album is not a breakthrough in terms of style because jay stated himself that he didn't want to change his style--that he didn't want to move forward because there was nothing he wanted in that direction. fact 2: this album has gotten more hype than most albums do because of jay's reputation. also, keep in mind that from jay's astounding record sales, alfa has been able and is willing to throw in more money for the album promotion. nonetheless, i still think QLX is a good album. definitely not my personal favorite, but i think it's beyond most of the criticisms it has received. lastly, i think a good album is one that endures, not one that sells well in its first few weeks, then plunges in the charts because ppl who have bought it spread the word that it's not worth buying. so all i'm gonna do for now is ignore current bandwagon criticisms and wait to see how the album does in the long run. =)

[linny]

Like Dong Feng Puo said, the facts are Jay's new album is not groundbreaking, he said it himself, and he is a very popular artist.

I don't really see why either theory matters. XD

If it's the bad reviews we're concerned about and whether or not they are accurate, I don't really see why anyone would care. A critic's review is simply his or her's opinion. We're all capable human beings; we can judge for ourselves whether the album is on key with our personal expectations.

Can anyone really refute the fact that Jay's new album is NOT groundbreaking? No. So, if the critics feel that it's not good because of that, why do we need to reason it away with "it's because Jay's held to a higher standard"? It's only an opinion. It only matters what we personally think of the album.

[pamujung]

It's not really matter to criticise why the media and people put the most concern on those bad reviews, as Linny said it's all about personal opinion but still can't refute that if it is out from the one who is reliable and creditable.

So it's fit with the Theory 1, it means that more fame, more pressure. Especially Jay said to be not change his style and wanna try something in this album, that's the way media puts him the pressure. In the other hand, Theory 2 I do think Jay's Qi Li Xiang album will be special if it come out with the unknown artist.

I never specific genre for Jay's songs, just keep them to Jay's style. Uniquely Jay !!

[NikeSwooshIn]

Both.. it depends on how you like it.

I miss his old days. Love before BC was the first song I heard by him ( I'm in the US and went to Taiwan ), I just heard it once and fell in love with it. Dad Im back, Ninja, ect.. i loved just by hearing it once.. all the way up to the 3rd cd I loved just by hearing once.. but starting from YHM and Orange Jasmine.. i have to hear it 2 or 3 times to get use to it and then it becomes one of my favorites.. its good that hes trying to change his direction.. but I miss his old days.

[the one]

what are you trying to say? that either theory, his 5th album still sux??
i don't quite agree with what you're trying to point out here. remember, jay promised that he would change his style in this 5th album so the critics mustn't have very high expectations about this, otherwise they'd have a big disappointment later on..
and i don't see what's wrong with changing your style.. isn't it better to have a variety than to have the same kind of music all the time?

[ap]

Dad Im back, Ninja, ect.. i loved just by hearing it once.. all the way up to the 3rd cd I loved just by hearing once.. but starting from YHM and Orange Jasmine.. i have to hear it 2 or 3 times to get use to it and then it becomes one of my favorites..
i agree with nikeswooshin tt for his previous albums i loved the songs by just listening once and for YHM and QLX i have to listen for a few times to really love it....i dun mean tt jays songs are not as attractive as the previous ones....its juz tt i think tt his songs have grown since his first album...its not the risky type of songs to attract pple to listen to them anymore....its sort of a classic tt u have to really listen into it and digest to realise the amazing "thing" hidden inside, as called in chinese the "jing dian"....tts wat i think is unique in jays songs....

the critics came right after the album was released...although it may seem as not up to the high expectation....but it needs time to really get into u and u'll realise tt it is not under expectation and its really of a higher standard compared to his previous albums....they shud really listen into his songs b4 making any comments.....anw its up to their own perspective to judge any album....

[dazzlette]

what are you trying to say? that either theory, his 5th album still sux??

I think Hyde is trying to give the 2 possible reasons why there are so many bad reviews of 7Lx.

In my opinion, I think there is some truth in both theories. Frankly, I don't really care what some music critics say. Some of them aren't even musicians themselves and are just DJs or journalists.

I would lean more to Theory 1. I still think that Jay's 7Lx is a good album. If it were done by another unknown artiste, I'm sure the critics would rave about it.

But I feel that 7Lx might not achieve the same sort of instant commercial success if it wasn't done by Jay. I bought 7Lx without listening to any other song besides 7Lx. I'm sure there are many fans out there like me who bought the album just because it was done by Jay, and not because we liked the songs. Of course, Jay never fails to disappoint.

[rou]

well in my opinion, i think it's a bit of both... jay became so famous in the first place was because his music was different... n he persists on his style of music... and when it was accepted and became popular others follow his style. but of course, i suppose we all agree no one really succeeded in surpassing him yet... and now jay still continues with his unique style of music but because it is already so familiar to us after his 5th album we no longer find his songs that refreshing. jay became famous because he made a breakthrough in chinese music, and created the kind of music we like, and so i think we should continue to support him so long as he continues with his style. there is no need for another breakthrough, his music itself is already a breakthrough... hehe

[babyxv]

my opinion is a mix of both theories. although i feel NONE of the songs on this new album really stand out to me, the songs are still better than other albums of the chinese music industry; and if this album were someone else's.. a new artist, perhaps, they would be VERY popular right now, with great reviews.

qi li xiang is the first album that I've heard from Jay and I like it so much that now I'm looking for his other albums
:excited: YAY i'm glad to see a brand-spankin'-new jay fan! if you think THIS album's great, you ought to listen to "fantasy" and "ye hui mei"

[bethie_me]

Thanks for your theories Hyde. The bad reviews does make a lot more sense after reading your post. Jay is definitely legendary in the chinese music industry so the expectations for his songs are high. I did also have high expectations for him when I first listened to his songs and the songs was nothing unexpected. It's not anything new or surprising like Jay mentioned. It's strictly his style. I have to go against the bad reviews because if you compare his 7lx songs to songs done by other artists, Jay would stomp them over. And if you think about it, a lot of people loved NQMM songs and it's very similar to the songs on 7lx and I read a couple of good reviews on the album. So I think the critics are biased against different artists.

[neena]

i agree, to me i think jay...his style is almost the same in every album...he's like blink-182...their music sound kinda alike... the beat and stuff like that...jay's songs are like that. but you know...ppl still love him! bc he's such a good composer!

[htc10]

I think Jay deserves a break from creating albums. I mean, he's been making one every year... and with very different results each time. Every album has a different "feel" to me, so it's about time that one encompassed all of those. I wonder how his next album will sound?

[phoebe]

poor jay . so many judging him by his own high standards . frankly i bought his album on his reputation and every one did not disappoint me. there's not one which is 100 marks - always one or two songs i do not like as well as the others but i buy his album 'cos no other artistes alubm contains more than 4 listenable songs !! just as a side note - jerry's album is out - listen to his weak singing and boring songs and yet he is receiving so much encouragement and praise " for his effort " ( apologies to jerrys's fans ) . i bet jerry 's album will sell on his popularity but jay's albums sells on his reputation and talent .

[xinerz]

ooOOo, interesting theories.... i do agree tho. i don't personally favour his new album that greatly.... like a couple ppl said, i do miss the old days. There are some wierd songs in there with really frunky beats like 1,5,7 (i think :dry: ) and only a couple okay ones that i can tolerate hearing. i'm not sayin that his new album iz bad, i'm just sayin that he has had wayyy better albums. my personal favourite, 8 dimensions (the one before ye hui mei) and fantasy.

but you are rite. because he is well, jay chou, critics are more likely to judge more harshly than if it were just someone new. i bet that if a no-namer came out with this kind of album, he would be a instant smash hit (in the weird rock-ish type category). and, of course, i did buy jay's album cuz of his reputation. unlike some other artists (no offense to the other fans out there) i hafto listen to the cds (or atleast pirate them off of someone) before i ask my aunt to buy 'em for me *hah, i'm so stingy, the only thing i can stand spending money on is jay stuff*

but maybe he could use more of his own compositions?? because qi li xiang... i absolutely LOVED the songs he composed.... i don't particularly like vincent fang's new style and some other composer's style.... it's kinda.... chaotic (as seen in one of jay's songs). even in his previous albums... my favourite songs in those were the ones he wrote

[ask4more_jay]

Yeah i know. PEople set the standards and expectations so high now. Just because he's JAY. But isn't there a good part to it? It's because he's so successful! But of course I'm sure Jay doesn't like all the criticizing...I know I wouldn't. And I like 7LX. You dont? It's nice. I listen to it average 20 times per day. I love that song. But then everyone has different tastes so yeah

[nycgirls]

Well, personally 7LX retained Jay's original style, or I can say nothing special had happened to it. But in organization and rhythmic collaborations between songs, it was a big improvement from the last one. I merely got impressed by YHM, songs that are great individually but detached from each other. I got more or less a feeling of "huh" when the tracks are proceeding on in YHM. 7LX did not give me any weird feelings at all.

So the theory for reviews, I can hardly trust anyone's raves nowadays, except I know the person personally and know that his/her music sense is good on certain genres of music. It's different, we don't really know if there's the dark side behind reviews and ratings...

Hyde, dun worry too much about that.. both theory stands, one way or another...

[bonbon_912]

In the new album, I just review all of his songs on Music Match Juke Box store, the only song that I can hear in full version ( also my favorite song in the new album) is Yuan You Huei. I really love the melody. Althought I didn't hear another song by Jay, but I decide to become a fan of his. I love Jay now

[miki-chan]

Well, in my opinion, 7LX was a great album, but it wasn't a OMG THAT IS SUCH AN INCREDIBLY COOL ALBUM!!! the way i thought 8D and Fantasy was. I don't believe that he's lost his touch, but i do think that maybe he should take a break and slow down and put his whole heart into everyone one of his songs again. With all the concerts, commercials and other stuff, it's hard to make one album per year and not sound rushed and sloppy. I'm sure no one will mind waiting longer to hear a good album!

[gCjs84]

I agree that the media is kinda expecting a major revolution and surprise but I think Jay has continue to produce what he thinks is best. I think I read before that he said that rather than changing oneself to suit the market, why not retain one's style because it is the most natural... I think Jay himself is confident of his style and believes in his music, does not really care much about the criticisms of the media...

I think the media is expecting something outstanding, unheard before just because he is Jay Chou

[stardurst]

The first time I heard QLX, I decided that I prefered YHM, in fact, YHM is my fav album after Fantasy (which, IMHO, is the best thing that ever happened to chinese music since..well, jielun's first album..haha!)

BUT, the thing about jielun is that...his music grows on you...seriously, no one i know ever gets sick of his songs (unlike for other singers who get way too much airplay tho they shld be spending alot more time inside the studios having voice lessons)
I'm thinking that that alone is testament to the importance and value of his music.
It's been what more than 4 yrs since his first album was released, and ALOT of ppl are still listening to it (fans and non-fans) Seriously, who else even remembers what they were listening 4 yrs ago, let alone still listen to it.

I'm really puzzled by why ppl kick up such a fuss over the fact that jielun's style hasnt changed...if my understanding of the definition of the word style is correct, jielun's style should NOT need to change. Because his style is what distinguishes him. All the greatest writers and musicians have their distinctive style. It may evolve or progress as he matures, but tt's to be expected, but it usually does not change.

Take for example Jane Austen. Her style relies heavily on sharp wit, irony and that particular tone of voice that we have come to regard as "austenian". She writes in that manner in all 6 of her novels, but does it make them all the same and do ppl see each succeding novel in lower regard? No, in fact, I don't think so. The later works are seen as fleshing out her maturity and really molding that distinctive style of hers.

Haha, I hope it's not too much of a stretch to assoc. jielun with Austen. Perhaps I shld have used another musician, like Chopin (which I feel jielun is modeling himself after, esp in terms of the formation of the idea of the artist, etc. BUt tt's for another post...haha)

So, well, my pt was -
that jielun's style does not have to change. the music's still good, no, make that EXCELLENT, and i am seeing the evolution of certain motifs and themes in his work from the first album to QLX. That, in itself is quite an achievement.

-mandy

[rainbowballoon]

I'm confused. :wacko: :? Why do I feel that the two theories are similar??

Anyway is his 7lx album getting bad reviews? hmm, i will say it's probably because his music direction is still the same.. because he has once said that he will not change his music style?! Therefore, every album sort of has the same feel, same genre kind of songs.. but it's still good! Hopefully the reviews are constructive and will push jay to do better in his future albums! :shiny:

[petricia]

Well... I just add my own opinions on this album... (the lazy and sick me is in no mood to read thru the thread... i'll add in something another day... with my mind is more in the mood to absorb new information)

1st: QLX, as the main song for the album, was a little disappointing for me. Well... it is just a little unlike him as I expected the main song to be something like YFZM. Yet, recently, my friends and i just realised the beauty of the song. After so long of listening to the song, we discovered that it is still refreshing in a way. I guess that's the reason for the choice of it is in this way, a qualified one...

2nd: QLX. as a whole album.. A quote from my friend: "Jay has already invented the 'wheel'. He can only decorate the wheel now." I totally agree with her. For the 1st and 2nd album(esp.), Jay has introduced a new way of presenting pop music (hence inventing the 'wheel'). Hence we were :shock: ... But after so long and so many albums/singers that followed his style, naturally it will take us more time to realise the beauty of his album... :bleh: and to be 'stunned' by it... :excited:

[x_pEachiE_x]

I'm totally delighted at all the critisms he as been receiving since the release of his 7LX album. Why? Cause it proves that in everyone's hearts, they already see him as a heavenly king and not a little heavenly king.Imagine if some boyband ( I'm not going to name anyone ) could produce a song like Qi Li Xiang, I'm pretty sure they'll be receiving lots of praises,the only reason why people are critisizing 7LX is because they really think Jay can do something much much much better than that.

**This is purely my own opinions,no offence to anyone**

[kamui]

i'm leaning towars theory 2. i was definitely one of those spazzers when the album was first released and kept replaying the songs over and over nd over. however it didnt take long for me to get tired of the songs, and even my favorite song, the youth that ends war, could no longer hold my interest. unlike his other albums like YHM and 8D, i feel like 7LX did not have that huge of a replay value. the songs on there were kind of weird, interesting at first, but none that would be personally engraved in my mind like Qing Tian and An Hao are

[gCjs84]

Hm. I kind of agree with theory 1. However, I myself think that it is not that important to come up with a very groundbreaking album every time. To me, as long as the music is nice and the song can strike a chord with listeners, I would think it is a good enough song.

We have to be realistic and not expect Jay to come up with an album like Fantasy every year. Furthermore, it is very unlikely to come up with a new kind of genre of music all the time and I think Jay is still doing what he does best. Although his music are kind of similar in style, I think his songs still touches a lot of people and that is good enough.

O ya and critics have different opinions and we cannot expect all the critics in the world to like his music.

[christalx]

I don't think we can always expect Jay's album to be better than the last. Even though that has happened up until QLX (for me) I think that each work Jay produces is amazing. It already takes a lot of effort to compose your entire album on your own.

You have to admit, 5 albums IS a lot to compose already. BUT - many of his new fans take QLX into liking more than his old albums. For example, the people in USA that I know, like Wai Po, and Jie Kou a lot more than Kai Bu Lai Kou and Dui Bu Qi.

I think he really is trying to break into Western grounds more.

Undoubtly, you have to admit, Jay has done a good job.

I thought YHM was quite good though. Qing Tian is a classic song of Jay's, just like Long Quan Feng, Ba Wo Hui Lai Le, (I thought his 8D CD wasn't so great), and QLX. Each album of Jay's has a famous song, a classic for him - and I think that's very good already. Especially for a song to be catchy enough to get stuck in your head - that's good.

But his MVs get better every album - I have to admit that. Ge Qian is WAY better than Long Quan Feng. Jie Kou is BETTER than Kai Bu Liao Kou - MVs that is.

His new one is sounding quite good so far though. =]