Graves Posted January 22 Author Posted January 22 HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 3 (Curaga, scenekiller, willmcclure9) LOWEST SCORE: 2 x 1 (Hey Dude) MY SCORE: 8 A duet with the Japanese rapper KOHH, Bōkyaku sees Hikaru contributing haunting choruses that emphasize KOHH's wistful verses. The song is one that could put off some listeners, I mean it opens with a whole minute of instrumental music before the first verse kicks in, but there's a really thought-provoking track waiting if you're open enough to hear it out. They're talking through the experience of life. Is it all worth it? The bad and good? Is holding onto old memories doing anything positive for you? Is material wealth worth much when it can't follow you out of this life? I'm kind of simplifying it, but go read through KOHH's lyrics. They're pretty good. Bōkyaku got a neat video too, despite not being a single at all. It's nothing major but the understated angle they went for works pretty well with that vibe of the song. Isn't it weird that the best videos made for this album weren't even for singles? I actually think tracks like Bōkyaku and Nijikan... might've been better single choices than some of the actual ones tbh... Curaga found getting their damn life: "Insane song. Beautiful. I don’t even mind the feature on this one. When Utada’s vocals finally come in . . . omg. I love the space in this song." Barely beaten to the lowest score, AMIT had to shade this: "I have to tug this one a bit because I just know the girls will do the most with this track. it's cute, but not of my faves by her, I have to be in a certain mood for it to hit I fear."
Suilen Posted January 22 Posted January 22 So I guess I have @AMIT to blame for making this chart below Homodachi 1
Cruel Summer Posted January 22 Posted January 22 Boukyaku is a beautiful song with or without the feature - a slow burn masterpiece that fits perfectly on the album. I’m realizing now that I was more strict with my Fantôme scores than my Heart Station ones, but maybe it’s because I expect this kind of excellence of the former
Graves Posted January 22 Author Posted January 22 Just now, Suilen said: So I guess I have @AMIT to blame for making this chart below Homodachi We'll get to the disrespectful score you gave that masterpiece when we get there.
Suilen Posted January 22 Posted January 22 1 minute ago, Subomie said: We'll get to the disrespectful score you gave that masterpiece when we get there. Which I hope is happening soon
Curaga Posted January 22 Posted January 22 I liked what Hikkipedia on YouTube said about the intro to Bōkyaku being the spiritual interlude of Fantome since it doesn’t have an interlude track like Utada’s previous albums.
Graves Posted January 22 Author Posted January 22 It's been over twenty spots since we last visited the west... HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 4 (AMIT, confide in me, Hey Dude, nostalgic) LOWEST SCORE: 3 x 2 (Curaga, Aria0327) MY SCORE: 8 As the title track of Exodus, this song is something of a mission statement. An exodus in the literal sense, sure... Hikaru was leaving the safety of their dominant position in Japan to try and break into a new market overseas, that much is apparent. But the idea was not to simply crack America, well it probably was for the record label.. but to try and bring a bit of Japan with them. To meld disparate influences and distinct soundscapes in order to create something new and original. Utada is an American citizen as well, after all. This project was always going to be more than just a foreigner's attempt to break the West, this is a person trying to tie two different facets of their identity together. Throughout Exodus, Hikki has been using musical sounds of the East and the West and Frankensteining them together in neat ways. Those ideas surely bring to mind a certain American producer too, no? Known for merging hip-hop beats with samples from Asia and the Middle East? For most of the making of Exodus, Utada was content to seal herself away in the studio with close-knit collaborators like her father, but the record label did insist that they try and collaborate with some American producers too. On a whim, Hikaru mentioned hitting up Timbaland and to their surprise, he said yes. Exodus '04 was one of three songs done with Timbaland, and it's the one most imbued with his musical DNA. It sounds a lot like Aaliyah. More Than A Woman down. Though it doesn't reach such lofty heights for me (few things do), I quite enjoy it all the same. It's... the only one of the Timbaland collabs I enjoy, eep! Oh! And it was a single! Released in June 2005, a whole... nine months after the previous single. With no promo appearances. Or any music video... Oh man, this album was always gonna be a hard sell, but how hard did they really try? Why even put this single out in that case?? Was Hikki pushing for it or something? In a reversal of the previous cut, this time AMIT stans: "so haunting and beautiful. such an unique song, I love it", while Curaga slates: "Chorus melody bugs me. Chintzy drum kit. Never goes anywhere interesting." Oof. Now kiss... 2
Graves Posted January 22 Author Posted January 22 This marks the halfway point of the rate. Everything above Exodus '04 is considered in the top half of their discography! ...We coulda probably traded a few of these and let Exodus slip on in. 1
Graves Posted January 22 Author Posted January 22 1 minute ago, Cruel Summer said: Best song on Exodus I gave it a 7.5 Deep breaths, deep breaths... 1
Graves Posted January 22 Author Posted January 22 HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 2 (AMIT, bestfiction) LOWEST SCORE: 4 x 1 (Curaga) MY SCORE: 7.5 Track number four on Distance, Sunglasses is a smooth R&B jam that adds another slice to eclectic mix of the album. Of all the non-singles on Distance, I think this is probably the one that doesn't sound too far removed from the work they were already doing on First Love. I still think it's quite elevated from some of the more boring tracks on the debut, but there's certainly a through line from those songs to this one. Still, two years is a long time for a teenager and you can already start to hear the vocals getting deeper and the melodies getting stronger. They still had a long way to go, but Sunglasses is a nice jam nonetheless. Lyrically, it talks about putting up a front and hiding the vulnerable side of yourself away and recognizing that same aspect to your partner. The sunglasses metaphor isn't the deepest or most obscure reference, but it works for a song like this. It also got a live outing at the 2004 shows! Though the DVD release only included a sound test they did backstage... You win some, you lose some. Not content to just disagree over Exodus and Fantome, these ladies are clashing over Distance too! Curaga goes in: "Closer to the R&B style on First Love, weak vocals and all. Not my thing." AMIT goes to bat for it: "her sleekest track maybe, no flaw to be found." 2
Graves Posted January 22 Author Posted January 22 It's going to get a lot worse for Exodus before it gets better... HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 2 (Hey Dude, Reverie) LOWEST SCORE: 1 x 1 (Cruel Summer) MY SCORE: 9.5 (!!) Hikaru has spoken in the past about their English albums giving them a chance to write about topics and themes that they couldn't really cover back in more conservative Japan, and Devil Inside was made as something of a statement on that. An acknowledgment of the squeaky-clean "angelic" image they'd been saddled with back home, while also admitting that they too have a certain darkness to them. There's a frustration about this dichotomy from Utada, and understandably so. Being put on a pedestal can't be easy, and trying to break a new market was a chance to vent some of those frustrations. Those feelings are channeled to great effect in Devil Inside, the opening track on Exodus. Some of the instrument choices on Exodus are truly wild, and Devil Inside is no exception! The opening of this song, with that deep, droning synth, was described as sounding like you were entering Bowser's castle. I totally hear it. I'm ducking away from fire bars as we speak! And things only get wilder when the guitars kick in on the chorus, and meld with some Asian-esque strings towards the end. Eastern and Western sounds mixing together in creative ways is one of the signatures of the Exodus album, and you hear it right from the start. It's cool as ****. Devil Inside was released as the second single from Exodus in September 2004, only a month after they'd dropped Easy Breezy. No music video was produced and it doesn't seem like much promo was done at all, yet it still went to #1 on the dance-club charts. Pop girls flopping in the USA but still topping the dance charts, name a better combo! Devil Inside was performed live at Utada United 2006 and again at In the Flesh in 2010, making it one of their most-performed English tracks, actually! Deservedly so! We found one of the few Exodus tracks that Curaga doesn't bomb: "Very dissonant, but some cool ideas here. Love the synthesized Eastern instrument sound." Only for somebody else to step up and tear it down instead... 1
Graves Posted January 22 Author Posted January 22 16 minutes ago, Cruel Summer said: Best song on Exodus I gave it a 7.5 1
Riverbank Posted January 22 Posted January 22 I actually really love Play A Love Song One of the few good songs on Shitsukoi 1
Cruel Summer Posted January 22 Posted January 22 I truly, honestly, completely expected this to be like the third track out and it’s dead last in my personal ranking.
Graves Posted January 22 Author Posted January 22 1 minute ago, Suilen said: Not the mass exodus of Exodus It gets worse... I'm about to lose my first ten
Riverbank Posted January 22 Posted January 22 36 minutes ago, Subomie said: HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 3 (Curaga, scenekiller, willmcclure9) LOWEST SCORE: 2 x 1 (Hey Dude) MY SCORE: 8 A duet with the Japanese rapper KOHH, Bōkyaku sees Hikaru contributing haunting choruses that emphasize KOHH's wistful verses. The song is one that could put off some listeners, I mean it opens with a whole minute of instrumental music before the first verse kicks in, but there's a really thought-provoking track waiting if you're open enough to hear it out. They're talking through the experience of life. Is it all worth it? The bad and good? Is holding onto old memories doing anything positive for you? Is material wealth worth much when it can't follow you out of this life? I'm kind of simplifying it, but go read through KOHH's lyrics. They're pretty good. Bōkyaku got a neat video too, despite not being a single at all. It's nothing major but the understated angle they went for works pretty well with that vibe of the song. Isn't it weird that the best videos made for this album weren't even for singles? I actually think tracks like Bōkyaku and Nijikan... might've been better single choices than some of the actual ones tbh... Curaga found getting their damn life: "Insane song. Beautiful. I don’t even mind the feature on this one. When Utada’s vocals finally come in . . . omg. I love the space in this song." Barely beaten to the lowest score, AMIT had to shade this: "I have to tug this one a bit because I just know the girls will do the most with this track. it's cute, but not of my faves by her, I have to be in a certain mood for it to hit I fear." I'm actually okay with this one being out. I probably gave it an 8 but it's easily bottom tier
Graves Posted January 22 Author Posted January 22 HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 3 (Subomie, scenekiller, nostalgic) LOWEST SCORE: 5 x 2 (Hey Dude, Cruel Summer) This is why y'alls 11s flopped... MY SCORE: A big fat, well-deserved 10! A melody so good that they had to use it twice! Hotel Lobby is a bit of a hidden gem in Hikaru's discography, well-regarded even by many fans who didn't care for Exodus (though apparently not all...). The artist herself even seems to be in agreement with that, given the way it was retooled into Kiss & Cry three years later. Hell, Hotel Lobby got its live premiere almost two decades after release! It made a surprise appearance in the Air Studios live session during Bad Mode era. A real treat, that one. Just like Tippy Toe, Hotel Lobby is one of the more 'adult' songs on Exodus - telling the story of a girl prostituting herself because she needs the extra money, ignoring advice from her friends. Hikaru wrote the song with a sense of envy, as she felt pampered and overprotected because of her celebrity status from a young age. "She's unprotected...", such a simple yet great line. So many things conveyed in so few words. Unprotected physically, emotionally... sexually, even. Lyrically, this is certainly one of my favorite Exodus songs. But words aside, I still believe the chorus melody is undeniable. One of their all-time strongest. Even die-hard haters can't resist this one. Look at Curaga! "Love the melody — so catchy and memorable. Funny to me that she reused part of it on Kiss & Cry. Still a hint of dissonance, but it works and she sounds great here." Even Miss Meloetta Carey doles out the hyperbolic complements: "You know songs like "Hotel Lobby", they are stories that people can identify with. You know what I mean, anybody. [redacted] were singing the song at graduations. At weddings. At funerals." When your eyes meet mine, it's in the mirrors of the hotel lobby... 1 1
Riverbank Posted January 22 Posted January 22 I'm just catching up on yesterday's eliminations and y'all really kicked Ningyo OUT before the KOMH collab... no words
Suilen Posted January 22 Posted January 22 (edited) Oops, dodged a bullet by half a score Well, if Kiss & Cry wasn't my first Utada song or something I would've rated it much higher but unfortunately in my mind it'll always be its Malignant-like (or Imprint for those who are too weeb to know) sister. Edited January 22 by Suilen
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