Suilen Posted January 22 Posted January 22 4 minutes ago, Cruel Summer said: tbh I should have given Somewhere Near Marseilles that zero I wanted to give it when I had the chance Kinda wanted to do the same after some people here implied that it could win but decided to play fair. Like it's good but does it really represent who Utada is as an artist? Idk. And of course Pitchfork (RIP) had to fawn over it because they low-key hate the conventional jpop. 2
Cruel Summer Posted January 22 Posted January 22 9 minutes ago, Curaga said: Oh HELL no Slayseilles is coming for top 10 Honestly I thought it was coming for #1. Still my bet for #1 actually. I was seconds from clicking send when I changed it from a zero because I thought it was too much.
Taste of Honey Posted January 22 Posted January 22 2 hours ago, Subomie said: HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 1 (Cruel Summer) LOWEST SCORE: 5.5 x 1 (Hey Dude) MY SCORE: 6.5 Honestly this might be my favorite moment from Heart Station and one of my favorites in her discography. There's such a bittersweet melancholic feeling to it.
Curaga Posted January 22 Posted January 22 3 minutes ago, Cruel Summer said: Honestly I thought it was coming for #1. Still my bet for #1 actually. I was seconds from clicking send when I changed it from a zero because I thought it was too much. Oh dang, I guess I didn’t think it would be coming for #1... I love it though so I gave it a 10. Despite what some girlies here might think, I didn’t rate any songs out of sabotage. I only learned about sabotage rating after Hey Dude’s Johto Pokemon rate lol. I dunno what #1 is gonna be... maybe Sakura Drops?
Cruel Summer Posted January 22 Posted January 22 Now I’m starting to wonder what the top track from Fantôme will be and why it will be the flawless Ore No Kanojo (Nijikan Dake No Vacance is acceptable but less correct)
Suilen Posted January 22 Posted January 22 3 minutes ago, Cruel Summer said: Now I’m starting to wonder what the top track from Fantôme will be and why it will be the flawless Ore No Kanojo (Nijikan Dake No Vacance is acceptable but less correct) Well, if we're ignoring SN, then it could be either since I have a feeling that some Fantome believers could've self-sabotaged Michi because it's too 'basic' or something
Taste of Honey Posted January 22 Posted January 22 1 hour ago, Subomie said: 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." This is one of those ones for me. Absolute top tier from her. Even though it's not really about that, it has such a sensuality to it, particularly during the bridge. In terms of vocal production, I LOVE the way her harmonies are stacked in the chorus. She really started to experiment with making more intricate arrangements during this era. 4
Cruel Summer Posted January 22 Posted January 22 Just now, Suilen said: Well, if we're ignoring SN, then it could be either since I have a feeling that some Fantome believers could've self-sabotaged Michi because it's too 'basic' or something That’s a good point, actually. I wouldn’t be upset if it were Michi, either, given my own feelings about that song. It’s probably my most played Utada song ever. I’m not 100% sure how SN will do, though - it was actually my personal lowest score on the album! Which is to say it’s still very high.
Suilen Posted January 22 Posted January 22 7 minutes ago, Cruel Summer said: That’s a good point, actually. I wouldn’t be upset if it were Michi, either, given my own feelings about that song. It’s probably my most played Utada song ever. I’m not 100% sure how SN will do, though - it was actually my personal lowest score on the album! Which is to say it’s still very high. I think that even Fantome skeptics can appreciate it but if we have Fantome lovers being meh about it then maybe they'll cancel each other out.
Ewan Chaos Posted January 22 Posted January 22 42 minutes ago, Cruel Summer said: Now I’m starting to wonder what the top track from Fantôme will be and why it will be the flawless Ore No Kanojo If Ore No Kanojo isn't the top song on Fantome AND top 10, I'll turn into a Fantome hater to a lover and write a scathing post about AMIT jk I'm not a Fantome hater I just prefer like 4 of her Japanese albums more 1
Reverie Posted January 22 Posted January 22 On 1/21/2024 at 1:40 PM, Subomie said: It only took 50 eliminations, but it's finally time to wade through the Deep River. 11 x 1 (Hey Dude) I like this more than Simple and Clean just cuz the guitar makes it bang a bit more, but also it's not a 10 cuz I wish the guitar banged more and was prominent
Aria0327 Posted January 23 Posted January 23 16 hours ago, Subomie said: 16 hours ago, Subomie said: 15 hours ago, Subomie said: these excellence out while the wolf song and some ultra bore sings are still in
poki Posted January 23 Posted January 23 Read a little more into Exodus and the vibe I get is Hikaru knew Japan would be shocked by the lyrics but still wanted to have an Erotica-esque album so that's how it came to be. Label wanted to make a superstar out of Hikaru in the US but Hikaru said "arts not the charts" and I actually like the album more now. 2
Graves Posted January 23 Author Posted January 23 Hi everyone. No full update today, but have some scraps for now as an apology. HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 2 (Riverbank, AMIT) LOWEST SCORE: 5 x 1 (Aria0327) MY SCORE: 8 Cheer up, ladies. Shiawase ni Narou, literally 'let's be happy', is the third track on Deep River. It has a pretty big job to do, what with following after two of their most beloved songs ever. Does it live up to the task? Not exaaaactly, but it isn't bad! This doesn't sound a million years apart from some of the album tracks from the first two records, but it's also quite a step up. That piano is sweet, and those final ad-libs are heavenly! This song... It's not a question of just cheering up, or just smiling... but instead a call for you to stop letting sadness define you. You need to be the one to claim your own happiness. Using sorrow to get to a place of contentedness? I really like the message, at least. And, once again, I think that those English ad-libs towards the end give the song a little 'oomph' as it draws to a close. A good tune! This song was performed live at the Budokan shows in 2004! As an encore, no less. I wonder how that went down? I thought the encore was meant for crowd pleasers and fan favorites tbh. Were people on the edge of their seats for Deep River album cuts? I mean, I know I would be. AMIT is one happy camper, singing high praises: "This track might seem a bit understated at first (at least it seemed that way for me), but repeated listens are sure to reveal something very special. the piano intro combined with her innocent vocals sets us up for the R&B beat drop and everything comes together from that point on. it was a grower for me, but it has not left its spot as an absolute favorite of mine since then."
Graves Posted January 23 Author Posted January 23 (edited) And another. HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 1 (Cruel Summer) LOWEST SCORE: 4 x 1 (AMIT) MY SCORE: 8 Our first real Bad Mode track out! A strange song title, born out of a drink one of Hikaru's friends made by mixing pink champagne and blood orange. A placeholder title at first, it eventually grew on them to the point that it was adopted as the actual song title. It's a song about self-worth and learning to place value in yourself. Not needing crutches to validate yourself. There's a lot of personal growth going on in the lyrics of Bad Mode and this is where that overarching theme started, according to Utada. This was always the album track doing the worst in the rate (Face My Fears don't count!), and I kind of get it - it's not as bulletproof as a lot of the other material on Bad Mode - but I don't think it's worthy of any scorn. I love the "pink blood" wails in the background, and I really love the way Hikaru delivers those final lines. The flow is wonderful. Still, it made the top half of the rate, so we can't begrudge this as a low placement. It did well! Pink Blood was a single of course, though I fear this one was actually not a hit... Not on physical nor digital charts. Sacrilegious! That's a little crazy to me, since it was used as a theme for the anime series Fumetsu no Anata e, and even has more streams than some of the singles that outcharted it! Monarch actually gave us a good video for this single for once and we let it flop! No wonder they just phone it in with studio vids so often... Shame on us. Curaga is grabbing a thermometer as we speak: "Not my fav. Don’t like the hook, but the instrumental is fine. Do they sound congested or is it just me?" Please, prescribe them some diazepam! Edited January 23 by Subomie
Cruel Summer Posted January 23 Posted January 23 Pink Blood!? Not even top fifty?? I’m actually a little shocked - I would have thought this could be one of the top tracks on Bad Mode, like top fifteen overall. That song destroyed me when it was released, even when it was just a snippet! I clearly do NOT have the pulse of the Utada fandom, maybe I’m just confused and old?
Suilen Posted January 23 Posted January 23 No particular feelings about these two. I like that anime and it was nice to see Utada making a tie-in for it but I wasn't gagged, and the third season better not reuse it.
1000 forms of queer Posted January 23 Posted January 23 Seeing Manatsu and Pink blood out of Top 40 is TRAGIC
Graves Posted January 23 Author Posted January 23 HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 1 (AMIT) LOWEST SCORE: 6 x 3 (Curaga, Meloetta Carey, willmcclure8) MY SCORE: 8 Released in May of 2008 as the final single from Heart Station, Prisoner of Love was actually the first post-album single that they had put out since... jeez! Since First Love all the way back when! Those are certainly a rarity in J-Pop campaigns. To be fair to it, Prisoner of Love was a pretty strong success - charting at #2 and being another huge digital seller for Hikki. Certainly, part of that success is down to the song being used as the theme for another drama series, Last Friends. Those drama tie-in singles do tend to be big hits... As for the song? It's great! Another R&B-leaning cut, which I like. I initially earmarked this one as a 7, but as I kept listening during voting it just kept on growing on me. I settled for an 8, but could even go for an 8.5 or a 9 if I was rating today! Like the best R&B bops, it just has hook on top of hook. The "I'm gonna tell you the truth," parts make me melt. Then that two-part chorus. Oh, it's like eating a full course meal! And that outro - those "stay with me" ad-libs towards the ending are truly blissful. On the downsides? Prisoner of Love represents probably the nadir of Utada as a visual artist. The entire Heart Station album, really. The decline in quality was real. Lazy, ugly music videos - only the title track got a somewhat decent PV. Both this song and Flavor of Life got the most basic in-studio videos. Come on, it's not 1995 anymore! Beautiful World and Kiss & Cry got lame promotional videos tied to each of their promoted media (and one was clearly more high-budget than the other). Hell, Stay Gold and Fight The Blues got NO videos at all. The era was hugely successful, much moreso than Ultra Blue, so it's not like it was budget constraints? Was the taste just gone entirely? I'm glad that Hikaru came back post-hiatus with a refreshed visual identity, because those late '00s, post Kiriya albums, were just kind of ugly. And the single cover is just a damn screenshot from the music video, ugh! We just can't stop cutting AMIT faves: "one of my fave ballads by her, great melody and vocals." But this is distinctly NOT a Curaga fave: "Not bad, not my fav." 2
Cruel Summer Posted January 23 Posted January 23 Prisoner of Love is one of those things that’s one of my least favorites on its parent album, but never as bad as I remember when I actually go listen to it. It’s cute. It’s got everything it needs to be pretty good throughout, but the “stay with me” outro is so good. 2
Riverbank Posted January 23 Posted January 23 3 hours ago, Subomie said: Hi everyone. No full update today, but have some scraps for now as an apology. HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 2 (Riverbank, AMIT) LOWEST SCORE: 5 x 1 (Aria0327) MY SCORE: 8 Cheer up, ladies. Shiawase ni Narou, literally 'let's be happy', is the third track on Deep River. It has a pretty big job to do, what with following after two of their most beloved songs ever. Does it live up to the task? Not exaaaactly, but it isn't bad! This doesn't sound a million years apart from some of the album tracks from the first two records, but it's also quite a step up. That piano is sweet, and those final ad-libs are heavenly! This song... It's not a question of just cheering up, or just smiling... but instead a call for you to stop letting sadness define you. You need to be the one to claim your own happiness. Using sorrow to get to a place of contentedness? I really like the message, at least. And, once again, I think that those English ad-libs towards the end give the song a little 'oomph' as it draws to a close. A good tune! This song was performed live at the Budokan shows in 2004! As an encore, no less. I wonder how that went down? I thought the encore was meant for crowd pleasers and fan favorites tbh. Were people on the edge of their seats for Deep River album cuts? I mean, I know I would be. AMIT is one happy camper, singing high praises: "This track might seem a bit understated at first (at least it seemed that way for me), but repeated listens are sure to reveal something very special. the piano intro combined with her innocent vocals sets us up for the R&B beat drop and everything comes together from that point on. it was a grower for me, but it has not left its spot as an absolute favorite of mine since then." This was almost going to be my 11 but I don't mind sharing the highest score.
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