Curaga Posted January 26 Posted January 26 1 minute ago, Subomie said: Let's play a game. I'm telling you guys that an album is about to leave us in its entirety and you guys guess which one! For the record - First Love, Distance, Heart Station, Exodus and the Single Collection are all down to their last track Goodbye, Exodus!!!
Cruel Summer Posted January 26 Posted January 26 Thank goodness that was the first of them gone, though One Last Kiss deserves to be a #1 contender. And the other one… well if it’s #28 that’s fine with me, personally! I will say this song has grown on me thanks to alternative versions like the one on Bad Mode. 1
Suilen Posted January 26 Posted January 26 Oops. I used to love it a lot, but I definitely overplayed it at some point, and then Utada kept releasing countless remixes for it, and some of the magic was gone. So I suppose that I underrated it a bit. 1
Cruel Summer Posted January 26 Posted January 26 2 minutes ago, Subomie said: Let's play a game. I'm telling you guys that an album is about to leave us in its entirety and you guys guess which one! For the record - First Love, Distance, Heart Station, Exodus and the Single Collection are all down to their last track Hoping for Exodus, expecting Heart Station
Suilen Posted January 26 Posted January 26 Anything could leave at this rate, which is sad. I expected more variety in the top 10. 1
Graves Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 6 (Subomie, AMIT, Ewan Chaos, Suilen, Cruel Summer, confide in me) LOWEST SCORE: 5 x 1 (Curaga) MY SCORE: 10 The fourth and final single release from Distance, Can You Keep A Secret? was released only a month before the album, in February of 2001, and was another instant smash for them. The story is pretty similar for all of this early era singles, huh? #1 peak, selling over a million copies, and in this case, Can You Keep A Secret was even the best-selling single of 2001 in Japan! The hits just kept on coming, and when they were this good, who could blame the public for the fervor around Utada? The song has been performed on almost every tour that they've embarked upon and remains a fan favorite. It is the most streamed single from Distance and was voted Japan's fourth favorite Utada song back in 2015. Really, it was always destined to be one of the highest placing tracks from the early years and it isn't hard to see why. In a lot of ways Can You Keep A Secret? feels more grown up than anything released beforehand. Hikaru is playful and soft as always, but also a little flirty too. There's a subtle sense of growing up if you listen through the Distance singles. Can You Keep A Secret? is lush and funky, pure J-pop bliss, and it really embodies the struggle with being vulnerable that you go through at the beginning of a relationship. Wanting to build trust but fearing pain and rejection... we never find out what that secret is, either. The video is a good time, too. This was the early '00s, and cute little robot toys were all the rage. Think Janet Jackson's Doesn't Really Matter with that damn dog. This one is a lot more creative though - seeing Hikki's little robo buddy moping around the apartment reminiscing on their time together, with flashbacks and dancing scenes intercut, until they can finally be reunited with Utada at the end and it is revealed that Hikki herself is also a robot, just human and lifelike. It's cute, camp, and clever, and it's a step above the other videos they were making this era. The haircut tho... Curaga has a bone to pick with Hikaru's vocal chords: "Her vocal sounds strained to me on this one, but not quite as shaky as the first album — still waiting for her to come into her own after this." AMIT is still team Distance, though. To the very end. "Imagine dropping this absolute banger after having already released 4 immaculate singles for your sophomore album? she really had the other girls on their tippy toes during this era."
Cruel Summer Posted January 26 Posted January 26 That was a classic shook that it was this one that left! 1
Graves Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 5 minutes ago, Suilen said: Anything could leave at this rate, which is sad. I expected more variety in the top 10. It can be a little depressing hosting a rate sometimes as the results come in. I don't want to give away too much, but there was a point in voting where only three albums were represented in the top ten. And Distance wasn't even cracking the top fifty with any of its tracks. Things got a little better towards the end, but it did sadden me to see some of the more colorful tracks get cut sooner than their time. 1
Graves Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 HIGH SCORERS 1. confide in me - 8.81 2. AMIT - 8.76 3. scenekiller - 8.59 LOW SCORERS 1. Curaga - 4.54 2. willmcclure9 - 6.42 3. Aria0327 / bestfiction - 6.54 No more album eliminations for a bit, please!
Curaga Posted January 26 Posted January 26 4 minutes ago, Subomie said: Answer for your crimes, fiend @Curaga You know what……… I think I just need more time with this one. I need to hear it again for the 100th time
Curaga Posted January 26 Posted January 26 2 minutes ago, Subomie said: LOW SCORERS 1. Curaga - 4.54 2. willmcclure9 - 6.42 3. Aria0327 / bestfiction - 6.54 The behavior that I displayed was villain-like; the villain jumped out! Sorry not sorry for hating on Distance so much, but the last 10 or so times I’ve listened to that album all the way through, it has rubbed me the wrong way through most of the tracks. 1
Graves Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 Just now, Subomie said: No more album eliminations for a bit I'm sorry. I lied. HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 6 (scenekiller, Take Me Apart, AMIT, Cruel Summer, nostalgic, Reverie) LOWEST SCORE: 4 x 2 (Aria0327, Hey Dude) MY SCORE: 7 The titular track for the album, Heart Station makes for a chilled tune in which Hikaru hosts her own radio show while longing for love and connection. I quite like the cute radio theme that this song uses, sending out heart-waves over the air, broadcasting into the late hours, and even taking listener requests for confessions. It's a clever theme that they use well to make for a very unique song. Fun fact, Hikaru has hosted radio segments and shows in Japan on several occasions. She outlined some of her radio experiences from the early '00s on her blog, and even came back to host a new show - KUMA POWER HOUR with Utada Hikaru - during her hiatus back in 2013. Multimedia icon! Heart Station was released as the final pre-release single from the album in February 2008. It was a huge airplay hit (go figure) and also charted at #2 on the physical charts. It was also only single from this album to get a real music video. And here it is, the highest placing track from the album. Goes to show, the girls want the visuals @Beyoncé! Uh, I mean @Hikaru! Curaga only tunes in at rare occasions: "Nice, can be boring depending on my mood." 1 1
Suilen Posted January 26 Posted January 26 A decent album with a couple of outstanding rock-ish and rnb moments. RIP. As a punishment, Curaga will be isekai'd to FFVII Rebirth as Aerith, and she better pray that the outcome deviates from the original game. 1 1
Graves Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 HIGH SCORERS 1. scenekiller - 8.836 2. Take Me Apart - 8.77 3. Cruel Summer / nostalgic - 8.545 LOW SCORERS 1. Aria0327 - 5.29 2. Hey Dude - 6.45 3. Ewan Chaos - 6.636 1
Cruel Summer Posted January 26 Posted January 26 Nooooo not heart station already I’m- I never imagined it wouldn’t have anything even in the top 25, this is wild to me 1
Taste of Honey Posted January 26 Posted January 26 4 hours ago, Subomie said: HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 3 (Hey Dude, confide in me, Reverie) LOWEST SCORE: 5 x 1 (Suilen) MY SCORE: 8 The little baby that would grow up into Final Distance! Though I believe that version of the track to be superior, I do think this is a great little tune too. Sweet and bouncy, Distance is probably the best of the 'teen love songs' of these early years. Embodying the optimistic, and perhaps naive view that love can conquer any distance in the way, Hikki wrote an anthem for the long-distance relationship girls. Put your paws up! There's such a genuine innocence to their voice on here, I don't see how anybody could hate this. It's pure sugar. Though Distance received no single release, that was not always the plan. Initially a planned single release was scheduled as a post-album single for early-mid 2001. Plans were changed, however, and the release was re-worked into the Final Distance we know and love after Hikaru was inspired by the victim of a tragic school massacre in 2001. It's a sad tale, but we can talk more about it when the Final mix leaves. Still, Distance has remained quite popular despite that. It is still one of their most streamed non-singles, received and outing at their 2004 live shows, and even got voted as one of Japan's favorite Utada songs back in 2015... being chosen over Final Distance, even. Those girls love their bops extra sweet, I suppose. LOVE LOVE this version(all the versions of this song are incredible ). The most interesting thing about this track for me is how she shifts from Japanese completely to English for the final 2 minutes of the song. She often talks about her ability to be more direct in English, so it seems like a metaphorical way to close the distance that she's referring to. 6
Suilen Posted January 26 Posted January 26 The title track isn't exactly my favorite from HS but it does have this ethereal feeling about it that takes you someplace else, so I can't be mad that it prevailed. 1
Graves Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 Just now, Cruel Summer said: Nooooo not heart station already I’m- I never imagined it wouldn’t have anything even in the top 25, this is wild to me ddd I dunno if this will make it better or worse, but... Heart Station & Beautiful World were always stuck around these spots, but Celebrate and Take 5 were both solidly top twenty until the deluge of votes I got on the last day.
Cruel Summer Posted January 26 Posted January 26 1 minute ago, Subomie said: ddd I dunno if this will make it better or worse, but... Heart Station & Beautiful World were always stuck around these spots, but Celebrate and Take 5 were both solidly top twenty until the deluge of votes I got on the last day. Take 5 haters when I catch you!! 1
Suilen Posted January 26 Posted January 26 Honestly, I always had this feeling that people preferred Heart Station over Ultra Blue, so the fact that the latter still has quite a handful of songs left is blowing my mind. 1
Curaga Posted January 26 Posted January 26 Just now, Suilen said: Honestly, I always had this feeling that people preferred Heart Station over Ultra Blue, so the fact that the latter still has quite a handful of songs left is blowing my mind. Seriously! I have always liked Ultra Blue better, but I thought Heart Station was fan favorite. 1
Graves Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 5 (Subomie, Take Me Apart, AMIT, Ewan Chaos, nostalgic) LOWEST SCORE: 6 x 2 (Aria0327, Hey Dude) MY SCORE: 10 One of Hikaru's favourite songs on the entire record, it was actually the last song completed for the album. Like Kimi ni Muchū, this is another track that Hikaru struggled with writing lyrics for. It makes sense to me. Bad Mode is an album concerned a lot with self-worth and emotional maturity, but bad days will always be there. Living with them is part of the growth experience too. I really love this track as well, so Hikki got taste. I particularly admire the juxtaposition between the stream of consciousness lyrics and the conversational parts. 'Hey, how are you? How has your day been?' They're so simple but they work so well for what the track asks. It's Hikaru taking a moment to stop dwelling on the doom and gloom and reach out to talk to a friend. As an album, Bad Mode really knows when to hype things up and when to play it simple and I respect that a lot. Not In The Mood is a great breather track for all of those reasons, a necessary pace breaker. Bonus fact - That's Hikaru's son doing the "not in the mood" ad-libs at the end! Curaga isn't a studying kind of girl: "Great, but the “chill lo-fi hip hop beats to study to” vibe isn’t really my thing, but it’s so well done here that I still love this track. Beautiful watery piano again." Ewan Chaos is here for the adult talk though: "This is a song for GROWN folks... the chorus is stuck to my brain like glue for weeks any time I listen to this." 2
Graves Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 3 minutes ago, Suilen said: Honestly, I always had this feeling that people preferred Heart Station over Ultra Blue, so the fact that the latter still has quite a handful of songs left is blowing my mind. I mean, I prefer Ultra Blue so I'm not complaining! 1 1
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