Taste of Honey Posted January 26 Posted January 26 38 minutes ago, Subomie said: HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 2 (scenekiller, AMIT) LOWEST SCORE: 5.5 x 2 (Ewan Chaos, Aria0327) MY SCORE: 7 Absolute banger. It's interesting that the Underwater mix was the original version of the song, but totally glad they went back in to revisit it for the Up-In-Heaven mix. The perfect intro to the Distance era. 17 minutes ago, Subomie said: Classic track and a core staple of her discography. I'm really shocked this one didn't make Top 20, but that's what happens when your discography is STACKED. 3
Cruel Summer Posted January 26 Posted January 26 I’m guilty of underrating this one slightly. I think I was too quick to judge it based on how it compares to the rest of the album, especially the tempo - it’s the one big slow-down on an album featuring producers like AG Cook. Even Darenimo Iwanai, which I think should have been ahead of this, has more energy. But it’s never bad, or unenjoyable - and lately I’ve had that “hey, how are you?” section stuck in my head so bad. It’s ultimately a good track that captures some feelings that I think are complicated to capture in a song, and I respect that. 2
Graves Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 Just now, Cruel Summer said: and lately I’ve had that “hey, how are you?” section stuck in my head so bad. Me too I had to go back and change that musty 9 I was going to give it to a total 10. I've recited it in my brain too many times not to.
Suilen Posted January 26 Posted January 26 Not In The Mood is an experiment that went right, so bravo Utada-sama. Didn't know the bit about lyrics because, funnily, as someone who knows Japanese, Kimi ni Muchuu is definitely one of their best written songs. 1
Graves Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 7 (Curaga, Take Me Apart, AMIT, Ewan Chaos, confide in me, nostalgic, Reverie) LOWEST SCORE: 4 x 1 (Aria0327) MY SCORE: 7.5 It's cool to listen to This Is Love after going through some of the earlier albums. While Hikaru already had a pretty impressive way with words as a teen, their pen game only improved as the years went on. Life experience will do that to ya. This Is Love is a pretty simple concept, all things considered: we just listen to Hikki dwell on the little butterfly-inducing feelings that come when you're all loved up. Anxiety and excitement are never too far from one another. What's cool about this is the electronic, dance-y sound that ushers in Ultra Blue. Utada and electronica fit way too well together for them to have taken so long to embrace it like this. This Is Love was a single, albeit a digital one. It's another low effort release, unfortunately. No single art or music video to speak of, and that graphic I made SUFFERS because of it. It's sad too, since this was actually one of the biggest hits from this era of their career and a huge digital seller. It was also used as a commercial song for Nissin cup noodle AND as the opening theme for the anime 'Freedom'... which, on further research was actually just made as a glorified advertisement for Nissin cup noodle anyway. LMAO. Why don't western food brands make entire animated series for their product placements? So, yes. Great as an album opener, but I think Ultra Blue has even greater treasures within. The way I cackled when I checked my commentary sheet and the only one was Curaga saying "Love it!" This is love indeed! 1 2
Suilen Posted January 26 Posted January 26 A cute song, and I'd like it much more if some actual love was happening in my life. 2
Cruel Summer Posted January 26 Posted January 26 This Is Love is cute and fine - I gave it a 9 instead of a 10, but its biggest problem isn’t really even anything with the song itself, it’s more just that I wore it out for myself ages ago, and that’s a me problem 1
Cruel Summer Posted January 26 Posted January 26 Am I right in seeing that none of the three AG Cook tracks are out yet? Oh wow… I think that means that they’re like legally obligated to do a full studio album together (and put me in an early grave because I will be DEAD) 1
Graves Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 2 minutes ago, Cruel Summer said: Am I right in seeing that none of the three AG Cook tracks are out yet? Oh wow… I think that means that they’re like legally obligated to do a full studio album together (and put me in an early grave because I will be DEAD) Unfortunately Face My Fears (A.G Cook Remix) was eliminated at 119! 1
Graves Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 7 (Curaga, scenekiller, gingguu, AMIT, Suilen, Aria0327, confide in me) LOWEST SCORE: 4 x 2 (bestfiction, Hey Dude) MY SCORE: 9.5 Although Hikaru was in the depths of their hiatus by 2012, they were still an Evangelion stan through-and-through, so when Hideaki Anno approached looking for another theme song, it was easy for Hikaru to pick up that pen again. After all, they couldn't use Beautiful World for three films in row, could they? Serving as the theme song for Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo (these titles...), Sakura Nagashi was released in November of 2012 and would serve as Utada's only release during their near six year hiatus from the music industry. Though it was recorded for Evangelion, there is a sense of universal appeal to Sakura Nagashi. That's definitely owing in part to its inspirations: Hikaru stated that they never got to watch any of the Evangelion movies before writing the songs for them, so they would take inspiration from other places too. With this song, Hikki was inspired to write it after the 2011 tsunami and earthquake that struck Japan. It's all at once disheartening and inspiring, paying tribute to the fallen who we'll never get to see again, and also finding optimism in the survivors and the future. It's a tragically beautiful sentiment that's only served better by the sweeping epic string arrangement that accompanies the song. An amazing credits track for any film. As Hikaru's only single for 6 years, Sakura Nagashi was a nice hit for them - #2 on the Billboard Japan charts, certified double Platinum, and included on Fantome four years after it's initial release (and as the closing song mind you)... I told you Hikaru hates an orphaned single. I've never seen the Evangelion Rebuild films, but I'm sure this song does a great job. It does a pretty fantastic job on Fantome as is, despite pre-dating all of the other material by years. Like I said, the sentiment is so universal. It just works everywhere... AMIT stanned then and stans now: "oustanding song, whew, the best on the album by a mile, no wonder she wanted to include it. works perfectly as a closer too, one of her best songs period." Curaga takes time to mention the instrumentation: "💗💗💗. Omg, the piano build, and then the drums, and then guitar . . . Brilliant build up." 2
Suilen Posted January 26 Posted January 26 Sakura Nagashi was a moment. You just had to be there. Makes you forget about the homophobia committed in the movie too.
Curaga Posted January 26 Posted January 26 4 minutes ago, Subomie said: AMIT stanned then and stans now: "oustanding song, whew, the best on the album by a mile, no wonder she wanted to include it. works perfectly as a closer too, one of her best songs period." @AMIT you spilled, sis
Cruel Summer Posted January 26 Posted January 26 Goodbye to my lowest scored Fantôme track, I don’t know how you made it this far It’s a great song, really, but I think I view it a little less positively for feeling like it was glued onto my favorite album without actually having been a part of the genesis of the rest of the record. I guess it occupies the slot that Yuunagi could have if the latter were finished in time, in my mind, and it’s hard for anything to compete with my favorite track in Utada’s discography. It doesn’t even fail to fit the album, though, in terms of sound or theme, because there’s still something beautiful in ending an album that has grief and mourning as one of its major themes with this kind of song. 1
Graves Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 Don't dry those tears just yet, it's only about to get sadder.
Graves Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 7 (scenekiller, Meloetta Carey, Suilen, Aria0327, Cruel Summer, confide in me, Hey Dude) LOWEST SCORE: 4 x 2 (bestfiction, Reverie) MY SCORE: 9 Time for sadness. We covered Distance, the sugary sweet title track of Hikaru's second album. Lined up to be the fifth single release at some stage after the album had come out. Remember that? Well, in June of 2001 those planned suddenly changed. An elementary school in Osaka was the site of a horrible massacre. A stabbing that took the lives of eight students. One of the deceased kids, Rena Yamashita, was a huge Utada fan and had even won an essay-writing contest for writing about their admiration of Hikaru. Hikki, deeply disturbed by the news, buried herself back into the studio for a few weeks and decided to scrap the Distance single release. Instead, the entire song was re-arranged and re-recorded as a sweeping ballad. I'm going to try and be delicate with writing about this one. Was it a hit? Yeah, of course. Does that matter? Not that much. It was a tribute to the young ones lost in the attack, and a very touching one at that. To see a bouncy pop song like Distance be re-imagined into a heart-wrenching slow song was truly amazing. The lyrics remain the same, but the new arrangement brings out a striking sadness to them that was only vaguely hinted at in the original. The distance between the subjects also changes from a physical one to something more... otherworldly. The video is very strikingly beautiful too, and was the first to be directed by Utada's soon-to-be husband, Kazuaki Kiriya. Final Distance was performed live on the 2006 Utada United shows. 1
Graves Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 4 (Curaga, Cruel Summer, confide in me, Hey Dude) LOWEST SCORE: 6 x 1 (bestfiction) MY SCORE: 9.5 Gold dropped in mid-2023 as the first inkling of new music we'd heard from them since the showstopping Bad Mode release, and while I don't know what every fan wanted from Utada going forward, I was personally stoked for them to work with AG Cook again. He'd helped make some of the great tracks on that album (as well as doing his best to salvage Face My Fears), so it's no surprise that working together again allowed them to... strike gold lol. Sonically, I love how Gold starts off with the soft piano backing akin to an earlier track, but begins to add instruments and beats as the choruses continue. In some ways it feels like it's melding albums like Fantome with the dance sounds of Bad Mode. It's a welcome fusion, too. It's an uplifting anthem, akin to something we might've heard on Ultra Blue... just, you know, with 20 years added life experience! The video is really pretty too - it sees Hikaru walking (and eventually floating) through an empty city at night. If there's one thing I love it's a neon cityscape, so consider me on board. When first released, Gold was intended as the theme for the film 'Kingdom Unmei no Honou' (no relation to Kingdom Hearts, girls). I know a few of us fans were hopeful it signified an album that might come soon... (soon in Japanese releases being a year and a half away ofc), but it seems that it's now destined to be a GH single for the upcoming SCIENCE FICTION. That's cool, and I'm sure the other new tracks we'll get will be pretty good too, but it is sad to think we won't get a Hikaru x AG Cook full album. Take Me Apart is only here for the remix. "'This is cute but the Taku remix completely blows it out of the water, please Hikki let him produce several songs on the next album." And this was their only comment in the rate, so they must feel strongly about it! Ever the contrarian, AMIT thinks it shouldn't switch up. "beautiful first half, the switch up is done nicely, but I think I would prefer if it was straight up ballad only." Finally, Curaga is here to bring all of our lofty wishes down to earth again: "Very cool instrumentation. They’re just having fun! I would be very excited for an album of songs like this if I didn’t know Utada has said that their future albums will basically all be movie/series/video game singles compilations from here on out (but we’ll see . . .)." 1
Suilen Posted January 26 Posted January 26 (edited) I didn't feel much when I listened to it for the first time, but it did grow on me. I don't **** with remixes in general, but seeing how people praise that particular one, maybe I should give it a try. Edited January 26 by Suilen
AMIT Posted January 26 Posted January 26 46 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 do prefer HS overall, but Ultra Blue's highs edge out the HS ones for me tbh. But yeah even still, a bit surprising.
Graves Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 Last one before the top twenty... let me make it easy for y'all to guess. 1. It's from Bad Mode. 2. It's my FAVORITE track from Bad Mode.
Suilen Posted January 26 Posted January 26 1 minute ago, Subomie said: Last one before the top twenty... let me make it easy for y'all to guess. 1. It's from Bad Mode. 2. It's my FAVORITE track from Bad Mode. Either the title track or Marseilles maybe.
Cruel Summer Posted January 26 Posted January 26 I’ve never been into the remix, really. I recently found out that the original, across both the single release and the EP release, was my most played song of 2023, so that should tell you how I feel about it! I really, really, really hope that Utada and AG continue working together and at least one full studio album comes out of it, even if this is for a compilation for now. Gold is one of the best tracks Utada has recorded, in my opinion, and their work with AG hits in a way that almost no other music does for me. I also don’t think this will happen, but the slim possibility of even one Utada x AG x Charli XCX track, since both Utada and Charli work with AG, has me deceased and ascended before it’s even happened. 2
Recommended Posts