nostalgic Posted January 15 Posted January 15 16 minutes ago, Subomie said: HIGHEST SCORE: 9 x 1 (Take Me Apart) LOWEST SCORE: 1 x 1 (AMIT) MY SCORE: 4 Bro, this song is so annoying. I'm not about to give it a 0 or anything, cus the instrumentation is actually really beautiful and the verses are kind of okay... but you can not be mad at me for not vibing with that infernal chorus! This was one of the first Hatsukoi songs to leave an impact on me, and not in a good way. It's just grating in a way that I only otherwise feel about something like Boku wa Kuma. Sticks with you in a nasty way, eugh. Sorry to fans of this song. It's about coriander, I guess, so that's neat. Culinary songs... there's an untapped market if the recording career goes **** up in the meantime. Hikki did a brand deal with Tasty Japan after the release of Hatsukoi, even setting up a temporary cafe in promotion of the album. Monarch contributed a coriander dish to the menu that they made themselves, sharing their secret recipe with us. Health icon! Though I'm not quite sure it makes up for all of the dietary issues they no doubt contributed to with all of their Pepsi promos back in the day, but penance is penance. Curaga loves a little coriander: "Cheesy intro, but right after it, we get a really great song. Love their vocal performance on this one — great tone. Love the horns." But Ewan Chaos has their mind on other dishes: "It's giving chicken." I really should have given this a 2. The melody is Guantanamo Bay-levels of torture to get through but I gave it a 6 because I figured everything else is pleasant enough
confide in me Posted January 15 Posted January 15 So far so good tbh. I wish Distance could’ve gone untouched longer but Eternally is so mid so i understand
Graves Posted January 15 Author Posted January 15 (edited) Can you hold on? Someone's calling on the other line. ...I'm back. HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 2 (bestfiction, Hey Dude) LOWEST SCORE: 0 x 1 (Cruel Summer) MY SCORE: 8 Man, this song is demented. Where to even start? The production is an oddball mix of everything. Skittering beats, robotic ad-libs, those wet-fart sounding trumpets at the end, and that noise that sounds like a compressed dog barking (what the hell is that nnn?). Bounding between near-minimalism at one moment and then throwing in the entire kitchen sink the next. Is this the precursor to PC Music? And the lyrics? Oh man, these lyrics! Getting down on the dancefloor, casually chatting about reincarnation with a born-again Christian as you grind against him... rhyming "amen" with "Tutankhamen"???? She's GOATed for that tho ngl. I have never heard a song like this one before, and I don't think I ever will again. Even if you don't like this song, I feel like you owe it some begrudging respect just 'cus... what the ****, dude. But the question remains... is this a good workout song? I'll try it out and report back. Curaga would rather be listening to Earth Intruders: "Dissonant again. Hilarious lyrics, but not on purpose. I can totally hear Volta at the end of this song (Timbaland’s touch?)." He WISHES! Meanwhile, bestfiction is pushing it down with me and Hikki! "She’s a FREAK for this and I love it." ...what a workout! Edited January 16 by Subomie 4
willmcclure9 Posted January 16 Posted January 16 Poppin' being first out..... now why yall hate CAMP 2
Suilen Posted January 16 Posted January 16 So far so good (except the iconic Dirty Desire being out but TITO was always going to be panned), love seeing Face My Ayumis being out early, like imagine being introduced to Utada through that... though they'd be in for a treat if it didn't scare them off. Surprised to see that FL is still standing - justice after being called their worst Japanese album for years? Honestly, after listening to its namesake, I probably needed to bump up the scores. 2 1
Graves Posted January 16 Author Posted January 16 (edited) And one more before I dash to work HIGHEST SCORE: 8.5 x 1 (Hey Dude) LOWEST SCORE: 2 x 2 (Curaga, AMIT) MY SCORE: 5 Released in February 2009 as the lead single for This Is The One, Come Back To Me is an R&B-Pop ballad that sounds like it was made to be a hit. Hikaru even admitted that it was "very mainstream-sounding". To me, this was definitely what the record label wanted back in 2004 instead of Exodus: a chart-chasing single to try and get a radio hit. Therein lies the problem though - where Exodus was wild and wacky, unlike anything else on 2004 radio, Come Back To Me sounds like every other R&B ballad we heard from 2008 to 2010. It was made out of some Stargate demos that were lying around the office, after all. Even Utada herself does the exact same kind of tune better on this very album! It is somewhat interesting for them to sing from the vantage point of the cheating partner in a relationship. I mean, there's a lot of potential for such an angle, but ultimately this song doesn't do anything much with that. It's just a weak ballad from an album that was never really infused with the passion that the creator is typically known for. I hesitate to say it was all doomed from the start, but... perhaps it was. In fairness, Come Back To Me did chart on the dance-club charts at #5 and saw some middling peaks at both pop and rhythmic radio, but it was by no means a roaring success. The track fared a lot better in Japan, where it was a digital hit and sold over one hundred thousand copies. The song received a nice looking music video but it is not available on Utada's actual page for some reason? Weird. Even the Exodus videos are on her page. Curaga approves of bullying in this instance: "Really don’t like this one, but it’s fun to make fun of. Dated drums/synths." AMIT finds it to be rather replaceable: "generic rehash of mid 00s r&b ballads zzz". Ewan Chaos brings up a rare example of music that might be even more irrelevant than This Is The One: "I kept wanting to sing the Vanessa Hudgens song in the chorus." Edited January 16 by Subomie 2
Suilen Posted January 16 Posted January 16 Yeah, this one definitely aged horribly, I could give it a pass like 10 years ago, but now... meh.
bestfiction Posted January 16 Posted January 16 (edited) The Workout is kinda the best song on Exodusus wtf absolutely bonkers in the best way possible Edited January 16 by bestfiction
Aria0327 Posted January 16 Posted January 16 other than face my fears being too low, i'm fine with the results so far
Vigoorian King Posted January 16 Posted January 16 Dirty Desire and The Workout are both top 3 songs of their respective albums and I will die on this hill 1
Graves Posted January 16 Author Posted January 16 Hi girlies Bad news, I don't have enough spare time to do a full slew of results today The good news - I can still throw out a couple of strays in between my other commitments. Starting right now! HIGHEST SCORE: 8 x 3 (scenekiller, gingguu, nostalgic) LOWEST SCORE: 3 x 3 (AMIT, Hey Dude, Reverie) MY SCORE: 5 Interesting choice there, opening the song with a broken down church organ. I suppose it's somewhat fitting seeing as, much like a sermon, this track be putting me to sleep. I do feel a little bad about that, since I can tell that this is meant to be a really touching song - and I kind of get it! The track is about the idea of 'lingering scent': the essence that a lover can leave behind with you even after they step out of your lives. Sometimes it's even a literal scent, like sniffing an old jumper that they left at your place. Or for some of you girls, perhaps a musky jockstrap? But at the end of the day, I feel that Hikaru has a lot of other songs about departing lovers or otherwise missing somebody close to you. And a lot of them are just better than this. It's unfortunate. Nokoriga is nothing bad, but I would say it is quite outclassed. Why go for this one when I have a slew of better options, you know? That kind of sums up how I feel about large portions of Hatsukoi, actually... In the comments corner, Curaga shares some complaints about their last lover: "Good, but I don’t love the organ." Mm, been there. 4
Graves Posted January 16 Author Posted January 16 Also please welcome late arrival Miz Reverie to the rate - their ballot has shifted the order of some of the tracks I kicked yesterday, but not enough for any of them to actually escape the bottom ten. lol! Will be updating the graphics as I can. I'm just kind of assuming that nobody else has a late ballot to submit? I've given ample opportunities - I think I'm making the executive decision to officially close voting now. The leaderboard is finalized. 1
Suilen Posted January 16 Posted January 16 A lovely song title that promised more but doesn't do much for me
Graves Posted January 16 Author Posted January 16 HIGHEST SCORE: 9.5 x 1 (Take Me Apart) LOWEST SCORE: 2 x 1 (Cruel Summer) MY SCORE: 4 Our Multilingual icon strikes again, Me Muero (or 'I die' in Spanish) is one of the more... bleak tracks in their discography. Crooning about depressive days, Utada says that the track is "about being depressed and feeling a bit unstable emotionally," and even sees our favorite singer flirting with passing thoughts of suicide in the lyrics. Escanadalo. I don't really know what to make of it. The lyrics are so glum but then the backing track sounds like lounge music? Is this secretly brilliant and subversive? ...I doubt it. Putting this on the tracklist right after Come Back To Me makes it even more bleak! As if their lover didn't accept the apology, and now we just chill in bed, smoking all day. I'd complement the sequencing there, but I don't feel like saying nice things about This Is The One, so... One more thing! Hikaru said, back in 2009 when talking about the album, that they "will listen to this even though I don't listen to my own songs ever," and I just wanna know WHERE is the taste?? You'll jam to Me Muero but not traveling? Or Keep Tryin'? Come on now... Curaga is considering stealing from their local clothes store: "Kinda fun. Should I go Winona Ryder?" 1
Suilen Posted January 16 Posted January 16 Not me ironically bopping to them saying 'I die' all this time 3
Ewan Chaos Posted January 16 Posted January 16 12 hours ago, Subomie said: Ewan Chaos brings up a rare example of music that might be even more irrelevant than This Is The One: "I kept wanting to sing the Vanessa Hudgens song in the chorus." EXCUSE ME Come Back to Me by the "yeah people are gonna die but it's inevitable" chanteuse is a top 60 charting song, when will Utada???????? 1
nostalgic Posted January 16 Posted January 16 6 hours ago, Vigoorian King said: Dirty Desire is a top 3 song on its respective album and I will die on this hill Well yes
Graves Posted January 16 Author Posted January 16 Only four This Is The One tracks remain, and we haven't even entered the top 100 On the other hand, no more This Is The One tracks until we cross 100! 1
Graves Posted January 16 Author Posted January 16 Let's bother a different album instead! HIGHEST SCORE: 8.3 x 1 (scenekiller) LOWEST SCORE: 3 x 1 (Curaga) MY SCORE: 5 Let's address the elephant in the room - Never Let Go samples Shape of My Heart by Sting, perhaps one of the most sampled songs of all time. We know Utada loves some old white rockstars, but somehow I had hoped that we could escape the ever-expanding grip of Sting. To be blunt, I'm not impressed. Not by this take on the song, not by the original Sting song, nor by the countless other tunes that try to use this infernal song for whatever purposes. In fairness, even the Sugababes couldn't make me like Shape of My Heart, Hikki was fighting a losing battle. The song was performed on the Summer 2000 Tour, but then again so was every track off of First Love. That's what happens when you tour with only one album under your belt. What else can I say about this nondescript song to make this write-up longer, um... Oh! Never Let Go has the "honour" of having been used as an insert song on the short-lived 1999 drama series Majo no Jōken. Hm, maybe it was short-lived for a reason? Ah, I know this write-up may seem harsh, but I genuinely find this one of the least noteworthy songs in their discography... it gives album filler. I'll leave closing remarks to my good sis Curaga: "This song is so boring that I have a hard time focusing on it or remembering what it sounded like." Amen.
Curaga Posted January 16 Posted January 16 4 hours ago, Subomie said: The track is about the idea of 'lingering scent' … like sniffing an old jumper that they left at your place. Or for some of you girls, perhaps a musky jockstrap? In the comments corner, Curaga shares some complaints about their last lover: "Good, but I don’t love the organ." Mm, been there. SIS, I’M SHDFOIJSGUPW#IOTJWHETU(PJIOAWKFDFAIPOIEJGSHDGPOIJ 1 2
Reverie Posted January 16 Posted January 16 The workout is kinda fun but also kinda ugly and kinda scary. Real art! Like in a rate maybe it's a 7-8 but then I think about whether I would want to hear it again on my own and the answer is not really. But it still should've been higher than some more painful songs 1
Graves Posted January 16 Author Posted January 16 21 minutes ago, Reverie said: The workout is kinda fun but also kinda ugly and kinda scary. Real art! Like in a rate maybe it's a 7-8 but then I think about whether I would want to hear it again on my own and the answer is not really. But it still should've been higher than some more painful songs Yeah, and after all of that it didn't even make a particularly good workout song
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