Utada Hikaru

^ Just checked it out myself and it seems quite repetitive but its nice if you do something else at the same time, and its surely good as BGM in a cafeteria / bar :)
 
I’m glad that the re-recordings are all songs I like. Though I wish it was a new album instead of a compilation one. Then again, I still jam out to “Show Me Love (Not A Dream)” and “Goodbye Happiness” from the last compilation, so who knows. Maybe the new songs will be some of her best.
 
george1234 said:
Im missing the 2 first kingdom hearts songs though
Click to expand...
Hikari is here though (well, a Re-recording of it). That's the first Japanese Kingdom Hearts song from Hikki.

For some reason I'm not particularly surprised the others aren't here (even though I love Passion). What I am kind of surprised about is the lack of "this is love", which was definitely a digital hit for her. Then again, she skipped Wait&See~Risk~ (I'm not a fan of Distance album era so that's cool with me, lol) so... who knows what the criteria for inclusion was. :)
 
Last edited:
^ oh sorry i didnt noticed Hikari was there. I liked Passion more but im ok with just Hikari too. the KH3 song was a disaster cause instead of making something her own style, she just jumped on the rap/trap wave and this was disappointing. Hope her more recent songs are closer to her usual style.
 
Love this song and so fitting around Valentine’s Day. What I’m not liking is how Utada is releasing practically 80% of her songs on snippets, you wait two months for the full song, and then you get a weird disjointed second half that is decent at best.

Probably her best music video in forever.
 
She has 4K versions of 10-15 songs on her channel https://www.youtube.com/@hikki/videos

Hiakru Utada 「First Love」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada 「Addicted To You」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada「Movin' on without you」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada 「Automatic」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada 「タイムリミット」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada 「For You」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada 「traveling」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada 「FINAL DISTANCE」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada 「Can You Keep A Secret?」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada 「SAKURAドロップス」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada 「COLORS」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada 「光」Music Video(4K UPGRADE ) (< never seen that one so im excited)
Hikaru Utada 「DEEP RIVER」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada 「KeepTryin'」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada 「Passion」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada 「Be My Last」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada 「誰かの願いが叶うころ」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada 「桜流し」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada 「Prisoner Of Love」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada 「HEART STATION」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada 「Flavor Of Life-Ballad Version」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
Hikaru Utada「Wait & See 〜リスク〜」Music Video(4K UPGRADE )
 
Last edited:
Oh dang, forgot about this album.

Of the 3 re-recordings I actually quite like "traveling" (except for the new adlibs during the intro parts - particularly the last "ohohohohohohoh" feels cheap). It's like... the same... yet a different take on it?

Same for "Addicted to you". The original is such a product of its time for an r&b track translated to Japan that this re-recording might actually benefit the song the most if one removes nostalgia goggles. I like it - I just happen to like "traveling" more.

Now "Hikari" is a bit of a different story... I think on 9 days out of 10 if you asked me about og "Hikari", I'd say the refrain vocals are grating (and repurposing "Uso mitaina I Love You" chorus for "Simple & Clean" was a great idea). This re-recording takes out all the distractions of the loud original instrumental and the refrain is still grating to me, lol. As is the bridge.

With that said, I kind of wish she went all in on these re-recordings and gave us a full 1CD side of them, rather than just 3 tracks.

I've not yet listened to the new tracks. I don't like the editing on "electricity" vocals. Would like an instrumental though.

Don't like the edited Somewhere Near Marseilles. :)

Edit:
I quite like the PV for traveling, too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmeIXhK4c1U
mfw it's actually an extended Ayataka tea commercial though, lol.
 
Last edited:
I really like the new travellling too. It is also a underground Ikea Kallax ad too but you realize that only if you also have the said furniture :)
 
Guess you're right. ^_^

I just listened to a few of the new mixes. I can't really make up my mind about them as of now.

I think I only like "Letters" (it addresses how packed the original sounds, even if there's still some weird quality to some synths; but it fades out too soon...) and "COLORS" (possibly most successful at a modern mix). The only issues for me is that maybe the vocals feel a little too drowned out in the instrumental at times. But maybe it's just me.

"Beautiful World" (I like the unmuted backing vocals at 1:25; don't know why they bothered to remove the lead-in wooshes like at 0:15) and "Goodbye Happiness" (general mix feelings aside, I don't like how they pull back the vocals and turn the effects knob to the max at the end of each prechorus 1:00/2:20 and on the bridge 3:00) are mid at best. Somehow they change how the songs feel to me. I also don't understand why they fadeout sooner.

"Sakura DROPS (2024 Mix)" is a disaster to me. Not even because of the mix itself (it's actually pretty nice, even if I don't understand why some elements got exposed as much or maybe copied from other places of the song) but because it revisions the ending completely. Changing the fadeout (reminder: I don't even like fadeouts) is one thing but pulling back the instrumental at 4:25 is just ????? Kills the multilayered hype for me. I can only guess it was done to prepare the listener for the new ending... It just made me angry. And they should've extended the ending sequence, not shortened it. :|
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top