Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai

Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai (http://www.ahsforum.com/forum/index.php)
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-   -   [Koda Kumi] The 195th Thread - ANⱭDNA (http://www.ahsforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124201)

abestfah 18th August 2018 05:27 PM

Her voice gets worse obviously.
I care about that.

Gustavopc 18th August 2018 06:27 PM

Kokoro kara i love u sounds like a Yorokobi no Kakera sequel, which means I loooooove it :heart Loved that performance so much, and as usually with her ballads I'm pretty sure it'll be even better in front of a live audience
CHANCES ALL is nothing new but I gotta say I feel like something is missing in that song... She sings it all the way through in the same way, and the instrumental doesn't evolve much either :/ It could work with an acoustic performance in the tour, but in this way it's just meh
HUSH live was not as good as I expected, and at the beginning I thought she wasn't gonna sing at all lol It wasn't bad but I expected more energy, maybe in a concert it'll work better. And gosh what a terrible outfit lol

lovethatkuu&ayu 18th August 2018 06:50 PM

Kokoro Kara, I Love You is very pretty. Definitely a classic Koda ballad. I kind of wish she had promoted it, since I always see comments from casuals who miss her ballads and mid-tempos.

CHANCES ALL is solid. I do wonder if the Ty Dolla $ign factor makes it special for her a bit.

HUSH is a bit awkward live. I'm not sure if it's her approach or if it's just the overall structure of the song. I'll wait until the tour performance to see if it improves. That outfit was suspect as hell. The random braid was just bizarre.

Xianghua 18th August 2018 09:37 PM

I like Chances All, it's a nice chill song but I still think it's weird to have her web address in the lyrics, lol. And she doesn't sing it!

I don't have an opinion on koko kara yet...it's a nice tempo to sing at karaoke though!

jiarongisme 19th August 2018 03:32 AM

Kokoro Kara i love u sounds like one of those songs that the general Japanese public would LOVE. Myself included :laugh

KarenPang 19th August 2018 05:02 AM

Kuu's video comment on a-nation

https://twitter.com/MUSIC_ON_TV_PR/s...56873384525824

Wow Kuu has 2 different hair colours :O

melissalove 19th August 2018 10:11 AM

I loved this, kumi has really come to her own.

KarenPang 19th August 2018 04:17 PM

DNA announcement promo poster found in a CD store

https://s15.postimg.cc/d2u0i4r6x/8ae...3fb90e917d.jpg

http://tieba.baidu.com/p/5835774439

Photos of Kuu performing onstage today at a-nation in Osaka's Yanmar Stadium Nagai

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dk-GF5MVsAAj44o.jpg:small

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dk-GF5MUwAEpsyS.jpg:small

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dk-GF5NUYAA08Uq.jpg:small

https://twitter.com/KODAKUMINET/stat...90289749176321

The 3rd photo , wow :love

Kuu with her dancers backstage - https://twitter.com/KODAKUMINET/stat...66661838045184

:laugh :laugh :laugh

From Kuu's Instagram

https://scontent-sin6-1.cdninstagram...v6fBlabVHRIMqV

https://scontent-sin6-1.cdninstagram...YTHyNhgyrvxEtI

https://scontent-sin6-1.cdninstagram...6pzpPgeEurXD5x

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bmqggowg8Xb/

Love the 2nd photo <3

Corvina 19th August 2018 05:55 PM

Koda Kumi Germany on fb recorded the a-nation broadcast (not HQ, but better than nothing):
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?sto...cus_composer=0

Already saw clips from the broadcast and from someone inside the stadium and it looked and sounded amazing!
Can't wait to watch it at home!

bpm was also pretty amazing!
I love both 心からi love u and CHANCES ALL!
I do agree CHANCES ALL would be better with a climax after the second chorus instead of just having an insturmental part. But I really like it anyway, Idk.
Her vocals were great, just her approach for HUSH was a bit strange.

pheonixflame15 19th August 2018 11:59 PM

Same set list as before?

kaled kalil 20th August 2018 12:13 AM

bpm is up on JPS. ;)

Gustavopc 20th August 2018 01:54 AM

The photos look great! Amazing how in the performance her hair looks muuuch better to me lol

Corvina 20th August 2018 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pheonixflame15 (Post 3283983)
Same set list as before?

It's the same, but shortened - PARTY is missing.
Which is a shame, cause LIT and PARTY work perfect together. She should have cut BE MY BABY instead.
LIT is the same extended version from AND Tour! :heart
And I have to say Dangerous is a great song and also great performed live. That dance!

Zeke. 20th August 2018 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corvina (Post 3284015)
It's the same, but shortened - PARTY is missing.
Which is a shame, cause LIT and PARTY work perfect together. She should have cut BE MY BABY instead.
LIT is the same extended version from AND Tour! :heart
And I have to say Dangerous is a great song and also great performed live. That dance!

Would you or someone be so kind to point me in the direction of the stylist? I’m contemplating trying to get tickets to a-nation to see Ku at least once before I leave japan, but I want to make sure the setlist is something that will satisfy me. BE MY BABY alone is almost worth going for but I still would like to see the entire setlist. Thanks.

Corvina 20th August 2018 06:23 AM

@Zeke:

Nagasaki:
01. Dangerous *new song
02. IS THIS TRAP?
03. BE MY BABY
04. CHANCES ALL *new song
05. め組のひと
06. PARTY
07. LIT
08. Poppin' love cocktail

Osaka:
01. Dangerous *new song
02. IS THIS TRAP?
03. BE MY BABY
04. CHANCES ALL *new song
05. め組のひと
06. LIT
07. Poppin' love cocktail

There might be a small change for Tokyo.
For Mie Bling Bling Bling with AK-69 as special guest was planned before it got cancelled.

Zeke. 20th August 2018 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corvina (Post 3284020)
@Zeke:

Nagasaki:
01. Dangerous *new song
02. IS THIS TRAP?
03. BE MY BABY
04. CHANCES ALL *new song
05. め組のひと
06. PARTY
07. LIT
08. Poppin' love cocktail

Osaka:
01. Dangerous *new song
02. IS THIS TRAP?
03. BE MY BABY
04. CHANCES ALL *new song
05. め組のひと
06. LIT
07. Poppin' love cocktail

There might be a small change for Tokyo.
For Mie Bling Bling Bling with AK-69 as special guest was planned before it got cancelled.

Thank you!

KarenPang 20th August 2018 08:49 AM

JPS has uploaded over the weekend's a-nation 2018 footages at Osaka

BS-Sky PerfecTV! aired Sat's while M-ON! TV aired yesterday's

Both file sizes are really big , for yesterday's , it's 31GB :dead2

Another photo taken yesterday at a-nation in Osaka

https://img.barks.jp/image/review/1000158937/koda.jpg

https://www.barks.jp/news/?id=1000158937

From Kuu's Instagram stories , 3 more softener offshot photos



https://kmexk.tumblr.com/post/176939...qu%C3%AD#notes

Wow

DNA offshot photo

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DlCJyh7UwAA7gPA.jpg:small

https://twitter.com/KODAKUMINET/stat...76267248304129

kaled kalil 20th August 2018 01:01 PM

Her bpm performance was pretty good. HUSH was cool but she not knowing how to sing the english parts kinda bothers me. Not even a case of mispronunciation... "hey my boy" "so hurry up bling bling" "better bring bling bling gonna make it out". haha

A-nation was kinda messy...? Haha she was all over the place with the lyrics, and even called CHANCES ALL by its demo name "Chances". The energy was great, as always, and vocals were pretty good. Sad that she skipped PARTY. :( Hope it's back for next week.

I'll have my thoughts about the songs when the album is out, not judge by live performances.

Corvina 20th August 2018 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaled kalil (Post 3284056)
Her bpm performance was pretty good. HUSH was cool but she not knowing how to sing the english parts kinda bothers me. Not even a case of mispronunciation... "hey my boy" "so hurry up bling bling" "better bring bling bling gonna make it out". haha

And also "gonna playing with fire" instead of "I'm/We're playing with fire".
You have to give her credit though, cause she isn't making it wrong, she's just slightly singing something different, rofl. Same with mistakes she makes with her Japanese lyrics - she just sings something else and you'll only notice, if you know the lyrics. :laugh
In that sense she's really professional.
She just has too much on her plate right now, I guess.


EDIT:
Just saw on Baidu.
DNA is apparently out on Spotify New Zealand! :)

kaled kalil 20th August 2018 03:46 PM

The album leaked on Baidu.

KarenPang 20th August 2018 04:12 PM

http://tieba.baidu.com/p/5848488686

Unfortunately starting from last year (or was it this year ? ) , Baidu do not allow users living outside of China to download files now , let alone register as users -_-

Gustavopc 20th August 2018 05:17 PM

omg LOONA and Kuu in the same day, the universe is spoiling me :heart

hud 20th August 2018 05:21 PM

I NEED IT RIGHT NOW

okumura 20th August 2018 06:19 PM

DNA IS FIRE!!

Corvina 20th August 2018 06:23 PM

It's also out now digitally in Japan!

You can buy it from Ototoy as international users:
https://ototoy.jp/_/default/p/118225

Listening now! :D

hud 20th August 2018 06:27 PM

I tried making an account with VPN but I couldn't lol I'll wait until a kind soul uploads it.

Corvina 20th August 2018 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snowo (Post 3284103)
I tried making an account with VPN but I couldn't lol I'll wait until a kind soul uploads it.

Lol, that's because you don't need one!
As I said you can buy it as an international user. :)

Marurosu 20th August 2018 06:30 PM

Since I've got spotify I'm gonna wait for it till 8/22... ;)

hud 20th August 2018 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corvina (Post 3284104)
Lol, that's because you don't need one!
As I said you can buy it as an international user. :)

I was talking about baidu. I'm unemployed and I don't even have a credit card lol. I can't buy it.

Corvina 20th August 2018 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snowo (Post 3284106)
I was talking about baidu. I'm unemployed and I don't even have a credit card lol. I can't buy it.

Ah, I'm sorry to hear that.
Though you can also pay with PayPal there.

hud 20th August 2018 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corvina (Post 3284107)
Ah, I'm sorry to hear that.
Though you can also pay with PayPal there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by snowo (Post 3284106)
I'm unemployed

I'll listen to [+ +] while I wait! lol

Gubsi 20th August 2018 07:15 PM

tbh she SNAPPED :dead2
this album is really great, i'm shocked that i like it THAT much on first listen.
she can keep WATCH OUT and the first ballad tho, the rest is pure gold!

i GAGGED at the beat drop in Dangerous, Scream is amazing and Hot Hot + Pin Drop are so good wow :dead2

really enjoyed my first ride, so much fun
this is such a great record! :luv2

hud 20th August 2018 07:18 PM

it's on jps.

edit: Guess Who Is Back is my shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the album is so good! I really like it more than AND, and the latter still has quite a few songs I still listen to. I only don't really care for WATCH OUT but aside from it I like pretty much everything.

Corvina 20th August 2018 07:47 PM

The album is nice!
Musically one of her most interesting, if not her most interesting.
I don't like WATCH OUT, but apart from that I like everything else.
Even both ballads - Aenaku nara is awesome with its soft vocals and the real instruments!
And Dangerous slays!

Gustavopc 20th August 2018 08:15 PM

I'm in the same boat as Corvina, aside from WATCH OUT all songs are great to me. The first ballad is like an evolved Koishikute, so I just loved it. HOT HOT is probably my fav song in the album, she did THAT. Work That sounds like a song Kylie Minogue would record, and Pin drop is such a gem. I'll do a proper review track by track later after a couple more tracks but I love how solid this album is! Wish more tracks had PVs

Corvina 20th August 2018 08:54 PM

So Kuu posted about the last song of the album today - 心からI love u.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...921/ksxjIY.png

It's another personal song, a song about the reality of accepting to have to say goodbye.
She had to say goodbye herself not only for love, but also in other relationships with friends many times. And there were times where she had troubles accepting it.
She hopes the song helps with it.

The album is officially out now in Japan!
Together with DNA there are Summer of Love and Eternity ~Love & Songs~ digitally available for a limited time for a reduced price:
https://rhythmzone.net/koda/news/detail.php?id=1064604

voltron 20th August 2018 09:01 PM

I just posted a download link in the downloads section, from the JPS rip.

I really hope someone got the FC version and rips the tour. I was going to get it, but honestly I can't justify spending that much just to get a DVD that I can't even play on my TV directly. If it were blu-ray I'd have gone for it.

ilovekodaa 20th August 2018 09:15 PM

QUEEN OF ASIA DNA . THAT IS ALL

thinkingoutloud89 20th August 2018 09:46 PM

its okay...only really love HOT HOT. Other than that I see replay-value in HAIRCUT, HUSH and Work That..the rest are just quality filler

roxaskh2fm 20th August 2018 10:40 PM

Fast first listen and already love Dangerous. And funny thing: now i like WATCH OUT XD

haraiso 20th August 2018 10:56 PM

Really loving HOT HOT :banana1

maxikot 20th August 2018 11:11 PM

A-nation day 2, love her entrance with Dangerous:
https://www.facebook.com/KodaItalian...type=2&theater

melissalove 21st August 2018 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haraiso (Post 3284149)
Really loving HOT HOT :banana1

Her best song in years. :P

lastminute 21st August 2018 12:26 AM

Just listened to it once and already love HOT HOT and Guess Who Is Back <3 I think it's a very interesting album overall. I even started to like WATCH OUT a little more... wtf

hud 21st August 2018 12:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corvina (Post 3284126)
It's another personal song, a song about the reality of accepting to have to say goodbye.
She had to say goodbye herself not only for love, but also in other relationships with friends many times. And there were times where she had troubles accepting it.
She hopes the song helps with it.

oh wow. seems like it will be a song i'll listen to a lot.

se7entheaven 21st August 2018 04:22 AM

Kokoro Kara I love you is so beautiful :) It should be a single and get its own MV with Kuu being dramatic

Corvina 21st August 2018 05:52 AM

Photos of the FC and Blu-Ray version:

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...921/RuctUX.jpg



Thanks to 樱和日丽·桜 on Baidu.

Xianghua 21st August 2018 06:03 AM

ugh i hate not being able to afford the FC version, it's beautiful

KarenPang 21st August 2018 06:26 AM

Just like Gubsi , I'm pleasantly surprised how much I like the new material in DNA on 1st listen

Dangerous is awesome and also HOT HOT + Pin Drop

When I heard Guess Who Is Back , I was like eh it's very anime sounding haha

I converted finishing the entire a-nation 2018 footages on Sunday to .mp4 , I'm going to extract Kuu's performance later on . It's great she chose Dangerous as the opening number

Kuu looks amazing in the shots in the DNA CD sleeves and fanclub photobook *__*

TSUTAYA Shibuya

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DlGblI7U8AEasW9.jpg:small

https://twitter.com/shibutsuta_tr/st...77110669455365

Corvina 21st August 2018 06:38 AM

Tour update.

11 dates are sold out:
09.22. Sapporo
09.23. Sapporo
10.14. Nagano
10.21. Yamaguchi
11.03. Osaka
11.04. Osaka
11.08. Kurume/Fukuoka
11.13. Kanagawa
12.04. Saitama
12.23. Nagoya
12.29. Kagawa (Final)

For the 8 following dates only few tickets are left right now:
09.15. Fukuoka
09.17. Kumamoto
10.07. Tokyo
10.13. Ishikawa
10.28. Chiba
11.10. Hiroshima
12.01. Sendai
12.02. Fukushima

A lot of the dates only had few tickets left and then got back to some more, probably cause people "bought" the tickets and then didn't pay within the 1 day time limit. But it shows what they mean with a lot of the shows have already lots of tickets sold. The dates above are sold out or almost sold out for a few days now.
She should be able to sell this tour out - after all W FACE Tour covered about 131k people last year and this one is about 79k.

KarenPang 21st August 2018 06:51 AM

Did anyone notice the spelling error on the screen when Kuu sang CHANCES ALL on Sun's a-nation ?

https://s15.postimg.cc/gxli8n47f/a-n...134931.752.jpg

https://s15.postimg.cc/no1zi2z2z/a-n...134951.771.jpg

Oops :tipsy

Kuu's a-nation performance is about 30 mins long

Xianghua 21st August 2018 07:10 AM

It's up on US Spotify already!

Now that I've listened to it all, I must say I like it a lot better than AND. It's my favorite kuu release since Bon Voyage.

I like every song except for watch out, still think that track would work better as an interlude.

Favorites: Dangerous, Chances All, Guess Who Is Back, Hot Hot, Work That, Pin Drop.

Corvina 21st August 2018 08:40 AM

Two more radio appearances:

■FM OH!
9/2(日)16:55~17:00
「Drive Porter Radio」
HP:http://www.fmosaka.net/


■FM OH!
9/9(日)16:55~17:00
「Drive Porter Radio」
HP:http://www.fmosaka.net/

Also she said in her FC blog that a big announcement is coming soon.
Probably the DNA Tour goods - she checked them on the weekend with her staff and dancers.

koumori 21st August 2018 09:32 AM

DNA is amazing. Legitimately loving it, what a strong release! Ugh I'm so happy rn

KarenPang 21st August 2018 10:24 AM

DNA DVDs tracklist fanclub version

ファンクラブ盤付属DVD(DISC 2)

Koda Kumi Fanclub Tour ~AND~ at DRUM LOGOS in Fukuoka

・IT'S MY LIFE
・POP DIVA
・SWEETEST TABOO
・Selfish
・WHO
・BRAIN
・GOT ME GOING'
・Sometimes Dreams Come True
・My fun ~my son version~
・ALL RIGHT <DANCERS INTRODUCTION>
・FREAKY
・Hot Stuff feat. KM-MARKIT
・め組のひと
・PARTY
・LIT

ファンクラブ盤付属DVD(DISC 3)

・Koda Kumi Fanclub Tour ~AND~[Making Film]
・Album「DNA」[Making Film]

https://natalie.mu/music/news/296295

My fun ~my son version~ - aww

Another DNA offshot photo

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DlHT8UuV...jpg&name=small

https://twitter.com/KODAKUMINET/stat...38867177885698

:luv2 :luv2 :luv2

DNA CD + DVD front & back covers

From Yahoo Japan Auctions



Woah at the back cover

Marurosu 21st August 2018 01:07 PM

DNA is a good album. Better than AND...

I'm in love with HOT HOT, Pin Drop, and ScREaM...

The ballads are also good but I'm not in this vibe today... LOL

Chris_Duvall 21st August 2018 01:13 PM

It's a good album, definitely better than AND!
Listening to it on Apple Music, but probably not going for the the physical version.

Gustavopc 21st August 2018 01:19 PM

I'm so sad I couldn't get the FC edition in the end, I had an issue with my credit card and mu-mo didn't tax me right away, otherwise it'd have been okay...Now probably once I'm able to get it, it's gonna be sold out... If it's not sold out already :(

Earth_maiden 21st August 2018 02:00 PM

I'll be in Japan again in Jan, I haven't been able to get Kuu's latest works so I'm very excited to scour Book Off and Tsutaya for AND/DNA and the last few live tours. I'll keep my eyes open for FC editions, you never know what you'll find in Japan. :D

SKYia 21st August 2018 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corvina (Post 3284208)
Tour update.
11 dates are sold out:
12.23. Nagoya
12.29. Kagawa (Final)

Noes :( I'm still waiting for the results of Ayu tour lottery but if I win I was thinking of going to Japan in December 19th-31st and try to attend Kuu's concerts (either Nagoya Dec 24th or Kagawa, the final) either through Lawson ticket if still posiible or reseller. Never been to Kuu concert, I'm a teacher and only can go to Japan Feb, July-Sept and sometimes December but she rarely has any concerts during those months, now would be such a perfect opportunity to see both Ayu and Kuu.

abestfah 21st August 2018 02:19 PM

After a forgettable​ AND, Kumi is back to me again. Every songs in this album, I can feel that she intended to produce all songs in this. My favorite song is "Pin Drop", the reason I ordered FC album for the first time. Also, I like Dangerous, Hush, Japanese Name Ballad, Haircut and Chances All. By the way, I think Introduction could be better, it is the least favorite for me among all introductions.

lovethatkuu&ayu 21st August 2018 04:18 PM

Easily Kumi's best overall album, since JAPONESQUE. I now understand why she was working on it until the last minute. She and her staff really thought about this album and put in some work on it. It's a unique combination of the familiarity of her 2005 to 2012 albums, and the boldness of her post-Bon Voyage work.

Listening to DNA, gives me a better understanding of what AND was supposed to be. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit put off by AND. It was a bit unfocused and a bit too over-the-top. Listening to both albums back to back, gives me a fresh perspective on AND.

Really happy to see the tour performing very well ticket sales wise. Kumi is one of the few veteran soloists at avex who can easily tour each year without question.

voltron 21st August 2018 04:24 PM

I have to listen to DNA some more, but I like it a lot more than I thought I would based on the previews. I don't think it's as strong as something like WOML, but it's really good.

As for AND, I really like it, but didn't LOVE it at first. However, after going to the FC tour, I really, really loved it.

inspire_rmx 21st August 2018 04:45 PM

DNA is such a step up compared to AND. Really loving all the songs on the album

roxaskh2fm 21st August 2018 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by voltron (Post 3284273)
As for AND, I really like it, but didn't LOVE it at first..

YES! For now I think that I prefer AND.
DNA is a good album, and i LOVE more songs from this album, but i also hate more (CHANCES ALL, eargh!). Let's see with a month or two listening everyday...

ladyluthien 21st August 2018 04:55 PM

I really love it Work That!
The FC photo book is beautiful.

Marurosu 21st August 2018 05:14 PM

I would like to know if Kuu is really Strong touring in Japan, cause it impresses me. She can make a tour only for Fanclub members. Is that usual in Japan?

KarenPang 21st August 2018 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marurosu (Post 3284287)
I would like to know if Kuu is really Strong touring in Japan, cause it impresses me. She can make a tour only for Fanclub members. Is that usual in Japan?

Other artistes also hold fanclub tours and also organise special fanclub events as well

In some cases , the fanclub members get to go overseas and have fun with the artiste themselves . Kuu has done that before when she went Hawaii sometime back

And some artistes take 1 step further by holding concerts that only male + female fans separately can attend too

Ruan Borges 21st August 2018 05:59 PM

DNA is such a solid album, her last album that I liked as a whole was Bon Voyage, and now I feel that again with this release. Watch Out is the only bad thing on it, so noisy, it should've been put on AND lol

Gustavopc 21st August 2018 06:12 PM

So overall, my thoughts on the album~
Spoiler:

Introduction: not bad, but too weak compared to other intros. Maybe cause that's indeed an intro and not a really short song like what we had for second session, Black Cherry and TRICK. It's okay.
HUSH: It came out almost an year ago but I still LOOOVE it to bits, so bold and energetic. That's great cause I can't imagine mid 2000s Kuu singing to this, it makes me so happy when she hits it right with her new sound.
Dangerous: The ''na na na na'' parts are sooo good, and the verses as well, just wish it was a bit less dubstep-ish cause it made the song sound a bit dated to me. But the energy here is also great!
WATCH OUT ~DNA~: Well it's really well produced but too over the top to me and too repetitive. Skippable when you're halfway through
ScREeaM: Better than the preview but it didn't click that much with me, and being in the middle of WATCH OUT and CHANCES ALL I just feel like also skipping this sometimes. I think it'll grow in me after some time tho
CHANCES ALL: Also a bit repetitive, commented on that before. Not bad, just doesn't seem to go nowhere. Gimme a remix on DH9 or an acoustic guitar performance on the tour pls
Aenaku Naru Kurainara: Looooove this, her voice sounds so sweet yet powerful, can't wait to see her doing it live. The slow piano makes me wonder if she's gonna attempt at playing it once again in a tour, wish she would.
HAIRCUT: Now from here on the album just takes off lol I loved this since the preview with AND, the beat is great and it's really catchy!
Guess Who Is Back: Even better in full, another song full of energy, and so unique in her discography especially since Bon Voyage!
HOT HOT: yaaaas all over the runway <3 Love the verses, she sounds so sexy, and in the chorus her deep voice is just so good. The instrumental with the latin-esque instruments also brings a nice uniqueness to this amongst her recent songs.
Kokoro kara i love u: AMAZING ballad, so glad it's not generic as another Ai no uta, there's something "mature" about this that I also sensed in Yorokobi no kakera, and I love this direction for her ballads. It fits her voice SO well. Could have been a succesful song if it were a single tbh.
Work That: Love love love, nice pop song with an ero-kakoii vibe to me!
Pin Drop: While I feel like not a good last song for the album cause it gives a vibe of "I want more", that vibe also makes the song so great lol There's some boldness to it I love so much


Overall yes it's a nice mix of what she's been doing lately and some "old school"-ish songs, more polished than AND, and more well layered (?) than W FACE, the arrangements feel better produced/more complex but still in the right places except for WATCH OUT :P I feel like that a lot of things "clicked" right for her (and me lol) during the production of this album. Really really great work, Kuu, so proud of you! <3 Can't wait for a terrific tour with a lot of dancing (and better outfits than those from bpm I hope hahaha)

hud 21st August 2018 06:30 PM

Dangerous and Work That are slaying me rn

Darkifrit 21st August 2018 07:13 PM

I loved W FACE (mostly outside) but was not really convinced with the 2 albums per year 2 years in a row.
AND was quite flat, i had no expectation for DNA, so after a first listening, i'm quite pleased with the album.
DNA is more polished than her last 3 albums. My favorite are 心から I Love U (could have been a small hit if she released it as a promotional single with a dramatic PV) & Dangerous.
Keep working Kuu, i hope the album will have good sales.

Xianghua 21st August 2018 07:35 PM

The car horns in Watch Out keeps catching me off guard. I always think it's coming from outside :laugh

DevilsClap 21st August 2018 07:52 PM

CHANCES ALL and HOT HOT are my favorite songs.
I also really for some reason like WATCH OUT!! I must be the only one , lol
I don't know what to think about ScREaM though, but I think with more times listening to it I can like it too-

Corvina 21st August 2018 08:42 PM

So some more detailed thoughts about DNA:

Spoiler:

Introduction: I really like this intro! It reminds me of something Matt Hill would do and I approve! Plus I think it really sets the mood for the whole album.
HUSH: Well produced song, which totally deserved to be a single. Just like in HOT HOT later she uses quite sensual, aspirating vocals in some parts. I really think in mood and style HUSH and HOT HOT work very well together, HUSH leading to HOT HOT.
Dangerous: It's a pretty complex song and I'm quite astonished Kuu composed the main parts. I don't really like her other two composed songs much. But this one works so well, spreading energy, but also has parts creating a rather dark atmosphere. I'm sold. If she creates such great songs with the help of Kenji she can go on with that!
WATCH OUT ~DNA~: The track I don't like that much, though it does work in the context of the album here. And in HQ it has some really great grungy beat going on I dig. So when listening with headphones I don't skip it because of that beat, hahaha. Like I said earlier I appreciate what she wants to do with it, also setting a bridge thematically to the next song.
ScREeaM: Musically this track is awesome, another complex song! Also like the theme of the song which climaxes in her singing "It's ok to be afraid". Too bad the chorus is such a fail lyrically.
CHANCES ALL: The song makes so much sense coming after ScREeaM, a song about fighting everyday in daily life! Here she sings about how she herself fights everyday to be happy in this world. The rainbow is present in both songs, too. ;) And even though it misses a proper climax I really enjoy this song. The lyrics are great, too.
Aenaku Naru Kurai nara: Her vocals compliment the classical arrangement very well in this song. And they're pretty soft as well. It just works for me.
HAIRCUT:A song with a quite advanced sound and lots of layers going on, which makes it very compelling listening to it with headphones. Her different vocal approaches from rough to soft makes it also interesting. And I like the lyrics. Overall just well produced.
Guess Who Is Back: The hardest rock song she ever did! That guitar part towards the end is love! She said that the anime team requested a "mixture rock song" from her and she immediately thought about her husband and TEEDA as it's their specialty. Well produced and unique for her discography.
HOT HOT: Unusal structure for the song and I like that. Playful lyrics, accompanied by deep, sensual vocals. And catchy. Awesome and very fitting for summer like she intended to.
Kokoro kara i love u: This ballad evokes the feeling of already knowing it. In the sense like I would feel like knowing a person forever already even though I've just met him or her. Do you know what I mean? :laugh A comfortable feeling. Vocals are awesome here. Fits to some of the great ballads on W FACE inside being in the same style.
Work That:Some say the electronic sound is dated, but I never cared much about something sounding dated. The very cute vocals surprisingly fit the song, though I admit I had to get used to it. A combination of cute vocals and a western, "serious" sound is interesting and makes the cuteness bearable. It's also quite different for her discography.
Pin Drop: This is the biggest surprise for me! I liked the preview, but the song is so much better and evolving differently than I imagined it to be. I simply love it. The "don't give it up" background chorus and the accelerating part directly after give me goosebumps. And the tone she sings in sounds very comfortable for her. Considering it's a live performance song, I really can't wait to see her tour performance for it!

Overall an album that works and like others said bring together what she has done earlier in her career and experimented with in recent years. She definitely accomplished what she wanted to do with it, compiling the Koda Kumi sound while giving a further direction for the future.
Sound and especially also her vocals are well produced overall.
From HAIRCUT till the end it's pretty flawless to me.


Kuu introduces a new logo with this album:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...922/Ft5p5q.png

Two intertwined Ks forming one entity, a DNA strand.
Really fitting to the theme introduced with W FACE and being continued with AND-DNA.


Quote:

Originally Posted by SKYia (Post 3284260)
Noes :( I'm still waiting for the results of Ayu tour lottery but if I win I was thinking of going to Japan in December 19th-31st and try to attend Kuu's concerts (either Nagoya Dec 24th or Kagawa, the final) either through Lawson ticket if still posiible or reseller. Never been to Kuu concert, I'm a teacher and only can go to Japan Feb, July-Sept and sometimes December but she rarely has any concerts during those months, now would be such a perfect opportunity to see both Ayu and Kuu.

The final was aready sold out with her FC lotteries. It's always the date hardest to get tickets for.
The 2nd Nagoya date still has some tickets left, but Idk for how long.
Wish you luck to get tickets somehow!

Gustavopc 21st August 2018 08:56 PM

I actually read IOI instead of K-reverseK in that logo, but I like the concept :laugh

Corvina's comments on the lyrical content of the songs made me wanna take a listen to the album while reading translations, I guess it could help me grow into CHANCES ALL and WATCH OUT :P

CeReSu 21st August 2018 09:03 PM

I love the album ♥♥♥

My favorites so far:

- scream
- hot hot
- work that
- pin drop

And of course Haircut and Hush :)

primavera♥ 21st August 2018 10:43 PM

I really really liked the chorus of Guess Who is Back, but I do not like the verses. Since I love the chorus though, I put it on my Kuu fav playlist to give it a chance to grow

Dangerous had a lot of potential, like I was really feeling the beats when it started but it never came together for me.

Otherwise, I thought this album really wasn't great. But Guess Who is Back and Work That are really good I think (minus that one issue I mentioned) :) Also I wouldn't skip Pin Drop if I heard it, it's fine. I appreciate her effort, but I hope I'm really able to enjoy her future project.

It's better than AND. But All Right is my fav Kuu song from the year still.

Cahz- 21st August 2018 10:50 PM

I liked Guess Who is Back, but I wished her vocals were clearer instead of that effect they used on the song. Anyway I'm happy many people here connected with the album, not my case sadly.

Marurosu 22nd August 2018 03:29 AM

I'm expecting better sales for DNA... Because AND had almost no promotion, right?

kaled kalil 22nd August 2018 03:41 AM

The album is number 2 on recochoku daily - album http://recochoku.jp/ranking/album/daily/

cosmicfirefly 22nd August 2018 04:10 AM

I'm really liking this album! My favorites are HUSH, HOT HOT, Work That, and both ballads. The introduction wasn't too memorable, and WATCH OUT and CHANCES ALL are my least favorites, though they're catchy. My main issue with them are the back vocals where it sounds like someone else is singing distorted that I find annoying, like when they repeat "chances all" in the chorus. I hope she releases remixes for these songs soon.

Now I just need to make a playlist with my favorite songs from both AND/DNA.

KarenPang 22nd August 2018 05:41 AM

When I 1st heard Introduction ~My music is designed from my DNA~ , I thought something was wrong with the file cos it had the HAIRCUT melody x)

DNA CM

https://twitter.com/KODAKUMINET/stat...17571963695104

Kuu's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/p/BmxFuniAG-F

I like DNA but I'm annoyed that it's not going to get #1 cos I feel it deserves so

Times like this , I really am torn in fandoms that clash with each other on the same week -_-

Also I wouldn't get my copy of DNA until Friday I think . It already arrived in customs last night but today is a public holiday and tomorrow I have to go to the hospital so :s

Calico 22nd August 2018 08:32 AM

Man, I feel like I live in opposite land. I was really disappointed in my listen through, although I honestly wasn't expecting much. I liked AND although it's a meh compared to W FACE, WoML and Bon Voyage, which I have loved since her hiatus. (BV really had to grow on me though) DNA sounds like a bunch of leftover demos and the sudden ballads completely ruin the flow for me :( I'll give it a few more listens though because I still like that style, but right now I'm meh about it.

It's kinda funny, I see a lot of people online complaining about her style the past few years because it's way more westernized (a lot of people compare it to kpop, lol) and saying that it's so flat beause of it. But I never really agreed with that until DNA, when I had a moment where I thought a lot of the songs were lots of sounds, but no substance.

MEEEHHH I'll probably be obsessed with it by the end of September!

KarenPang 22nd August 2018 11:13 AM

DNA 1st day position & sales - #2 ; 11,686

https://tieba.baidu.com/p/5850898180

Corvina 22nd August 2018 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarenPang (Post 3284395)
DNA 1st day position & sales - #2 ; 11,686

https://tieba.baidu.com/p/5850898180

That's alright. Higher than AND (around 9,800) and on par with the W FACE albums ( each around 11,800).
If it will have some longevity it might sell like W FACE.

And the album is #1 on LINE Music for its first day!

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/8...922/rFS1ej.png

Which is great, cause she is up against AAA and Ariana Grande. And also Keyakizaka46 and some others being much more popular than her at the moment.

abestfah 22nd August 2018 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarenPang (Post 3284395)
DNA 1st day position & sales - #2 ; 11,686

https://tieba.baidu.com/p/5850898180

I am happy with this, hope she will end this week 20000+.

Corvina 22nd August 2018 11:52 AM

HMV in Narita is already sold out for the CD only version! :D

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/8...921/562qsz.png

Marurosu 22nd August 2018 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarenPang (Post 3284395)
DNA 1st day position & sales - #2 ; 11,686

https://tieba.baidu.com/p/5850898180

I don't remember how much AND sold at the first day...

abestfah 22nd August 2018 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marurosu (Post 3284404)
I don't remember how much AND sold at the first day...


As I remember, less than 10000 copies.

KarenPang 22nd August 2018 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marurosu (Post 3284404)
I don't remember how much AND sold at the first day...

3 threads back ,

AND 1st day sales was 9,858

http://www.ahsforum.com/forum/showpo...&postcount=502

2 threads back ,

AND 1st week position & sales was #6 ; 14,538

http://www.ahsforum.com/forum/showpo...&postcount=121

Frankly it would be great if DNA outsells AND slightly if not sell on par with it

Marurosu 22nd August 2018 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarenPang (Post 3284406)
3 threads back ,

AND 1st day sales was 9,858

http://www.ahsforum.com/forum/showpo...&postcount=502

2 threads back ,

AND 1st week position & sales was #6 ; 14,538

http://www.ahsforum.com/forum/showpo...&postcount=121

Frankly it would be great if DNA outsells AND slightly if not sell on par with it

Oh thanks! Comparing to W face sales it's worse, isn't it?

kaled kalil 22nd August 2018 01:19 PM

The sales are very close to W FACE (11,812 inside and 11,830 outside). I hope it can reach 20k this week and keep going.

I wonder if a-nation is gonna give a boost to the sales this weekend. It's her first album sold around a-nation dates, that might be a good promotion.

KarenPang 22nd August 2018 01:30 PM

Brief LIT performance at last Sun's a nation in Osaka

https://twitter.com/anation_navi/sta...35944441769985

Love it when Kuu opened the briefcase up and just let the fake $ bills flew out like feathers lol

lovethatkuu&ayu 22nd August 2018 03:05 PM

Given how the W FACE project was released 1.5 years ago, that is a very good hold. The name of the game for Kumi (and Ayumi too) is stability right now. An artist doesn't want their record label to see them having unpredictable slides in album and tour sales from year to year.

Out of curiosity, I took a look at other Rhythm Zone acts to see how they were doing and got a shock. If DNA sells what I think (slightly over 23k), then that means E-girls will only outsell her with an original album this year by around 20k. Last year in 2017, those girls killed Kumi in physical album sales by at least 125k easily. No shade at the girls, but man...fame is fickle in the idol business.

Gustavopc 22nd August 2018 03:16 PM

^ That's pretty much it. Her tours are succesful and her chart performance have been stable over the last years, and that's great for a female soloist in Japan with a long career like Kuu :)

Just saw the CM, I wonder why they didn't include Guess Who is Back in it, the tie-in is so good...

On a side note, I hope they announce DH9 soon, DNA is perfect for remixes. And if they do it, I can see Megumi no hito popping up there lol Also can't wait to see the DNA tour goodies, let's see if this time I can get me a nice towel and t-shirt.

ayumi_croatia 22nd August 2018 03:34 PM

After my first listen, I have to say I like it way more than DNA!

Highlights so far are HAIRCUT, the Japanese title ballad and Pin Drop. I would have liked CHANCES ALL if wasn't for her pronounciation. (BLAIN from AND says hi)

The intro is really cool.

Teppei-chan 22nd August 2018 07:54 PM

Currently listening to DNA, I am at CHANCES ALL right now. The Introduction sounds so good I think I might isten to it from time to time. I think I have to listen more often to WATCH OUT to say if I like this song but imo the studio version is better than the live performance she did a few days ago. One thing is for sure the "Hey watch out, watch watch out" part is catchy and it will be stuck in my head.
So now I'm going back to listen to rest of the album. I'm happy that AND and DNA have many songs that I like after I not really liked that much from her past few albums

roxaskh2fm 22nd August 2018 07:55 PM

Spotify got a typo with "intoroduction" XD


Now i'm REALLY addicted. Guess Who is Back is my favorite, followed by Dangerous and HAIRCUT.

(Still don't like CHANCES ALL)

Zeke. 23rd August 2018 12:25 AM

Listened to most of the album.

Dangerous had the most potential, but it’s so empty. I love the whole vibe it’s got but that “chorus” if you even can call it that gets old more quickly than I expected it to. It’s kind of like the poor mans “HURRICANE VENUS” by BoA, or some of her more exciting songs.

Hot hot or what’ve it’s called is good for a listen, but I can see it getting old quick.

The real star here is HUSH. As I mentioned upon it’s release, it’s the first Kumi song since Whatchu Waitin’ On to give me a very specific feeling. I listen to it and the entire time my chest is tense - filled with excitement, anticipation for specifics in the song that have yet to come. It’s like an elated feeling of anxiety but in a good way of that makes sense, lol. Seriously I just listened to it 5 times in a row and that feeling never escaped me. It’s for this feeling I continue listening to artists who otherwise fail me more often than not.

On a side note, did she change the last line on HUSH? Maybe I just didn’t notice it was always like that since I haven’t listened to it in a while.


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