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I'm sorry to say this, but Heart Station sounds so ordinary. Several of the tracks seem to riff off Flavor of Life's composition (which itself riffs off Colors') without really trying to do something interesting, so they comes across as redundant. Hikki's not a great lyricist, so it's business as usual, which I don't mind. Although individually-speaking the songs in Ultra Blue aren't as impressive as in her previous three albums, taken together as an album they work in lovely, mysterious ways. I'm still trying to figure out Ultra Blue, but I think it's worth the effort. Heart Station sounds like a very tired album and not as organic as Ultra Blue. It's sometimes pleasurable, but it has no mysteries under its surface. None of the vocal affectations Hikki pulls off so well, too. But thank God for small miracles like Beautiful World!
Someone said it has been downhill from her Singles Collection onward. I agree. For me, she used to stand toe-to-toe with Ayu (I couldn't make up my mind whom I liked better back then). Now she's slowly fading away. It's sad since she has so much talent.
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