[orbitalaspect]

I guess here's my review of the two albums, track-by-track:

W FACE ~outside~

01. W FACE - 8/10

I think this is one of Koda's strongest opening tracks for an album in years. I like the atmospheric feel and then it shifts quite nicely to the drop.

02. Ultraviolet - 7/10

A very hot track that honestly suffers from being too long by almost a minute. This should have been a MONEY IN MY BAG-length track. It would have packed a lot more punch that way.

03. Insane - 7/10

I like the hip-hop-rock style of this track. The production is very tight.

04. Damn real - 5/10

This song is long by like two minutes. But it's an excruciating two minutes. Like W FACE and Ultraviolet, it packs a lot more punch if it were shorter.

05. Heartless - 3/10

I'm sorry. I know some people are in love with this song. I've now listened to it twice, and I can't get over what is otherwise a really nice melody being shouted over. Perhaps the lyrics can save this, but not enough for me to think that Koda could have just brought down the shouting on the chorus... by a lot. I also feel like the music is negligible here, as though we could easily just have the music or the voice and the song would be better off. In fact, I'd probably be less spiteful toward this track if it were just Koda singing acapella.

06. Bassline - 6/10

Considering I hate saxophones, I'm surprised I think better of this song. (I tried to set that hatred aside.) I like the hip-hop-jazz feel. Unfortunately, at this point in the album I'm already tired of these style tracks. I had a fear that separating songs by style would be the greatest fall of these two albums. It's coming true.

07. Shh! - 7/10

My score is more affected by how worn out of this style I am at this point in the listening process. Otherwise, I love Shh! It's a fun song that I tend to find myself singing in the car at random times.

08. Bangerang - 5/10

My score is now heavily affected by how worn out this song sounds at this point in the album. It's still tight, but feels heavily recycled.

09. Wicked Girls - 2/10

This is mind-splitting. I've never heard a song that so much needs to be a forgotten b-side on one of Koda's singles. At this point, I'm so sick of hearing this album, but to end it on this note, Cupcake will need to be a fucking song written by God and produced by Heaven to save my interest in this album.

10. Cupcake - 2/10

I can't in good conscience rate a Koda track 1/10. That said, this is another perfect example of a track that should be a forgotten b-side on one of Koda's singles.



OVERALL SCORE: 5.2/10

W FACE ~outside~ just dropped the bomb. This album's saving graces are W FACE, Ultraviolet, Insane, and Shh! These are all tracks that I think would stand out much more if they weren't drowning in similar sounding songs over 32 minutes.

Now, on the positive side, I would have preferred almost any of the first 8 tracks to replace tracks like Mercedes and Lippy on WOML. So, I think Koda has clearly tightened up her production, lyricism, and snap. What's missing on this album is something that makes you want to get out of your seat like BE MY BABY, House Party, or Loaded. It's genuinely suffering from not having that ONE song everyone will want Koda to play on tour every year.




W FACE ~inside~

01. BRIDGET SONG - 8/10

My immediate concern is that this is not the song I'd want to open an album with. It's too laid back, too casual, too relaxed. I'd want something stronger with more of a statement than this. Otherwise, it's a nice song that reminds me of tracks like IN THE AIR and stuff she used to do on Black Cherry / TRICK / UNIVERSE.

02. Bring It On - 7/10

It's nice to hear something in the same vein as LALALALALA and Poppin' love cocktail. Still, this isn't how I would have opened the album. It's just not enough of a standout track to say, "You'll want to keep listening." I also feel that it starts to suffer from being too long at around the 2:10 mark.

03. Yorokobi no Kakera (lit. Fragment of Pleasure) - 7/10

This song will be a nice mix in a ballad selection if played on tour or on a ballad collection. There's nothing too memorable about it thus far. The string sections, however, are gorgeous and evoke nostalgia. The ending is a real nice touch too.

04. Stand by you - 4/10

Before I even hit a minute into this song, my first thought is a six minute Koda ballad is four minutes too long for anyone. I hope this doesn't feel like the eternity of Ayu's Anything for You. ... And it is. Just boring. Way too long for a Koda ballad.

05. Sukideshite (lit. I Like It) - 4/10

At almost the same exact point, I'm getting bored of this album. This is a cute song, but it's one of those para para tracks for me. I just can't see her performing this except during an encore, where nobody cares about the song and they're all just hoping to catch a t-shirt. :\

06. Kimi Omoi (lit. My Thoughts) - 9/10

What a classic J-Pop ballad. Such a throwback. And this is the track I would've opened this album with. It's just enough of a statement that you know what you're getting, but it's a sound we haven't really heard from Koda in several years.

07. On my way - 6/10

It follows well in Kimi Omoi's footsteps. The low score is because it's too similar in style to warrant being RIGHT AFTER Kimi Omoi. But it's still a nice, relaxing, cruising ballad.

08. What's Up - 4/10

Like Wicked Girls and Cupcake, this should have been a b-side on a single. It's nice enough to MAYBE make an album, but this isn't my idea of a song that should make a Koda album if you can find a better track or afford a shorter track list. At least this song is leagues ahead of Wicked Girls and Cupcake in tolerance.

09. Promise you - 8/10

I would have given this production more similar to you. I think this song would sound better with more ethereal sounds filling out the space around that piano. Or even some stomping drums like Kelly Clarkson's Already Gone or Rachel Platten's Stand By You. The beat on this just sounds cheap. But it's a strong ballad. I would have placed this as track two. Too late in the album, it doesn't feel like it stands out as much as it should.

10. My fun - 2/10

Oh my god. Those kids sound like a Resident Evil soundbite. This should have just stayed a demo. It doesn't even need to be a b-side. Just make it stop. It's still not bad enough to warrant a 1/10, but it's probably less tolerable than Cupcake or Wicked Girls. I had to turn it off before the half mark.



OVERALL SCORE: 5.9/10

W FACE ~inside~ is just a slight step up from dropping the bomb. Kimi Omoi, Promise you, and Bring It On would have stood out much better if combined with the better tracks from W FACE ~outside~. What honestly kills both these records is that these songs are not only nothing to really tell all your friends about, but they're drowning on two discs with songs that sound just like they do.

On a positive note, I think Koda did nail a few of these songs. I like that she still can have fun on an album. However, that isn't shining through except in little cracks of sunlight on these two albums. I just can't hop on these albums the same way I could even somewhat hold WOML up when it was released. What's worse is that these albums don't have a track like WALK OF MY LIFE to save the rest of the album. They just have a slightly better than mediocre track or two to carry the rest.

It's been enough time, but I would have preferred more time than these two albums as they are. I think she's got at least 7 or 8 songs for a damn good album. The rest are disposable, save a few that could be b-sides. And My fun is just a Resident Evil soundbite. I'm more uncomfortable from that song than any other feeling.


SOME ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS:

Alive still remains my favorite Koda ballad ever. Koishikute is a close second. I would have absolutely loved this whole project more if she managed one song in the same vein as either of those two. So, I'm a little extra sad that with so much opportunity to make each record something truly authentic to her, she didn't bother to write more diverse tracks for either album. Koda's done a lot of work across many genres. I think ~outside~ really should have showcased Koda doing hip-hop, EDM, rock, and other really upbeat tracks. And I think ~inside~ needed the diversity of songs like you, No Way, You're So Beautiful, Kimi Omoi, and Alive. I just think she dropped the ball on both records in such a deep way that they're both more of a stain than a next step.