the official thread 12 "utada hikaru - Page 22

fanmail · #**421** 17th March 2008, 08:45 PM

I don't have a problem with using all the singles, but if you're gonna do it, then ... make more new album material too.

I mean, it's just a slap in the face for those who bought the singles.

Spoiler:

cloud♥honey · #**422** 17th March 2008, 08:47 PM

I don't see the problem with the songs too but it is still boring.

ayuayu798 · #**423** 17th March 2008, 08:51 PM

The songs, to me are pretty good, but it isnt as satisfying as some of her other songs.

OogoeDiamond · #**424** 17th March 2008, 08:52 PM

I don't know why people skip singles songs...they are very nice too when you listen to the both

xiaou-xijiang · #**425** 17th March 2008, 08:52 PM

I'm glad I listened to it first. I'm not in a craze to buy it now. I may wait a year like I did w/ UB (of course I didn't dl UB but whatever) Listening to this album made me yearn for UB like for realz. It was a pain in my chest. It cried: No, Hikki NO! Keep Tryin'! Passion! This is Love!

Ofcourse, I can't discredit this, but there are few songs on this album that really grab my attention. Lo and behold, they're the songs I've already heard before.

And P-Capital-S WTF was up with Take 5? I was like, Wow this is pretty goo...W T F? Neither songs are bad except, random much?

ayuayu798 · #**426** 17th March 2008, 08:56 PM

Even though I listened to the whole album, I think the reason why people skip the single songs is because , they heard it already, and are tired of it, so they look forward to hear the newer songs.I used to be like that, until I realized how much of a differece it makes to listen to the whole album. ^^

OogoeDiamond · #**427** 17th March 2008, 09:09 PM

Celebrate gotta have another title xD
"HAPPY WOMEN AFTER DIVORCE"

GRACE · #**428** 18th March 2008, 12:37 AM

Fight the Blues feels like it was made to listen to on headphones, not on speakers. Hikki is the only singer I listen too who really takes advantage of 2 speakers. Certain notes only play on one side, and then move to the other, it's really a nice affect. Sort of like Amai Wana~Paint it Black~ with the line in the end that moves from speaker to speaker.

Prisoner of Love is STILL headache inducing for me. Maybe it'll grow on me eventually, but I just don't like it. And what's up with all the Kairo hate? Kairo would be my favorite song off UB if Be My Last wasn't on it. To each his own I guess =P

Also, responding to an earlier post, about the double A-side thing. 2 out of 4 singles being double A-side is the same as one half of the singles for this album being double A-sided. Personally, if an artist has to release a multiple A-side at all, it should only be one per album. More than one, and you've already made the equivalent of four singles. So if you look at it like that, Heart Station had SEVEN single songs to FIVE new songs plus one interlude.

It's not balanced, it leans too much towards single tracks, not album tracks. Up until the Interlude it feels like a best album. Granted, I don't hate the album. It'd be an exceptional album, from anyone OTHER THAN someone of the musical status of Utada Hikaru. My expectations of her are higher, and they weren't met this time, so I don't care for the album as much as I cared for Ultra Blue, or Deep River. Had Exodus not had trash like Easy Breezy, THE WORKOUT and Tippy Toe, I'd like it more than Heart Station to be honest.

Akutenshi · #**429** 18th March 2008, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luv ~Venus~

Your're gonna love me, Ayulover -

Spoiler:

~~I still have to get Fight the Blues!~~ I've updated it and added it!

Is it just me, or is Prisoner of Love not in there?

xiaou-xijiang · #**430** 18th March 2008, 01:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GRACE;1376341

It's not balanced, it leans too much towards single tracks, not album tracks. Up until the Interlude it feels like a best album. [b

Granted, I don't hate the album. It'd be an exceptional album, from anyone OTHER THAN someone of the musical status of Utada Hikaru. My expectations of her are higher, and they weren't met this time, so I don't care for the album as much as I cared for Ultra Blue, or Deep River.[/b] Had Exodus not had trash like Easy Breezy, THE WORKOUT and Tippy Toe, I'd like it more than Heart Station to be honest.

you put my thoughts into words perfectly. I hate it when people say: you make your expectations too high or you're expecting too much especially when the artist has made unbelievable music before.

To me it seems like its all one song split into tracks. There's no harmony or diversity, or flow between tracks, its almost like its unfinished almost? I love HIKKI and this is a good album, but thats all it is really.

GRACE · #**431** 18th March 2008, 01:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xiaou-xijiang

I hate it when people say: you make your expectations too high or you're expecting too much especially when the artist has made unbelievable music before.

Exactly. We aren't talking about your average singer here, we're talking about Utada Hikaru. She's in that top percentile of singers, therefore expectations of her are only naturally higher.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xiaou-xijiang

To me it seems like its all one song split into tracks. There's no harmony or diversity, or flow between tracks, its almost like its unfinished almost? I love HIKKI and this is a good album, but thats all it is really.

I feel the same way. All of her past albums have had a nice diversity, while sticking to Hikki's strong suits at the same time. Heart Station picks a singular type of song, and then multiplies it by 13. Then add different tempos, and change up the rhythms a bit, and bam. Any other artist, and it'd work splendidly, and I'd be greatly pleased, but because it's Utada Hikaru, it leaves something to be desired. As I said in an earlier post, it's missing that "wow" factor. Not a single track on this album made me stop and go "wow that's amazing." True, I've played the singles so much that they bore me by now, and two of the songs are catchy and fun to listen too, but they'll grow old too eventually.

To put it bluntly, Hikki failed to meet her expectations this time. I have no doubt that it'll sell well, it has her name on it, but musically it shouldn't. I really hope her next English album is a lot better than this, if it's another EXODUS, I might give up on this woman.

**ayumisrael** · #**432** 18th March 2008, 01:28 AM

^Well she said she would do an EXODUS just once and on the next english album wil be totally different style on her blog (I think).

I don't get the hate for kairo as well, this song is amazing and one of ULTRA BLUE's best.

KarenPang · #**433** 18th March 2008, 04:25 AM

maybe the reason as to why this time round HS has fewer new tracks unlike UB , is because she's also working on her upcoming new Eng album & she has to spilt time between them ?

cos like what I said before , making an album takes a lot outta you & Utada had to do 2 at the same time which can be really & very hectic & tiring

Luv ~Venus~ · #**434** 18th March 2008, 04:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akutenshi

Is it just me, or is Prisoner of Love not in there?

Oops! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! For some odd reason, I did forget Prisoner of Love!

Hmm...I just looked them up on hiikistation and the english translation hasn't been posted yet.

All i can do for right now is post the Japanese Lyrics:

Spoiler:

Mini-Hikki NEWS Everyone

According to a new Sanspo article, Utada’s “Prisoner Of Love,” off of her latest album “HEART STATION,” is officially confirmed as the theme song to the upcoming Japanese drama “Last Friends.”

TV Asahi’s Music Station page has been updated with the official list of artists who will be appearing on the April 4th Special episode of the program. Joining Utada will be aiko, Aoyama Thelma, EXILE, Oohashi Takuya, Nakashima Mika, Porno Graffiti, YUI, Yuzu, and L’arc en ciel.
credits to U.Blog!

That's all for now!

Beauty4123 · #**435** 18th March 2008, 04:31 AM

i soo cannot wait till april 4th now. YUI, utada, and L'Arc~en~Ciel!

bluegie · #**436** 18th March 2008, 04:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by karenpang

I realise Utada has joined Ken Hirai & otsuka ai onboard in that almost 1/2 the HS album has been released prior to the announcement of the album . The same thing happened with Ken's latest release & otsuka's LOVE PiECE .

it's difficult to say that whether is it a good or bad thing . Good in the sense that at least they do not exclude any singles that they have released before unlike Yuna Ito's HEART where she left out stuck on you .

bad in the sense that there's a lack of new material but you have to know that making an album takes a lot outta you so it depends on how you see it .

To me , a tiny complain is that Utada should not have included the original version of FOL since everyone practically knows the ballad version & are prob not familiar with the original . She should have included another new song instead .

I dunno how to say it. I do share the same feeling that we heard half of HS before it's released. But if you look at her previous albums, they were similar as well...

-- DEEP RIVER, it has 5 single materials, 1 song being played on radio (PLAY BALL) before the album was released. So we listened to half of the album again.

-- Distance has the same outcome... 5 A-side songs + 2 B-side (including the hiyatochiri remix) = 7 songs heard. 13 songs on the album, which makes more than half of the album was out before the release.

-- ULTRA BLUE has 5 A-side + 1 B-side, and 1 digital.. 7 songs were heard before the album released.. so that means we only have 5 new songs + 1 interlude for our pleasure.

So... This time HEART STATION, we have 6 A-side + 1 on radio + 1 bonus.. Yeah so it has the least new songs.. Still we still have 4 new songs + 1 interlude. The thing is, she grouped 5 single songs together in the tracklist. So this makes us feel like it's like a best album for the first half. If she separate the songs I guess lots of us wouldn't complain that much.

KarenPang · #**437** 18th March 2008, 04:49 AM

yup & I think it's worst if she were to leave out any singles that she has released before & put up new songs that probably might not be good or on par with the singles .

Besides I like the way the album flows . It flows really well from the start to the end .

can tell the 1st 1/2 of HS are mainly the singles that she released before while the other 1/2 consists of new songs .

I think I'm probably the only 'idiot' who's alright with this arrangement especially since I don't buy singles to begin with

CHE.R.RY · #**438** 18th March 2008, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AyUta

I like how in 'Celebrate', she says "Sexy Lady"

Makes her sound cute

Ah, so in the end you thought so too

Quote:

Originally Posted by fanmail

I don't have a problem with using all the singles, but if you're gonna do it, then ... make more new album material too.

I mean, it's just a slap in the face for those who bought the singles.

100% agree! More singles (should) = MORE new material

hightea_xx · #**439** 18th March 2008, 05:30 AM

i actually enjoyed this album. i hate fight the blues though, it sounds more like something she would do for her english stuff. it's weird and sort of awkward and i just don't like it at alllllllll! the rest of the new tracks are nice. i think the thing that people might not like about them is that they aren't epic. they are not those grand tracks that sort of make leave a deep impression on you. however, be that as it may, i think that it is a really good album. it has a nice laid-back feel to it, flows well enough and despite cutting some tracks short *coughtake5cough* i think it's not a bad album at all.

Hanabi_surreal · #**440** 18th March 2008, 05:53 AM

yes... finally... I've listened the album...

Is a grate album!!! LOVE IT!!! *-* but ULTRA BLUE is still my favorite ^^
my fav song... mmm... a bit hard... maybe fight the blues, nijirou bosu and HEART STATION...

I think that's all o_o