[Koda Kumi] The 205th Thread - angeL & monsteR

[KarenPang]

2020 FNS Kayousai Day 1 offshot photos

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[kaled kalil]

Originally Posted by Gustavopc

Also, I still regret a bit the fact she released so many albums since W FACE cause I kinda feel like their sounds all are the same, making the new songs already sound dated. Flicky and Sing the truth sound like they could be on W FACE -outside-, for example, which would be a nice throwback movement for an anniversary, but a lot from AND, DNA and re(CORD) also sounds like that... And of course, you could say that's her brand, her typical sound, but idk there's still something bugging me about them and I can't quite put my finger around it...

I was thinking the same thing yesterday. I believe one of the factors is that she often keeps old demos and release them later, with that she keeps being like 2 years behind on the "current sound".

For example: Big Boys Cry (Namie) and SWEETEST TABOO (Kumi) demos are from the same record session, the credits are the same except for Namie's song where you have the japanese writer as well:

SWEETEST TABOO - Anne Judith Wik • Ronny Svendsen • Harambasic • Jan Hallvard Larsen • Eirik Johansen • Hayley Aitken
Big Boys Cry - Kanata Okajima• Anne Judith Wik • Ronny Svendsen • Harambasic • Jan Hallvard Larsen • Eirik Johansen • Hayley Aitken

One was released in 2013, and the other 2018. So the song is dated from the get go, same thing happens with a lot of different songs that she releases lately.

To be honest I never felt that Kumi had the current trends in her music, maybe her remix albums had more because it was outsourced (with dubstep when it was a thing, DHits 7 having the tropical house style, etc.). Before JAPONESQUE, the american/european demos felt distinctive enough to not feel dated, BUT for example doesn't really have the sound of 2007, it still feels fresh, but after that it was pretty much on the nose when the song was originally created.

Latin beats had their boom in 2017, OMG came out in 2019. Tropical house was a thing in 2016/2017, No One and Alarm came out in 2020 and so on.

[thinkingoutloud89]

^nah, I don't necessarily think that makes them dated if they are released later. That actually happens quite a lot. At one stage, it is just a demo that gets polished and besides certain trends, music overall is timeless. If you release a dubstep song right now it would be dated, because that was a certain sound at one point - but if a song isn't trendy from the get go, it probably does not sound old because it does not throw back to a certain year of music that scrams "thats so 19...." in your head.

Your example also caters to that. I don't think BBC was very 2013, nor do I think it sounds dated now. Its just a pop song. I also don't think SWEETEST TABOO sounded dated when it came out, nor does it now.
Overall J-Pop certainly does not follow trends to start with. If they do, it mostly sounds funny.

[Gustavopc]

I think it's a mix of what Kaled said plus Kumi always looking forward to release songs that her fans will like. So, let's say she tried a new genre, and their fans liked it. So she'll make a similar one for her next album, and also for the following one. In the last couple of years we can see that with BRIDGET SONG > ALL RIGHT, and also Put Your Hands Up!!! > Lucky Star. And in a couple of years she'll have a throwback to that style yet again. So she keeps on repeating that genre cause it's a safe zone for her fans, and will already probably fit into a certain spot in her concerts setlists. But one day that style will become dated, and she will still be revisiting it.

I don't think it's a bad thing in itself, this playing safe, cause at the end of the day what Kumi wants the most is to connect with her live audience more than score a #1 or become a trend-setter. But I do wish that once in a while she went for doing whatever she likes without considering how her fans will receive the songs in question. It doesn't seem like something she does a lot, and it could bring some freshness to her material. But, again, that's just not what she wants to do, probably.

[Corvina]

Yeah, outdated or not-trendy doesn't really apply to a music scene like Japan, where trends are pretty different to the rest of the world to begin with.
OMG e.g. also doesn't fit as an example as it was newly written.

Besides I personally believe it wouldn't matter what music Kuu makes, she wouldn't be popular either way today.
Or she would have to change her sound pretty drastically or follow the idol route to come on top again - and that's just not her anymore.

[kaled kalil]

I don't think it's a matter of popularity, it's just songs that she chooses to record. No one is saying that it's a bad thing and that the songs are bad, it's just that, at some point, they start to sound too much alike and not fresh enough, but basically she liking a style and sticking with it for more time than necessary.

The girl tries so many genres that, at some point, it was about to happen. Even back in the day I remember people saying this about she releasing the "same" song multiple times (SHAKE IT, Get It On, Candy, Amai Wana, So Nice).

Also, a song sounding dated is a matter of your own references as well.

[Corvina]

It probably has more to do with your own expectations.
She already tried so much as you say and that in 20 years of a career.
So what exactly do you want her to make sound-wise?
Circulating more?
You really have to hate genre artists, who are sticking.to one type of music, lol.
In the end it always comes down to your own taste and Kuu generally does what she enjoys.

[kaled kalil]

It might not sound like she's sticking to one type of music because her releases have many genres in one, but when 3 to 4 releases in a row sound alike you can see that she in a "genre artist", or whatever you wanna call it. She has her regular formula, she's sticks with it, so whatever. If she keeps doing the same thing, maybe people might feel she's not evolving. To where? I don't know.

I often say that most of her releases has tracks that I can keep it, that are interesting and fresh sounded, or sometimes even the dated part is enjoyable (right now I enjoy all the corniness that PARTY has), so I'm not the one creating expectations because I know something will stand out anyway.

If I could point to one direction that I believe it would be evolving, or moving forward, or whatever, is try to do what she did with Eternity but with her own material. It was a mature album, it had a very put together sound and it was nicely produced, with most of the tracks with lower registers where her voice really shines. Maybe put some enka in there. I don't expect her to do something like this, ever, but it's an idea.

[Corvina]

Enka might be something for her to try, but probably only in her older years. She did say in the recent interview she wants to make it to her 40th anni like Seiko Matsuda (she's the eternal idol to the Japanese tho).

This Japanese guy is doing a piano version of WORK IT!

https://mobile.twitter.com/shaaan_03...38320331317251

Sounds really awesome.
His favourite songs from the minis are WORK IT, for.. and RUN.

[Darkifrit]

I’m so in love with FNS performance!
Kumi is so gorgeous and I’m so happy she performed you.
Classy performance! Didn’t know innocent Starter, it’s a nice song too.

[Ashen Twilight]

Loved seeing my two queens Kuu and Nana together on the stage together! This slowed down ballad version of Innocent Starter sounds so good and Kuu’s voice on it so good!!

In regard to the two minis, I honestly really like both. monsteR is def better for me and I see myself bopping to it for a longer time than (re)CORD. killer monsteR, fliCkey, No One, and RUN are my faves and for me are better than a majority of her last three albums. I do agree with kaled’s comments that, while her albums are fairly diverse in the song on them, it is starting to come across as the same diversity since w FACE. I am not complaining as I enjoy this style, but Eternity and Color the Cover are some of my favorite albums in Kuu’s discography so re-evolving back to that mature sound I would be more than happy with that.

[hud]

my fave mini is angeL by far... RUN is one of her best ballads in years for sure

[CeReSu]

Originally Posted by Darkifrit

I listened to both albums. I like MonsteR the best.
Out of the new songs my fav are RUN, Killer MonsteR, No One,
WORK IT!, Alarm, Flicky.
Sadly For... is a bit blank. Liked the preview

Overall I’m happy with the complete project.

I think exactly the same

[RainbowFive]

[Marurosu]

Angel + monster is a great project. I loved monster the tracks are so different. No one is a Damm real - pt 2, and I can enjoy it. Flicky is my favorite. Sing the truth is FUN!!!
About Angel I also liked, RUN is definitely my fav... The song I dislike are puff and Lucky star.... overdose of Cutesy for me...

[kaled kalil]

The CD+DVD version is 18# today, way less than 5k (top 3). Bye bye TOP 10 debut. https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/d/2020-12-02/p/2/



They have a new campaign for recochoku and line music https://rhythmzone.net/koda/news/detail.php?id=1087845

From LINE MUSIC you get a special video (everyone who submit what they are asking for, to add I'm Lovin' or Killer monsteR as your BGM).
From recochoku you have a chance to get an oversize jacked signed with your name in it.

[Ayu_Love]

Originally Posted by Darkifrit

I listened to both albums. I like MonsteR the best.
Out of the new songs my fav are RUN, Killer MonsteR, No One,
WORK IT!, Alarm, Flicky.
Sadly For... is a bit blank. Liked the preview

Overall I’m happy with the complete project.

Agreed, I love MonsteR, and RUN is an amazing ballad! I expected to not really like No One but like Sing The Truth from the previews, but hearing the full version it's actually the other way round for me. (I still like Sing The Truth though.)
I think Killer MonsteR is my favourite from MonsteR just because that bridge gives me such an epic feeling and there is a good contrast between it and the chorus, but I love the album as a whole and think that they really got the good melodies down for this mini. I really like the spooky melody in the bridge in WORK IT!, it really fits with the album theme. The melody seems deliberately out of tune in Sing The Truth as well, I wonder if that was a choice to fit the album 'monster' theme as well.

I like all the songs from AngeL, although cutesy isn't really my thing so I will probably only listen to songs like Alarm, I'm Lovin and Puff when I am in the mood for them. I had to smile when I listened to For... because it really reminds me of her 2000's R'n'B ballads. It has a nice melody as well which is easy to remember. Alarm has an older 2000's sound to it as well.
RUN and Lucky Star are deffo my favourites from AngeL.

Personally, I like it when she revisits certain song genres but does a different spin on it each time. I'd really like another song like SHAKE IT/Candy/Get It On/So Nice etc. I like the direction her music has taken in the last few years, but asides from a couple songs in each her cover albums are her least favourite for me, so it's just personal taste really.

I so wish I could get the FC edition and get the photobooks.

[jean-baptiste]

Originally Posted by Ayu_Love

I so wish I could get the FC edition and get the photobooks.

Me too! I've bought every single Koda Kumi studio album and compilation up until SUMMER and WINTER of LOVE; none of the albums after that interested me much until this one, mostly for the FC version. So it's definitely disappointing.

[chocopockymaster]

You can order the FC version through the playroom shop even if you’re not an FC member Just need to use a forwarding service to get it sent to you.

[KarenPang]

Guess Who Is Back Lyric Video



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-ROgEvfkqE

KODA KUMI LIVE TOUR 2018 -DNA- footages were utilised in the lyrics video