[Koda Kumi] The 188th Thread - NEW DOUBLE ALBUM ► W FACE inside/outside - Page 7 - Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai
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  #121  
Old 1st March 2017, 03:19 AM
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@Zeke. But who's forcing something like that? As I said, if you don't like something it's fine, you liking or not won't change the fact that this is what she's delivering now. I know people out there are like "it has her name, so it has to be good, I will like either way" but that's not how things goes.

It's not like I adore everything she does, there are a bunch of horrible songs she puts out that I don't care about, I just try to not bet that attached to something that won't come back.

@tokyoxjapanxfan I understand that, but as you said, using a japanese composer is not the formula to success. HIRO has really good songs with Kumi (TABOO and many others) but he also did the generic Your Love, and I think you can see where I'm going. She's not just ignoring those composers, even now we see that she's working with a japanese composer for Wicked Girls. This is just the direction that she wants to follow, it doesn't matter where the composer comes from.

Questioning the mixing process and how low budget some songs might sound it's fine, I agree at certain point, and as I said once again, she often does the same formula, this is her thing, you liking or not.

And again, I'm not just starting the whole bashing her situation all over again, I understand where people are coming from and I see theirs perspective, I'm just pointing that being attached to nostalgia isn't gonna help anyone. For anything. This applies to other artists as well because this is what jpop is right now. Even Namie is releasing the same thing for the last three years, and it's fine.

---

For those who were still wondering, she will be the next week guest on Good Time Music - http://www.tbs.co.jp/goodtimemusic/

Last edited by kaled kalil; 1st March 2017 at 03:54 AM.
  #122  
Old 1st March 2017, 03:55 AM
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Hm, I fail to see for a while already, where songs like TABOO and BUT are more JPop sounding than other recent songs. They're as western sounding to me, just with different influences than the stuff today. More pop to be exact than her recent upbeat dance releases. I mean, what is a distinctive JPop sound even? If not these sugar pop songs from idol bands and female solos like Kuu in the past?
A big amount of the songs from the "golden era of JPop" could have been released here in the west as well, imo.

And I agree with Kaled, it's just the way Kumi is going. No matter who composes for her. With the previews of Stand by you and Bangerang she e.g. said that there are less instruments used, that's why her voice is so important. If it is good or bad, you decide for yourself.
Besides, the songs on inside are JPop sounding to me and are really well produced so far. Or at least good produced Pop. But maybe that's just me.
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Last edited by Corvina; 1st March 2017 at 11:26 AM.
  #123  
Old 1st March 2017, 04:13 AM
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"Wicked Girls" is LOVE! I can see how it's got the same composer as "Winner Girls" - but "Wicked Girls", IMO, is a billion times better! and "Yorokobi no Kakera" is now my third most favorite ballad from this album - after "On my way" & "Promise you"...thank you, Kuu.
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  #124  
Old 1st March 2017, 04:47 AM
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Kuu at Fuji TV's Nonstop:
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/9RWJ7qJpC-E/

Full Ultraviolet PV here:
https://tieba.baidu.com/p/5002461782...gpost=0&pn=0&#

Thanks to Limited_yan and Kinot on Baidu.
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  #125  
Old 1st March 2017, 04:55 AM
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She's still releasing Jpop guys, just listen to BRIDGET SONG <3 jpop in all its glory
  #126  
Old 1st March 2017, 05:58 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Luck16 View Post
She's still releasing Jpop guys, just listen to BRIDGET SONG <3 jpop in all its glory
THIS
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  #127  
Old 1st March 2017, 08:52 AM
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W FACE karaoke campaign announced.

Karaoke companies Jankara and Uta Hiroba are starting time limited campaigns for the release of the new double album.
Jankara's is happening 03/03 - 04/23:
http://jankara.ne.jp/campaign/koda/
Uta Hirobas's is going 04/04 - 05/14:
http://www.utahiro.com/

Info from her LINE.
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  #128  
Old 1st March 2017, 10:29 AM
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Both new songs are up on spotify again.
  #129  
Old 1st March 2017, 12:04 PM
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New radio appearance:

Quote:

【お知らせ】
J-WAVE「AVALON」出演決定!!

■J-WAVE「AVALON」
3月2日(木)22:00~23:30
※倖田來未の出演は22時台の予定です。
http://www.j-wave.co.jp/original/avalon/

木曜日のナビゲーターは渡辺直美さん!!
是非お聴き下さい♪
Promotion is nice this time round- tie-ins, TV, radio, campaigns.
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  #130  
Old 1st March 2017, 12:59 PM
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I gotta say ~inside~ is really surprising me. I was afraid it'd be more like Ai no uta lost cousins, but it sounds more like the ballads and mid-tempos of ETERNITY, which are some of her best imo

Edit: just my two cents, I find it funny when people say BUT as a JPop sound example, not only it sounds very western to me but it was also produced by western people lol The PV is JPop af tho
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Last edited by Gustavopc; 1st March 2017 at 01:11 PM.
  #131  
Old 1st March 2017, 02:45 PM
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Ultraviolet full PV , quite LQ

https://www.facebook.com/KodaItalian...8275680856710/

I still think the song's ace but the PV , not so =x
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  #132  
Old 1st March 2017, 04:11 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tokyoxjapanxfan View Post
Her style was a good balance of J-POP and western influences, songs that wouldn't really be possible on western radar. Now however the J-POP-ness in her music is almost nonexistent. Mostly due to her very common usage of western produced back tracks that she buys and overlays lyrics onto. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but she certainly doesn't have the same amount of access to the "good" tracks that say, Beyoncé would. She her options, imo, are on the cheaper side. Her brand is stronger in Japan, so she'd get far better productions by using Japanese producers (in theory).

The layering of her music from the golden era of J-POP is largely gone, and I find her tracks to sound a bit hollow.

Obviously this won't be the case for everything. But I hope what I wrote makes sense.

And many of you are super fans, so it's very hard to disappoint you. Which is a great thing. But to not be able to see where other people are basing their opinions on is kind of a problem. Living in a bubble surrounded by people with the same ideals would be bad for anyone lol.

So while you may disagree (again, that's fine!) at least try to see our point of view lol.
The "hollow" point is what I'm driving at. Don't get me wrong. I loved EX TAPE and HOTEL and really got to a point where WOML was a decent album. My problem is every song sounding like BLACK CANDY sounds like a lot less effort than every song sounding like TABOO / BUT / Under.

But even to that point, about her ballads: She's done some truly amazing and different sounding ballads (Stay / No way / Alive) and at times pulled out a ballad that later turned out to be absolutely classic (Koishikute). But I just don't hear anything beyond generic generic right now.

And for a double album that's supposed to have this deep concept to it, I'm really not impressed so far.

Quote:
Originally Posted by a❤martian View Post
I think you summed up how I feel about Ayumi Hamasaki. I think this is relevant to most J-Pop atm. Unless you're a super fan it's just not great music being released by most artists.
Absolutely true. The only artists I ever can truly bank on being worth it are the ones I happen to be super fans of -- lecca, KOKIA, RURUTIA, MIKA. But for the most part, I'm absolutely more blown away by what's happening in the Taiwan / C-Pop music scene than I am by anything coming out of Japan.

I actually cried when MADE IN JAPAN was released. It was such a significant blow to my belief that Ayu hadn't actually settled into fading into history.

Perhaps the biggest issue is that we're not seeing new solo artists get the same investment Kuu, Ayu, and Utada had because of the idol groups. I just wish avex, Sony, Warner and others would realize a lot of us are hanging onto these artists because there is literally NOTHING around to replace them for us.

Quote:
Originally Posted by a❤martian View Post
I feel like Ultraviolet is like her older cheesy pop songs. It's messy as fuck, but it's like them. Just like LOL.
Oh, I like Shh! too. Koda can do these real simple tracks like MONEY IN MY BAG, and she does them real well. But when that's ALL that's on the record...? It's just like -- COME ON, KUU. PLZ. PLEZ. PULEZ.

Quote:
Originally Posted by kaled kalil View Post
^ But during that time people were often complaining that she was releasing the same thing over and over with TABOO ~ Driving ~ ECSTASY ~ Physical thing ~ UNIVERSE ~ AT THE WEEKEND and the list goes by. It's just the way it is, she does something and move on a couple of releases later. Even the erokakkoi style with Crazy 4 U ~ Cutie Honey ~ Butterfly ~ DDD was the same thing (not the complains, but you see where I'm going).

She's clearly going for a more "western style" for right now and it might not be your favorite style, but that's the way it is. It's like when you're really interested in something and you go crazy about it, doing for at least three years before you actually get tired and move on to something else. That's how her releases are for... her entire career?

Btw, this is not that situation of complaining about people complaining, it's just that the subject is quite often brought up, but no one is doing the same thing they used to do and people need to learn to move on. I love the old stuff and I try to embrace the new Kumi, it might not be as shine as you used to remember her, but that's the way she is, and that's what she wants to do.
Similar response to complaints about Ayu every year. But the problem is the people who share your sentiment inevitably end up on my side of the aisle. I've literally found myself saying this before about Secret, GUILTY, NEXT LEVEL, RnRC, Love songs, and LOVE again. And I inevitably ended up on the other side completely by the time A ONE came around.

Still, it's certainly not that Koda can't make great songs in this stripped-down-hip-hop-Western-style. It's just that she literally has made almost three back-to-back records of it. Bon Voyage was her last remotely diverse album, but a huge step down from JAPONESQUE in terms of replayability. If I line up all the love across the oceans, TABOOs, BUTs, and FREAKYs, with tracks from WOML and now W Face, there's a noticeable decline in the complexity of the production. I'd be totally fine with a few Lippys and MONEY IN MY BAGs on each record. I'm just having a hard time stomaching 50+ tracks with the same slapstick beat and trumpets and repeating synths.

The best way I can explain what I hear is by saying that imagine if every song Koda has released in the last five years is just POP DIVA in a different key. That's really what I feel like we've gotten.

BUT. Her tours have only gotten exponentially more impressive. NOW. I don't get that. Her albums and singles have gone to hell, but I have never seen someone own a stage like Koda.
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  #133  
Old 1st March 2017, 04:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Gustavopc View Post
I gotta say ~inside~ is really surprising me. I was afraid it'd be more like Ai no uta lost cousins, but it sounds more like the ballads and mid-tempos of ETERNITY, which are some of her best imo

Edit: just my two cents, I find it funny when people say BUT as a JPop sound example, not only it sounds very western to me but it was also produced by western people lol The PV is JPop af tho
It's not just the sound that makes a song "jpop" to me but how the artist portrays it. In this case the video, the erokakkoi, lyrics (and the performances during the time it was released) made me totally buy it as jpop.
BUT was really different back then for Kuu imo and she was actually experimenting with the electropop sound that was yet to come with Gaga etc.
It wasn't anything rehashed. It sounded fresh and unusual, a song made especially for her.

Kuu has always worked with western producers but made the songs her own.
I don't feel the same with some of her latest music. Some of it lack originality imo. Her "brand" so to speak. (not all of it of course)

It's not necessarily bad. It's just different and some people may like it (or don't) while others may like it (or don't) and reminisce of the past.
Just my 2 cents.
  #134  
Old 1st March 2017, 05:17 PM
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I see your point. As I came across Kuu after BUT had already been out I see a bit different - this sense of freshness and newness.
idk I cant really get this old Kuu brand thing cause to me she was always changing a lot, but then that's my perception. Songs like BUT and Hot Stuff dont sound that JPop-ish to me even when I think of them as some of her best tunes.

On Ultraviolet PV, that's what I meant by saying you cant judge a preview. I thought it was a bad video then - now I think it's tragic.
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Last edited by Gustavopc; 1st March 2017 at 05:29 PM.
  #135  
Old 1st March 2017, 07:32 PM
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Kumi has no distinctive sounds tbqh, so I don't see what she should go back to either. And wishing for a song like "..." only results in a lesser good version of that song.
  #136  
Old 1st March 2017, 10:30 PM
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I am the only one who thinks Ultraviolet PV > song lmao. It makes the song more enjoyable for me. I love her ratchet look, the choreography, and the effects make it less super simple. Again, recall the shit pile that is Lelio PV.
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  #137  
Old 1st March 2017, 11:55 PM
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Amidst all this discussion of sound, evolution, change, markets and dry spells...
I just have to say that this is the first Kuu album campaign that has me on the fence as to whether or not to purchase. The concept is great, covers are good, but the previews, leaks and videos so far are just not exciting.
Her music has just lacked something emotionally for me with the last couple of albums, and this project seems to be stepping further in that sound direction that doesn't always work for me. Glad to see people still excited for her, and it'll be great to see these new songs performed in the inevitable tour to follow!

I just...I dunno... :/
  #138  
Old 2nd March 2017, 02:22 AM
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@orbitalaspect I understand and I agree, some songs feels like they are almost there, but it's lacking something, like LOL, Mercedes and a couple more.

One thing that wasn't a smart idea was those 5 seconds previews because they all share some similarities, but when we actually listen to the songs we can feel they are different. Like Bassline, Damn real, Insane... I was expecting the album to have pretty much just a trap/h&p/electropop sound, but as we get to listen more the songs, it's different and interesting imo.

At the end of the day the final decision goes on what you are into at this moment and your personal taste, and that's what everyone is welcome to share their likes and dislikes.

I agree that some songs are more well produced than others, one easy example of that is Color The Cover, where the first 3 songs definitely stand out on the production department, and then there are songs like "Otoko", which is great for the song itself, but the production is quite poor and don't even sound like real instruments.

I personally like the direction she's going, there are some missteps here and there, like CRANK THA BASS, LIFE so GOOD!! and some others, but for me the overall experience has been quite exciting and good.
  #139  
Old 2nd March 2017, 03:51 AM
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Was the person editing 2nd half of the Ultraviolet MV high on crack? lol it's SO overloaded with 7140983094735 million random effects. It's just so bad it's good. haha

Quote:
Originally Posted by a❤martian View Post
Again, recall the shit pile that is Lelio PV.
ahaha yea, you gotta try really hard to top those incredible smooth moves and out of this world mouth movements.
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  #140  
Old 2nd March 2017, 04:20 AM
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Originally Posted by kaled kalil View Post
@orbitalaspect

At the end of the day the final decision goes on what you are into at this moment and your personal taste, and that's what everyone is welcome to share their likes and dislikes.
That's true here. But not in an ayu thread. You can't say anything remotely negative about anything without getting insulted. It's ridiculous.
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