Beyond the Sea ~ The Style. Edition

The cover of the CD only edition

Alive / Physical thing is Koda Kumi’s 45th single and it was released on September 16, 2009. The single reached #1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 42,944 copies. The first track was used as the theme song for the movie Kamui the Ninja.

I think the covers are quite nice. I don’t get that white puffy thing she’s wearing though. It’s consuming her! DDD:

♦ ♦ ♦

I would normally say “UGH NOT ANOTHER BALLAD” but I actually like Alive a lot soooooo…
Well, I think it’s different from previous ballads. Instead of the typical R&B and pop tinged fluff that’s she been putting out for a while, this song feels way more sophisticated and epic. I haven’t heard anything like it since Asu e… or the orchestral version of 1000 no Kotoba. From the music’s use of flowing strings and woodwinds, it’s extremely pretty. I like that Kumi isn’t “oversinging” like she usually does too. I wish the song was longer though because it’s well under 4 minutes, which is way too short for a song of this caliber (EXTENDED ALBUM VERSION PLZ).

Then there’s Physical thing, which I thought was pretty hot. I was loving aggressive synth the most. Hey, I’m glad it’s not just some cutesy pop song! LOL It’s no BUT or TABOO but it still trumps any of her recent material by a large amount. I’m talking about everything on 3 SPLASH specifically.

The single also features live performances of 2 songs from her latest tour. The first is an extended version of INTRODUCTION FOR TRICK, simply titled TRICK, and it has an added verse near the end. It gives me hope for a studio version. =) 
The other one is Joyful, the happy pop song off the TRICK album. I thought she sang pretty well, considering it’s one of the later songs performed on the setlist.

Pros: A solid single! I thought both songs were nicely done.
Cons: Alive is too short and Physical thing could still use some work.

BASICALLY…keep it up, Kumi. There’s still some hope left!

Overall Rating

4 stars

Tracklisting

1. Alive
2. Physical thing
3. Alive Instrumental
4. Physical thing Instrumental
5. TRICK Live Version (from TRICK TOUR 2009)
6. Joyful Live Version (from TRICK TOUR 2009)

Tracklisting
1. 09:00 A.M. [Intro]
2. Lick me ♥
3. ECSTASY
4. 12:35 P.M. [Interlude]
5. Hashire! (走れ!)
6. 04:20 P.M. [Interlude]
7. Lick me ♥ Q;indivi-Yusuke Tanaka Remix
8. ECSTASY Caramel Pod E Remix
9. Hashire! 420 Remix
10. 12:00 A.M. [Outro]

This is Koda Kumi’s 44th single and it was released on July 8, 2009. The single reached #2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 81,278 copies.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a review of the CD+DVD edition which has 10 tracks because it features 3 remixes and an extra interlude.

Oh goodness…Koda Kumi and her summer singles. After the short introduction track (which was just a bunch of random beats), we get a song with a title that is quite misleading. Initially, I thought Lick me ♥ was going to be dirty or something, but it’s the complete opposite. This song is actually a cute, summer themed pop track and as of late…I’m starting to like it. The song as a whole is catchy with the chorus being the main focus. However, there are still some things that bother me. The adlibbing at the end of chorus has got to go and the music is very typical. *inserts every other cute Kumi song here*

Now ECSTASY is more like it! Here is the sexy Koda Kumi that I love…to an extent in this song at least. Just think of it as a more involved and improved upon version of Lick me ♥ since it incorporates more of an R&B sound instead of just cute clapping beats next to electric guitars. The vocals are better here as well. In my opinion, it’s the best song on the single.

After another random interlude, Hashire! crashes in with its loud electric guitars. I don’t like this song at all and I think it’s really obnoxious, the biggest offender being Kumi’s vocals. She just needs to tone it down a notch because there’s a lot of shouting going on. The adlibbing near the end is so annoying too!

Booooo! Another interlude! </3 This one just has beeping and other crap but it transitions into the remix portion of the single. Let’s go over them, shall we?

• Believe it or not, I think the remix of Lick me ♥ is better than the original! It ditches the pop rock sound for funky synth and it sounds a lot better because of that.
• The ECSTASY remix was annoying. I guess the remixer thought Kumi’s “LAID BACK!” line was cool because you hear it constantly during the instrumental sections. It reminds me of that horrible 80kidz’s remix of Ayumi Hamasaki’s Rule. *dies*
• Hashire! wasn’t good but the remix is an interesting take on the song. The vocals have been distorted a lot and are mostly muffled underneath buzzing synth. I’m still deciding if this was an improvement or not.

I thought the “outro” was a fitting end for the single since it features the sound of crashing ocean waves. It also includes a short sample from Lick me ♥ for good measure.

Overall Rating

3½ stars

Tracklisting
1. TABOO
2. Always
3. TABOO 
    [HOUSE NATION Sunset In Ibiza Remix]
4. TABOO Instrumental
5. Always Instrumental

This is Koda Kumi’s 41st single and it was released on October 8, 2008. The single reached #1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 84,967 copies.

Koda Kumi is officially back in full force with one of the hottest songs of the year! TABOO is an irresistible dance track that is filled with blazing electronic synth and thumping beats. She packs a lot of attitude into her vocal performance and the sings the provocative lyrics very well. I’m really glad that Kumi is back doing what she does best because the song is really sexy and we really haven’t had an A-side of the same caliber since Cherry Girl or BUT.

The B-side is pretty different and definitely on the cuter side. Always has a gentle R&B sound with some synth appearing every now and then. This is your average feel good pop song with pretty vocals so I thought that it was a nice listen. There’s nothing amazing about it, but it’s good for a B-side.

I quickly noticed how loud the HOUSE NATION Sunset In Ibiza Remix of TABOO was right from the beginning because the vocals tend to get drowned out a lot. I really do like the music, especially during those synthed up instrumentals, but the rhythmic beats of the verses were very cool.

Overall Rating

4½ stars

Tracklisting
1. Moon Crying
2. That Ain’t Cool / Koda Kumi feat. Fergie
3. Once Again
4. Lady Go!
5. Moon Crying Piano Version [First pressing]
6. Moon Crying Instrumental
7. That Ain’t Cool Instrumental
     / Koda Kumi feat. Fergie
8. Once Again Instrumental
9. Lady Go! Instrumental

This is Koda Kumi’s 40th single and it was released on June 11, 2008. The single reached #2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 135,442 copies. The first track was used as the theme song for the drama Puzzle.

If you guys don’t already know, I’m a sucker for Koda Kumi’s ballads. 1000 no Kotoba, Promise, Yume no Uta, Ai no Uta, you name it. Much to my surprise, the first track on this quadruple A-side single is the bittersweet love song Moon Crying. Musically, I think the song is really ordinary and nothing special because it just has that standard sound you’d expect from a J-pop ballad. However, Kumi’s fantastic vocal performance makes this song more interesting. She has always put a lot of emotion into her voice and here is another great example of it.

The second track is the collaboration between Kumi and Fergie. That Ain’t Cool is officially labeled as “Koda Kumi feat. Fergie”, but it really should be the other way around. Fergie sings most of the song by herself and that includes the chorus, the focal point of the song (but that’s okay since I kind of like Fergie). I do have mixed feelings about the song because it has its high and low points. For one thing, the lyrics are a little silly, especially when it gets to Kumi’s solo verse, but I really liked the urban sound of the music at the same time.

The next track is a breezy, reggae inspired song produced by PUSHIM. Once Again is relaxing and very soothing to the ears thanks to the gentle violins and drums. As a whole, I thought the song as a whole was nice and Kumi performed it well, especially during the chorus.

The fourth track was no surprise since it’s similar to what appeared on Kumi’s 4 hot wave and FREAKY singles: the quintessential summer pop song. Lady Go! is average but very vibrant from start to finish. At least it’s more varied than her previous summer songs because of the constant beats and recurring synth.

A more intimate piano version of Moon Crying makes an appearance as a first pressing bonus track. The piano arrangement by itself is very good and Kumi’s vocals still sound radiant. It’s a nice addition to the single.

Overall Rating

4 stars

Tracklisting
1. anytime
2. Bounce
3. anytime Free TEMPO Remix
4. anytime Instrumental
5. Bounce Instrumental

This is Koda Kumi’s 39th single and it was released on January 23, 2008. The single reached #4 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 53,189 copies.

anytime is just one of those songs that always puts a smile on my face everytime I listen to it. Koda Kumi has done it again with this gorgeous and incredibly sweet pop ballad. The strings are really pretty and even though there is a pretty constant beat in the music, it doesn’t deviate from anything but actually gives the song a little personality. Kumi’s vocals are excellent as well and she reaches those high notes with gentle ease and precision. This song was supposed to be on the FREAKY single as just a B-side but I’m glad that it got its own single release.

The B-side is an absolutely thumping track. Bounce is a spunky song filled with quick beats and short synth lines. Kumi’s vocals are carefree and flow quite well with the music, making this a fun song to jam to. An excellent B-side and definitely one of her better ones.

Included on the single is the Free TEMPO Remix of anytime. The remix has the classic FreeTEMPO touch with its faster paced vocals, jazzy piano at the beginning, and a buildup to a more club oriented sound further in. This guy makes good remixes, what can I say? The only problem I had was that speeding up Kumi’s vocals made them sound odd at times, especially during the verses.

Overall Rating

5 stars