Beyond the Sea ~ The Style. Edition

HEART STATION is Utada Hikaru’s 5th Japanese album and it was released on March 19, 2008. The album reached #1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 1,007,181 copies.

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 Opening the album is the catchy synth pop tune Fight The Blues. Analyzing the song by its title and lyrical content, it’s like a response to the overall theme of her previous album ULTRA BLUE, which basically had a darker, more serious tone to it. Fight The Blues is a proclamation to have a stronger character while set next to sweeping synth lines and an upbeat rhythm. This song was also used as radio promotion for the album.

The first half of the album features almost all of the singles starting with the title track HEART STATION. To be perfectly honest, this is my least favorite song on the album mostly due to Hikaru’s strained vocals. The melody of the chorus is catchy but it easily gets repetitive near the end.

I would normally be against seeing all of these single tracks clumped together, but on here they all seem to flow extremely well. My favorite Hikaru song in recent memory, Beautiful World, makes an appearance as track 3. I never get tired of the epic, yet simple ethereal sound of the music mixed with the gentle synth beats.

Up next is the infamous ballad version of Flavor Of Life, Hikaru’s highly popular single released in February 2007. It would make more sense to put the spotlight on the ballad version because the lyrics are definitely more suited to be sung in a slower, more emotional form. Speaking of the lyrics, they just break your heart and they really showcase her excellent songwriting skills.

Following that depressing song, the more heartwarming Stay Gold comes in. The overall arrangement of this song is amazing since it mixes a gorgeous piano with a unique, almost gritty beat. Hikaru’s vocal performance is great as well and I liked the elongated notes she sang during the chorus.

I still love the blaring brass intro to Kiss & Cry and the catchy beats that follow. Hikaru lets loose in this song and shows the more fun side of her voice. Starting with this song, the album begins to swerve into a more upbeat direction and finally into the new tracks.

This is the first time in her Japanese albums where the interlude is placed in the middle. Gentle Beast Interlude is fascinating with its accumulating chaotic sound and random adlibbing by Hikaru. It even features a sample from the song HEART STATION but what makes this interlude unique compared to her others is its perfect transition into the next track.

I didn’t even notice Celebrate started until Hikaru began to sing and I was really amazed by how the 2 tracks work together because they really go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other in my opinion. Going back to Celebrate, it’s by far my favorite of the album’s new tracks. The synth is extremely infectious and the beats make this song really fun. The melody is catchy as well and it’s very easy to sing along to.

Probably the most recognized of the album’s new tracks is Prisoner Of Love because of its tie-in with the drama Last Friends. It’s even getting released as a single in May! Anyways, I enjoyed the serious tone of this song because of the constant piano and the effective “thudding” sound that appears from time to time. The use of orchestral strings in the chorus and the bridge make it stand out as well. Despite the nature of the music, Hikaru has created another really catchy track.

Ah, here we are with Take 5, a song that has stirred up quite a controversy amongst fans because of its abrupt and sudden ending. Before I get into that, this song was originally created during the ULTRA BLUE era so it has a heavy synth arrangement on a grand scale. The lyrics are interesting as well since they are about death and the desire to not have a physical body. Just like most cases of death, is it often unexpected and the ending reflects that. The song just STOPS at the 3:43 mark, literally.

What it makes this even more strange is that Boku wa Kuma begins right after the ending of Take 5. This was definitely intentional on Hikaru’s behalf and having this cute children’s song after a song about death was quite crafty of her. In this case, Boku wa Kuma might refer to the concept of rebirth or Hikaru wanted to showcase an extreme contrast between the two songs. Either way, it has grown on me and the simple melody of the chorus is beyond catchy.

Ending the album on a lighter note is Nijiiro Bus, a bright track with a strong drum beat and nice piano chords. I know that the title rainbow colored bus might come off as a little silly at first, but I really liked the message that the lyrics presented. Hikaru sings about everybody wanting to go to a place of their fantasies and feeling the same emotions while traveling on this “rainbow colored bus”. The song can get a little repetitive towards the end but its fun to sing along to nonetheless and the her adlibbing adds some extra feeling.

The original synthed up version of Flavor Of Life appears as a bonus track. I was wondering how the original would be placed on the album and as a bonus track, that’s acceptable. While the ballad version is much slower and appropriate for the lyrics, the original adds a faster rhythm while attempting to make it more upbeat.

I could see that Utada Hikaru took a simpler approach to the overall presentation of HEART STATION. The album as a whole isn’t as complex or grandiose as ULTRA BLUE in terms of the music, but instead makes up for it in other areas. For one thing, HEART STATION is a much more comprehensive and neater album with smoother transitions. Also, the album isn’t a mixed musical package like ULTRA BLUE. Each track on HEART STATION has something different to offer while still maintaining a central theme and sound. I could go on, but I’ll finish this review by saying Hikaru has created an album that’s easy to pick up, easy on the ears, and most importantly: enjoyable to listen to.

Overall Rating

4½ stars

Tracklisting

1. Fight The Blues
2. HEART STATION
3. Beautiful World
4. Flavor Of Life -Ballad Version-
5. Stay Gold
6. Kiss & Cry
7. Gentle Beast Interlude
8. Celebrate
9. Prisoner Of Love
10. Take 5 (テイク 5)
11. Boku wa Kuma (ぼくはくま)
12. Nijiiro Bus (虹色バス)
13. Flavor Of Life

Note: My favorite tracks are highlighted in blue!

ULTRA BLUE is Utada Hikaru’s 4th Japanese album and it was released on June 14, 2006. The album reached #1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 905,049 copies.

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Track 1, This Is Love, serves as an introduction to Hikaru’s new style of music which involves are more electronic influenced sound. The chorus is catchy and the verses are fast paced.

Track 2 is the most recent single off the album. Keep Tryin’ is definitely a favorite of mine because it’s very upbeat, especially at the end of the song when she tells everyone to keep on trying.

Tracks 3 and 4 are the low points of the album. I don’t like BLUE because of its obnoxious and brazen chorus. The song just falls to pieces after a very promising beginning. Her vocals turned me off and there is a lot of straining going on.

The same goes for Nichiyou no Asa which was kind of boring and it didn’t catch my interest. However, the song does have nice beats and slow sections that transition into the chorus. It’s funny that Hikaru mentioned it’s her favorite song on the album and I don’t like it. lol

Track 5, Making Love, has a very beautiful chorus. Similar to This Is Love, it takes advantage of electronic elements. The bridge contains very playful, yet muffled vocals from Hikaru but I think it’s the best part of the song.

Tracks 6 and 7 are the oldest songs on the album. COLORS was released in 2003 and Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro in 2004. COLORS oddly fits in with the rest of the album while Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro sticks out like a sore thumb. This is mostly due to the fact that it’s a very organic song with piano and strings.

Tracks 8 and 9 are the BEST new songs on the album. One Night Magic feat. Yamada Masashi is Hikaru’s first Japanese collaboration (Yamada Masashi is the lead vocalist of the band THE BACK HORN). Masashi’s vocals are interesting and blend well with Hikaru’s vocals.

Kairo is a breathtaking song. The only problem with the song is that it’s SHORT. With a length of 3:35, it’s one of her shortest songs. Aside from that, this song features amazing strings with epic beats during the chorus.

Track 10 continues where Kairo left off when it comes to creating a calm atmosphere (plus some nice beats). WINGS was originally the B-side on the Keep Tryin’ single.

The next track is the dark ballad Be My Last. While Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro was the piano ballad of the album, this song is more acoustic based. Once again, it sticks out.

Track 12, Eclipse (Interlude), is well…just an interlude. It breaks the gap between Be My Last and Passion just like Bridge (Interlude) did on her last album, DEEP RIVER. The electronic sound of the interlude works really well as it goes into the album’s finale.

The final track on this album is definitely one of my favorite Hikki songs of all time. Passion is simply amazing and closes the album with a bang. It’s a funny coincidence that Hikari, the Kingdom Hearts theme song ended her previous album DEEP RIVER while the Kingdom Hearts II theme song ended this one.

Yep, this is an amazing album. Hikaru reinvents her music once again because the new tracks on this album present a new distinct electronica style. It’s not her best though since I think DEEP RIVER is her best album. Tracks 3 and 4 did lower my overall rating and I think the album would have been PERFECT without them. Also, the ballads didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the album either which kind of messes up with its overall flow. These are only minor flaws because Hikaru has created a unique and memorable album.

Overall Rating

4½ stars

Tracklisting

1. This Is Love
2. Keep Tryin’
3. BLUE
4. Nichiyou no Asa (日曜の朝)
5. Making Love
6. Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro (誰かの願いが叶うころ)
7. COLORS
8. One Night Magic feat. Yamada Masashi
9. Kairo (海路)
10. WINGS
11. Be My Last
12. Eclipse (Interlude)
13. Passion

Note: My favorite tracks are highlighted in blue!