[Koda Kumi] The 176th Thread - 15th Anniversary

[happiholic★]

I remember the Japo love. I think it was the one time the majority of the forum agreed that a Kuu album was better than an Ayu album.

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

I don't even remember what Ayu album came out that year...

[Zahara]

Wasn't it Next Level?

[ayumisrael]

It was Party Queen. JAPONESQUE is one of kuu's best albums (but Party Queen had some unbeatable jams). I personally don't like these kind of comparisons though as they are pretty different things.

[pimenta]

I still don't get the hype for JAPONESQUE... It's a good album, but she has so much better (UNIVERSE, Bon Voyage, Black Cherry, secret, Second Session, TRICK... all better than JAPONESQUE imo). But then again, I still don't get the hype for Kingdom either, it's one of her weakest imo, but so many people think it's one of her best.

[Luck16]

ˆ Blasphemy

[kaled kalil]

The hype is because of the project itself. It's a bold thing for an artist to do music videos for all the tracks, even if they are simple. For example: Marina and the Diamonds said that the production to all the music videos for the Electra Heart era "led her record label into bankruptcy". Of cource I'm not comparing the budget or even the direction that both projects had, but the fact that it's not something easy to have music video for everything.

Also, the package was amazing, with a lot of different versions and stunning covers. The music of album is good, not spectacular, but good enough. And I'm actually saying this to both Kingdom and JAPONESQUE albums.

My personal problem with JAPONESQUE is that awful 2DVD with only CMs/Digest of random live performances. I'm not here for that when you have concerts to put on DVD, honey.

Kumi said during the TRICK promotion that, at some point, she was thinking about the all the songs having music video as well, but at the end she was having a good vision of the songs as live perfomances, and TRICK was her first album to have ~almost~ all the songs performed on TRICK Tour (only Ai no Kotoba was missing, which she performed a couple of times after that).

[Zeke.]

JAPONESQUE sucked. The production was great but the songs were all not very good. They all sounded like they never really hit that high, with watered down choruses and such. LOVE TECHNIQUE and IN THE AIR are the only songs I listen to from that album. Sometimes No Mans Land but it took a while to get over that Engrish.

[pimenta]

Originally Posted by kaled kalil

Also, the package was amazing, with a lot of different versions and stunning covers. The music of album is good, not spectacular, but good enough. And I'm actually saying this to both Kingdom and JAPONESQUE albums.

I agree with that, the packaging of both albums are definitely gorgeous, makes me more than happy to own copies of both haha
I do like both albums, but when I compare them to her other albums (music wise) they're just weak for me.

As for the PVs, JAPONESQUE's ones are all ok, but some of Kingdom PVs could not exist and I would never miss them...

[NintendoHTF1242]

V.I.P. is my jam though. And Everyday is one of her best cute songs. But I don't think JAPONESQUE is her best album. Tbh I don't really have a favorite Kuu album lol

[Delicious n Bold]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

JAPONESQUE sucked. The production was great but the songs were all not very good. They all sounded like they never really hit that high, with watered down choruses and such. LOVE TECHNIQUE and IN THE AIR are the only songs I listen to from that album. Sometimes No Mans Land but it took a while to get over that Engrish.

My feelings exactly. I also felt the album was the epitome of incohesive. The covers were the best part. I loved kosokoso for a while though.

[Gustavopc]

For me the big problem with JAPONESQUE is that the "Japan" part of it is totally missing from it lol It was there only for the photoshoot and interludes, while half of the songs were from Western producers.

[happiholic★]

I think the idea behind Japo was to show the world that Japan could compete musically on a global scale. Not to showcase Japanese music.

Also, I so do not get the hype with "cohesive albums". Maybe because I rarely listen to albums straight through.

[thinkingoutloud89]

^wasn't that the idea? To introduce her sound to western artist?
I loved the album tbqh..only dispise Everyday and Brave and maybe that acoustiv version in between + the awful recording of all for you, but as a whole it just rocks. especially love me back, kosokosoko, in the air, so nice and love technique

[ayumisrael]

Check check... bling bling!

I LOVE Love Me Back, it's one of kuu's best songs I heard it endlessly.

JAPONESQUE had many jams like Love Me Back, So Nice, ESCALATE, Lay Down, V.I.P., Love Technique (probably her best and most tolerable cute song), No Man's Land, KO-SO-KO-SO and Slow.

[happiholic★]

Originally Posted by thinkingoutloud89

^wasn't that the idea? To introduce her sound to western artist?
I loved the album tbqh..only dispise Everyday and Brave and maybe that acoustiv version in between + the awful recording of all for you, but as a whole it just rocks. especially love me back, kosokosoko, in the air, so nice and love technique

Uh, I dunno where the misunderstanding is. I'm saying she wanted her sound to be Western so when actual Western people heard it they would be amazed that a Japanese artist could sound like them. And I feel that Kuu does often go for a more Western sound, as opposed to strictly J Pop, like some other acts. I think the album was named Japonesque because she wanted people to know instantly where the album was from. Like a "Made in Japan" kind of label. Japanese Western music

[Zahara]

Originally Posted by pimenta

I still don't get the hype for JAPONESQUE... It's a good album, but she has so much better (UNIVERSE, Bon Voyage, Black Cherry, secret, Second Session, TRICK... all better than JAPONESQUE imo). But then again, I still don't get the hype for Kingdom either, it's one of her weakest imo, but so many people think it's one of her best.

I could listen to it in one shot minus two songs. Kuu's other albums didn't do that for me. It also did sound different to me compared to her previous work.

[BlackSilence]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

JAPONESQUE sucked. The production was great but the songs were all not very good. They all sounded like they never really hit that high, with watered down choruses and such. LOVE TECHNIQUE and IN THE AIR are the only songs I listen to from that album. Sometimes No Mans Land but it took a while to get over that Engrish.

lol same here i only listen to like 3 songs from that album. IN THE AIR, No Man's Land and sometimes i listen to Slow. That's about it. The best part was definitely the promo photoshoots.
I know a lot of people really disliked Bon Voyage, but it was deal barker for me, it got me into Kuu. But then again i have a thing for 50-60s inspired sh*t, and Show Me Your Holla with all the covers and photoshoots was what got me. I do actually listen to the whole album, i have to say. even though i think a few songs are megh, i still can totally listen to them.

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

Oh party queens not even in my phone haha.

[orangeakira]

Japonesque is about 10 songs too long. The only songs I listen to from that album are so nice, Lay Down, slow, escalate, boom boom boys, and no man's land.

And even though Lay Down ~lyrically~ is a fucking train wreck.
I can't get over the juicy bass, vocal mixing, and instrumental.
Especially since I have surround speakers for my computer with a subwoofer the size of a small suitcase.
When that bass kicks in. Ungh, my god.


I can completely forgive the lyrics just for the overall sound and experience.