The Koda Kumi Rate PART II: WE'RE DONE, for now

So what's with all those introductions?

  • Introduction to the second session

    Votes: 4 21.1%

  • INTRODUCTION

    Votes: 1 5.3%

  • Introduction for Kingdom

    Votes: 4 21.1%

  • INTRODUCTION FOR TRICK

    Votes: 10 52.6%
  • Total voters
    19
evilsin

evilsin

Cutlery said:
The funniest and pun-iest host around shouldn't need validation from PJ gheys, but it sure is
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evilsin

evilsin

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2ND PLACE
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2
BUT

Average: 9,65
Highest score: 11x2 (@otenkiame, @soratami) 10x12 (@yuuurei, @Remorque, @Love Deluxe, @lalaclairi_, @Eskiath, @Cutlery, @EachSmallStep, @Osiris, @Weslicious, @TABOO, @aaronhansome, @me!)
Lowest score: 7,5x1 (@Squashua) 8x2 (@ThisIsRogue, @mi|kshake)
My score: lookie above​

My most played Kumi song with almost 700 listens bows down at #2. You did great, old friend. Produced by Tommy Henriksen and written by Kumi, the track is one of her most adventurous and recognizable. Without a doubt this very track is always one of those that is used to introduce Kumi to new listeners and to this day it is loved by fans all over the world with utmost affection and adoration. Cold steely beats coupled with razor sharp synths akin to a hive of bees create a grimy atmosphere, that pearces your very existence. Kumi's processed and layered voice sounds both distant and earnest, it fits the song perfectly. The little details are immaculately crafted and placed throughout the song. The backing vocal track with harmonized aahs and oohs, that goddamn note right before the first chorus that she managed to sing live a couple of times to fucking kill me, the whispered self in the chorus. The first time I listened to this, I couldn't even get whether Kuu was singing the title in the lyrics or not. Only when I looked up the lyrics and listened to the track in headphones, I could hear those high pitched buts in the chorus and post-chorus. Freaking genius. BUT is forever entrenched in my life as one of the best songs I have ever listened to. It's addictive AF, you can't just listen to this once and go on with your life, no, it takes prisoner, attacks your senses and forces you to dance in sweet delirium. Whoever brought this track to Kumi, I hope you're happy and living a full and pleasant life. Thank you, and thank you Kumi for being in my life. The meaning of this amazing track is to stop running away from your true self. Oh, she definitely knew what she was doing with this track, those lyrics and that PV, our LGBT queen.​

If I hadn't knocked on your door tonight
then you would've stayed wrapped
in the veil of eternity, right? So how is it?
Which has made you happier??
The truth is your body
can't escape anymore, can it??
No one will laugh at you,
so I won't let you regret it

You know you love yourself
But you're just running away, aren't you?
You know you love yourself
But you're getting addicted
You know you love yourself
But you're closing your eyes
You know you love yourself
But you're here

Can't stop this pulse, this body, or this rhythm, hey boy
I decided I'll go to the end with you like this
I want you to come close and feel me right now, but
(c) @otenkiame

What can be said about a track like this? @RUNAWAY (9), for instance, implies, that he somehow didn't like this at first, "this is so much better than I remember it being. It’s really sexy and fun and gay and I love it." You're mad, but hehe I also understand how this behemoth with its onslaught of sounds can easily stomp out your poor ears at first. Unoriginally, @vague (9,5) retitles the track "BUTT" and says that it's, "an ode to my favorite body part from the japanese queen of thottery? i'm sold." Butts are nice.

Let's shower this masterpiece with some praise. @Weslicious isn't much for words, "I mean, iconique, right?!?!" Damn right! @yuuurei agrees with my thoughts on the track's status, "This is the first song that comes to mind when I think of Kumi, although it wasn't the first song of hers that I heard. I just loved this single so much when it was first released, I listened to it all the time. An eternal fave bop." It's just that quintessential Kumi bop, plain and simple. It was @Eskiath's first, "My first Kumi song and I fell in love with her instantly." Way to fall into the pit starting with this one! @Cutlery knows what's up, "YOU KNOW YOU LOVE YOUR (...self) This electric guitar, glitch, dancepop bop is MASSIVE and destroying. I can easily see why is it so beloved among her fans" The song cuts you like a knife, doesn't it? Right into the heart. @TABOO was conflicted over his choice of an 11, but hehe decided against giving it to BUT, "I imagine that I won’t be the only one saying that this was a strong contender for my 11! LGBTQI+ Queen really gave us this, didn’t she? The chorus bombards you, her lyricism combatting the listener’s self-doubts with urges of confidence and self-realisation. The song and its corresponding PV came to me at a time where I was coming to terms with my own sexuality, and as such, this will always have a special place in my heart." Even with the simple premise and decoration, the music video is still one of my favorites.

We arrive at a closing where we meet @soratami, who is just speechless over his feelings towards the song. Next to him is @otenkiame, who professes undying love, "Kuu brings the LGBT love with this flawless dance track. It's addictive as nothing else with that beat and the juicy synths. That "but" at the end of each English line in the chorus gets me every time. An absolute beast of a song, and I will NOT hear otherwise." It is, hun, it definitely is. I'm so proud to see it getting so much love from, well, basically everyone.​

BUT has a massive amount of performances, as it was performed to death both on TV and on tour. Here is one of the TV lives where you can hear Kumi hit that woo yeaaah note before the first chorus, despite being all ill and nasally. This also has Jungle, the bigger girl, who is amazing.
​
 
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evilsin

evilsin

Which means...
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1ST PLACE
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1
TABOO

Average: 9,98
Highest score: 11x4 (@Osiris, @Remorque, @lalaclairi_ and @TABOO, duh) 10x12 (@ThisIsRogue, @aaronhansome, @Empty Shoebox, @yuuurei, @Love Deluxe, @soratami, @otenkiame, @Cutlery, @EachSmallStep, @Weslicious, @vague, @me!)
Lowest score: 8,5x1 (@RUNAWAY) 9x3 (@mi|kshake, @Eskiath, @Squashua)
My score: lookie above
That's all of the scores for this one other there, dddd.
​
Whew, where do I start? @TABOO won this rate. Produced by HIRO of digz.inc and written by him and Kumi, the track in question is the end result of all there is good in pop music. The pulsating beat, that relentlessly beats right along with your heart; the striking synths that come and go in all the right places to color this song purple I see it this way!; the palpable wobbles, that give substance as if you can almost touch them; the voice, that shines bright and allows itself to be bended to the song's desires; the delivery, that oozes with confidence; the backing vocals, that still make me question my hearing as I can't get what actually being sung - it all contributes and provides in order to achieve the best. And it all does so with flying colors. At its core this is a synthy pop song that borrows heavily from EDM and it could have been as generic as it gets, and yet the choices that were made in producing it managed to elevate the track awarding it a timeless quality. No wonder that 10 years since, people are still so fond of this. This track cemented Kumi as the one to worship for me, while HIRO became one of my favorite producers ever. Honestly, I love this song and HIRO to my last days on Earth, still somehow I wanted for BUT to win. Although, I can see how this track is a lot more warmer and friendlier that the runner-up, hence its victory and I'm still happy with the results. A bit pissed at myself for not being able to go on a prolonged tirade of why this is so good for the second time in a row (hello, NO TRICKS, how've you been?) though. The music video is a whole another story. Its color scheme alone brings me so much joy, while in order to consolidate her stance as an LGBT icon, Kumi went all out in terms of hints and nudges and, you know, girl-on-girl and boy-on-boy action. Thematically this is close to BUT, the key metaphor is quite delicious in this one though.​

Even if it's among the things scattered about innumerably
I can find it
There's just one key
to open your heart, and I'll use whatever means to...

There are things you won't know unless you try them
C'mon, close your eyes
We're at the prohibited door

I know it's our secret
Gotta keep it to yourself tonight
Can't stop how I feel
It wasn't supposed to be like this, yet...

Heart closed, in my hand there are so many keys
Which secret key will open your heart?
What kind of you will you show me?
They won't stop this taboo
They can't stop this taboo

The door's opened, in my hand is the one key
At your secret door, with this I'll open your heart
What kind of future will you show me?
They won't stop this taboo
They can't stop this taboo
(c) @otenkiame

Excuse me my fever dream.​

So let's get some info from the sexy patrons of this fine establishment on the subject of that one song blasting out right this moment. Hello, good sir, what do you think of this one playing for the 5th time in a row? @RUNAWAY answers, "I’ve never understood the absolute stanning this song receives. For me it’s never really been an earth-shattering song like everyone seems to think it is. It’ll be underwhelming if it wins this rate when there are so many better, more deserving songs." As I start to back away from the man, I blurt out "Zero to Heat!" and quickly step away. I notice @Weslicious at the bar and approach. Without even asking the question, I hear, "A total 11 contender. I want this to go far and if it does end up winning overall I will hardly be mad." Okay, thank you for your time. I turn back to the dancefloor and see @otenkiame in the middle of it surrounded by the crowd, who is cheering him on, as he lets all his limbs go wild to the beat of the song, "Queen of the gays graces us with this phenomenal dance track. I guess you could call it BUT pt.2 because of all the LGBT themes going on, and it certainly lives up to that track's addictive nature. I mean, just wow. An instant classic and total standout in her discography." It was weird hearing him scream all this to no one in particular, but the crowd loved it. In this very crowd I see two girls bonding over they love for the song. "Quintessential Koda Kumi. Such a smooth dance track", shouts @EachSmallStep to @yuuurei. "A quintessential Kumi track, it's impossible not to dance a bit when this comes on", repeats her sentiment the other girl as if to give more weight to the argument. Listening to the two I didn't notice how @Squashua materialized out of thin air and blurted out, "Ferocious electro-bop, especially in the verses, thankfully free from the overly robotomised autotune that would plague a lot of the music from this time period." Just as I started opening my mouth to ask him how he did that, he vanished just as easily. Awkward... and weird. Speaking of weird, at the tables I see a very pretty box. I come closer and realize that it's @Empty Shoebox. "This is the song that most of you came here for, and who can blame you? It's great. Add the LGBT community love and you've got yourself a damn good record. At least, I think so." At this point I start to wonder if there is something in the air. I sit at the nearby free table and realize that someone almost intangible is sitting next to me. It's @vague, "oh, man, this is definitely a top tier Kumi song. that chorus is euphoric!! songs like this are what she was born to sing; her vocals are in~cre~di~ble here." I nod in agreement and scan the dancefloor for other PJ members. Someone is proclaiming they're into choking at the next table, "Fantastic album opener. Step on our necks and don't let us breathe queen." It's @ThisIsRogue. I wave and decide to get something to drink. @Cutlery is bartending, "Queen of Pop. Dark and hunty anthem which kicks off the album pretty much flawlessly with vocoder, heavy synths and a whole lot of Kumi's personality" He pours me something called "ADOK IMUK". It's tart and sweet, I love it, but my head starts spinning.

Longing for fresh air, I move towards the exist. I bump into @lalaclairi_ as she is entering, "This single includes every unique element of Kuu that makes her such a good pop star. It's one of the best songs of her career." It's invigorating to hear such praise for clearly a standout track in someone's life. I manage to get to the doors and as I sit at the steps of the club, the winner's namesake, @TABOO, put his hand on my shoulder, "Kumi’s masterpiece. There was not a moment where I doubted that this would end up being my 11. TABOO is one of my favourite songs of all time. Aurally, this is an absolute delight: the thumping beat, the synthesizers, the vocals through the vocoder. Everything comes together in such a fantastical and extraordinary manner. “They won’t stop this TABOO / They can’t stop this TABOO” indeed! Kuu’s exploration of taboos within the lyrics - in particular, homosexuality - is definitely the personal highlight. In similar vein to BUT, TABOOwas a song that I discovered at the time I was coming to terms with my sexuality, and the lyricism was not only encouraging, it was precious. Over the years, the song has evolved with me and made me more and more proud of the person I am today. It amazes me how perfect this song is. Kumi really did this, ya’ll." Are you the song's fucking embodiment?
​

Thank fuck I woke up.
Or did I? Dddd.

Just as with BUT, TABOO was performed a lot, due to it's popularity. The Kouhaku one is still one of my favorite lives of hers though.
​
 
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evilsin

evilsin

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evilsin

evilsin

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Average score: 7,88

67 (TIE) Your Love
59 (TIE) That Ain't Cool / Koda Kumi & Fergie
54 (TIE) Joyful
50 (TIE) Ai no Kotoba
46 stay with me
42 (TIE) Venus
38 (TIE) Moon Crying
35 (TIE) Hurry Up!
33 Bling Bling Bling feat. AK-69
26 JUST THE WAY YOUR ARE
13 This is not a love song
07 show girl
03 Driving
01 TABOO
​
Highest scorers:
@evilsin 8,64 Dddd.
@Weslicious 8,50
@Remorque 8,29
@EachSmallStep 8,25
@TABOO 8,18

Lowest scorers:
@mi|kshake 7,14
@Osiris 7,32
@lalaclairi_, @Eskiath 7,50
@ThisIsRogue 7,61​
 
yuuurei

yuuurei

she/her
yuuurei said:
あらら, I thought FREAKY would be in the top 5 but it just misses. I would have preferred to see it and show girl in place of JUICY and Under, but it's still a pretty good top 5. I feel like I've known what would win this from the beginning but if a certain other song takes the win instead I'd be pretty pleased.
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.......... Well, anyway! I can't say I'm surprised, and while I would have slightly preferred BUT to take the win, I'm not mad at TABOO. It's definitely an iconic Kumi track!

And that write-up was equally iconic @evilsin, reading it made me smile. Thanks for hosting the rate! Despite our squabbles and my honest scores clearly making me look like a hater, I genuinely enjoyed this thread and revisiting this part of Kumi's discography. As I said before I likely won't be participating in the next parts but I hope you all have fun!

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evilsin

evilsin

Osiris said:
Didn't expect to be a low scorer but I really can't stand her cute songs!

Great winner and runner-up. Iconic songs!
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Considering it's over 7+ average, it's totally fine, hun. I'm really curious how the next 2 parts are going to be though, since it's where it gets interesting and not so obvious.
Empty Shoebox said:
Well done and thanks @evilsin.
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No, thank you for taking part! Hope to see you in the next installment.
Cutlery said:
I see what you did there
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Your TABOO write-up is so delightful to read, you really snapped with the idea behind it and what a better way to close than with @TABOO 's perfect comment?

Thank you for this rate! It's been a great seven months from start to finish ♥️
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Ah, I'm so thankful for your commentary along the way! And I'm very pleased you found this mess of a write-up to your enjoyment.
yuuurei said:
.......... Well, anyway! I can't say I'm surprised, and while I would have slightly preferred BUT to take the win, I'm not mad at TABOO. It's definitely an iconic Kumi track!

And that write-up was equally iconic @evilsin, reading it made me smile. Thanks for hosting the rate! Despite our squabbles and my honest scores clearly making me look like a hater, I genuinely enjoyed this thread and revisiting this part of Kumi's discography. As I said before I likely won't be participating in the next parts but I hope you all have fun!

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Thank you so much for going with me o this journey, hun. Please remember that there was never any malice behind my quips, only jokes to entertain the masses. Fingers crossed you'll change your mind and I'll see you in the next part.
 
O

otenkiame

Thanks for the ride @evilsin!! It was fun!!

I expected "TABOO" to win, though a tiny part of me was secretly hoping that "BUT" would come through. Not that I'm mad, because "TABOO" deserves the win.

I'm already excited for the next part, though I have a feeling scores are going to be much lower with all the...choice tracks she released.
 
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