The Koda Kumi Rate: PART IV. All things come to an end, WINNER announced
- Thread starter evilsin
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Merry Go Round is an inoffensive semi bop with a fairly unique vibe to most of the rest of her discography and as such deserved a bit better.
BUT I'm glad the full on ballad cull is over as there is a total 10 in this part.
BUT I'm glad the full on ballad cull is over as there is a total 10 in this part.
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That kinda hurt.
I glad as well, but for how long are the ballads safe?
Dddd, one of this is one of most important tracks of hers to me.
Don't try playing victim, I remember your initial ballot for Part III.
I forgot to reply to this, but I was actually wrong ddd.
I always thought the PACHINKO version of "Kimi Omoi" was different, but it's not.
64a
NEVER GIVE IT UP
Average: 7,28
Highest scorers: 10x1 (@Ana Raquel), 9x2 (@Music Is Life, @RUNAWAY)
Lowest scorers: 5x1 (@Yeziirl), 5,5x1 (@otenkiame)
My score: 6
And not a ballad it is. Produced by Iioka Takashi (Goto Maki's "Eyes") and written by Kumi, the track was one of the three new tracks on "FEVER KODA KUMI LEGEND LIVE" along with "Kimi Omoi" and "SO FEVER" and is the second track to quit after "Kimi Omoi" fell off the face of the earth at the last place. Unlike the ballad, it is still not readily available for consumption and would probably remain this way forever. It also was one of those, that you, the voters, had the most problem getting your hands on.
This is one is so by-the-numbers that it almost hurts, not to mention how painfully anime opening ready it is. Still this might be a pro for some, since it's nice to have some bubbly mid-tier bop once in a while. I don't really mind this, considering how short and precise it is. A little muddy in the guitars department, but overall quite enjoyable.And the music video is cute to boot. Although I can't help but wish it went sooner instead of some deserving ballads.
This is one is so by-the-numbers that it almost hurts, not to mention how painfully anime opening ready it is. Still this might be a pro for some, since it's nice to have some bubbly mid-tier bop once in a while. I don't really mind this, considering how short and precise it is. A little muddy in the guitars department, but overall quite enjoyable.And the music video is cute to boot. Although I can't help but wish it went sooner instead of some deserving ballads.
Lyrically, this is devised to lift your spirits.
Everyone's praying
to be loved by somebody
But first try loving
your own self
(c) @otenkiame
True, true.
It's rare to see @otenkiame (5,5) as one of the lowest scorers, but here we are, "Everything about this says I should hate it, so why is it that I kinda find it okay? I mean, the fact that it's under three minutes probably helps. But, that aside, I find that the slightly "cute" vocals over the pop/rock arrangement works in its favour, even if it's a dime a dozen in her discography." As with yours truly, @otenkiame wanted more or something completely different, dddd.
@Sprockrooster (6) had to have a link handed to them, "Not all this hassle for such a mediocre track ddd. It is a 6 from me."
Looks like @Cutlery (8,5) needed some brightness in his life, "Uplifting! I just know already it will be done dirty but I appreciate this bright, straightforward pop rock sound from the go." Not as dirty as the ballads, apparently.
And @RUNAWAY (9) made a discovery of a different sort, "so this is where that iconic gif of yours comes from? ICONIC. The song is great too!!!"
@Sprockrooster (6) had to have a link handed to them, "Not all this hassle for such a mediocre track ddd. It is a 6 from me."
Looks like @Cutlery (8,5) needed some brightness in his life, "Uplifting! I just know already it will be done dirty but I appreciate this bright, straightforward pop rock sound from the go." Not as dirty as the ballads, apparently.
And @RUNAWAY (9) made a discovery of a different sort, "so this is where that iconic gif of yours comes from? ICONIC. The song is great too!!!"
Me reacting to the ballad cull.
As you can imagine, this one remains unperformed.
As you can imagine, this one remains unperformed.
Have I mentioned, that the second track in the tie was someone's 11?
Oops.
64b
Sometimes Dreams Come True
Average: 7,28
Highest scorers: 11x1 (@Music Is Life), 10x1 (@me!), 8,5x1 (@RUNAWAY)
Lowest scorers: 5x1 (@Ana Raquel didn't you just give 10 to "NEVER GIVE IT UP"?), 5,5x2 (@Sprockrooster, @otenkiame)
My score: lookie above
Oops.
64b
Sometimes Dreams Come True
Average: 7,28
Highest scorers: 11x1 (@Music Is Life), 10x1 (@me!), 8,5x1 (@RUNAWAY)
Lowest scorers: 5x1 (@Ana Raquel didn't you just give 10 to "NEVER GIVE IT UP"?), 5,5x2 (@Sprockrooster, @otenkiame)
My score: lookie above
I'm so sorry, @Music Is Life, but your 11 is the first to go. At least I love it! Produced by Toby Gad (you know him) and Jessica"Jessie J"Cornish (oh you definitely know her) and written by them and Kumi, the track is a new album track that appeared on "WALK OF MY LIFE" and thus it takes its first hit. This is the second track produced by Jessie in Kumi's discography after the bonkers track that is "V.I.P.".
I genuinely love this. The guitar and the talkative verse in contrast to bigger chorus are great, but what makes the track for me is the chorus' "nananana"s, melodies and fast delivery. I can totally hear Jessie singing this, although it's not that much of a con for me, dddd. The song started out as an 8 for me, which quickly became a 9. What really sealed the deal for me and made this into a 10 though, is the fact that I witnessed this performed live.
The thing about me, is that I don't have dreams. I have some minuscule desires I guess, but I don't have any big dreams I'm striving to fulfill. I don't know, maybe I think it's fruitless and futile to try, maybe I'm just lazy. In the end I just don't dream, big or little. Nethertheless, there was always this one thought. The thought that one day I will come to Japan and I will see my favorite artists live and it would be everything I ever wished for. As you know almost 3 years ago I lost my father, which prompted me to realize that nothing and no one is eternal. Someday we all will be gone from this world and maybe I won't even wake up tomorrow. So these circumstances along with Amuro Namie's retirement made me adamant in my intentions. When I finally saw this remarkable woman in the flesh, I couldn't believe myself. There she was being amazing on stage struting, dancing and singing, and I just couldn't believe that I'm actually seeing her with my own two eyes. A couple songs after, there was a portion of MC, which I can't really remember now, but right after that she started singing this particular song... and I just started bawling my eyes out (and I thought I didn't have any liquid left in my body considering the heat Japan was having at the moment, dddd). During that performance both the stage and the crowd were lit up, so I could finally see Kumi clearly and the realization finally came upon me. Yes, you've stanned this woman for 13 years and yes, you are seeing her on stage doing what she does best. Emotions overwhelmed me and I couldn't stop crying for the next couple songs, still one thing was clear as day. Sometimes dreams do come true.
I genuinely love this. The guitar and the talkative verse in contrast to bigger chorus are great, but what makes the track for me is the chorus' "nananana"s, melodies and fast delivery. I can totally hear Jessie singing this, although it's not that much of a con for me, dddd. The song started out as an 8 for me, which quickly became a 9. What really sealed the deal for me and made this into a 10 though, is the fact that I witnessed this performed live.
The thing about me, is that I don't have dreams. I have some minuscule desires I guess, but I don't have any big dreams I'm striving to fulfill. I don't know, maybe I think it's fruitless and futile to try, maybe I'm just lazy. In the end I just don't dream, big or little. Nethertheless, there was always this one thought. The thought that one day I will come to Japan and I will see my favorite artists live and it would be everything I ever wished for. As you know almost 3 years ago I lost my father, which prompted me to realize that nothing and no one is eternal. Someday we all will be gone from this world and maybe I won't even wake up tomorrow. So these circumstances along with Amuro Namie's retirement made me adamant in my intentions. When I finally saw this remarkable woman in the flesh, I couldn't believe myself. There she was being amazing on stage struting, dancing and singing, and I just couldn't believe that I'm actually seeing her with my own two eyes. A couple songs after, there was a portion of MC, which I can't really remember now, but right after that she started singing this particular song... and I just started bawling my eyes out (and I thought I didn't have any liquid left in my body considering the heat Japan was having at the moment, dddd). During that performance both the stage and the crowd were lit up, so I could finally see Kumi clearly and the realization finally came upon me. Yes, you've stanned this woman for 13 years and yes, you are seeing her on stage doing what she does best. Emotions overwhelmed me and I couldn't stop crying for the next couple songs, still one thing was clear as day. Sometimes dreams do come true.
Me at that concert x10.
The theme of the song is obvious and the lyrics are very cute with Kumi reminiscing about her childhood dreams.
When I was a child, I was innocently singing all day long
I wanted to be seen as an adult early, and put on make-up
It was my dream of someday
I imagined an award as they would call my name
Dreaming I was a singer
My aim was to be an awesome girl
(c) @otenkiame
Well, one of mine came true. What about y'allses?
I think I'm ready to revoke all the praise I've been showering @otenkiame's (5,5) commentary with, "Never been able to get completely into this song. I'm not too fond of the arrangement for whatever reason, and, though it's all happy and whatnot, I just do not like the constant use of the "yeah~" for the hooks. I dunno. It's filler for me; would not have cared if it were never released." You bags are there to the left, I've packed them for you.
At least @Yeziirl (7) gave this an okay score in the end, "Annoying. It feels like eating an apple with mayonnaise." No, you're annoying.
@Weslicious (8) saw the light after watching some concerts, "I didn’t originally like this but the tour performance gave it life." The "WALK OF MY LIFE" tour performance was so powerful with that dress.
Apparently it was a lot of "gun" (c) for @Music Is Life (11), "Yess that guitar! Ready for a pop-rock bop. The handclap beat! So much gun! Love the verses melody too. This really makes me wanna dance and jam at the same time. Love how rapid the chorus is, it fits perfectly with the production. That moment in the second verse when the production drops out – yesss. This is exactly the perfectly right kind of fun. The bridge into the final chorus! Another 11 contender! So yeah. This is my 11. It’s such a sweet song, with a pop-rock/dance rock production and I really love it. Hope it does well." I'm so grateful that you took part and I'm very happy with your choice of the 11. Don't mind the others, they don't know what they're talking about.
I think I'm ready to revoke all the praise I've been showering @otenkiame's (5,5) commentary with, "Never been able to get completely into this song. I'm not too fond of the arrangement for whatever reason, and, though it's all happy and whatnot, I just do not like the constant use of the "yeah~" for the hooks. I dunno. It's filler for me; would not have cared if it were never released." You bags are there to the left, I've packed them for you.
At least @Yeziirl (7) gave this an okay score in the end, "Annoying. It feels like eating an apple with mayonnaise." No, you're annoying.
@Weslicious (8) saw the light after watching some concerts, "I didn’t originally like this but the tour performance gave it life." The "WALK OF MY LIFE" tour performance was so powerful with that dress.
Apparently it was a lot of "gun" (c) for @Music Is Life (11), "Yess that guitar! Ready for a pop-rock bop. The handclap beat! So much gun! Love the verses melody too. This really makes me wanna dance and jam at the same time. Love how rapid the chorus is, it fits perfectly with the production. That moment in the second verse when the production drops out – yesss. This is exactly the perfectly right kind of fun. The bridge into the final chorus! Another 11 contender! So yeah. This is my 11. It’s such a sweet song, with a pop-rock/dance rock production and I really love it. Hope it does well." I'm so grateful that you took part and I'm very happy with your choice of the 11. Don't mind the others, they don't know what they're talking about.
The aforementioned performance from "WALK OF MY LIFE" tour is available in audio form:
Except that there is barely anything in this Part of the rate that constitutes a "cutesy" song.
70
Put Your Hands Up!!!
Average: 7
Highest scorers: 9,5x1 (@RUNAWAY), 9x4 (@Remorque, @V3RYP05H, @Music Is Life and @me!)
Lowest scorers: 4x1 (@cookiedough), 5x3 (@Cutlery, @lalaclairi_, @Yeziirl)
My score: lookie above
Would you look at that, we have another scores mix-up thanks to @Yeziirl, who switched "Put Your Hands Up!!!" with "Summer Time" in his ballot, hence me putting in the wrong score. Naturally I've noticed only when I was writing this elimination and since this score change puts "Put Your Hands Up!!!" at #70 instead of #63, all the songs starting with "NO ME WITHOUT YOU" go up one spot:
#69 NO ME WITHOUT YOU
#67a Soba ni Ite
#67b again
#66 TURN AROUND
#65 Merry Go Round
#63a NEVER GIVE IT UP
#63b Sometimes Dream Come True
Thanks, @Yeziirl, this is so fun. Hopefully you didn't do this anywhere else in the songlist...
Produced by 2SB ("again") and written by them and Kumi, the track was one of the numerous digintal singles before it appeared on the album.
I still can't get over those damn banjos. For some reason I never expected to hear those in a Kumi song, let alone a dance one. These banjos are definitely what makes the song for me along with that post-chorus instumental break, which only elevates the song further. I'd say that the vocoder effect on Kuu's vocals gets old pretty quickly, so I wish they used it less, but apart from that, I enjoy this immensely.
Lyrics wise we have a weekend party song that suggests to enjoy the mundane as well.
#69 NO ME WITHOUT YOU
#67a Soba ni Ite
#67b again
#66 TURN AROUND
#65 Merry Go Round
#63a NEVER GIVE IT UP
#63b Sometimes Dream Come True
Thanks, @Yeziirl, this is so fun. Hopefully you didn't do this anywhere else in the songlist...
Produced by 2SB ("again") and written by them and Kumi, the track was one of the numerous digintal singles before it appeared on the album.
I still can't get over those damn banjos. For some reason I never expected to hear those in a Kumi song, let alone a dance one. These banjos are definitely what makes the song for me along with that post-chorus instumental break, which only elevates the song further. I'd say that the vocoder effect on Kuu's vocals gets old pretty quickly, so I wish they used it less, but apart from that, I enjoy this immensely.
Lyrics wise we have a weekend party song that suggests to enjoy the mundane as well.
I woke up early in the morning
and have a hunch something good'll happen
Today again I guess I'll think about
one more thing to look forward to
(c) @otenkiame
@Yeziirl (5) tried to be cute, as always, "I will put my hand up if you turn it off, sure" I said, you're going to put those hands up and have a good time!
His partner-in-crime @Cutlery (5) hated the song, "Not with those overprocessed vocals and that royalty-free EDM pack #5 production, complete with fucking banjo; you don't!" Iconic banjo though.
And we're back on track with me agreeing with @otenkiame's (8) commentary, "While nowadays Kuu has thankfully put the sweeter-than-sugar cutsie songs behind her, this one's just the right amount of cute. Very tropical sounding with some house elements. My biggest complaint is that, while I don't mind autotune too much, I just wish she hadn't used it so much here." Tropical? Sis, what tropics have banjos?
His partner-in-crime @Cutlery (5) hated the song, "Not with those overprocessed vocals and that royalty-free EDM pack #5 production, complete with fucking banjo; you don't!" Iconic banjo though.
And we're back on track with me agreeing with @otenkiame's (8) commentary, "While nowadays Kuu has thankfully put the sweeter-than-sugar cutsie songs behind her, this one's just the right amount of cute. Very tropical sounding with some house elements. My biggest complaint is that, while I don't mind autotune too much, I just wish she hadn't used it so much here." Tropical? Sis, what tropics have banjos?
Considering the subject matter of the song, it was performed second-to-last during the "re(LIVE)" tour.
Look at the tracklist of the album or at the PM-able songlist - you've changed the order of the tracks.
Oh, you are talking about that. Yeah, I see. I thought you checked them by the title, though. If you had warned about the order I guess I would have been more careful, sorry!
I mean the PM-able list is there for a reason, no? Beside who would go changing the songs' order in the list in the first place? Looks like you would, dddd.
You say this but I also fucked up with pasting the same commentary twice so I guess it happens to anyone
I, for one, am glad this is out sooner!