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 Exodus ~Another World~

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PostSubject: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeSun Jun 01, 2008 6:51 am

Hi everyone, I made this topic to specifically discuss Hikki's second English album, Exodus, to share some of my thoughts about it and to get your opinions on it as well. Exodus is one of my favorite albums of all time and having all of Hikki's albums both English and Japanese, I think that Exodus really shows sides of her that isn't really personnified in her Japanese works.

Devil Inside: This song really shows off a certain "rebelliousness" in which Hikki says that she isn't necessarily the person that people percieve her to be. I think that it's a song that many people can relate to because everyone has their "thing" that people see them as and it becomes a signature of sorts. Hikki's lyrical style is much more direct here and to me, the phrases with the word "burn" particuarly stand out. I think it's one of her more creative works and this sort of directness isn't really seen in her Japanese works.

Everybody wants me to be their angel
Everybody wants someone they can cradle

Time to make it burn....
This is how I burn...


The Workout: The sexual energy that erupts from this song is definitely something that Hikki follows in her Japanese works. The sexual metaphors pretty much constitute a majority of the lyrics. What was interesting was the second verse, where it kind of steps away from that side as she talks to a born again Christian and what it feels like to "start all over." I know that on one level, it means undergoing the process of being reborn but I feel there is a deeper metaphor here that I have yet to understand. Her answer to the question is that it's like discovering the tomb of Tutankhamen, which loses me. Honestly I really enjoyed this track [my second favorite on the album] and think that Hikki should bring over a certain sexual energy into her Japanese works.

What's it like to start life all over
Amen, I feel like I've been rediscovering the tomb of Tutenkamen

Tippy Toe + Hotel Lobby: I'm not completely sure why but these songs just seem to work as a team for me. The former talks about being involved with a married man while the latter talks about prostitution. Let's start with Tippy Toe. I think it's interesting how their are musical references within the song [comparing the thoughts of him to an interlude; synchronizing] and does create a bond [to the extent of music being like another person] to music. Hotel Lobby is interesting to me because of the way Hikki uses the lyrics to really relate to the feelings of a "working girl" [as Hikki dsecribes it]. Overall the feeling established is a certain monotony that she faces and wishes to almost escape from but reality is reality and it's something that she must deal with. She then talks about how things go unreported, which fuels a certain intelligence from Hikki and it's not just like she's writing the song in the dark [completely unaware]. Although the one line bugs me when she says "she doesn't want to be respected" because it seems somewhat contradictory to the atmosphere established throughout the rest of the song.

When the thrill subsides, will you still be mine
Worry infiltrates my head
Till I kill, I feel it instead

Catch me cause I think I'm falling
I'll be waiting in the mirrors of the hotel lobby...


Animato: According to Hikki, this track is the most representative of who she is as a singer. However I see more qualities of who she is a person and there's a personal connection that I have made to the song that perhaps others have made as well. The very first two lines "somebody out there better get this, not many people can do it like this" show a kind of harmful and playful arrogance that is actually endearing on a level. The end of the verse "life's messy so I clarify it simplifying things for everybody" stands out to me every time I listen to the song. Something about this line is particularly drawing but I'm not really sure why. That playful arrogance returns as she sings "this is music for all humanity from me..." but there is a dual layer here to me as it represents a personal connection to her fans. It's not just for her, it's for everybody and there is a way to relate to this song [and the entire album as well]. The music within this song is absolutely gorgeous and one of her best compositions ever and Hikki herself said it's her favorite song on the album [like me]. I think this style is something she should bring over into her Japanese work.

I take my time and choose someone who tries to be on time
Do what you said you'll do
I hope you like to follow through

- I will write the other three soon because I'm really tired and this is actually taking longer than I thought. Basically I see a certain aspect in her English work that doesn't really come up in her Japanese work. I think that there is more "freedom" that she uses in her English work because certain things she feels would be less proper in Japan than they would in America. Or perhaps she feels "Utada" is somewhat of a different personna than "Utada Hikaru" and the two sides of her are different. What do you guys think about this album and its drastic change from her Japanese albums?
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Exodus ~Another World~ Empty
PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeSun Jun 01, 2008 9:39 am

I, personally, don't like it. I mean, I listen to it and it's one of my favorite English albums EVER, but it's not living up to full Hikki for me. I'm totally happy she's having this whole new "view" and trying to change up her style, but it just wasn't GOOD. All of her Japanese stuff, however, is GOOD. Stay Gold: different but GOOD, Passion: different but GOOD, Flavor of Life: different but GOOD. I just wish for some of that.

I think the answers will vary and am glad to see someone on here who approves of Exodus (God knows there are a lot who really DON'T like it). It's good to speak out for what you really like. I assume that you want the second English album like the first, am I right?
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Exodus ~Another World~ Empty
PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeSun Jun 01, 2008 1:53 pm

YES, I would love for the new album to be in the same style as Exodus. That would just make my life.

I don't understand why people don't like it so much but hey, to each his own
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Exodus ~Another World~ Empty
PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeSun Jun 01, 2008 2:56 pm

I really enjoyed Exodus. It was a great start for her English album.

You Make Me Want To Be A Man had a really good meaning to it, being how she wishes she could be a man, so she could understand her husband better because of gender boundaries.

I never understood Kremlin Dusk but the song had a poetic feel to it and I really like it, but I guess it has something to do with Love.

About Me is very meaningful, talking about how you want to tell your lover everything about you, but how your lover must be honest him/herself.

Overall I liked all the songs basically.
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Exodus ~Another World~ Empty
PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeSun Jun 01, 2008 3:06 pm

Non of her English albums are my favorites, I rather prefer UB or HS. I really liked Kremlin Dusk, I was so moved when I heard it! You should all listen to the live version of Kremlin Dusk, from UTADA UNITED 2006! I like the live version even better than the studio version. As for me, I thought it was too much digital-things and stuff in her songs, it kinda ruined the whole thing for me.

I hope her new English album will be better than her previous ones!


Last edited by malemale on Sun Jun 01, 2008 6:43 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Exodus ~Another World~ Empty
PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeSun Jun 01, 2008 6:00 pm

Completely agree. In an interview Utada said that in writing english she felt more freedom to be playful and sex and be more direct, so that's why I love the album. You can't aways have metaphors~
As a whole, it's great.
(Save a few songs in my opinion)
But it's definatly a grower for the mainstream public, :X
About Me is my favorite song of the whole album.
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Exodus ~Another World~ Empty
PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeSun Jun 01, 2008 6:14 pm

About Me is wonderful. There's something so honest and personal about that song that just captures you. It's definitely the perfect album closer for Exodus.
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Exodus ~Another World~ Empty
PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeSun Jun 01, 2008 6:17 pm

I liked it but i DON'T LOVE it. I love the music and how she was very honest within her lyrics but the lyrics and the music just didn't go well together. Some of the songs I enjoyed. And like malemale said, I just loved the live versions WAY much better than studio versions. The music was very well arranged. I'm hoping Utada puts more of her Japanese music kind of feel to her next English album. It'd be a big hit!

Nintendofanboy wrote:


I never understood Kremlin Dusk but the song had a poetic feel to it and I really like it, but I guess it has something to do with Love.

I don't understand it much either but it was originally a poem in first place! XDD

Amai Wana wrote:


I think that Exodus really shows sides of her that isn't really personified in her Japanese works.

Yeah, Utada stated in her interview that she was more honest and more open in this album, but I like all of her songs always contain a deeper meaning. It makes it more sophisticated and respectable unlike Exodus (except for Kremlin Dusk). Again, I don't hate it at all. It's a good first English album. I'm just hoping for something A LOT better for the next one.
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Exodus ~Another World~ Empty
PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeSun Jun 01, 2008 6:23 pm

Well technically it's her 2nd English album [Precious under Cubic U] Smile
Well Kremlin Dusk is kinda centered around The Raven and I've never read it but maybe someone here has. But yeah, love is the centered theme I guess.
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PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeSun Jun 01, 2008 6:36 pm

The Raven! XDD One of the reasons why I got so into Hikki: She loves my favorite poet! Well Kremlin Dusk is just about losing a love one and I think Hikki, or the character of the poem/song, is waiting for the return of their lover but goes through all this pain and is just wondering what's happening to them and to their own future.

(The Raven is just about some man who loses his love, Lenore, and has insomnia. But one night while he's sitting in his room reading there's this tapping at his door. When he opens it there's no one there. Then this Raven comes and sits on the bust of Pallas, the Greek goddess of Wisdom. If you infer from this, you'd think the Raven is wise. The man starts to ask the Raven if his Lenore will ever come back to him and the Raven always reply, "Nevermore". the man throws a lot of questions to the Raven but it replies with only one word: "Nevermore". And when he ask him will his pain ever leave, it just replies, "Nevermore." The poem just ends with the Raven never leaving and just sitting on the bust even after the man had died.)

So Kremlin Dusk is pretty similar to The Raven but a little more modern to what is happening today and a little more straightforward.
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PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeSun Jun 01, 2008 6:46 pm

Her lyrics are soooo poetic; there's such meaning in them that you can't help but appreciate.
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Exodus ~Another World~ Empty
PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeSun Jun 01, 2008 7:00 pm

The Raven is a beautiful poem. Kremlin Dusk is one of the best songs ever made (in any language). By the way, what would the genre be? Rock?
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PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeSun Jun 01, 2008 7:56 pm

It's hard to identify it with a genre - like part of it I would say is definitely rock [torn by the arms in opposite direction, that part] but otherwise, I dunno.
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Exodus ~Another World~ Empty
PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeMon Jun 02, 2008 12:15 am

Yeah, I know what "The Raven" is, just never understood the song, thanks for helping : D
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Exodus ~Another World~ Empty
PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeMon Jun 02, 2008 12:57 am

I loved Exodus, it's my equal favourite Utada album with Ultra Blue. In Deep River she moved away from the style of her first three albums and became more eclectic but Exodus was her great leap forward creatively. She arranged all of the songs herself (excluding Timbaland's three) and without Kei Kawano who I feel shaped Deep River significantly.

Like I say, I think the problem with Exodus is that a lot of Utada fans take her too seriously. I get a bit sick of laborious ballads and Exodus was such a nice change, even though the content of the lyrics was more shallow than her Japanese albums, the melody of the lyrics was where she made up for it, they flowed so much better than her Japanese lyrics and became more a part of the music. And they were actually fun, Exodus is the album I can most sing along to, and not because her others are in Japanese.

She's said herself that she felt like retiring after Deep River, that she had no ideas left. Even if you don't like Exodus you have to respect it for revitalising her creativity, and without it we would have never had what came after.
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Exodus ~Another World~ Empty
PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeMon Jun 02, 2008 2:35 am

When EXODUS was released, i was just a 3rd grade junior high that time. LOL! For me, this is a very good album. It was like an album to be considered as a "TRANSITION" or "Interlude" from our Hikki from First Love to Deep River ERA to the Hikki that we Hear at this very moment. There were some harsh comments about the songs' lyrics on this album but for me, they were just hidden. Maybe some are so straightforward but majority are like that.
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Exodus ~Another World~ Empty
PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeTue Jun 03, 2008 6:05 am

I'm one of people who love Exodus.
Exodus '04 has beautiful & hornest lyric.
Animato also pushs me to follow through.
And I really like Tippy Toe I think it's funny! haaaa.

Her lyrics are wide and interesting.
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Exodus ~Another World~ Empty
PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeTue Jun 03, 2008 10:22 am

EXODUS is one of the most artistic albums ever made. Many of the lyrics' true meanings are hidden in the songs. Ahh, the WORKOUT.
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PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeTue Jun 03, 2008 10:36 am

The Workout is definitely one of my fav Hikki tracks ever! It's just so different from her other songs. This is the type of song that with better promotion would have made an excellent single!
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Exodus ~Another World~ Empty
PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeTue Jun 03, 2008 10:40 am

I just don't know why people hate Easy Breezy. Yes, the lyrics are cheesy, but Hikki herself said that the song was meant to show her humor. It has a VERY catchy beat, and I feel like it has a place on EXODUS.
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PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeTue Jun 03, 2008 10:46 am

I know! It's something you'd love singing along to. Plus I think think the lyrics are cute, "You're easy breezy and I'm Japanesey" XDD It was the first song I heard from Exodus and it was the song that actually got me to listen to the whole album.
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Exodus ~Another World~ Empty
PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeTue Jun 03, 2008 7:33 pm

I like Easy Breezy. It's so fun and lighthearted that it's hard not to love it. And the "she's got a new microphone" part was cool too.
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PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeTue Jun 03, 2008 8:22 pm

I know. That part I loved the most! She said it wasn't meant to be a metaphor 'cause she really did get a new microphone but then she realized that it was so it played out really good in the song. It shows how she's very open! XDD
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Exodus ~Another World~ Empty
PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeTue Jun 03, 2008 9:15 pm

That was really funny how that came about. It just makes it seem like Hikki's just one of us. Like she's a regular person with an amazing gift. lol, if that makes any sense. But it's relatable how she can be like that.
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Exodus ~Another World~ Empty
PostSubject: Re: Exodus ~Another World~   Exodus ~Another World~ I_icon_minitimeThu Jun 05, 2008 7:12 pm

She said it wasn't meant to be a metaphor 'cause she really did get a new microphone


REALLY!! haha
I thought so muck about her new microphone.
Smile
Anybody think about it ?
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Exodus ~Another World~ Empty
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