Deep Dive: Utada Hikaru Part Five (Ultra Blue)

    Someone awhile ago on Reddit brought up how the concept for Ultra Blue's visuals are like Sakamoto Ryuichi's Sweet Revenge, and I think that's so appropriate. They are similar, but it's two geniuses doing what they do best which is make great art that pushes boundaries and makes you think. Utada Hikaru's fifth studio album, Ultra Blue, is arguably her most ambitious, forward-thinking, and aware of the electronic takeover that was about to come in the 2010s. It continues the path she began forging with 2002's Deep River and takes the journey to unexpected places. Ultra Blue is truly a treat and a delectable album. Grab your goggles! We're going on a deep dive!

    Her videos on YouTube need to be remastered so bad. They're all so good, but some are hard to find and others look so low def. Which really contrasts Ultra Blue. It's such a HD album that was ahead of its time. The first song, "This Is Love," gives us a real taste of what is to come. It's relentless with its electro-pop feel. It's a roller coaster ride that only has loops and dives. Utada sounds so comfortable and in her own element here. She's reassuring. 

    Ultra Blue kinda ushered in a new sign of the times as is shown through its sound and promotions. iTunes was beginning to take over worldwide. Japan was still invested in physical CDs, but many people started using download services like Chaku-Uta to access music. As a result, this album features tracks that all feel like singles. This album was also a hit on downloading platforms. It was her first album to miss selling over a million copies, though it did come close. And it probably has passed that mark by now as it was so close. Her label reported over a million sales, so I'm going to go with that. Oricon did not track downloads during this time, and they wouldn't for another decade. I'd be interested to know the combined numbers for this album. 

    "Keep Tryin'" was my ringtone until like 2012. No joke. It's so whimsical and jovial. It's like a theme song for the common folk. The opening chorus lines of "I don't care about anything" just... are so relatable. Hahaha! It's a confection throughout its whole 5 minutes. And a delight to sing to. The beats are pretty unique, and its composition make it timeless to a point. The music video is also one of my favorites from her.

    The third song and title track, "Blue," begins to wind us down from the high energy a bit. The atmosphere created here is just gorgeous and luxuriant. After my first listen of this album, I constantly returned to this song. It encapsulates the album's themes and concept. The first three tracks so far have been very colorful. Where electronic-driven music can sound cold and barren, all of this album sounds just as colorful, powerful, and driven as past Utada efforts. "Blue" is no exception. Utada's vocal performance here is very emotive. The chorus soars and shows off her upper ranges. One of her best vocal performances on the album. 

    "Nichiyou no Asa" has always been a fascinating track to me. Off the backs of the first three tracks, it's kinda jarring (in a good way), and it's a slow burn overall. The song is sparse and not what we have become used to so far. It's beautiful and nostalgic. Ghostly, in a way. It evokes strong emotions in me of the past and yet also the future. Her whispers of English here are evocative and catchy in a way that it's not like a hook, but it's vital to the song. The "cloudy morning/ice cream toppings/music's playing/high street shopping/chocolate cravings/baby's crying" it paints a clear picture with vivid and familiar imagery in just a pre-chorus. With the first pre-chorus "Christmas morning/candles burning/all night dancing" we get a sense of the setting in just a couple of lines. I feel like there's a story behind this song, and I've always wanted to know more. Fantastic.

    "Making Love" gives us more evidence of a maturing Utada lyrically and thematically. Music-wise, it's a bop with a chorus that lands an unsuspecting right hook. Her vocals on the chorus hit hard and the title itself becomes the song's hook. The playful bridge of little chants is so fun and fits in with the album so well. We hadn't gotten much from Utada like this before. 

    Then we come to the album's first big ballad. It's piano driven which may seem out of place on this album, but the piano sounds icy enough that it doesn't feel super out of place. This song was released as an early single, so that probably explains the difference. It's a grand ballad where Utada sounds great. Its singability is high.

    Now we are talking! The next track is the big sky, the stormy ocean, and the tall mountain song that is "COLORS." This song was released as the first single from the album in 2003. 3 years before the album. But Utada planned ahead because this song is the defining song of Ultra Blue. There's nothing about the song that isn't exciting and emotional. Lyrically, it's just brilliant. Truly a J-Pop diamond. There was no way this song wasn't going to be a hit and critically praised to the heavens. 

    If you haven't noticed all the colors of the album's photoshoot so far, this is a good place to take note. I think "COLORS" probably inspired the album overall due to this. "COLORS" appeared on Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 1 first which was released two years before this album. I kinda feel conflicted about that. It fits Ultra Blue wayyyyyy better. But that leaves Vol. 1 without any new material. I would have reviewed it, but we already covered every song on it besides this one. On the other hand, Utada could have placed a brand new song here in its place. But "COLORS" fits too perfectly. Vol. 1 became that year's top selling album, but there really is no reason to go back and revisit it. Which is a shame. 

    Next up we have a first for a Utada album, a collaboration! "One Night Magic" features Yamada Masashi of THE BACK HORN fame who sings backing on the pre-chorus and chorus to great results. Their voices go splendidly together. "One Night Magic" is just an instantly likeable poppy, glossy song. It displays two different choruses to amazing results as they blend so well together. Featuring different choruses happens more often in Japanese music that the same chorus repeated. Sometimes it can be middle of the ground as one chorus can be drastically better than the other. That doesn't happen here though, and it adds to the relistening value of the song. Like many Utada songs.

    

    Then we have an interesting little number in "Kairo." It's unlike any other song on the track list. It's calm and foreboding. Just because it's really different doesn't mean it's out of place. And it falls into that ambition we talked about at the beginning of the article. The strings on this song make the song. I think this is probably the most unique ballad in Utada's discography. It feels like it would appear on a video game soundtrack or a Studio Ghibli film. 

        "WINGS" is just great. The piano on it feels like an adventure. I think the biggest accomplishment of Ultra Blue is the atmosphere of all the songs. They each have their own unique color, and they all come together to make a cohesive, enthralling album. "WINGS" has that adventurous atmosphere that reminds me of being on a sail boat. Like flying along the ocean. This song has probably aged the best out of all the songs here.

    "Be My Last" is an awesome song to sing along to. It's dramatic. It makes you feel. It features two different choruses that each hit hard. The opening lyrics are amazing Utada fare that she has displayed before, even on songs like "Keep Tryin'," where she mentions her mother. "Be My Last" features one of Utada's best vocal performances discography wide. The vocals are layered in the pre-chorus like we have become accustomed to. The song opens up right before the chorus starts and it gives you the chills. The acoustic guitar makes this song.

    We talked about it on the Deep River article, but here is where the albums begin to parallel each other. Utada, herself, described "Hikari" and "Passion" as the dawn and dusk respectively. Much like with Deep River, this begins with the album's only interlude. Here, it begins with the dusk of "Eclipse (Interlude)" which self-samples "Passion" a bit. It prepares us for something absolutely epic.

 

     "Passion" is a career highlight. Hands down. It's one of her most memorable songs that has made her career and reputation what it is today. Like "Hikari" before it, it is also a theme song for Kingdom Hearts. There isn't a moment of this song where you don't feel like it's not a song of biblical-level proportions. It's legendary. The atmosphere here just doesn't stop. And it never gets old. The guitar on it is instantly recognizable. I know the word gets thrown around a lot these days, but this song is iconic.

    Overall, I feel like Ultra Blue is the dusk to Deep River's dawn. It's darker and more introspective in places. It's more dramatically serious at times yet Utada's own playfulness does shine through a lot. And where songs on Deep River feel like the day, most songs on Ultra Blue feel like the night. "This Is Love," "Making Love," and "One Night Magic" for instance. Like Exodus before it, Ultra Blue feels like an album that Utada wanted to make to feed her artistic self. There's a lot going on here, and it's amazing. Utada would then continue her own path into the hit-filled mammoth that is her sixth album, Heart Station. But without Ultra Blue, Heart Station would lack its refined and distinctive sound that makes it what it is. Ultra Blue will always be an Utada record that is unapologetically experimental and engaging from start to finish. 

Rank: S Rank. The question has made us Ultra Blue.

Recommendation: Listen to it while you make your own art!

Standouts:

    This Is Love

    Keep Tryin' 💖

    Blue

    COLORS 💣

    WINGS

    Be My Last

    Passion 🔥