Distance was
Utada Hikaru's third album, and her second in
Japanese. It's also one of my favorite albums ever, and definitely one of the best albums in the history of
Japanese pop. This is evidenced by how well it sold: into the millions, both in
Japan, throughout
Asia, and even as an import in
Europe and
North America.
It was released in March of 1999, when Hikki was sixteen.
- Wait and See - I have never heard a song quite like this one come out of any singer's mouth in my entire life. The best way I can describe it is: imagine an Evanescence vocal track, backed by about fifty different MIDI instruments playing at almost random intervals, with a funky pop drum beat in the background and some solid acoustic-sounding bass, and being sung by a Japanese teenager. It was a classic the moment it was created, and the last cymbal of the song can turn into an orgasm if you listen too closely. A+
- Can You Keep A Secret? - This is slightly more standard R&B fare. Your average TLC/Destiny's Child-type girl group could sing it as album filler. Utada's voice carries it: the beat and instrumentals might as well have been lifted from any hip-hop DJ. It's still a solid track, though. B
- Distance - It's kind of hard to classify this one. In Moodlogic, I would rate it as "somewhat sentimental," but the peppy, softcore execution of the song really belies the yearning message behind it. Hikki ended up making a slower, orchestral, ballad-like version of the song for her Deep River album, called "Final Distance," which was much better. So Distance's title track came out slightly flat. B-
- Sunglass - First of all, this song has great bass and pads. I love it just for the backing track: Hikki's singing doesn't come out as strongly in this one. The overall effect is very subdued and relaxing, making it a great track to mellow out to. B+
- Drama - And then everything changes again! "Dorama" has a very strong rock influence, but it's still essentially R&B: the beat and the bass drive it along, not the distorted-out guitars. Hikki wails a bit toward the end, but the combination of styles is pretty nice, whether you're a rock fan or an R&B fan. B
- Eternally - They don't have prom in Japan, but if they did, every teenaged couple would be dry humping to this song on the dance floor. "Eternally" is Distance's trusty patented love song, and Utada, who made her splash onto the scene with another love song ("First Love"), sings it perfectly. Good orchestration. Good beat. Put together very well. You can't listen to it without at least thinking of making out with your unrequited love. A+
- Addicted to You - This one was famous in Japan because Sony used it in commercials for batteries and MiniDiscs. Hikki keeps her voice low, and the beat shuffles along. It's a pretty mellow song, but it moves along at a good pace, and it has good (but not awesome) backing tracks. B
- For You - This picks up a lot from "Addicted To You." The beat still sort of maracas along (if that makes sense), but the drums are stronger, and the instrumentation is much more dynamic, making it a more danceable and rock-out-able song. It's very jazzy, with piano riffs here and there and some serious acoustic bass work, and Hikki sings damn well. A
- Kettobase - "I want your baaaaaa-byyyyyyy!" It's absolutely insane, and I love it. After a series of slower songs, Utada comes back with a fast-paced and wonderfully quirky track, backed by an array of electric guitar samples. Her voice is still pretty: it's just surrounded by a breakneck jam band, to great effect. A+
- Parody - This is one of the best uses of pizzicato strings I've heard in a while, and it's probably where Hikaru's singing hit one of its high points. Her voice is just pure on this track, which goes back to the jazzy shuffle mode, but feels much more lighthearted. It's not memorable, but it's a good listen. B+
- Time Limit - Now we've got a true R&B track, the sort of thing you could break dance to on a street corner in the ghetto. The entire song is an extended metaphor comparing a relationship to expired food, and in the refrain, Utada says to order it with someone else "because I'm not paying." It's simply awesome: in a world of campy J-pop songs, it's unusually poetic and extraordinarily funky. A+
- Kotoba ni Naranai Kimochi - Then we slow down again to another R&B track that proceeds along at walking pace. Honestly, if Hikki had left this track off the end of the album, I would have enjoyed the album just as much. In comparison to the series of songs before it, "Kotoba" is pretty blase, although it's still well-made and good to dance to, or just to mellow out to. B-
Overall rating: astronomical. Just buy it, or download it, or borrow it, or do whatever you have to do. Every audiophile will find something that's likable about
Distance.
The song goes like this:
Ki ni naru no ni kikenai
Oyogi tsukarete
Kimi made muguchi ni naru
Aitai no ni mienai
Nami ni osarete
Mata sukoshi tooku naru
Togirenai you ni
Keep it goin', baby
Onaji kimochi ja nai nara
Tell me, muri wa shinai
Shugi de mo sukoshi nara
Shite mite mo ii yo
I wanna be with you now
Futari de distance shijimete
Ima nara ma ni au kara
We can start over
Hitotsu ni wa narenai
I wanna be with you now
Itsu no hi ka distance mo dakishimerareru
You ni nareru yo
We can start sooner
Yappari I wanna be with you
Hitokoto de konna ni mo
Kizu tsuku kimi wa
Kodoku wo oshiete kureru
Mamorenai toki, keep on tryin' baby
Yakusoku toori ja nai kedo
Trust me, muri wa shinai
Shugi de mo kimi to nara
Shite mite mo ii yo
I wanna be with you now
Futari de distance mitsumete
Ima nara ma ni au kara
We can start over
Kotoba de tsutaetai
I wanna be with you now
Sono uchi ni distance mo dakishimerareru
You ni nareru yo
We should stay together
Yappari I wanna be with you