déjà-vu

「déjà-vu」　・　hitomi

01. mistake｜02. BUSY NOW｜03. Turning Point｜04. Slow Song｜05. poker face｜06. Free Soul!!｜07. Hard Days Night (One More Beauty)｜08. problem¹｜09. Digital Worker (Who’s he?)｜10. PRETTY EYES｜11. déjà-vu

 ¹Album Version

déjà-vu is the third studio album by hitomi, released in Japan on 11/12/1997. The album was drastically different from her last two albums, taking on more of a modern rock sound. It reached the #2 position on the Oricon charts, and has sold over 700,000+ since it’s release.

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After the naïvety of her debut album GO TO THE TOP and the sweeping dance-pop grandeur of by myself, many thought about where hitomi would take her next direction. Some proposed that she would continue making pop, others thought she would branch off in a more jazzy, lounge sound. Well, after listening to déjà-vu, I can safely say that she did neither. Instead, hitomi took advantage of producer Tetsuya Komuro’s growing rock sound (evident in globe’s album FACES PLACES) and furthered it, adding her own quirky twist, lyrical prose about life, and achieving a rock sound that turned out decisively more Western in production than most people in Japan were used to. Realistically a reason why this album didn’t hit number one, it’s a wonder her massive legion didn’t degenerate immediately, considering the delightfully alien sound hitomi suddenly took on. Not only this, but she quickly abandoned the provocative-yet-innocent look she was so well-known for and became a sophisticated rock woman. A big change for only after a year, but it works.

 Throughout the album, the tracks sit right next to one another in seamless integration, telling a story, mainly, a story of love, excitement, anger, and lust. Yeah, as much as I’d hate to admit it, hitomi got really mature (not in the XXX way) with this album. Another thing that changed with the album’s release was her voice! God, her voice in this album is absolutely fucking crazy. It’s very reflective, bouncing off the music like they’re mirrors and clawing and pervading it’s way through the guitars and clashing beats like some kind of animal. Indeed, if you’re not one to stand unusual voices, you may find yourself turning this album off quite a bit, driving it to the edge of a cliff, and dumping that shit down~however, if you’re one to appreciate quirky voices and the like, you may find yourself grow so attached to this album you can barely stand it. I’m serious. I fell in love with this album the minute I heard the cheerleader kick-ass stomps of mistake and the line ~I’m busy now, I’m busy, do me now~ in the after-song glow. It’s really quite interesting the way she experimented with vocal techniques in this album, and while there are minor growing pains (such as problematic…problem), it’s all worth it by the time you reach the soulful, blissful ending. ♥♥♥

My favorite songs in this particular album, were, well, if you want me to be honest, I’d have to say the whole thing. The tracks are very high-quality, and honestly, I could see successful singles from any of these tracks. Notable mentions include the jaw-dropping killer spree mistake, with it’s low-hum missle-like guitars and bad-ass claps, or Digital Worker, with it’s ready-baby aftertaste of obnoxious, good ol’ rock’n'roll. Even the bare honesty of sexually-hungry BUSY NOW, with it’s amazing riff lines and crash-and-burn emotion, could appeal to any hard rocker looking for a new jam. The entire album has this grungy, breezy, I-woke-up-with-a-hangover-and-I-don’t-give-a-fuck feel and it really makes itself apparent in the lyrical content and the brash music. A highly recommended album for those looking for something spicy and dirty.

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PERFECT

Best Song: More than half of the album

Best Medley: problem~Digital Worker (Who’s he?)~PRETTY EYES~déjà-vu