Once about every four months or so we get a new Utada Hikaru single. The last one was "traveling", and now we have a new one titled "hikari". Her third album was just announced for release on June 19, so that's actually what her fans are probably most excited about right now. "hikari" is slower tempo and more relaxed than most of her singles. That's not to say it isn't powerful and full of plenty of soul. The song begins abruptly with the chorus, then pauses and goes into the main body of the song with a beautiful acoustic guitar accompaniment. It's an addictive melody that has been stuck in my head a lot lately. A lot of people tend to complain about her overuse of vibrato in her vocals, but I've always found it to be just another part of her unique style. It makes her music sound more emotional, often more mournful, like crying sometimes. 
A shot from the "hikari" promotion video. |
But of all the things about this song, it was the promotion video that struck me the most. The video is completely of Utada washing the dishes. The camera never even moves. Sometimes Utada goes off camera to go and get something for extended amounts of time, but the camera makes no attempt to follow. She doesn't even bother to lip-synch half the lyrics. The video has a real 'singing in the shower' style to it, as if capturing Utada in the middle of just being herself, enjoying every day life and singing a song for the pure joy of it. That's what makes this a great video. It may be very boring to watch, but there is a very creative idea behind it, and that you have to admire. "hikari" is a nice song, and I like the idea for the promotion video (even if it's not as fun to watch as most of her other videos), but this song just can't quite compete with the addictive energy of "traveling" or the pure emotion of "FINAL DISTANCE". That's why I like "hikari", but I know it is far from her best single. The two remixes on this single, the "PLANITb Remix" and the "Godson Mix", are your standard Utada Hikaru remix tracks. They are better than acceptable, giving the song new feelings that aren't expressed in the original version. The "PLANITb Remix" makes the song faster in a futuristic techno version. The "Godson Mix" gives it a relaxed swing feel. Her emotional vocals lend themselves nicely to diverse remixes like these. These are both worthwhile tracks. There is only one new song on this single, which is the same as "traveling", but "hikari" is not as good as "traveling". Some of us remember a time when her singles had more than one new song on them, and I long for the day. She is clearly making good work here, as always, and it should hopefully be a very good album that gets released this June.
Buy it here.
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