Release Date: 3 February 2010
Song Count: 30
Duration: 2 hours, 1 minute, 50 seconds
Rating: 6.6/10
Description:
Why yes, this is by far the longest album I have sat through for the purposes of this project. At over 2 hours of runtime, we seem to have stumbled onto a double album conjoined into one by Japanese singer and recording artist Kumiko Kōda, known by her stage name Koda Kumi. A combination of a greatest hits album and an original release, this gargantuan collection of 30 tracks has a lot to offer in terms of different sounds, styles and even genres within its music, though all combined under a particular musical flair associated with Japanese music.
From cheerful and happy-go-lucky pop songs with beats that catch the ear to emotional ballads that showcase the voice of Kumi in its full capability to captivate the listener even when singing in a different language, Best - Third Universe contains a wide assortment of energies and moods present within the songs that lead to a roller-coaster of a listening experience when going into it in one sitting. The tracks, all united under the use of chords and elements often used in modern Japanese songs, are also far from afraid of being subject to experimentation; particular ones, such as "人魚姫" and "It's all Love!" dabble into rock elements and the use of guitars, for example, and this phenomenon does not stop there, either. The vocals act as a sort of connecting thread between all of the songs whilst also being dynamic enough to match the different tones and styles well enough to make the experience have some semblance of cohesion.
With plenty to digest and revisit, Best - Third Universe has something to offer for many and has a wide range of sounds expanding far further than one may expect with a primary output of Japanese pop music, and as a result, has multiple shots that hit the mark out of the many attempts they pursue. Though a majority of the tracks within the double feature fall into the zone of being pleasant to listen to yet not sufficiently interesting to stick around in one's memory for long, but that is not indicative of the entire thing by any means, as there are definite highlights of all shapes and sorts scattered around. Tapping into this previously unexplored territory for me was an interesting insight into the flexibility and amount of variations contemporary Japanese music can take, and one shall have to see with interest how this newfound development in expanding my musical horizons will have an effect on my general listening patterns later down the line.