When I first heard Teiku 5 I was just stunned. I knew Utada was capable of creating moving melodies and atmosphere in her music but this was...breathtaking. I love the scratchiness on top of the percussion which carries the synth along. The haunting effect on her vocals is so ghostly yet bittersweet.


As for Kairo, well...I find it difficult to put into words. You describe the feeling of being on a boat speeding through the ocean and being blown by the wind. That is exactly the same feeling I always had...strange? But it kind of makes sense when you look at the lyrics, which are fascinating in my opinion. Here's a translation in case you're interested (try listening to the song while reading, the repitition makes more sense this way).

http://www.kiwi-musume.com/lyrics/hikki/ultrablue/kairo.html

The word Kairo means "Sea route", and the first line of the song describes a ship making waves. I suppose that is the feeling that carries throughout the song despite the repeated references to Hide and Seek. I find the shortness and randomness of the song refreshing in a genre full of generic structures. You don't know where it's going, and I like that.

I hope people don't mind this elaboration being kind of off topic. Thanks for the reply ThePassportRadio, very glad discuss Utada's genius with a likeminded individual