Music videos: Kumi Koda - Never give it up, So fever & Kimi omoi

Kumi Koda - Never give it up, So fever & Kimi omoi | Random J Pop

Avex aren't giving cash advances on music releases and music videos to any of their acts who haven't pushed more than 100,000 units in their first week since 2012, so these under performing has beens have to find other means. Fuck an Avex cheque or a hotel. Kumi Koda is paying that pussy bill with pachinko.

Whilst Ayu seems content with delivering mediocrity on a budget, Kumi is seeking funds from sources other than Max Matsuura and her latest venture is with a pachinko company by the name of Sankyo fever. For those who don't know what pachinko is, it's essentially like a cross between pinball and the gates of hell. Pachinko takes place in a pachinko parlour, which is set out in what is pretty much an arcade where members of the public go to put tiny metal balls into a machine and die. They can be found everywhere in Japan. They are easy to spot. If the garish entrances don't catch your attention, then the cacophony of noise when the automatic doors open as you walk past most certainly will. Along with the case of emphysema you will catch from the cloud of cigarette smoke which hits you in the face should you be unfortunate to go inside or stray too close to the doors as you're passing. I won't judge Kumi for this tie-in. She has a child and a husband to feed, because her 2 year old son is saying more than her husbands music career is.

Kumi's 3 track EP was limited to only 400 copies, but she gave more of a fuck with these songs and videos than she gave with Hotel. None of these songs are amazing, but they're nice throwbacks to what Kumi has done before, musically and visually in a self aware, self referential way. "Never give it up" feels like a sequel to "Lick me❤" with the showgirl concept of Trick. "So fever" is Kumi doing that Arabian banger shit she always does, with a visual reminiscent of "V.I.P" and "Kosokoso" (shout outs to Kumi for getting her lebsian on with a black chick) and "Kimo omoi" is a complete throwback to Kumi's classic Winter ballads. It's no "Hands" or "You", but it's on the right track and is one of her best ballads in quite some time.


Never give it up


So fever


Kimo Omoi

I don't get Kumi's release strategy with dropping this pachinko EP so soon after Hotel, when these 3 songs should have featured on a wider release maxi single or been released in place of Hotel. At this point Kumi's next release may as well be an album. Everybody has already completely forgotten about that boat album of hers and we've already gotten 6 songs  and 5 music videos from her in the space of 2 months, so she may as well. Unless of course she wants to bombard the nation with maxi releases and then drop an album with only 2 songs on it, which nobody will buy. If she fancies first week sales of 30,000, then she should go right ahead.

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