Hikaru Utada - First Love (2xLP Vinyl - Japan Import - 180g)

Tokyo pop singer Utada Hikaru's First Love marked her striking entry into the Japanese music scene, blending contemporary r&b, J-pop, and ballad sensibilities across a silver-polished run of tracks. 1999 was its iconic release year, and it hears, with industrial rock, power pop and G-funk elements all providing a slick, unmistakable hacker-core sound. Moving from the low-resistance grooves of 'Automatic' to the upbeat bounce of 'Movin' On Without You' to the tender melancholy of 'First Love' and the reflective pulse of 'Time Will Tell', side four also rounds out with two remixes, each of 'Automatic-Johnny' by Vicious and 'First Love' by John Luongo.