kikUUiki by サカナクション

Kikuuiki (Mixing Airspace; stylized as kikUUiki, Japanese pronunciation: [kikɯ:iki]) is the fourth studio album by Japanese band Sakanaction. It was released on March 17, 2010, through Victor Entertainment. In January, the album was preceded by the single "Aruku Around", which was met with the greatest commercial success for the band since their debut, reaching number three on Oricon's singles chart. The album was nominated as one of the finalists for the CD Shop Awards, and was lauded by critics for its cohesive sound and literary lyrics. At the time of release, it was their most commercially successful release since their debut, reaching number three in Japan. Sakanaction spent most of 2009 experimenting on the album's single "Aruku Around", followed by two months of recording in January and February 2010. Most of the final recording stages were spent on the song "Me ga Aku Aiiro", a seven-minute rock opera used as a promotional single during its release. The album saw a new recording approach for the band, where the members worked more spontaneously and synchronized. The album was influenced by the commercial success of "Aruku Around", and was written as a response to the song.