^Togawa/Ringo: they're just as good as each other (well, technically, Togawa has the more satisfying catalog, I wish Jihen were anywhere near as great as Yapoos/Ringo x Neko was as fascinating as Togawa x Koji Ueno aka Guernica were... but Ringo's music is something that happened when I was there to see it, so there's that.).

It's exciting to have found someone with such potential as to be possibly joining their leagues.

Just gotta hear what she delivers with album #3 to decide on that.

(Not to mention I've been there almost since the very start. I'm gonna be one of those hardcore stans with all the cd-rs and stuff in the future :-p)

It's also nice to have something to argue about, the Ringo debates are flat as a pancake right now on here. Waiting for either a new album or Jihen 10th anniversary cash in for that. Sadly, I think it will be the latter that comes first.

Aren't you already that for both Togawa and Ringo? There isn't a lot from either that you don't own.

I'm also very optimistic that Togawa is worthy to join the canon. Within one year she has had MASSIVE improvement while still maintaining her unique character. What Zettai Shoujo lacks that Mahou has are the more personal songs. It's a very tough balance between personal folk music and produced pop music.

^I feel my Togawa collection is pretty complete. I'm not missing anything with her directly involved in it. My Ringo catalog, I have about 95% of it, I just am missing bits and pieces that I don't think I'll ever find or afford (that Sweetz for my Spitz vinyl- bahahaha, no way)

If there's one teeny concern I have, is that a lot of the songs on Zettai Shoujo are stuff that's been around just as long as the Mahou Ga stuff. Like a lot of Ringo's catalog, a lot of the Zettai Shoujo stuff is rearranged old material (which I dig a lot, in this case I find the rearrangements fascinating). Album 3 will most likely be the decisive moment because it will have to consist of mainly new songs.

At the rate she's going, I expect album 3 mid next year anyway. But not before a bunch of live albums. Or a live DVD. Or both.

I've also noticed that she's started signing other bands to her record label and is writing songs for other people already. That's a pretty interesting development I think.

Damn, she is a workhorse!

Like I said about Shinjuku, I'm not a huge fan of certain rearrangements. But sometimes I like it with just her and a guitar and sometimes I think certain songs need more complex arrangements.

I also love that she has her own record label. I think the other thing to consider is that Shiina from the beginning was on a major label (at the time, the #1 label in Japan), which probably affected her creative output a little. Togawa, AFAIK, was on both indies and major labels.

Just saying Ringo rocks way harder haha. I can use Perfume's Night Flight and Ayumi Hamasaki's Trauma (hyper sugar production) as examples, and I think they're better songs musically than the two Zettai Shoujo songs, which sound like doing idol music just for the sake of it (watered-down Suki Suki Daisuki), ミッドナイト清純異性交遊 in particular is bland as fuck.

Ringo combines her edgy side with pop-rock goodness. It's very mainstream compare to sth like Mahou Ga.

Cos Lailailai Team's mild indie rock sounds nothing like Midori's fierce jazz punk? :P Mariko's best years are behind her and I'm happy with whatever she makes now, and m@u fulfills the nostalgia. m@u isn't the artistic direction I really want, but I still like it more than Zettai Shoujo, to each his own I guess.

Eye and you and I and you and eye, you and eye and you and i,
i love when simple choruses are so good, I can't stop playing this

Seiko Oomori was the focus of Oil in Life vol. 64 a little while back. She played a great set mainly consisting of Zettai Shoujo songs. She does some straight out crazy zombie eyes shit on Over the Party. You can watch the whole thing on Youtube:

Oil in Life vol. 64

A fucking great half an hour watch here. Her guitar work is the best I've ever seen it. And I've watched a LOT of Seiko Oomori live footage :-p

(forgive me if this was posted in another thread earlier)

oh snap, deadgrandma sighting in the crowd at 1:08 center front next to the stage lol


yesss finally a live performance with Lai Lai team
my jam
always wonder what the hell is she spelling at that part in this song

fdsklfjskdjf

I wish :( Though I'd be going a bit more nuts than that :P

Which reminds me, an internet friend of mine has been to one of the Zettai Shoujo shows and says that Oomori has a new backing band with her apparantly for a full production sound, different to what she has done before. She also noticed that they were filming the show, so I can imagine a DVD or at least more youtube stuff to be appearing soon enough.

Also @ Hoopra (and other fans of course), have you listened to the latest CD-R yet? It's available you-know-where and also has been reposted on j-mp3.info recently...

I think it's pretty great, hearing a lot of them original demos (from the OTOTOY EP) re-recorded on better equipment is a treat and you get a bit of her weirdness and off-stage personality on the 'Intheroom' tracks.

She's also been keeping busy, the latest announcement is that she's guesting on an underground rap artist's album in March (she is on the last track). I'll be keen to hear her this song for sure. Not to mention THE NAMBATATIN's (the group that she wrote some songs for) mini LP will be out early next month. I'll be keeping my eyes on that one too.

not yet, but i did just watched the Tsumaran Yoru Wa Mou Yamete dvd,
im amazed at how she was able to barely pull herself together to perform the last track on the pink album in the encore while crying, especially that song which requires alot of wailing, omg shes just on another level