[TJ] 2012.01.18 - Color Bars (CD) [Album]
 

color bars


01. 今夜はから騒ぎ (Konya wa Karasawagi)
02. 怪ホラーダスト (Kai-horrordust)
03. タイムカプセル (Time Capsule)
04. ｓａ＿ｉ＿ｔａ
05. ほんとのところ (Honto no Tokoro)
Total Playtime:

Second-Press Availability: Amazon.co.jp, CD Japan, HMV Japan, YesAsia

sa_i_ta was my favorite track. Nice 70s feel to the song. Kinda like Blondie. They've done songs like this, but this one comes off a little better than the others. Uki's singing doesn't even bring it down for me. It's actually quite danceable.

Kai Horror Dust had some interesting concepts. The Egyptian/Arabic guitar was interesting, but the song is let down by Izawa's singing and some out of place pop moments.

Nothing really to say about Time Capsule. It's a Kameda ballad.

Honto to Tokoro is awesome. Hata is great. It's like an atmospheric The Back Horn song. Hata doesn't sing so much as he shouts, but I like his voice.

Overall, I liked three of the five tracks. Hata delivers the most fresh sounding experience on the EP, but the other tracks don't stray far from the Phase 2 sound. It's a good, but not great collection of tracks. Ringo's and Izawa's tracks are the weak links this time. I'd say Ringo's is my least favorite of them.

:huh:

Maou is the sixth member.

So.... you're saying Hata's was awesome and this is the one and only song he will have under the TJ name?

Oh, how this appeals to my inner troll :lol:

how did you hear the album already , I though it'll be out only on the 18? (or maybe there's a leak floating on the web somewhere? :))

^ my thoughts exactly. But was too lazy to reply.

Konya wa Karasawagi is pretty good. I like the way her voice changes pitch constantly.

sa_i_ta = second best Uki track after Kimaru IMHO.

It's like a grander Mirrorball. In a good way.

I also really like this song now, after watching it's video (which is unfortunately still much better the song itself) in repeat. I think it's their best video until now. my favorite part is when ringo shoot herself and after that keeps on singing like nothing happened.

talking about her voice, I feel it's now became a bit grating in the higher register, she should use her lower register more

Oh, this is gonna be fun.

Her voice has always grating in the higher register. She can suppress it as much as she wants by singing in the lower register, but she was bone that way. Ringo's voice was built for rock.

"Baby, I was bone that way..." :P

Reminder! If you are lucky enough to have found a private leak of the album, please contain yourself until there is at least a wide leak available, or the release, whichever comes first.

Her voice sounds touched up a lot of times on newer releases. Kinda like they're adding some compression to tone down those highs. At least that's the impression I get from from comparing her in person to what's available on DVD.

Attachment 5503

Then I realized that iTunes exists.

Well, it's pretty lame for the exclusive few who have heard the record to be discussing it here since everybody else hasn't, and can't contribute to the discussion, which sort of defeats the purpose of this thread/forum.

Why does this have to happen every time? Some of you just looove to show off that you heard it first, don't you? There's really no other explanation for making posts like that. People have gotten in major trouble for doing that in the past, so you really should know better.

As for those of you who are jealous and not-so-subtlely asking where the lucky early listeners heard it, you know that's against the rules. Do not ask for or even hint at requests. Again... you should know better!

All I'm asking is for whoever receive their copy.....give me there skype name and I'll listen to it with them over voicechat. That's all I asking!

-------

Nah I can wait two days. Hopefully Kinokuniya doesn't want the upper realm of heaven for it when they get it in stock. I remember when they got Kono yo no Kagiri 3 days before it was official due to be released- It was like $32. I didn't reliable internet then, I bit the bullet. I didn't regret it though, I played the hell out of Sakuran and Karisome Otome.

I'm sure this has been the case for most of their releases, but damn, this record sounds incredible on earphones!

EDIT to include track by track opinions:

1. Konya - I've liked this song from the get go, it sounds even better on earphones when you can hear all the instrumental nuances, the subtler guitar work. Ringo really sounds great here.

2. Kai horror dust - Sounds like a male version of Fukushuu. I am afraid this didn't make much of an impression on me.

3. Time capsule - Great melodic ballad from Kameda, as we have come to expect from him. Solid track.

4. sa_i_ta - Wow love this. I am a bit sad they didn't get to explore this groovier part of their style more (cf 3 min and Otonatachi). Discoey, as previously mentioned; this probably sounds blasphemous but that chorus hook REALLY reminds me of that one Kesha song, that's right, you know which one I am talking about.

5. Honto no tokoro - That Back Horn comparison someone made is absolutely spot on. I wouldn't have identified this as a Jihen song if you didn't tell me. Musically and structurally the most unexpected on the album. Probably not as accessible as the stuff we have come to expect from the band, though (even if I liked the track)

I liked the experimentation that went on in this record. I think it's a shame that we won't be seeing them refine the hints of the awesome stuff that've heard on this disc on a full length album.

I'm going to pay attention to the lyrics more closely then because I didn't get this impression at all...


Time Capsule was pretty good.

sa_i_ta is looking to be the jaaaam.

^ I was referring more to sound and atmospherics, I felt the 2 songs were quite reminiscent of each other. Haven't looked at the lyrics for any of the songs yet.

sa_i_ta may be Uki's greatest contribution to Jihen. But Kai Horror Dust is definitely the weak link here. I'd say it sounds like an Appa reject, but it wouldn't even sound in place there.

And Hata...why did it take this long?

I writted that Ringo's song would be the best of this EP...
That was'nt very hard. :D

Anyway, I like sa_i_ta very much!

[edit] The "Kesha song", okay now I get it! I believed at first that I had already heard something similar, but more into the eighty's... But that don't have to make change my mind [/edit]

But, about the three others, well...

er...

BLEH!

Please. Don't get me involved in political forum rubbish.

Konya wa Karasawagi is nice but really just par for the course.
Kai-horrordust should have been called Izawa-horrorsinging.
It's as if all of the Kameda ballads were written in a time stasis.
sa_i_ta accurately reflects how frequently I'll be listening to it.
Honto no Tokoro is a really nice way to finish things off, for real.

Even if it's not the greatest entry in the discography, it's more than a fair representation of each member. It's a shame they couldn't get songs from the past members to round things out.

Agreed. I think it's the best thing on this record. The other tracks didn't really gel with me (as I expected), but this is an absolute winner that I can see getting a fair old bit of mileage.

What is Kai Horror Dust?

Okay, so after a couple of listens, I'm impressed... mostly by the weirdness of the whole thing - this is TJ's weirdest record by far.

1. The best song on the record, as expected. SR's vocals are flawless in this one, and it has the real sound of TJ all over it. If this was featured on Adult, I wouldn't be surprised. Sadly, this was the kind of song that we didn't get since Adult, which makes me a little sad.

2. I must admit I hated it at first, basically because of Izawa's voice. The melody is great, and once you get used to the vocals, you may enjoy the whole thing. Not great, though.

3. Kameda being Kameda. We all knew this was gonna be like this. I usually like Kameda's contributions, but this was a little boring. Liked it better than "Shiseikatsu", though.

4. Flawless. It's disco-ish and sexy, and you can even dance to it a little. I wish they had released more songs like this one. I think this and "Konya wa Karasawagi" will be the only songs I'll end up listening to in the future.

5. Well, where to start. Hata's voice is... interesting. As a way to finish the record, it is great. As a way to finish a career... not so much.

I definitely missed more Ringo singing. I thought that after listening to this record I'd be left wanting more from TJ, but I must admit that I was left waiting for more Ringo solo. However, this was a good EP overall.

first impression sa_i_ta is awsome, didn't like the ballad, Kai-horrordust is pretty good for not having shiina vocals, wat the uki fuck honto no tokori, i think this song is good just not use to the vocals yet though,

You know, the more I think about it, the more I'm annoyed that we only now get to hear stuff like this (EDIT: well okay, just the Uki and Hata tracks) from them considering they've been around for seven years. I know it's a tired comparison at this point, but this is what Variety should have been, except doubled (probably by adding the decent Variety-era songs to the mix... if you can find five) and with three more Ringo tracks or something.

I knew what you mean, I was poking funny at you. I apologize for esoterica of the comment. I honestly can't see how you feel that way though.

I really liked the song by the way, I wasn't gut-wretched by Izawa's singing in any way, but I did sound strange to be at first. Uki, Izawa and Shiina should all do the vocals live though, I feel like it would feel more chaotic that way.

hmmm, I kinda get what gekokujyo was saying now.

huh?

So, I have a question.
Izawa, Uki, Ringo, and Hata all sing on their respective tracks.
Does that mean Kameda sings his song? I'm interested to hear how Kameda's singing is.

Ringo sings Izawa and Kameda's, Izawa sing Uki's.

Watch the bonus section on Ultra C.

if anyone wants to hear clips, you can listen to 90 sec previews on iTunes Japan.

Ringo sings on hers, Kameda's, and Ukis. Izawa sings on his own, Uki does back up vocals to Ringo on his track, and Hata does his own.

This mini album belongs to Uki, Hata, and Ringo.

Hata's track sounds like something YUKI would do. I was pleasantly surprised.

I was left wanting to hear what a TJ take on dance-rock would sound like in a full album.

Also, I dont feel as bad as I did initially when I heard they were breaking up after hearing Color Bars. I think the songwriters will have more success and freedom in their own respective bands than they did together as Tokyo Jihen.

This performance of Chinese girl came to mind immediately.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9gyT...eature=related

I remember covering my face when she winded her hips.

Sa_i_ti is uki's?! I misread.

I don't this will be the last time she will work with anyone from the group, Kameda is a given, but I think Ukigumo and her will have that Miki and Nakako relationship.

This is a really good EP ,and I think a good way for them to go out. The songs didn't sound stagnant or that they lacked creativity. I also agree with what you said above. It seemed like they got stuck in a rut towards the end, so this is all for the best.

Anyone check the stats on the Japanese iTunes? EP's being pretty well received (4.5/5) and apparently Time Capsule > sa_i_ta > Karasawagi > Horror Dust ~ Tokoro in popularity =/

Granted, it's probably a small portion of fans but it's always cool to check out early responses.

So here we are, reviewing Tokyo Jihen’s latest EP, Color Bars. The release I was all too excited to skip. After being contently lulled away with Sports and Dai-Hakken, I was finally resigned to let Tokyo Jihen go. Except they had beat me to the punch and were letting themselves go. Announcing their break-up (over a year in the making) weeks before the release, I couldn’t help but think back to their original announcement of establishment and the promise the band held for a while. Well shit, now I guess I have to listen to this thing.

Color Bars and the story of Tokyo Jihen’s end go hand-in-hand, so let’s dwell on the break up. The seeds of disbandment were apparently planted following Shiina Ringo’s 4th album, Sanmon Gossip. There were some rumbling and grumblings supposedly coming from her bandmates over the album. Was it the extra hiatus from the band? Shiina’s own content on the album? I don’t know, but around that time recordings from Petrolz and Appa (Ukigumo and Izawa’s bands) surfaced which raised the communal question for the fanbase: was the band better apart? True, Tokyo Jihen ultimately never could quite pull it together. – Correction – they did actually develop a unique sound as a unit, it just never yielded anything as interesting as what Shiina, Petrolz or Appa put out previously. Was it a product of Japanese culture, promoting the collective over the individual, or was it aiming at a demographic with more cash to spend? Personally, I’d wager the latter, but that’s just conjecture.

What I hear on Color Bars is the dissolution of the band. We start off with a song that sounds archetypically “Tokyo Jihen” and finish with a song that accentuates one individual. As a first for the band, every member gets a writing credit. The EP starts with the Shiina Ringo-penned “Konya wa Karasawagi” and as previously mentioned, sounds most similar to Tokyo Jihen’s previous work. If that’s your bag, then you might get some mileage out of it, but I find virtually every other track more interesting. It has that retro-lounge feel, but this time made snappier, and is at least an improvement. The more I think about it, it probably as far as the band could have gone with this sound, excepting the killer “Himitsu” from Adult.

The EP then shifts into the darker “Kai-horrordust.” Sung by Izawa, the song sounds reminiscent of what could be found on Appa’s Rashipoki. There are still flanges and badges to remind the listener that this is still Tokyo Jihen, but it is the most Appa-sounding song in the Jihen catalog with big and dark sounds mixed with poppy rhythms and beats. Following that is Kameda’s ultra-sappy “Time Capsule.” I’m sure you didn’t need me to tell you that Kameda wrote this, it has his touches everywhere. Soaring, sweeping, and sentimental. The most traditional of the songs here and that’s what Kameda does best. What he brings to the table might not always sound “fresh and new” but he always does it exceptionally well. The song is at the heart of Color Bars, and that feels right. Kameda is dependably the heart of the band. Here Shiina brings out some of the best vocals we’ve heard in years. In fact, the song doesn’t even sound out of place in her own catalog, telling me that Kameda understands the “Shiina Ringo sound” maybe even better than Shiina Ringo.

Sa_i_ta is Ukigumo’s offering this time around. Unlike Izawa’s, I wouldn’t say it sounded similar to Petrolz – but nor does it particularly sound like Jihen. There’s an interesting grumbling, almost droney, bass crawling underneath the track as it builds from atmospheric and empty into a disco beat chorus. In that respect, it’s a less goofy Mirrorball, but decidedly better.

The EP concludes with the debut writing credit (for the band at least) of drummer Hata Toshiki, “Honto no Tokoro.” And what a first impression it is! Not only does he write, but takes the mic and bleats out the strained, raw vocals. The most passionate singing since Dynamite Out (or “Tegami.”) The song has this great, smoky space that highlights Hata’s gravelly voice and harsh drums. One could construe this as a deconstruction of a jpop (or just pop) song – and by that extension, a Tokyo Jihen song. It is traditional verse, chorus, verse, and has a very simple, plodding beat and rhythm, but with messy vocals, sparse instrumentation, and sung by the least traditionally attractive member of the band. It is SUCH a treat and in just moments brings back all the waves of promise the band had up-to-and-including Adult, the daring and well-executed adventures the band originally enjoyed. Hearing this song almost makes me disappointed that the band would call it quits after such a song. If only the band had drawn upon more of this type of energy, rather than sounds that are decidedly safe. After this, I hope Hata finds an outlet for more music; I’ll gladly listen. Even the damn drummer might be better off!

Such is the story of Tokyo Jihen. The band puts it together for one last hurrah after squandering earlier good will. There’s hundreds of “I wish they would haves…” but at least a few are answered on this disc. Maybe we’ll get to hear more daring sounds from the “Incidents” soon, hopefully, and make the whole Jihen thing worth the while. Tokyo Jihen may have been a failure, but it was a pretty worthwhile failure. They put out an absolute classic live DVD, one album anyone could share with their friends and not be embarrassed about (Adult) and maybe one more (Kyouiku.) Also one EP that’s at least a little interesting, and makes you wonder what if Sports and Dai-hakken (or Variety!) had been split up into tighter, less confuddled EPs. We got “Himitsu,” “Toumei Ningen (Dynamite Out version.,) “Gunjou Byori,” and Hata’s “Honto no Tokoro.” (Most importantly, I got “Superstar” and “Fukushuu”) So really, things should be looking up! In the video for Konya wa Karasawagi, Shiina Ringo sported a mole – her mole, again. Things can go back to normal; resume regularly scheduled programming. Tokyo Jihen is finally over.

All, right. My review, directly after Jihad's. Spot the differences (there are many)
1. Konya wa Kara Sawagi. Yes, this is the typical "Jihen" sound, which is odd because Jihen is a versatile band. Either way, this is not just a Jihen song, this is a Ringo song. She's been doing songs like this since her debut, the sort of lounge/jazz-rock pop songs. This one is noticeably more upbeat. It's not smooth like Noudouteki Sanpunkan or funky like Otona-tachi or dark like Honnou. But nonetheless I really like. I only have two issues: the piano bridge which is too obviously a bridge, and the thing that Uki does throughout the song that seems a little too "pop" for the rest of the song.
2. Kai Horror Dust. Is a mess. Before the chorus sets in, I'm thinking "This is the best thing EVER" The drums, the guitar distortion, Izawa sounding drunk. It slithers and crawls. It's darkly melodic. It vaguely reminds me of Ling Tosite Sigure. And then the chorus starts, and I absolutely hate it. Don't get me wrong, it's a good chorus. But when the chorus and verses so closely DO NOT MATCH, it's just an example of poor songwriting. It draws me right out of the song, which is a shame because the verses are so atomspheric.
3. Time Capsule. It's really odd how Kameda is renowned as a rock producer and rock bassist, but his songs are the most poppish things Jihen has done. Unlike Toumei Ningen, which was fun, and Senkou Shoujo, which was more upbeat, this is a song just like Superstar. Except it's far more straightforward and not enjoyable. I don't usually like ballads anyways (for example, Gips).
4. sa_i_ta. Suffers from the same problem as Kai Horror Dust, but not to the same degree. This is an excellent song, though. It has the typical Uki funkiness, but a great club beat. And all these little flourishes like a guitar riff thrown in during a section really make it interesting. And I enjoy listening to songs that move outside the typical verse-chorus structure, and it seems like this song does.
5. Honto no Tokoro. COMBO BREAKER. Whereas it seems like everyone else has liked this song, I really hate it. I really, really hate it. I honestly feel like you people must only like this song for being so contrary. Jihad, this is not passionate singing. It's the type of singing that's incredibly self-important when the singer has no idea how terrible they sound. This is amateurish songwriting. Let's repeat this line 8 more times! That's a song right? This is amateur songwriting and amateur singing and it SOUNDS terrible. You can talk about how this song deconstructs genres or is outside the box but at the end of the day it doesn't sound good and therefore is not enjoyable to listen to.

All in all, I enjoyed Ringo and Uki's contribution, and mostly enjoyed Izawa's contribution. Kameda is boring, and Hata is unrefined.
EDIT: Uki's contribution is my favorite.

Kameda deserves more props for Time Capsule. Yeah, he does these ballad songs all the time, but this time he left out the drums and bass. It helped create a better atmosphere and a slightly more unique sound than we're accustomed to hearing from him. Had a nice winter feel to it.

And he said the lyrics talk about his father who passed away recently, so please, don't be mean to poor Kameda!

This EP is definitely all over the place, but I like that.

Has anyone actually seen the packaging? It is AWESOME, definitely the best out of any release they have done. The first pressing is a card box and the contents fall out. The color bar logo is actually about 5 slips of paper, each stripped with two colors, with a rectangle hole in the center. On the back is printed the lyrics to each song, and when you lay all 5 on top of each other you have the color bar design, which fits inside the large black slip case. It also came with a nice photo of the band from PV, then the cd in the pack in a mini plastic slip, similar to a slip for a record. definitely the most elaborate and well thought out EP. I anticipate regular press must be ENTIRELY different, probably a jewel case with the cards compiled into a small slip with printed lyrics.

as for the music, right now my favorites are Ringo, Kameda, and Hata. I find Hata's track quite interesting. His voice is so raw and you can really hear the passion in his voice. Yes, the lyrics are all about death and simple, yes his voice is gravelly and strange to listen to, but I find it exciting and compelling. No, I won't write a ten page article about how it is high art...I find that much more interesting that Izawa (least favorite) and Uki's (second least favorite). Overall this definitely feels like a hot mess of an EP, almost like a HEY, we can do Variety right this time!

considering Hata and Kameda will most likely still be with Ringo for whatever projects she may move onto, I find the fact that I enjoy their work here the most to be most promising. As much as I like Izawa and Uki as part of Jihen, I don't particularly have much interest to follow their solo careers after their latest efforts.

edit: oh look, I found a video of the packaging!

color bars unpackaging

I thought Time Capsule was really nice. I can never fault a Kameda song (with the exception of Toumei Ningen of course) because his songs are consistently quality. Alot of the negative reactions seem to be "I'm a pop music fan, and this song is just a pop song." Yeah it doesn't try to be "crazy" or goofy, but what it is is a very well constructed and performed song.

@turtlefu: Whyy whyyy can we never see eye to eye? Q_Q
So lets talk about Honto no Tokoro. without breaking out the "you people" accusations, I don't think its about being contrary or anything like that, or even it sounding different (though that does help considering the rather homogenous nature of most TJ releases, including the two "good ones.") I think because they are doing different things with sound and space and emotion it makes a cool experience.

In truth, your problems with the track sound, in my mind, like something I might have at one time said about some other kinds of music. Yes Hata's voice isn't exactly Utada, but that's the point. It's like complaining Kurt Cobain didn't sing like Whitney Houston, or Jimmie Hendrix wasn't Mama Cass on vocals. There are different values in different people's voices. While I may not go to Hata's voice if I want to hear a very clear, smooth voice, or one with a lot of range, he does bring a throat full of rocks with a nice tone and really good control. (I think his voice is a million times better than Izawa's personally) He is very passionate on the track. He knows the limits of his voice and pushes powerfully towards them, and maybe peaking for some moments outside of his range. But that's fine, that's passion. Passion isn't just holding one note for a long time or singing very loud (though it can be.)

The song is assuredly not amateurish either. Having several variation or mutations, changing keys and tempos, progressive-rock-edly stitching together songs does not a good song make. Often the simpler or minimalist forms are the harder things to do well or remarkably. Personally, I think the song is knocked out of the park, eschewing a normal rhythm section for just a sparse piano accenting the drum and bass, and an even sparser guitar to create space for Hata's voice. It has such a nice crackly and smoky overall texture. I think it's really well done, but it just may not be your cup of tea.

But first, consider the following: maybe there are some really great songs that you will or wold really really like AND really dislike the first few times you hear it. I wouldn't consider Tokoro too challenging a song, but it is more difficult in comparison to maybe any other song in the TJ and SR catalog. (Maybe Umaru ranks near it.) It may take a few listens. For example, if you go to my Last.fm you'll see my most listened to band is Animal Collective. By a large margin. It isn't that I like the band that much better, but that it takes many more listens to really crack their albums. Their album Sung Tongs just confounded me for a while. It came to me highly recommended, but I was just confused every time. Yet each time I listened I found one new small little nugget that I liked and could latch on to. And I would return for that nugget and pick up another. Soon, I'd really love the whole album, even the 10 minute drone "Visiting Friends" would begin to blow my mind as I began to find some parts "catchy." Yet the very first time I listened to it, or attempted to, I was happy to skip it. I'm not saying to listen to every bad song til you like it, but usually you can tell when there's something going on that you haven't picked up on yet. You can look up some old posts of mine here that would scoff at such a notion, but sometimes its the song that makes the worst first impression that becomes the real jewel of the set.

as they've said in many interviews so far, this album is a direct result of Hata writing his song during the Sports era. The plan was originally to release a two track single but it ended up turning into this. To me Hata's song really is the lynch pin in this release, holding it together. I also think the contents of the song are a bit fitting considering this being their last release. He basically sings about finding a dead tanuki and a dead crow near his house, the bodies still warm. He also talks about having his cat eating a hawk. Cheerful stuff :lol:

I fully concede that I may end up liking Hata's track after a few listens.
It's also a good Hata song because you understand his personality from it.
But, let's be honest, it's basically a screamo pop song.

And it's really not only Hata's voice. For example, I'm a Tom Waits fan. If I can handle Tom Waits and Shiina Ringo, I'm not exactly only looking for polished voices

I can't exactly find the words to say how and why I disagree, but I do. STRONGLY.

Screamo doesn't pull out the same emotion as a man singing so hard his voice cracks. Not for me at least.

My short review:

It's fucking weird, but fairly delightful. Ringo, Uki and Hata take best picks for me, Ringo's especially. Can't say I'm either upset or happy that TJ has broken up, it all depends on whether Ringo goes back to making music.
7.5/10

Im with Jihad, I'd listen to a Hata project, but fuck the other guys.

Hatas voice is the second best to Ringos, hands down. The others sound like dumbasses pretty much. Ringo and Hata shoulda done duets, it woulda been glorious.

Sorry bout the cussing, this Chinese weather has got to me...

random ally found this:

Konya kara Sawagi

That performance was so stiff. Ringo, put some feeling into it. I know you can do way better than that. Gunjou Biyori from Ultra C had passion. What is up with this band? It got a little better at the end.

Ringo seems quite distracted for the first song. Ringo's mastery of the microphone is still evident. A down point would be there is no gunshot sound. I don't see why Ringo couldn't bring poppers for gunshot sound :P

Gunjou Biyori has 3 guitars. Ridiculous. I can't see why 3 guitars are needed but for the pursuit of pure awesomeness, I'll accept it.

Maybe it has something to do with that breaking up thing? Maybe your heart isn't all there when you just announced you're no longer going to be a band.

I haven't watched again to analyze but many bands use two guitarists, one for lead and another for rhythm, it is possible ringo is just strumming empty chords for ambience and added effect while uki plays lead and uki rhythm, it isn't really so different from when ringo plays guitar during her own concerts to uki's lead.

3 guitars Gunjo has always been an awful iteration.

Agreed. Maybe Izawa doesn't want to insult HZM by playing his part, which explains why he would play guitar, but it's doubly awkward because HZM composed the song.

:unsure:

HZM composed Service as well, and Phase 2's iteration of that is pretty trifling. Why does HZM get no love? :hmph:

(I like Phase 2 Service)

Yet Ukigumo plays/bastardizes most of HZM's parts on guitar instead. Ukigumo can't play lead like Hirama could and Ringo certainly can't carry the guitar parts. They need Izawa on guitar to try to bring some drive to the song.

We are lucky they disbanded, right?

Maybe? I would have been perfectly happy if they each went on to do solo things but reunited every couple years to do an album.

When'd Ringo get her bottom teeth fixed? Lots of mouth-closeups in that performance.

Eh, I'm pretty sure Ukigumo could practice and learn to play it note-for-note like it is on the original recording, but he probably wants to do his own thing. It's a different arrangement anyway.

I don't think the performance is that bad, but I think it's fair to say they weren't bringing a lot of energy. Ringo really killed the note at 5:18 though, but by then the song is over.

Does anyone else just think in that performance Shiina just acted more like "-Shiina Ringo-"?

I'm psyched.

(Also, its been such a long time since I've heard Gunjo. Its still such a good song.)


(I am being waay too positive lately.)

Have listened to it more than a half dozen times so far, on good headphones while walking through bland landacapes, and my mind still wanders.

We should be used to these sub-par Music Station, etc. performances by now (unless this is your first one). The live DVD is where it's at. The only disappointing one was JCHI, IMO, in terms of giving disappointing live renditions of songs (not the quality of the set list itself S&T > Variety)

I'll say more about individual songs in color bar later, but I think it's a pretty disappointing EP bar sa_i_ta.

I'd say that's a function of the setlist more than anything. Konya kara Sawagi evokes Honnou a little bit (and Shiina holds the mic the same way in the performance and the PV) and obviously Gunjo is their first single and she plays guitar a bit.

He could also learn to sing the song note for note like in the studio, but you wouldn't say he can bring it like Ringo. Same difference with the guitar. He does his own thing because he can't do the other well.

Good news for people who like bad news. :P

Kai-horrordust.

what. the. fuck.

What am I listening to.

THIS IS TERRIBLE. IZAWA, YOU ARE TERRIBLE.

Go put this back in Gackt's reject pile where it belongs.

UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[edit: Honto no Tokoro lyrics. omg. "Our cat got eaten by a falcon" REPEATING OVER AND OVER. and stuff about crows and tanuki]

It's so funny how diverse the people this forum's tastes are. We have some people who like some songs, some people who hate those same songs. There's no consensus.

Why is it funny that people have diverse tastes? I fail to see this humor :|

I just got color bars in the mail today. So here are my very short and unimportant thoughts on each song:
1. I will listen to this song to the end of time.
2. Sounds like old j-rock/visual kei I would've been into during highschool. Wat.
3. This is pretty, and I am positive only Kameda could write this. Ringo's voice sounds really lovely here.
4. Eh. I know this one seems to be garnering a lot of favor, but I felt it was a bit all over the place?? I think it just reminds me of too many things at once, and I can't really pinpoint what those things are. Chorus is groovy though.
5. I could only laugh a little after I learned what he was saying. I wonder what would have happened if Hata got more chances to write for TJ. Also weird catguitar noises at the end. Horrifying.

he meant funny as 'interesting' not funny as 'haha, LAWL.'

Now that I find funny.

I know. I was being a smart ass. Honestly though, why would everyone have the some opinion about anything ... ever? Especially on a music forum of all places....

I just thought it was an odd thing to say.

The fact that we can't agree on even one single thing at all, despite the fact that this is a forum devoted to a single artist?

Give it time and feelings will settle and consensus will be apparent.

Its Shiina's fault. She makes so many genre bending hybrids that it clumps together a broad range of fans with musical preferences that arent as broad as hers.

Many a head will be butted.

You thinking the Tokyo Jihen fans are all going to denounce their fandom because Shiina Ringo is back? :P

I was thinking more along the lines of people agreeing that Honto no Tokoro was one of the standout tracks.

You know what I find hilarious? The idea that the supposedly edgy, 'rock chick' SR forced her fandom to listen to showtunes.

Nobody is forcing anyone into anything. And Shiina's been doing "showtune"-y stuff since MM.

I see her as a kind of actress who assumes many different personas.
On one song she's an edgy rock chick, and on another song an actress in
a Broadway play, or a television producer, or numerous other roles.

Same thing with the Jihen Phase 2 stuff that's supposedly too "poppy"... she's always been about really great melodies.

There's several examples of a rock song becoming a showtune song (Sid to Hakuchūmu) or vice-versa (Yattsuke Shigoto album version versus the PV version). All based on the arrangement and instrumentations. It's all in how the songs are produced and arranged as to what genre they fall into.

I really enjoy it because I have pretty broad taste in music that happen to overlap with 98% of the body of work that Ringo has put out.

Remember that Ringo was learnt classical piano and ballet in her childhood. She is very fond of her childhood. I don't see why she can't create showtunes. Plus, her dad listened to ALLLLL THE TYPES OF MUSIC!!! *MEME-IMPLIED*

The show-tune stuff back then was the exception, not the rule (and by show-tune, I don't mean anything with an orchestra). And I'm guessing that the reason you added the "-y" to showtune because you know that she didn't play it as straight back then as she does now.

Even seeing SR's old music as 'rock' simplifies things, but I imagine that there's loads of people who enjoyed her work in that sense only (and that's why I think the show tune thing is funny, because it's at the opposite end of the spectrum)

I like SR's sound in whatever form it packages itself (which is why I'm still not bored of SG, compared to most of the Jihen work), and when I am disappointed it's only because the song is sloppy, not because it falls into a particular genre.

I wish she'd go further with the show-tunes.

I wish she'd make a song like Between Today and Tomorrow. Oh wait, she did.

Yeah, maybe after it's had time to sink in. It's just so un-Tokyo Jihen (which isn't a bad thing), so I'm sure that's lending to the negative reactions. I love the song, but at the same time I don't think it fits as the band's studio finale. I guess it was their idea of clever, but (without taking it too seriously), it's just not a satisfying way to close the band because that's not what the band was. In fact, most of this EP is good, but it's also all over the place and not really a summary of what Tokyo Jihen was. It's more like a summary of what they could have been and what they withheld from us (whether that stuff is good or bad). Along with that, I think the EP could have been stronger in more ways than one if only one of the guys (preferably Hata) decided that now was the time to experiment by omitting Ringo. One non-Ringo song would have been neat, as long as it wasn't the last track. Two is like they both had the same idea and then neither one would give it up after learning that it was already going to be done. I know they had their intentions for this EP and it wasn't intended to be so polished and some of it worked and it won't matter in a couple of months, but I just see it (Honto, but moreso the EP) as a confusing ending to what I considered a strong band. And confusing endings (along with weak openings) are the reason I never listen to Dai-Hakken as a whole. Anyways, at least they'll be doing the farewell tour. That should make up for all the trauma they've caused me with this EP :p

Oh, so I guess I sorta just typed my review. So I'll give scores or whatever:
Track 1 - 5 (great song... I only really noticed the forced piano part after other people talked about it, so I don't pay it much mind)
Track 2 - 2 (listenable, but not too great. Definitely could have used Ringo's voice. Izawa's isn't horrible, per se, but for their final EP we didn't need to hear this experiment)
Track 3 - 3 (good I guess, but boring. Maybe because I don't know what she's singing about)
Track 4 - 4.5 (one of my favorites, but could have used more variety in the way the vocals were sung... seems a little repetitive, but that may be the point. What am I saying.. I can't complain about this song. I really like it)
Track 5 - 4 (great song, Hata's vocals are awesome, shouldn't have been the closer. Otherwise it's a 4.5)

Sorry, Jihad, I still don't like Hata's song.

I warmed up to it though, I don't hate it.

EDIT:
Okay, I'm going to rant now.

It really annoys me that you guys continue to say "showtunes" as if it is 1) a genre of music and 2) somehow an inherently bad genre of music.
Way back in the golden age of Broadway (1930's to 1950's), the songs written were meant to follow the current musical tradition. Most of what you say is "showtunes" are just SWING OR BIG BAND MUSIC (which are based off jazz). Why would you derisively call "Onna no..." a "showtune" but not "The Lady Is a Tramp"? FACT: "The Lady Is a Tramp" is an ACTUAL SHOWTUNE (as in, a song written for a Broadway musical) and "Onna no..." isn't.
It's just ridiculous to use "showtune" as a way of dismissing a song, because "showtune" is not a genre ("showtunes" can differ between jazz, swing, big band, basically ANY GENRE that was popular in the 30's to 50's) and guess what? What we consider "big band" and "traditional pop" classics are mostly SHOWTUNES.
So stop using "showtune" as a way of saying something is bad, and stop acting like something being a "showtune" automatically makes it bad.

I must say, I'm really surprised about Color Bars.

Actually, if this is where TJ's fifth album would've went, I'm sad it never came into being, even if it does feel more like 5 independent artists working together on a single release... this attitude might also be the major reason for their breaking up anyway.

Nevertheless I like the all-in-all dark and gloomy tone, this whole CD has to me and I've got hooked like crazy on sa_i_ta!! One of TJ phase 2's best songs, imho.


I'd kill to see them do honto no tokoro live, with Ringo taking over the drums, so Hata can pull off his bad-ass vocals!!! :D

I think you're missing the irony / humour behind Scribble's post. She once made edgy punk sounding stuff*, but then she made showtunes... lol? I laughed anyway.

I don't think anyone's said that they hate all showtunes ever made by anybody. If you like any vintage of SR you like multiple genres. It's more that arguably her old music was much more multifaceted, you really didn't know what you were going to get - not just you didn't know what genre you're going to get.

Songs were very different to each other, while her HF- and HF-style stuff while it might have its merits is much more straight down the line and samey sounding. And it's like going from many dimensions to just one, "showtuney" just happens to describe that commonality of sound. I actually think this about Lady is the Tramp / Dynamite as well, they're fun, but they're kind of why I was never into even the Kyoiku or Adult eras as much as her solo material, it's less according to her own musical logic but progressively more like other music out there. Or 8-bar blues, you know what the tune is going to do next because you've heard a lot of things like it before.

You're going to disagree with me though. :)

[* actually to me SR is about as punk as Lana del Rey is a real gangster's moll, but she made good music all the same]

Who does that? I want names.

Ya, I wasn't dismissing anything. It's just funny what you can do once you have your fans in your grasp, and where you can take them (even if she still doesn't have all those fans anymore).

It's not even necessarily about her music declining in quality -- with the showtune stuff and diva-osity, she dragged her fans to what you'd think is the nemesis of her earlier 'edgy' image.

If you do look at the music though, Konoyo...Kagiri, etc. lack her her 'throw everything into a blender' approach (it would still be a problem if say, all her newer solo stuff sounded like, say, Sora Ga Natteiru. It just wouldn't be as amusing). That's why I can like most of SRs solo stuff, because once you take that approach, genre doesn't even matter really.

It's as if she was inspired by the showtune stuff and wanted to make stuff EXACTLY like it (everyone must have experienced this at some point), but she just had to 'make do' with her own style until now.

The audio in live DVDs can be retouched before release

Didn't notice this until now: Japan Times' review of Color Bars.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fm20120202l1.html

Reviewer slams Kameda, Izawa, and especially Hata, but considers Ukigumo's Sa_i_ta "an early contender for Japanese song of the year and a reminder of why Tokyo Jihen mattered so much."

Back from my holiday, stuck the CD in a GOOD sound system, and it sounds all the better for it. This one is actually produced pretty well, especially in the quieter moments. Kameda's song is a good example.

The only thing that bothers me in Time Capsule is that sometimes you can hear the Telecaster twang from Ukigumo. I don't usually mind twang, but it clashes a bit with the mood of the song here.

Nobody touches Hata.

I don't know anything about any japanese critics that critique japanese music, but it sounds like someone that specializes in jpop records, so I'm glad he disliked the best tracks.

The same reviewer loved Variety and thought Sanmon Gossip was horrible.

So...?

(He actually rarely reviews J-Pop stuff, mostly obscure Japanese bands. Probably the most "well-known" record he ever reviewed was Kimura Kaela's Circle)