Would You Miss the Band?
 

Let's say, in everyone's opinion, Tokyo Jihen was capable of making music that was on-par with solo Shiina Ringo's (MM-KZK). If this was the case, would you still prefer to see her ditch the band and return to her solo career?

I may be alone on this, but I don't for a second want to to see Tokyo Jihen break up. First of all, I think Adult was her most enjoyable (though not necessarily best) work to date, and I expect more great music from this band. These days I don't find solo Ringo nearly as interesting as I used to, and I probably wouldn't enjoy watching her concerts if her band wasn't there with her. I thus have very little interest in the Ringo Expo, and I'm greatly anticipating something new from the band. It's no longer about Shiina Ringo for me. I'm so much more interested in the members of the band, Ringo included, making and playing music together.

For those of you who don't enjoy Tokyo Jihen as it is now, would you miss Ringo interacting as a part of a band (though not necessarily Phase 2)? This isn't a thread to talk about "what could be" with other band members. We've certainly had enough of that. I just want to know if you'd be satisfied with watching one musician singing on stage with a bunch of people you don't know.

Look, I love Hata, I love Kameda, I feel for Ukigmo, and Izama is perfectly fine. If they could make music together on par with Shiina's solo work then there is nothing wrong with them staying together (HELL, on par with Adult or Kyoiku would be find with me at this point).

It's undeniable that it's more fun, in most cases, to watch a band with real chemistry on stage.

The reality is that Variety was not up to the standards of the TJ and SR discography. If the next album is up to fluff there's no reason why TJ shouldn't stay together and rock on for another 10 years.

Hahah, you don't seem to be enjoying my sudden spike of Phase 2-fanboyism, jhobbies. :B

O no, I've accepted the existence of your kind long ago.

Did I seem agitated? I thought I was just rationally dissecting the situation...

when you get down to it TJ has been around longer than TJ's official track record, they were the touring band for KZK and all of them had a hand in Ringo's earlier solo work (ukigumo on ichijiku no hana, kameda throughout her career, etc etc), so if TJ disbanded and completely fell off the scene I would be very sad. Even hearing that Ringo had new musicians for her EXPO shows made me a bit sad. As far as I am concerned, I don't Ringo performing her or Jihen's music without the current members of jihen. While I like Hirama and H Zett M, they just aren't "jihen" to me anymore. I mean they were only around for the first album and were little more than session musicians when you compare the involvement the band members had in later eras. So yes, I would be sad.

furthermore, I don't think Ringo will EVER ditch the band to return to her solo work. If Jihen disbands, either Ringo will work with other artists in some capacity, or more likely, strictly do collaborations and continue to write for other artists, which is why as of lately I haven't been happy to hear about all this extra side work.

I miss phase 0 & 1. (No need for assumptions of musical greatness here, everyone agrees that Electric Mole & Dynamite Out rocked our world. :P)
Hirama his hotness & HZM his craziness & SR her sexiness.

You really don't see that anymore do you?

Phaseeeeee Onneeeee.

What you see now ain't phase 0/1 anymore :( if they can get that back then keep the band but if it's gonna be more of the same (ala Variety & the current direction) then no! I would not miss the band in fact at this stage I want the band to vanish into the background and leave Shiina solo.

To be honest, I don't care so much about the line up as long as the music is good. SR could reappear a few months from now as a one woman band with amazing music and I would be thrilled. Drum strapped to her back and everything.

I support anything better than Phase 2. Ringo's solo backing bands were more fun to watch than these guys.

Just some things:

- These "new" guys had just as much to do with her solo career as as the TJ members did. They were studio musicians for MM and SS. Nagoshi even played the guitar in her biggest hit Honnou.

- "Studio musicians?" Lame fucking sauce, man. HZM and Hirama were the life of the band during lives. Even during Electric Mole they were as much of a draw as SR.

- Contributing Kao and Gunjou Biyori is doing much more for the band than an album full of forgettable songs that is generally agreed upon as being the worst material SR has been associated with.

- You don't like new guys playing Phase 2 stuff? Hate to break it to you, but the Ringo Expo band was ripping shit up with Blackout in ways Phase 2 could never dream of.

Easy tiger...easy.