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-   -   Do you want Jihen back (https://forums.electricmole.net/showthread.php?t=2178)

deadgrandma 2015.06.10 09:45 PM

Do you want Jihen back
 
So, it's been a while, there's been a real chance for Jihen's demise to settle in. Was it worth it? Are you satisfied by Ringo's output now to the point of Jihen being a distant memory? Were you a huge fan of Jihen and totally unsatisfied with Ringo's solo output? Were you anti-Jihen but now realise that you were actually happier when they were around? Or were you indifferent then and indifferent now? I'd love to hear what your stance on it is right now in 2015.

deadgrandma 2015.06.10 09:54 PM

My personal view:

I think back (and look back) on comments around Daihakken and Color Bars. While it was generally negative, with Jihen, it never felt as personal that they were releasing overall just OK music. They never felt like they OWED me anything at that point. It was just my annual fix of Ringo while waiting for her to get her next solo release out. And it worked. I don't know why I was so excited to see them go anymore. With albums like Sunny coming out, it's just like they're still around but now the blame is solely on Ringo. It's much more painful than any Jihen disappointment because I had been waiting for so long for her to follow up Sanmon Gossip. And now we get stuff like NIPPON, Jiyuu e Michidzure and Shijou no Jinsei which could easily be a Jihen singles anyway. Seems so pointless.

zeroryouko 2015.06.10 10:48 PM

Listening to Ringo is a lot like sex: even when it's bad, it's still pretty good. :lol:

I'm not going to say I absolutely love everything she's done since Jihen (i.e. NIPPON), but it's been quite a while since the breakup and she's released a lot of stuff. Most of which has been enjoyable, even if it does lack some of the punch of her earlier work. I would gladly take Sunny over, let's say, Daihakken, just for example. I liked Saihate ga Mitai too.

The Most Curious Thing 2015.06.10 11:27 PM

My personal take on Jihen is odd. Mainly because my play button was stuck on them for a good ten months before I even discovered solo Shiina. Kyouiku, Adult, and Sports were favorites of mine in late 2010; my view of Jihen was this balanced triangle of pop, rock, and jazz that I hadn't seen before. I had no context for what (Phase 2) Jihen was relative to Shiina Ringo's career, and found myself on the outside looking in when Daihakken was released a few weeks after I joined EMF. And I was only really a fan of Jihen for 18 months before they disbanded, so I never had the opportunity to be "disappointed" by them as the years slipped by like the older fans here. I discovered Jihen, within a year they had a new album out, and within another year they had packed up and left.

Basically, I guess, I'm more susceptible to the pains of seeing Shiina Ringo phone in her career since I never really got to see Jihen do it in my shoes. If I had to go through 5-6 years of watching Phase 2 durdle around doing nothing on the level of Shiina's solo career, I'd probably think something like dg:

Quote:

Originally Posted by deadgrandma (Post 94921)
It's much more painful than any Jihen disappointment because I had been waiting for so long for her to follow up Sanmon Gossip.

But for me? I guess "I really don't care either way." On one hand I'd rather have another Sports + Ultra C than a dozen Sunnies + EXPOs (and I don't think Sunny is "bad," per se), but on the other hand solo Shiina still can surprise with gems like Toutaikai and Omoitsuki Live that aren't possible on any level with Jihen. It's clear that she's just riding out the rest of the career, so she can do that however she wants and I'm sure I'll be able to pick out something here and there to enjoy.

Scribble R 2015.06.11 02:51 AM

I don't miss them. Sunny wasn't the most mindblowing album but at least there's the possibility of major change between releases (i.e. collaborating with different artists. You couldn't get Reimport under the Jihen name).

And I didn't really sign up for Ukizawa/Kameda/Hata's songwriting. With a shitty SR song there is at LEAST some comfort in it sounding vaguely like Kabukichou or whatever. The Jihen guys tend to be completely hit-or-miss with me -- I know that with any new Jihen album release will be a significant chunk of music that will disappoint me.

I don't understand what she is doing with her latest single, though. I feel no motivation to give it a full listen. Very 'meh.'

(I voted for 3, but I still enjoy aspects of both Jihen and SR's newer work. I just think she hasn't soared above the kind of music she was making with them)

deadgrandma 2015.06.11 04:15 AM

Some very interesting points from everyone here, keep em comin! It's starting to feel a bit like EMF again!

kalmia 2015.06.20 04:37 AM

I've been in Japan for almost two weeks and I've been asked what kind of music I've liked several times already. Most of the time, people don't know who I'm talking about. But just the other day when I said "Shiina Ringo", this guy made a face like they knew who I was talking about. "What about Tokyo Jihen" they asked. I said I liked them too. That's when he proceeded to first bump me -- "I like them too". The Jihen this guy was probably thinking of was late Phase 2 Jihen. Sports and Discovery Jihen. In fact, in my local CD store, those were the only Jihen albums available. Someone finally knew the name Shiina Ringo but immediately associated it with Tokyo Jihen. Did he even know of Shousou Strip era material? In terms of popularity with the Japanese youth, the mainstream Tokyo Jihen was where it was at for Ringo.

But should Jihen make a return? In years past, Ringo's music was becoming less and less unconventional and more and more mainstream. This upset many fans but she gained many new casual fans in the process. This was the progression from the pre-Jihen EM band all the way up to the Jihen break-up. And how does the music compare? Her current output is more experimental than the last Jihen albums but still pale to her previous solo endeavors in terms of ambitiousness. But the real question is whether or not us fans would gladly embrace a Jihen reunion over more music like Sunny. In fact, that's all this is. Which is better? Sunny or Discovery? Either way, Ringo will evolve her music, I'm sure. Either Jihen Phase 3 or... well, the alternative. The unknown. More collaborations...?

IMHO, post-Sunny singles have been the worst music connected to the Shiina Ringo name. Very Jihen like but just plain in every way. At least all of the members of Jihen brought something interesting to the instrumentation. That said, Jihen has been gone for three years and I don't miss them that much...

fluffiethesock 2015.06.20 05:36 AM

I'm not totally opposed to her new work, but I enjoyed the period of time when we got a back-and-forth mix of band and solo releases.

kalmia 2015.06.20 06:32 AM

If Tokyo Jihen came back with Phase 1 or an awesome Phase 3, then OK.

Vorpax 2015.06.24 04:11 AM

Good lord, Sunny is so much better than Daihakken, not even funny. I don't miss TJ at all, I like their stuff until Dynamite Out (maybe Adult if I'm really in a good mood), but that's it. Variety is awful, Sports is just "okay" and Daihakken sucks. I feel embarrassed everytime I listen to "Onnanoko..", Atarashii blah blah could easily be an anime opening. Just bleargh.
About Sunny, I love this album (except for the horrendous NIPPON and Jyuu is not that much better), maybe because I haven't heard those singles before listening to the album so I understand the frustation about this release.... One letdown is that mixing/mastering (I'm not really sure which one) on this album is kinda poor.
Sorry for my poor english :)


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