[Orenji]

After about 15 listens...

天国へようこそ For The Disc: great rendition of a song that I already loved. I like the vocals here, and the exoticism of the whole thing. Sadly, this is the only song I really attach to the discovery concept. 9/10

絶対値対相対値: LOVE it. Ringo seems to sing in a monotous way on purpose, in order to let the instruments be the real protagonist of the song. However, this somehow reminds me of Shouso Strip, especially Byoushou Public. Don't ask me why. 9.5/10

新しい文明開化: done for the win. This reminds me of Kachiikusa, but I like this one better. 8.5/10

電気のない都市: I love me some ballads, but this should have definitely been the closer track. However, we already have Yume no Ato (better), Superstar (worse), Tegami (better), Shiseikatsu (worse) et cetera, so this brings nothing new to the whole thing. 7/10

海底に巣くう男: Worst track on the album, and one of the weakest TJ tracks overall. Her voice is just awful, and the song itself sounds like an unnecessary Mirrorbal (just as bad) + Roudousha (WAY BETTER) + randomness pastiche to me. 5/10

禁じられた遊び: I enjoy this one a lot, but I have a weird feeling towards it. I don't know how to put this, but this track seems to be lacking something... It is somehow reminiscent of Blackout and Kingyo no Hako, and also reminds me of MALICE MIZER's "au revoir". In 2000, the vocals would have been the shit. 8/10

ドーパミント！ BPM103: I'm one of the few who liked the original Dopamint!, but I must agree with the statement that this version is better. Her voice sounds so sexy, and clapping + jazz is always welcome. I can see them playing this before Sakana. Not gonna happen, tho. 7.5/10

恐るべき大人達: best track on the album by far. I could listen to this all day (I actually do). I love the lyrics, the instrumental, the chorus, the lounge-ish atmosphere and the fact that it is a Ringo/Kameda compo. Rejoyce, and be glad... 100/100.

21世紀宇宙の子: predictable, but so cute that I can't help loving it. Her voice sounds powerful here, and I love it when she sings that fast. Better than other Kameda compositions. 7.5/10.

かつては男と女: I have the impression that this will end up being one of my personal favs. It is the most inaccessible track on the album, as was Yukiguni, one of the songs I currently enjoy the most from Adult. Fellin' the RnB vibe here. 6.5/10 (for now)

空が鳴っている: I've loved this one since the PV started airing. Way too conventional, but great nonetheless. 9/10

風に肖って行け: FINE MASTURBATION indeed. This track is just crazy, and so are the vocals. The term chaotic comes to mind when listening to this. Love the Gamble reference, too. 9.5/10

女の子は誰でも: At first I loved this one, but now I just can't stand it. Compared to the great Tsugou no Ii Karada, this is embarrassingly worse. 5/10

天国へようこそ For The Tube: Love the lyrics, the atmosphere and how different this is from every other TJ song. Her voice is annoying here. 8/10


All in all, this is a pretty great album. I can get the "it's better than Sports" comments, but also the "it's worse than Sports" ones. Sports had a strong cohesion that is clearly lacking here. However, I can see myself listening to the album as a whole, whereas with Sports I somehow enjoy listening to the songs separatedly more. On another note, Shiina's voice is at its worst in most of the songs. Really, she should consider start smoking again.