[zeroryouko]

The vocoder thing (I'm still not absolutely convinced that it was in fact lip sync) is a blow to her artistic integrity for sure (and let me be clear - I absolutely *LOATHE* it), but so far it's only one song - one performance, even. Time will tell where she goes with it. I don't think the vocoder is going to be a major, permanent thing.

I *was* a fan before Jihen. When I first heard KSK after listening to MM and SS, I was bewildered. When she started Jihen, I disliked that she had gone a different musical direction after KSK. When she released HF, it seemed like she was now just recycling older material, and when Jihen released Variety, my feeling of betrayal was compounded in that she seemed to be giving creative control over to the other members of her band. When Expo 08 came out, I was saddened by the fact that she seemed to have lost her previous voice. But all that is in the past and, with time, I came to appreciate all of her output.

I think the upgraded performance aesthetic is probably here to stay, at least for a while, and I think in a few years when she has polished it more, we'll look back at this, smile, and note that this was where it all began.

No, she's not my Ringo - but then, she never was to begin with.