Electric Mole Forums - View Single Post - [TJ] 2012.02.15

Nimh · 2012.02.25, 05:12 PM

Gather up, lads and lasses, for a rundown review of the whole friggin show.

Things you may already know or should know: I’m not a music critic or audiophile. I don’t give thumbs up or down.

Opening -- A transparency screen in front of the band is showing projected images of meteorites hitting the Earth. Someone at EMI has seen Tree of Life. No dinosaurs here, though, unless you count Kameda. An industrial beat underscores the dust balls on the screen.

1. Tengoku e yōkoso -- This is really just a prologue to the show. The band members are lined up in their Ultra C positions. From left to right: Izawa, Uki, Kameda, Ringo, and Hata. A horned creature seems to have crawled on top of Ringo’s head and died. The creature has a ruby eye that twinkles now and then. Can’t really see the band members too clearly, but Ringo’s voice is smooth and clear, not all that emphatic. “Here’s Heaven” appears on a screen behind the band....a bit presumptuous this early in the show, I think.

Show title appears and show “officially” starts.

2. Sora ga natte iru – Exploding meteorites segue into an outer space backdrop. Now we can see the band. Ringo is wearing a white, strapless one-piece with big fuzzy white boots and a garter on her right thigh that I’m trying not to stare at. A long-haired wig is the nest for that stuffed critter on her head. I'd describe the overall look as "cavewoman on prom night." The bizarre costume helps us get through the number, which is so weak the only dramatic action is Ringo holding the mike with one hand, then SWITCHING to two hands, then back to one hand. Not as riveting as it sounds. Izawa looks asleep. Uki seems ill….and he needs to get to a dentist. The camera work is really weird in this concert; here there’s a bizarre cut that flips from one end of the stage to another, so disorienting, and then there’s this “rack focus” cam that gets the whole band in the frame but only one of them in focus at a time. It’s like we just got collective glaucoma. Kameda’s grooving in the back. He and the camera are the only things moving in the whole number. Okay, at the end Ringo lifts her left leg and then does her “look over stage right, freeze, and close my eyes for the closeup” daydreamy thing. Clock chimes. End this already.

3. Kaze ni ayakatte ike – Ringo with the acoustic guitar. Kameda still grooving. Blue-green background; they’re really going for a cold, spare atmosphere in these first few numbers. Uki shows some life. Given that the song’s about wind, there are wind effects blowing on the stage, fluttering Ringo’s hair a bit. Her voice is still smooth and clear, but the show feels stalled in the garage. And can someone tell me what “blood promoters” are? Seriously.

4. Carnation – Warm colors finally invade the hall. Ringo and Uki on acoustic guitars, and Izawa’s fondling and blowing on a melodica. I thought that was Ringo’s thing. Anyway, it’s nice. Here’s where I’m getting aware of Ringo’s incredible control on the stage. She’s got a wig, a goofy hat, a tight dress, a guitar, and lyrics to deal with, and she deals with it by tightening herself up and using only the barest minimum of gestures and movements.

5. Kaitei ni sukuu otoko – Ringo faces Hata and drums a tambourine. More gestures and playing with her posture, but with the same tight control. She does a little too much “indicating” with her gestures: e.g. when she sings about “breathing in” she puts two lips to her mouth like they're holding a cigarette, and then later when she sings about “lips” she does the same thing. Maybe she’s not the Meryl Streep of j-rock. Alright, I now love this song. She gives it a sultry delivery, the band gives it a good jam, and it would be the perfect song for hearing live in a classy lounge act. I didn’t like this song on Daihakken but it seems to work better live. Big Ace of Hearts on the background screen.

6. Karisome otome – The band totally screws the audience with a shift in tempo from Kaitei to this. It shuts the crowd up and I don’t think they know how to take it at first. If that’s all intentional, kudos. If not, let’s just move on. Izawa steals this number even though Ringo is doing things with her figure I won’t dwell upon here, and she walks away from the mike stand like it bores her. At the end she spreads her thighs and grabs the hem of her skirt and let's move on, shall we?…

7. Kinji rareta asobi – Shadows crawl over the stage. Weird vibe. Uki shows off some good intense strumming. Ringo clutches her hair, pushes and pulls the mike stand and ends the song with a dissatisfied expression that’s downright scary. The way she sings “I want you all to myself” at the end is so dark and demanding that I’m flashing back on a traumatic ex-girlfriend and thanking god all that jealous insanity is over with and I got out of it alive. Thanks for the memories, Ringo. If you’re going with anyone and he’s watching this, he hopes you’re kidding.

8. Osorubeki otona-tachi – Ringo is floating and spinning in a cloud of space dust in slo-mo. Costume change. Everyone’s in black, the guys in bowties and busboy outfits. I don’t know whether to listen to them or ask them to clear my table. Ringo has a pink wig and a long coat that’s sure to come off dramatically at some point. This is a mellow performance, with rain effects and slo-mo distortion. And jump cuts. Some continuity errors show that it’s probably edited from at least two different nights. Wait, is that HZM?!?! Naw, it's just Izawa in a quasi-bowler hat. Ringo gestures with a small green apple and does more indicating, twirling her fingers around when singing about the earth “turning the other way.” We get it, darling. Why are you poking the air with that apple? Uki’s guitar is quite cool-looking here. At the end, text comes up on the background screen: “Rejoice, be glad. Rejoice and be glad.” This makes me think of 3/11. Actually quite a few things in this show make me think of 3/11. I don’t know what to say about that.

9. Katsute wa otoko to onna – Criss-cross lighting. Ringo again with the tambourine and tight body control. The low-key, high-contrast lighting is very stark, and Kameda has his own upgraded cool guitar. Izawa takes the stage with his keywork but can’t really bring it off.

10. Handsome sugite – Instant turnaround! The last 9 songs have been lacking some vital energy and this number brings it. Red lights illuminate the band and Ringo does a high-heel stomp. When she calls for “guitar,” Uki delivers. Here the 5 members feel unified and focused. Everyone loosens up a bit, and Hata, who hasn’t been seen much so far, ends the number on a strong note. The crowd cheers. Tokyo Jihen have finally arrived.

11. Himitsu – To put an exclamation point on the fact that TJ have been phoning it in, we hear “please favor me!” as if they were introducing themselves. Where were you the first 30 minutes? Ringo returns to the edge of the stage and DOES THE MARUNOUCHI SADISTIC SLIDE. Is Himitsu the new Marunouchi? Part of me sees the slide as a sort of “F-you” to people who thought they’d get to hear Marunouchi tonight. The camera work is great when she’s downstage in front of the crowd. Kameda jams with Hata and we get the first “UKIGMO” sign of the night. Uki has trotted up the backstage staircase and gets a quick solo. Ringo stands in front of Izawa’s station and hops about, then turns her back to the audience, spins, and spreads her arms wide for the final note. I don’t know if that’s a great version of Himitsu or not, but there was a lot going on there.

12. Boutomin – The band members are smirking at each other, because they know what’s coming; Uki and Izawa warbling into their mikes. Ringo is still committing thespian crimes with her gestures, pointing at the crowd on “you” and at herself on “me.” Stanislavsky wept. This has always been a throwaway tune.

13. Dopamint! – Heart-rate monitor graphic…whoa whoa whoa. That’s Gekokujo you’re messing with there, be careful. Crowd loves this, clapping away. Kameda gives good bass here. Ringo is clutching a huge xylophone mallet for some reason. “5-4-3-2-1” has giant graphics up the staircase. Kameda hopping mad. And OFF COMES THE OVERCOAT. So she had a pink and white mini-dress with a puffy skirt under that. Ringo is a 32-year-old woman daring you to call her girly. I don’t know how (or even why) she does it.

TO BE CONTINUED…..

2012.02.25, 05:12 PM	#22
Nimh Administrator Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,093	Gather up, lads and lasses, for a rundown review of the whole friggin show. Things you may already know or should know: I’m not a music critic or audiophile. I don’t give thumbs up or down. Opening -- A transparency screen in front of the band is showing projected images of meteorites hitting the Earth. Someone at EMI has seen Tree of Life. No dinosaurs here, though, unless you count Kameda. An industrial beat underscores the dust balls on the screen. 1. Tengoku e yōkoso -- This is really just a prologue to the show. The band members are lined up in their Ultra C positions. From left to right: Izawa, Uki, Kameda, Ringo, and Hata. A horned creature seems to have crawled on top of Ringo’s head and died. The creature has a ruby eye that twinkles now and then. Can’t really see the band members too clearly, but Ringo’s voice is smooth and clear, not all that emphatic. “Here’s Heaven” appears on a screen behind the band....a bit presumptuous this early in the show, I think. Show title appears and show “officially” starts. 2. Sora ga natte iru – Exploding meteorites segue into an outer space backdrop. Now we can see the band. Ringo is wearing a white, strapless one-piece with big fuzzy white boots and a garter on her right thigh that I’m trying not to stare at. A long-haired wig is the nest for that stuffed critter on her head. I'd describe the overall look as "cavewoman on prom night." The bizarre costume helps us get through the number, which is so weak the only dramatic action is Ringo holding the mike with one hand, then SWITCHING to two hands, then back to one hand. Not as riveting as it sounds. Izawa looks asleep. Uki seems ill….and he needs to get to a dentist. The camera work is really weird in this concert; here there’s a bizarre cut that flips from one end of the stage to another, so disorienting, and then there’s this “rack focus” cam that gets the whole band in the frame but only one of them in focus at a time. It’s like we just got collective glaucoma. Kameda’s grooving in the back. He and the camera are the only things moving in the whole number. Okay, at the end Ringo lifts her left leg and then does her “look over stage right, freeze, and close my eyes for the closeup” daydreamy thing. Clock chimes. End this already. 3. Kaze ni ayakatte ike – Ringo with the acoustic guitar. Kameda still grooving. Blue-green background; they’re really going for a cold, spare atmosphere in these first few numbers. Uki shows some life. Given that the song’s about wind, there are wind effects blowing on the stage, fluttering Ringo’s hair a bit. Her voice is still smooth and clear, but the show feels stalled in the garage. And can someone tell me what “blood promoters” are? Seriously. 4. Carnation – Warm colors finally invade the hall. Ringo and Uki on acoustic guitars, and Izawa’s fondling and blowing on a melodica. I thought that was Ringo’s thing. Anyway, it’s nice. Here’s where I’m getting aware of Ringo’s incredible control on the stage. She’s got a wig, a goofy hat, a tight dress, a guitar, and lyrics to deal with, and she deals with it by tightening herself up and using only the barest minimum of gestures and movements. 5. Kaitei ni sukuu otoko – Ringo faces Hata and drums a tambourine. More gestures and playing with her posture, but with the same tight control. She does a little too much “indicating” with her gestures: e.g. when she sings about “breathing in” she puts two lips to her mouth like they're holding a cigarette, and then later when she sings about “lips” she does the same thing. Maybe she’s not the Meryl Streep of j-rock. Alright, I now love this song. She gives it a sultry delivery, the band gives it a good jam, and it would be the perfect song for hearing live in a classy lounge act. I didn’t like this song on Daihakken but it seems to work better live. Big Ace of Hearts on the background screen. 6. Karisome otome – The band totally screws the audience with a shift in tempo from Kaitei to this. It shuts the crowd up and I don’t think they know how to take it at first. If that’s all intentional, kudos. If not, let’s just move on. Izawa steals this number even though Ringo is doing things with her figure I won’t dwell upon here, and she walks away from the mike stand like it bores her. At the end she spreads her thighs and grabs the hem of her skirt and let's move on, shall we?… 7. Kinji rareta asobi – Shadows crawl over the stage. Weird vibe. Uki shows off some good intense strumming. Ringo clutches her hair, pushes and pulls the mike stand and ends the song with a dissatisfied expression that’s downright scary. The way she sings “I want you all to myself” at the end is so dark and demanding that I’m flashing back on a traumatic ex-girlfriend and thanking god all that jealous insanity is over with and I got out of it alive. Thanks for the memories, Ringo. If you’re going with anyone and he’s watching this, he hopes you’re kidding. 8. Osorubeki otona-tachi – Ringo is floating and spinning in a cloud of space dust in slo-mo. Costume change. Everyone’s in black, the guys in bowties and busboy outfits. I don’t know whether to listen to them or ask them to clear my table. Ringo has a pink wig and a long coat that’s sure to come off dramatically at some point. This is a mellow performance, with rain effects and slo-mo distortion. And jump cuts. Some continuity errors show that it’s probably edited from at least two different nights. Wait, is that HZM?!?! Naw, it's just Izawa in a quasi-bowler hat. Ringo gestures with a small green apple and does more indicating, twirling her fingers around when singing about the earth “turning the other way.” We get it, darling. Why are you poking the air with that apple? Uki’s guitar is quite cool-looking here. At the end, text comes up on the background screen: “Rejoice, be glad. Rejoice and be glad.” This makes me think of 3/11. Actually quite a few things in this show make me think of 3/11. I don’t know what to say about that. 9. Katsute wa otoko to onna – Criss-cross lighting. Ringo again with the tambourine and tight body control. The low-key, high-contrast lighting is very stark, and Kameda has his own upgraded cool guitar. Izawa takes the stage with his keywork but can’t really bring it off. 10. Handsome sugite – Instant turnaround! The last 9 songs have been lacking some vital energy and this number brings it. Red lights illuminate the band and Ringo does a high-heel stomp. When she calls for “guitar,” Uki delivers. Here the 5 members feel unified and focused. Everyone loosens up a bit, and Hata, who hasn’t been seen much so far, ends the number on a strong note. The crowd cheers. Tokyo Jihen have finally arrived. 11. Himitsu – To put an exclamation point on the fact that TJ have been phoning it in, we hear “please favor me!” as if they were introducing themselves. Where were you the first 30 minutes? Ringo returns to the edge of the stage and DOES THE MARUNOUCHI SADISTIC SLIDE. Is Himitsu the new Marunouchi? Part of me sees the slide as a sort of “F-you” to people who thought they’d get to hear Marunouchi tonight. The camera work is great when she’s downstage in front of the crowd. Kameda jams with Hata and we get the first “UKIGMO” sign of the night. Uki has trotted up the backstage staircase and gets a quick solo. Ringo stands in front of Izawa’s station and hops about, then turns her back to the audience, spins, and spreads her arms wide for the final note. I don’t know if that’s a great version of Himitsu or not, but there was a lot going on there. 12. Boutomin – The band members are smirking at each other, because they know what’s coming; Uki and Izawa warbling into their mikes. Ringo is still committing thespian crimes with her gestures, pointing at the crowd on “you” and at herself on “me.” Stanislavsky wept. This has always been a throwaway tune. 13. Dopamint! – Heart-rate monitor graphic…whoa whoa whoa. That’s Gekokujo you’re messing with there, be careful. Crowd loves this, clapping away. Kameda gives good bass here. Ringo is clutching a huge xylophone mallet for some reason. “5-4-3-2-1” has giant graphics up the staircase. Kameda hopping mad. And OFF COMES THE OVERCOAT. So she had a pink and white mini-dress with a puffy skirt under that. Ringo is a 32-year-old woman daring you to call her girly. I don’t know how (or even why) she does it. TO BE CONTINUED…..