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Old 2009.06.23, 02:27 PM   #202
madpawn
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Join Date: Feb 2007
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Short reaction: Bad. Ass.

Long reaction:
1. Ryuukou—This is the first Shiina Ringo song that has made me want to dance around like a crazy person since Marunouchi Sadistic. That's a huge compliment. (Unexpected side effect: I... actually want to check out more JRap now.)
2. Roudousha—So well crafted. I'm a huge neo-soul music nut and this is a kick-ass nod to the genre.
3. Mittei Monogatari—Love the flute, and the last minute's quite exciting. Heck, this album is exciting in general.
4. 0 Chiten Kara—Really beautiful, especially near the end. Love the processed vocals. KZK filtered through Katamari Damacy. :p
5. Karisome Otome—Unlike most people, I've never actually heard this version of the song, and I love it. Again: EXCITING. (If a bit messy, but Shiina Ringo is one of the few artists who can do messy well. Look at KZK.)
6. Tsugou no Ii Karada—The first time I listened to this album was on the way to work this morning. When this song really hit its stride, even though I was on the subway, I couldn't stifle an amazed giggle. People looked at me weirdly, but god I love this track. Pure joy.
7. Shun—I like it almost as much as Rakujitsu now. (Confession: Rakujitsu is one of my top 3 SR/Tokyo Jihen songs. So yes, I like Shun a whole lot. According to my iTunes, I've listened to it over 30 times in the last week or so.) The "ikite, ikite, ikite iiyou" breaks my heart every time.
8. Futaribocchi Jikan—Quite nice, nothing special.
9. Mayakashi Yasaotoko—LOVE her vocals on this one, and their processing. Never mind autotune, her voice becomes a gritty, distorted synth. Brilliant.
10. Togatta Teguchi—Straight up Yoko Kanno/Nine Inch Nails fabulousness. Love how abrasive it is, and the rap-through-the-loudspeaker at the end is another great nod to NIN, and transitions so hilariously well into...
11. Irokoizata—The harp at the beginning of this song. Hahaha. I do like this song a lot, especially how it seems a true mixture of the two threads of her jazz tendencies so far—both the orchestra AND the jazz-rock band. This makes it less cloying than HF and less "again?!!?!" than Tokyo Jihen.
12. Bonsai Hada—Remember those few moments in Utaite Myoli where you got chills up and down your spine? Where you convince yourself that, heck, SR's the new Marelene Dietrich? That.
13. Yokyou—I haven't heard this song before, but I think it's probably the weakest track on the album, though still quite enjoyable '90s esque pop rock.
14. OSa—I never thought she'd do R&B—but stomp on frogs and shove a crowbar up my nose, she does it WELL. I might actually like to hear Utada Hikaru, or, even better, Mika Nakashima do a cover of this version of the song. The original is my favourite SR/TJ song ever, and I feel like she's really come full circle (get it? circle? maru?) with this little track. Nice, chill way to bring the album to a close.

In summary, though it probably isn't as good, I can see myself liking this album more than Shouso Strip. It's a fantabulous pop album, loaded with personality, craftmanship, soul, and most of all, VITALITY. This is what characterizes the album most for me, the vitality, something that has been lacking from even the best SR/TJ songs for a while. It's her most alive-sounding album since Muzai Moratorium, and I'm looking forward for it to be the soundtrack to my summer and to my six weeks in Tokyo.

Last edited by madpawn : 2009.06.23 at 02:46 PM.
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