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Polls This is where you find out how many people share your opinion - without prompting them to actually say something. |
View Poll Results: What is your 2011 opinion of VARIETY? | |||
I hate it, and always will! | 6 | 24.00% | |
I didn't like it in 2007/when I first heard it, but am more keen now | 6 | 24.00% | |
I loved it in 2007/when I first heard it. but dislike it now | 0 | 0% | |
I loved it, and still love it! | 10 | 40.00% | |
I was indifferent, and still indifferent. | 3 | 12.00% | |
Voters: 25. You may not vote on this poll |
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2011.12.21, 06:10 AM | #11 |
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You not finding something to enjoy on Variety does not mean nobody can find anything to enjoy on Variety. Believe it or not, you are not the judge of good taste or bad taste.
Yes, I liked OSCA before I knew SR and TJ existed. Now I do, and I STILL like OSCA. Whoda known!? Do you think I'm waifu fan? I try to be critical at times (Carnation is hella boring), and yes, Variety is easily TJ's worst album, and I like less than half the songs on it. There's nothing wrong with being critical, it's your hyperbolic criticism I have issues with. Variety's biggest problems is that everything sounds bright and sharp, but in a really grating sort of way, IMO. |
2011.12.21, 06:32 AM | #12 |
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I know just a little bit about what I'm talking about; I can tell by the waveforms and from hearing a few musics in my day.
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"Jihad is the soul of EMF"--Lena |
2011.12.21, 03:09 PM | #13 |
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Delusions of granduer, give this man an enema!
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2011.12.21, 04:15 PM | #14 |
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I'm just a loser talking about a bad album. How you interpret "grandeur" out of it speaks more about the interpreter
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2011.12.21, 04:53 PM | #15 |
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Okay, I think I came to a conclusion about Variety, tell me if I'm getting warmer Jihad
If Variety was the debut album from a previously unknown/amateur band/songwriter, then it would likely be seen as extremely promising and well-done considering the band had no previous experience making music albums. That is why the material is overall pretty good, and still listenable and enjoyable. BUT the album was actually made by 5 professionals, with TONS of experience making music in the music industry. Even if you take into consideration that Petrolz and Appa were indie bands, Shiina and Kameda are seasoned professionals. The only way the album can be seen as good from THIS perspective is if Shiina had spontaneous amnesia and forgot everything she had learned from being in the music industry for so long. And that is why, as a Shiina Ringo album compared to the rest of the music in her career, it fails. |
2011.12.21, 06:16 PM | #16 |
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A debut band would not likely be able to put out an album as mix-and-match as Variety under normal record label situations. But let's run with this. Let's imagine this was self-released or something.
It would be promising based off of songs like OSCA and Killer Tune. As an album it might get largely glossed over in lieu of just the singles. I mean it lacks cohesion, some of the album songs just don't keep up an energy or set a mood. Like, what kind of mood does Ramp really set up? Its like the verse and chorus were two separate songs and pasted together -- and not in a "Happiness is a Warm Gun Way" where its like distinct movements within a song. It does imply the albums potpourri nature, but it doesnt really work otherwise. Theres lumpy songs like Sake to geko and SSAW that are undercooked mixed with songs that are overcooked like Kingyo no haku. Goofy tracks, completely straight tracks, tracks that seem like they wandered in from completely different bands. And I know someone is going to wander in and say they love the "lolrandom!"ness, but theres a differene between an expansive album and a jumbled mess, and the division is a word called cohesion. I think there's some bad song writing, some good songs marred by poor choices, and some okay stuff thats just so hard to look at without seeing whats around it. I don't know if it is a case of too many chefs in the kitchen or not. It doesn't sound like a band that didn't know what it was doing (though it does at times,) it sounds more like a band that was so sure in what they were doing they never stepped back to gather perspective. In a world where, especially in pop or radio music, if you have two decent songs you're considered an artist to keep track of then that's enough to be a success. But that isn't how I would define a success.
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"Jihad is the soul of EMF"--Lena Last edited by Tokyo Jihad : 2011.12.21 at 06:24 PM. |
2011.12.21, 07:01 PM | #17 |
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Things that are good:
Fukushuu, Sake to Geko, Kronekodow, Boutomin, OSCA. Contrary to popular opinion, Ringo's vocals sound really great because of their grating on Killer Tune. Things that are bad: No Ringo songs, all instruments as loud as each other becoming a muddle (particularly the keys, Izawa loves himself way too much- evident in all Izawa related anything) Things that are unforgivable: The existence of SSAW. I can't hate or love it. It's alright. A failed experiment sure, but I think it's more interesting than Sports or Daihakken. That said Sports and Daihakken are better in general, probably because of the fact that Ringo has more input than just vocals. I don't think any of the guys from Phase 1 or 2 can beat/match her songwriting skills (in the context of Tokyo Jihen, I don't care about their solo projects much) and it's a bit of a joke to debate that (and also was a silly move to give them the reigns completely).
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Disco! Life is dead Last edited by deadgrandma : 2011.12.21 at 07:09 PM. |
2011.12.21, 07:06 PM | #18 |
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I definitely know what you mean about cohesion. There are songs I like on Variety. But I never listen to the album all the way through (I've done that maybe 5 times at most). All the songs I like I listen alone, I rarely listen to two Variety tracks together. They all have similar production sure (I think somebody on EMF described it as "glistening", where everything is bright and sharp but in a really shallow way), but they also don't seem to fit together.
Kingyo no Hako is actually my favorite song off the album, for some odd reason. When I think about "promising" I think, okay this album was pretty good or OK, but they show songwriting chops and band chops, their next album is definitely going to be better/really good. And lo and behold, it was (Sports, I mean). I mean, OSCA was definitely good enough to get me into the band as a whole. Songs I like: Ramp (chorus aside), Mirrorball, Kingyo no Hako, OSCA, Butoumin, Kronekodow, Killer Tune, Fukushuu even then I only REALLY like Kingyo no Hako, OSCA, and Killer Tune |
2011.12.21, 07:44 PM | #19 |
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So then do you think "Onna no ko wa dare demo" is a better song than "Tegami" or "Kimaru" or "pinnochio" or "21 seki"?
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2011.12.21, 08:24 PM | #20 |
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Clearly a solo song. Sub in Kachiikusa.
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