[TJ] 2007.09.26 - Variety (CD) [Album]

[justriiingo]

Originally Posted by kuro_neko

I mean it is better than sticking with one and limiting yourself to that certain theme.

That's called focus.

[ShadyNook]

Originally Posted by elodie

In a recent interview Shiina says fans sent letters telling them that they don't like her music. So she thought she should let the other people in the band to make some music. She also said that she is running out of materials to record

I love her for telling stuff like this to the public. She's still brutally honest even to comment about herself.

So Variety is Ringo's statement: "If you don't like my music, then get a load of these two guys!"

If she says she's low on material, that is unfortunate. I don't know if she's being humble there or being real. forming a band could be her way of tapping into a new source of inspiration?

[kuro_neko]

Originally Posted by justriiingo

That's called focus.

borrrrrrrrrrrring

someone very obviously isn't an artist, or at the very least not a good one at that. You got to rip shit apart to put it back together. If they set out and said "we are going to write an album on AIDS in Africa" you would get utter shit most likely. And MM, SS, and KZK never had "themes." They had bits and pieces of themes Ringo was working around with in her head, but a lot of the material was demo taped and existed BEFORE she debuted, so you can't argue they were, it was more her just writing music and exploring what was inside her mind, not limiting herself, which was great, her "ego going wild." This whole theme thing is a direct result of Adult and how it was marketed. This album's "theme" fits it perfectly, it connects the music together in a cohesive way (which is still present without said theme, if the title of the album was just Tokyo Jihen or maybe even one of the track titles, it would still hold together IMO)

[madpawn]

Originally Posted by kuro_neko

borrrrrrrrrrrring

someone very obviously isn't an artist, or at the very least not a good one at that. You got to rip shit apart to put it back together. If they set out and said "we are going to write an album on AIDS in Africa" you would get utter shit most likely. And MM, SS, and KZK never had "themes." They had bits and pieces of themes Ringo was working around with in her head, but a lot of the material was demo taped and existed BEFORE she debuted, so you can't argue they were, it was more her just writing music and exploring what was inside her mind, not limiting herself, which was great, her "ego going wild." This whole theme thing is a direct result of Adult and how it was marketed. This album's "theme" fits it perfectly, it connects the music together in a cohesive way (which is still present without said theme, if the title of the album was just Tokyo Jihen or maybe even one of the track titles, it would still hold together IMO)

Yet some of the very best albums are created with a very specific theme in mind—Ys by Joanna Newsom, Vespertine by Bjork, Scarlet's Walk by Tori Amos...

[HEDOfloe]

It's not that you should not have a theme, it's that you should not be restricted by your theme. Like if you are doing something really good, but doesn't necessarily go with the theme, you should just twist your theme a bit instead of dropping the idea. Plus, nothing ever comes out exactly how you planned. Something always gets changed along the way and it's the best artists that make the best changes to their original idea to fit so that it can still fit the theme and make it work.

[justriiingo]

MM, SS, KZK, Kyouiku, Adult - they're all very focused albums. There may be songs of various styles in each album (and the odd track here and there) but no doubt there's a central unifying sound to the each album. It's not about making the songs sound the same. Absolutely not.

Maybe Variety can get away with the focus thing if the focus was to make rubbish cheesy "pop" songs. Yeah.

[HEDOfloe]

Originally Posted by justriiingo

Maybe Variety can get away with the focus thing if the focus was to make rubbish cheesy "pop" songs. Yeah.

Of course

[kuro_neko]

Originally Posted by justriiingo

MM, SS, KZK, Kyouiku, Adult - they're all very focused albums. There may be songs of various styles in each album (and the odd track here and there) but no doubt there's a central unifying sound to the each album. It's not about making the songs sound the same. Absolutely not.

Maybe Variety can get away with the focus thing if the focus was to make rubbish cheesy "pop" songs. Yeah.

but Variety clearly IS the theme. You guys just think its a lame one or a cover-all, but you can't deny that that is what it is and I'm pretty sure when Ringo enlisted the members she told them to just write whatever they wanted and they would pick it and use it. That itself IS a plan.

and to madpawn: do you actually know Tori Amos's recording and theme process? A lot of the time its added AFTERWARDS. For Scarlet's Walk she wrote with a certain goal in mind, but the whole Scarlet's Walk think came after it was all put together. Variety can be said to be the same. When starting out Ringo said we are doing a work of all the band member's and they are going to write whatever they want and it will be a crazy album of Variety music.

thats my take

I actually like schizophrenci albums. It is boring when you go out and buy a 11 track album for 14.99 and get stuck with 11 boring tracks of the same shit.

[justriiingo]

Originally Posted by kuro_neko

It is boring when you go out and buy a 11 track album for 14.99 and get stuck with 11 boring tracks of the same shit.

It can be "11 boring tracks of the same shit" or 11 equally brilliant tracks. Focus isn't quite as narrow as you think it is.

[cjhobbies00]

Muahahah...I just found out that Yesasia sent my copy of Variety to my old address. I don't know if i'm even gonna go through the trouble of getting it back. Is there any goodies in the first edition that's worth my trouble?