Ringo News 2015

[Scribble R]

Originally Posted by deadgrandma

I seem like I HATE this show, but I really don't. There's a lot to like (the stage work is undeniably awesome, but you don't HEAR the stage later when you make an audio rip). There is. But... there's also 2 other shows that are very, very similar to me that don't have Sunny songs in the setlist :-p

Ringo Expo 08 can't be one of those shows. Ringo Expo is probably the truest to Ringo's sound when you throw away illusions that she is a hardcore 'punk star,' and ignore the fact that her showtune self was present even in MM. Electric Mole strips her music from what some might consider frills and flights of fancy and boils her sound to primitive, 'rock' basics. Both are equally true to her sound.

Bon Voyage vs Expo is interesting. Isn't there a more interesting history to the campier sound that people are dismissing? Expo and Voyage seem different in that the former seems like a vegas show and the other seems like glam rock. I have a very superficial understanding of these differences myself, but I do feel that these shows aren't total clones of each other.

Toutakai is underrated because that was totally the most KZK-ish band between Phase 0 and the Expo 08 set-up.

I agree, from my layman perspective, that Expo '14's band doesn't go above and beyond like Phase 0 does in Electric Mole. But at least -- the collectors in this forum seem attracted to certain superfluous, OTT elements of her brand (special packaging, special collector bonuses etc.) and this concert does successfully represent that element of her career well. Let's not pretend it's not part of the attraction. The spy performances. The Mayakashi Yasaotoko opening. Come on.

[deadgrandma]

It will be interesting to see how this settles later down the track. Whether I grow to like it more or just feel the same about it. Whether people who love it now will get any repeat viewing value out of it or just forget it when the next DVD comes along. Look at all the people saying "SO MUCH BETTER THAN EXPO 08"... I'm having a hard time swallowing that based on setlist alone. It will be interesting to see if it has the same lasting power that EXPO 08 has for sure. I still watch and enjoy that even today. Bon Voyage on the other hand, I can't even remember the last time I watched that. I feel this will happen for EXPO 14. Why? The core music just isn't as strong as 08. IMO of course.

Anyway, I am super curious to see where Ringo will go from now, after the Academic version of EXPO 14 drops. I'm assuming she'll want a break of some sort and maybe write a few more tracks for other people. I would personally like to see a second part of Reimport cause that would lead to more experimentation, and I want a studio version of Oishii Kitesu.

If she's settled, no longer feels like experimenting, and has to repeat herself... just make a SAPS x Ringo full album. I could dig that. Just no more NIPPON sounding stuff please!

[zeroryouko]

Originally Posted by deadgrandma

I would personally like to see a second part of Reimport cause that would lead to more experimentation, and I want a studio version of Oishii Kitesu.

^ Motion seconded.

[gekokujyo]

I don't think it's So Much Better than Expo 08 but I overall enjoyed it slightly better.

Expo 08 had some of my favourite songs, like Yokyou (flawless, perform more PLZ) and Tadashii machi. Unfortunately she also kinda butchered Tadashii machi. I'd also venture as far as to say that there actually hasn't been a single good performance of that song since GX.

I'd say performance wise she was consistently more on point in Expo 14 than in 08, in which her voice was just a bit weird for me on songs like Koko de and Gips. I'm not particularly fond of Tsumi to batsu (I mean I know its iconic etc, but I'd honestly rather watch her perform, say, Hayari, or Ima), nor Sid to hakuchuumu. Yokushitsu in 2015 now just feels a bit overdone for me though I will agree that I was blown away when I saw that performance at the time it came out.

That opening with Hatsukoi shoujo was also great, and now that you have urged me to go revisit it - I have to admit it's at least on par with Expo 14's Ima opening.

I guess time and retrospect has a role to play in things like that.

And now that Electric Mole has been mentioned, I wish she had done Mayonaka wa junketsu for Expo 14 this time round - it would have fit right in! The EM version of the song really leaves much to be desired for me.

[deadgrandma]

Another thing I've noticed- all the praise/sudden renewed interest in the SG songs.

While I CAN understand this (I still stand by my opinion that it's her best, most re-playable and longest lasting album for me)- didn't everyone use to/it was the 'cool' thing to hate on this album?

But hey, late is better than never to realise how much this album truly weighs and belongs in her discography!

[gekokujyo]

I never hated the album lol. I LOVED Hayari when it came out and played the shit out of it. I even loved Irokoizata which most people like to dismiss as 'elevator music'. The only SR/TJ album I really kinda sorta hate on (though maybe not really) is probably Variety.

EDIT:

I just realised why the show is called 'toshi onna no gyakushuu'. Toshi onna refers to a woman in the year which is of the same zodiac animal as the year she is born with (which happens when your age is a multiple of 12, because there are 12 zodiac animals). Not sure if this is also true for the Japanese zodiac, but for the Chinese zodiac which operates on a very similar formula, you are supposed to have very bad luck in the year of your zodiac animal (because clashing fortunes or some bullshit like that), so the 'counterattack' (i.e. gyakushuu) can be read as a fight against fate/fortune sort of statement.

Pretty sure no one cares but I thought it was neat that even at her most pastiche there is plenty to unpack from her work.

[Scribble R]

^ that is neat.

It's cool to hate on everything post Adult. Even I got caught up in hating everything for a while. This is the concert I wanted when SG came out and she kept performing nothing but Ukizawa songs for several years. The one thing that is actually kind of bothering me.

Hey, I think her next live show will be full of Ichigo Ichie self-covers, since it totally fits the image that she's now going for. Looks like she'll be denouncing Deyonna for her 2015 output.

[zeroryouko]

For anyone interested in ordering it, the Academic version of Expo '14 can now be ordered on CDJapan. They have marked it up significantly as with most deputy services, but it may be a good option for those (like me) who don't have another way of getting it.

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/NEODAI-8143

[deadgrandma]

Its an option but I reckon it's more expensive than some of the other deputy services. You HAVE to take EMS on a special order too.

So... a 1000 yen product ends up being 4097 yen. Ouch. Yeah fuck that.

[zordon]

I love this show, love the packaging, love the setlist as well. EXPO '08 was tad better I guess, but if I were to really compare it to any other Ringo/Jihen concert, it would be Bon Voyage - done by Ringo solo.

Everyone mentions dancers so I'll add to that as well - they didn't really bother me (Bon Voyage dance troupe annoyed me more as there were more of them). Has anybody mentioned Ringo's wings? Corny but cute.

I really liked this rendition of Souretsu, Yattsuke Shigoto (liked the guitars here), Ketteiteki Sanpunkan, and pretty much the whole final segment with cabaret Ringo - Vogue was pretty cool too, despite Uki's attempt to ruin it.

The new single is quite bland but hopefully we're gonna hear something good soon enough.