SR 15th anniversary single Irohanihoheto / Kodoku no Akatsuki

[deadgrandma]

Oh christ the bruise from the amount of facepalming I've done at EMF is coming back....

3-4 years isn't uncommon between albums if you're in a band that's not AKB48, wtf. Especially if you bring out a complete reinvention of yourself everytime like PJ does. I do find a band to be gone for 10 years then releasing the same fucking thing annoying though (I'm looking at you M B V and Portishead).

Turtlefu, what music have you been into that hasn't lasted just over a year? Seems you change your mind too constantly for me to keep up.

I'm gonna stay out of Ringo argument here... I just can't be bothered anymore.

[Tokyo Jihad]

She doesn't have to sell a single copy of the new drama song to make money on it. Or the last ones, or the gum commercial, etc.

I brought up PJ Harvey because I was referring to music that I viewed as "meaningful." Whether she has an 800 song catalog or one ten-song collection doesn't matter so long as that catalog of songs is generally considered to be personal, passionate, and great.

[Nimh]

Originally Posted by deadgrandma

Oh christ the bruise from the amount of facepalming I've done at EMF is coming back....

Try rolling your eyes instead. Or just sigh with impatience, like Al Gore.

[TurtleFu]

DG, I've been a fan of Ringo for about 2.5 years now, which is oddly surprising. Doesn't really feel like it. But that 2.5 years ago was a huge change in my tastes (from stereotypical "J-Pop" to something that is much more meaningful and transnational), and I've mostly stuck in that same vein since then.

But, yeah, I do and have changed a lot. That's what being a person is about. But there are certain artists that I have stuck with for a very long time (and some that were instilled in me as a child).

I think generally the stress of school lately hasn't really allowed me any "music-time" and I have kind of stagnated. I've listened to all of Ringo's catalog so much now it doesn't really feel new.
Probably when the summer starts up again I'll look into some more music. Lately the only music I've listened to has been Top 40 crap on the radio while I'm driving to/from school.

[Osiris12345]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Jihad

That may be cynical, but at 15 years in the game now, and not having made anything particularly meaningful* in 10, its probably a sweet gig. Unfortunately she didn't really have a David Bowie or PJ Harvey longevity as a "serious" artist, but as a commercial one she's found a way to stay a mover.

*artistically

I don't know if you can say that she hasn't made anything particularly meaningful in 10 years. What are Kyouiku and Adult? The first two albums by TJ are pretty highly regarded by most people, even haters. Regardless of whether or not they're as good as her solo works, they are still worth mentioning. To me, the only MAJOR misstep Shiina has even made has been Variety. The Jihen albums are hit or miss after that but Variety stands as a seriously failed experiment to me. I don't find myself listening to any of the songs from that era anymore, save a few of the B-sides.

I'd be a little more generous and say she's had 5-6 mediocre years. I'll grant you SG to a certain degree. I personally love the album but does it seem to represent an artistic statement that she was aching to be heard? Is it meaningful in the way that the original three albums are? I don't really feel that way. But then again, Ringo's not a wide-eyed 20 year old anymore either. Maybe that time where she creates highly emotional, personal music is over. She might value privacy or personal time more than going through hell to make something that makes a bold statement these days. That's not to say the music is bad, per se. It's just not going to turn the music industry upside down. And that's okay.

Honestly, after really thinking about it, I'd rather her continue doing this until she gets really inspired to make an album. I don't want her to just throw something together just because. If her heart's not in it, she shouldn't do it. Maybe that's where her mind is right now. If you half-ass something, what's the point?

[Tokyo Jihad]

Kyouiku and Adult are good listens, but I don't find them particularly "meaningful." Her big 3 were meaningful, at least how I hear them, in that they sound like she had something to say and carefully executed that. Kyouiku and Adult sound like the beginning of the era of "just making catchy songs." Which is FINE, its just not the same.

A record can be good and not meaningful, it can still be tastefully made.

[Osiris12345]

I can see what you mean. There were only moments of that during the Phase 1 and early Phase 2 eras, not albums. But at least we have songs like Yume no Ato, Tasogare Naki, and Rakujitsu that do capture that feeling.

[deadgrandma]

Are there any Japanese artists even left making what you consider "artistic statements", Jihad?

[Tokyo Jihad]

Illion, whom I talked about in the CLT thread, seems real sharp and seems to me to be "doing something" with pop music.
Kouhei Matsunaga has cred and I quite liked his Dance Classics albums last year.
Brace yourselves, Petrolz makes very firm decisions with what they do that are interesting and say something about the band/its members.

[deadgrandma]

What about bold massive statements ala KZK or Tamahime Sama? I'm still waiting to hear one of those from someone new.