New TJ Album - "Sports" 2010.02.24

[justriiingo]

Wow.
So you guys are happy comparing her to run-of-the-mill pop artists. This is very sad. If you set your standards so low, of course whatever she puts out is going to be well, comparatively miles ahead.

Old SR doesn't deserve that. She has always been a innovator of music first, pop musician second, so it's only fair that I judge her music with the same benchmark I judge the music of other innovators - I judge it against her previous work.

Originally Posted by ecogazoo

...but I'm happy with it. Not Max Happy, just happy enough to keep listening and buying.

See, their middleground "just enough" approach is already manifesting itself among the fans. Well good for them, it's an economically sustainable revenue model.

[ShadyNook]

shes a victim of her own success.

when i first heard the new single i thought "hey, this is nice music to relax to"

but now i realize wtf am i coming to SR music to relax?! I dont know who makes smoother music between Ringo and Uki.

when Izawa and Kameda are the ones rocking the most, somethings not right.

is she wanting to be a family-friendly household name in Japan?

[mizer_unmei]

Originally Posted by justriiingo

Wow.
So you guys are happy comparing her to run-of-the-mill pop artists. This is very sad. If you set your standards so low, of course whatever she puts out is going to be well, comparatively miles ahead.

Old SR doesn't deserve that. She has always been a innovator of music first, pop musician second, so it's only fair that I judge her music with the same benchmark I judge the music of other innovators - I judge it against her previous work.

You've got her too far up on a pedestal. Whatever she does or whatever she did, she's still a pop artist. Sure she can use all sorts of outer influences, but the simple Kayokyoku/Blankey Jet City/90s R&B influence is always there. There's a reason why she's not mainly working with full orchestras and sticking to the guitar/bass/drum/keyboard combo that's been all the rave for the past 60 years -- because she's making pop music. The songs are short and the hook is essential. This can be said with anything from KZK to Variety.

And you just seem haughty looking down on pop like you seem to be. If that's your view on music, of course you'll be extra disappointed when she puts out something that doesn't meet your standards of innovation or whatnot.

[Scribble R]

You could say that some of her recent releases are very characteristic of being 'selling out', and while sometimes it may be fun to joke about, ultimately it's the kind of stupid thing that undergraduates/high school students preoccupy themselves with. Ultimately the art is what's most important, and treating Phase 2 as some massive fall of grace is actually pretty ridiculous.

Stop thinking in black and white. What's especially annoying is that posts like justriingo's are dressed under the guise of being 'musically-informed' (Pretentious) or whatever, when it's just a more articulate version of the youtube 'Shiina Ringo is the best eveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!!!' posts, just at the other side of the same coin. It's especially cute how you can distribute an artist's creativity among percentages. I'm glad that, whilst I've been a Ringo fan, I've grown out of this silly behaviour.

I don't understand, is Ringo not human or something?

(Also, I've never perceived Ringo as being a BARRIER BREAKING MEGA AVANT-GARDE GOD 2 INNOVATOR. I thought she just made 'interesting' pop music)

[lazer85]

wow I always thought she was like Incubus but a bit more popular. You know how they had make yourself and were HUGE for like 2 albums and since then everyone knows them and a lot of people buy their albums but most people cant name any songs since those huge two albums. Concerts still sell out at huge venues but the new songs are not culture wide, be they better or worse.

I guess the reason it surprises me is because almost every person I've met in Japan likes those 2 or 3 SS era singles and doesnt really know much else by her. I havent met too many people who know any TJ songs, they all seem to know the name though.

and I think its fair to expect more than shallow pop from someone who released Souretsu. Absolutely fair

[Tokyo Jihad]

Originally Posted by justriiingo

Wow.
So you guys are happy comparing her to run-of-the-mill pop artists.

Welcome to Neo-EMF! It's like the old EMF but exactly the opposite.

shoes on our hands and dogs marry cats.

[ecogazoo]

I agree that SS/KZK are the lofty peaks of SR's output, but the post-KZK work is still challenging & interesting. I understand why many fans are disappointed with it, but asserting that she has nothing left at all seems absurd.

If it ain't Souretsu, and it's SR after 2003, it's an abysmal insult to Art, pop music, and the creative process?

[Tokyo Jihad]

Lets just let the record state that "haters" (aka SR fans) don't have unrealistic expectations, that everything has to be MM/SS/KZK. No one was talking about selling out, jumping sharks, what have you with Kyouiku or Adult.

Anything post-Adult, however is up for discussion because the general consensus is that there was, more than a genre change (to out-and-out jpop for TJ) but a full change in sensibilities with Shiina herself.

[Glathannus]

"Sports" will be put on this earth to give the haters a newfound respect for Variety.
"Well at least it's not Sports!".

[Maou]

^ Ha! Thankfully the two Sports singles are leagues better than the Variety singles.