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View Poll Results: Favourite song of KSK
宗教 (Shuukyou) 12 15.00%
ドツペルゲンガー (Doppelganger) 2 2.50%
迷彩 (Meisai) 11 13.75%
おだいじに (Odaiji ni) 3 3.75%
やつつけ仕事 (Yattsuke Shigoto) 9 11.25%
茎 (Kuki) 5 6.25%
とりこし苦労 (Torikoshi Kurou) 4 5.00%
おこのみで (Okonomi de) 6 7.50%
意識 (Ishiki) 4 5.00%
ポルターガイスト (Poltergeist) 3 3.75%
葬列 (Souretsu) 17 21.25%
映日紅の花 (Ichijiku no Hana) 4 5.00%
Voters: 80. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 2014.05.07, 10:11 AM   #51
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Okonomi de surprisingly gets the most listens on my side. The album can be a bit too heavy to be a casual go-to, so I guess this track is the most accessible for me.
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Old 2014.05.11, 04:32 PM   #52
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As always, it's nice to see so many differing opinions. I'm glad that so many people are fond of Okonomi de as it's the only track that I regularly skip -- I like it but I never thought that it should be the longest track on the album! I said before that my vote goes to Shuukyou, but I want to mention my love for Poltergeist. The way the orchestra moves in that song! It definitely was a grower but it's now in my top 3 for the album. If the entire album wasn't pure awesome, I would be surprised that it isn't voted higher.
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Old 2014.05.20, 07:53 PM   #53
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Surprised I didn't post in this thread yet...

Poltergeist is a fantastic song. Something about it still gives me chills to this day. It's creepy yet sad. Haunting yet warm. I'm reminded of a ghost who lost her lover a long time ago somehow and the sounds of the train and a carnival only add to the old time feel of the song. I love how Doppelganger ends on a train and Poltergeist begins on one. It's like a haunted train leaving for its destination and arriving before the album's end.

For some reason, I've always attributed Doppelganger and Poltergeist to being spirits - Doppelganger a more malevolent spirit and Poltergeist a benevolent one. Even the end of Doppelganger seems to suggest this as the speaker slowly drifts off and then a very clear new voice emerges from the darkness. The outro with the music box is incredibly chilling. It ranks right up there with the best of J-horror. Poltergeist is similar but the ghost/spirit seems to be singing affectionately about someone rather than wanting to possess them. The Doppelganger wishes to become the person in their sights while the Poltergeist merely wishes to be close to them.

In fact, a good portion of KSK is about death itself. You can look at every song and find some sort of parallel with life and death (whether you listen to the instrumentation or can understand/read the lyrics) which is why Yattsuke Shigoto is my favorite of the bunch here.

While certain points of the album have touches of cynicism and small bits of humor, Yattsuke Shigoto is front and center when it comes to both. The very subject of the song is about the monotony of a "damned job" and how utterly soul sucking it is. The light string flourishes in the instrumentation only serve as a "real world" that the subject longs for as they look outside the window of their confined office. The drum machine trudges along suggesting the worker bees continuing their labor without missing a beat. An assembly line of people all making widgets or taking phone calls or inputting data into a computer. And here is Ringo in the middle of it all asking the question "Why? What's it all for?"

She can't help but wonder what the purpose of this endless routine is. It's a never ending cycle of getting up, going to work, going home, going to bed, getting up, going to work, going home... ad nauseum. There has to be something else. This can't be all there is. She's become numb to feeling anything now. She's forgotten what it feels like to love. She wants to become a machine. Then she starts planning out some kind of "arranged copulation" and then she realizes that she's started to think just like a machine. She is a machine.

And herein lies a lot of the humor and horror of the song. It's about day to day life numbing you to the point where nothing surprises you or excites you. To me that's almost a fate worse than death. Living a life with no wonder or joy is a hollow life. I could really go on and on about how much I love the arrangement and the lyrics of this song but I think you all get the point. I think it's often overlooked in favor of darker or edgier pieces but I think its pristine orchestration and humorously monotone vocals from Ringo are definitely worth a second look.
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Old 2014.05.20, 07:56 PM   #54
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Reading through this thread...

WHO THE FUCK SKIPS ANY SONGS ON KZK?

wussies :-p
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Old 2014.05.20, 08:38 PM   #55
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Originally Posted by Osiris12345 View Post
Surprised I didn't post in this thread yet...
In response to your post, I think I need to shed some love on Yattsuke Shigoto. The KZK version of the song explores a whole new world and gives the lyrics new meaning. And the beauty of it all is that it's all done by altering the sound and not at the words at all. As mentioned above, the vocals are almost monotone and express little to no emotion. The instrumentation of the song has become sarcastic, directly contradicting the hopeless theme of the lyrics. The song is like a machine and doesn't miss a beat -- like the methodical, systematic procedures of the everyday working man. It is not at all like the instrumentation would have you believe. It is a beautiful nightmare where everyone falls into the elaborate trap called life. Why do anything if it will have no impact on the world?

A thought that often comes to mind: there should have been a music video for the KZK version of Yattsuke Shigoto. The original music video is fine and dandy but we're comparing the ZCH version to KZK. I picture Ringo bored out of her mind, wearing a uniform that she hates, watching her co-workers tediously labor away like machines day in and day out to the song's rhythm. I imagine something in light of the Meisai PV, only in an office setting. A lot would have to be going on --- that song has A LOT going on -- but every movement would be methodical and calculated to the beat of the song. The original version of the song is angry at the mundane nature of life but the KZK version of the song is so much more scary because the character has given up all hope and refuses to even become angry. It's really one of those tracks that finds more appreciation after understanding the lyrics. I think this was a missed opportunity.

I never made the train connection until now! And it's worth mentioning that there are train-like elements in Okonomi de as well. Though, nothing in Odaiji ni as far as I can tell. I enjoyed reading your post and have grown to love Doppelganger a whole lot more. What you have said about the "new voice" at the end will forever affect how I listen to that song. I knew that both second and penultimate tracks were German loan words that were related to the paranormal. I never realized some of the deeper parallels. The former certainly does seem dangerous while the latter seems caring and affectionate. The entire way Ringo uses her voice -- and the language too -- is completely different. I feel bad for those who are unable to hear those subtle differences. Sometimes I wonder if I would like KZK so much if I had no prior experience with Japanese.


Originally Posted by deadgrandma View Post
Reading through this thread...

WHO THE FUCK SKIPS ANY SONGS ON KZK?

wussies :-p

I usually listen to the entire album through many times. But I literally listen to the album several times every day. I love all the tracks but I don't know if I could talk about Okonomi de like I have some of the other tracks above.
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Old 2014.05.21, 09:50 AM   #56
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I can't really take individual songs from this album any more, I have to listen to the whole thing or not at all. That obviously curtails the amount of listens it gets but it's always supremely rewarding when you do take the time.
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Old 2014.05.21, 11:02 PM   #57
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Originally Posted by kalmia View Post
A thought that often comes to mind: there should have been a music video for the KZK version of Yattsuke Shigoto. The original music video is fine and dandy but we're comparing the ZCH version to KZK. I picture Ringo bored out of her mind, wearing a uniform that she hates, watching her co-workers tediously labor away like machines day in and day out to the song's rhythm. I imagine something in light of the Meisai PV, only in an office setting. A lot would have to be going on --- that song has A LOT going on -- but every movement would be methodical and calculated to the beat of the song. The original version of the song is angry at the mundane nature of life but the KZK version of the song is so much more scary because the character has given up all hope and refuses to even become angry. It's really one of those tracks that finds more appreciation after understanding the lyrics. I think this was a missed opportunity.
Thank you so much for saying this! There really aren't enough people saying that on EMF although I did notice a few in this very thread. The only ones I notice frequently singing its praises are myself and frecklegirl. It's one thing to do an angry rock song about the subject but it's an entirely different endeavor to completely reinvent the song from the ground up with lush orchestration and a real soundscape. It almost becomes a parody of itself and a sequel in its own strange way.

And I personally love your idea for a PV. It was a COMPLETELY missed opportunity on her part. While I love the Kuki/Stem video, I think a Yattsuke Shigoto video of what you described, even if it was animated ala Tsugou no ii Karada, would be spectacular and should have been made in its place. I suppose I'll settle for Ringo no Uta which may in fact be objectively her best PV to date just in concept alone.

Originally Posted by kalmia View Post
I never made the train connection until now! And it's worth mentioning that there are train-like elements in Okonomi de as well. Though, nothing in Odaiji ni as far as I can tell. I enjoyed reading your post and have grown to love Doppelganger a whole lot more. What you have said about the "new voice" at the end will forever affect how I listen to that song. I knew that both second and penultimate tracks were German loan words that were related to the paranormal. I never realized some of the deeper parallels. The former certainly does seem dangerous while the latter seems caring and affectionate. The entire way Ringo uses her voice -- and the language too -- is completely different. I feel bad for those who are unable to hear those subtle differences. Sometimes I wonder if I would like KZK so much if I had no prior experience with Japanese.
I'm glad to be able to help you appreciate Doppelganger more! It's really become one of my favorite tracks on the album. There's just so many layers to it. I love listening to it and trying to hear little clues. I love the section around the beginning that plays various little snippets from her previous songs. It's a brilliantly arranged little gem.

Originally Posted by kalmia View Post
I usually listen to the entire album through many times. But I literally listen to the album several times every day. I love all the tracks but I don't know if I could talk about Okonomi de like I have some of the other tracks above.
Okonomi de is a very interesting track. I used to find it the weakest entry of KSK but I've grown to really love it. In my earlier post I said that a lot of the album seems to deal with life and death but sex is also a major factor (I mean, even the word "semen" is referenced in the album title itself) and I feel this song embodies the sexual element of the album the most. It's got a very laidback feeling and I adore the sound of the keys and the various other instruments. The song seems to be about an addictive, sensual masochistic relationship between a woman and her lover. It draws you in a little slowly and sounds like something you might listen to in a lounge surrounded by cigarette smoke. I love how the song meanders. It never quite gives you satisfaction, it is flirtatious even to its listener. It definitely grows on you.
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Old 2014.05.22, 01:35 AM   #58
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Originally Posted by Osiris12345 View Post
Okonomi de is a very interesting track. I used to find it the weakest entry of KSK but I've grown to really love it. In my earlier post I said that a lot of the album seems to deal with life and death but sex is also a major factor (I mean, even the word "semen" is referenced in the album title itself) and I feel this song embodies the sexual element of the album the most. It's got a very laidback feeling and I adore the sound of the keys and the various other instruments. The song seems to be about an addictive, sensual masochistic relationship between a woman and her lover. It draws you in a little slowly and sounds like something you might listen to in a lounge surrounded by cigarette smoke. I love how the song meanders. It never quite gives you satisfaction, it is flirtatious even to its listener. It definitely grows on you.
Okonomide has been my favourite Ringo song for years. The sensual masochistic thing is exactly how I've been trying to describe the song in my mind but couldn't find the words. Like it conjures the image of a jazzy lady flirtatiously singing to her love interest as she leans on the piano but exhausted/desperate at the same time. And I love how the instrumental repeatedly rises, and then topples down from the crescendo (?) while the drum strolls through, casually going kickedy kick in the background, as if the whole thing is like some absurd tragedy. Addictive relationship is definitely the way to describe it.

And yeah, Yattsuke Shigoto is very 'Pleasantville.'
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