SR 15th anniversary single Irohanihoheto / Kodoku no Akatsuki

[thefro]

Originally Posted by matan-san

^stupid broadcasters! why are you shamelessly talking over a Ringo song??

I think that's audio from the TV show, not a radio rip. It will be interesting to see what the final released track ends up being.

Couleurs Perfum sounds pretty good, even if the transition in and out of the bridge is awkward.

[deadgrandma]

Yeah... That second preview of Kodoku no Akatsuki sounds so... bland compared to the original preview with its dance beats... What the fuck?

Could this be the first solo song I, king of Ringo stans, do not like? Right now -if what I can hear from that preview is the sum of it's parts- it's sounding so happy that it would make Tomei Ningen blush... fingers crossed its more than it sounds.

Irohanihoheto, on the other hand, I love immensly, a solid Ringo song through and through, nice progression, and I even like the start part a whole hell of a lot. A solid 8 from me on that one.

[Scribble R]

It sounds ’folkloric’ like MM, but delivered on a cosmic scale (Shouso Strip). It also has a touch of KZK’s religious mystique. Also reminds me of Tsukigime-Hime/Kaban no Nakami.

The only real shame is the transition into the bridge. I agree - it’s so abrupt (as if that’s where it fades out during the drama opening as they start thanking sponsors, and where Ringo is free to make the song more interesting).

[a_grumble_cake]

Originally Posted by ra_yy

links i've found recently:
the full audio stream of Irohanihoheto
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTUwNDExNDQ0.html
a preview of Kodoku no Akatsuki for those curious
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTUwNDExODk2.html

the latter track had a different mix to it with her auto-tuning as heard from http://sadisticgossip.blogspot.ca/ I wonder if that particular mix will see ever see the light of day

Irohanihoheto is really great but Kodoku... is too boring for me to even make it through with all the talking over it.

[Osiris12345]

I like Irohanihoheto a lot. It definitely feels in the same vein as Kabukichou and Remote Controller, as others have said. It's got a strong melody and I dig the arrangement. One of the important qualities of a Ringo song is that it sticks in your head even after listening to it once or twice and this song had that. In fact, I probably like it better than Remote Controller but I've never been a huge Remote Controller fan anyway.

Kodoko no Akatsuki sounds like Ringo not giving a crap. It's not offensively bad but its blandness is practically offensive in itself. Maybe it fits the program she wrote it for. Anybody know what that program is about?

Also, what's with her doing all of these drama songs or songs for other people lately? I know she's been doing it for years but that seems to be ALL she releases solo nowadays. Has she "retired" and is taking a back seat to writing for herself? I mean, that SMAP song was a guilty pleasure but I would have never guessed 5 years ago that she would write a pop song for SMAP. All she's doing lately is promoting other people's stuff. I hope we get an album this year to commemorate her 15th anniversary.

[Tokyo Jihad]

Ka-ching ka-ching, nawn sayn?

More seriously though, its just the stage of her career she's in. She's made her grand statements, she's done her family-friendly pop band to prove her commercial viability, and now she's putting "Shiina Ringo the performer" on the back burner at least as she can probably dole out songs one at a time and probably make a better return than Dai hakken.

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

[Inseu]

People who only like "Irohanihoheto" are those who aren't into anything post-Adult. :p

"Kodoko no Akatsuki" is great.

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

David Bowie longevity lol. He haven't made a good album for over 30 years. And what "serious" artist? I'm pretty sure he wrote some music just for coke money.

As for PJ Harvey, her longevity is due to her lack of efficiency - releasing an album every 3-4 years. She can't even write an album worth of material each year. Ringo has accomplished a lot more than PJ did in shorter period of time.

[Glathannus]

Originally Posted by Inseu

Ringo has accomplished a lot more than PJ did in shorter period of time.

Not to defend PJ Harvey (whose music I haven't yet explored), but what period of time are you talking about, exactly? The late 1990s through early 2000s? Shiina Ringo spent a lot of her teen years writing much of MM and SS before she ever signed to EMI. So if you only count KSK (a somewhat short album) with the B-Sides which aren't covers, Shiina Ringo didn't really create so much in her earliest EMI years. Or were you talking about some other time period?

[TurtleFu]

My Shiina Song count puts her output of original songs somewhere around 200.

I don't think she's a very commercially successful artist nowadays, either. I mean, she sells, but she's hardly breaking bank. Carnation barely moved 22K, and the TJ output is somewhere between 75-110k. I wouldn't put her in as an upper-tier musician.

I think this is basically her way of being retired. It requires the least amount of effort from her while still making SOME money. Most likely (and this is pure speculation) she's probably being a mom right now, and she needs some income, but I also don't think she "sold out" completely because she's hardly making tons of money.

EDIT: It probably says how little I care right now that I haven't even listened to either song. Well, Ringo lasted longer than Morning Musume, which I guess is a good thing? And my overall musical tastes have certainly changed.

[Inseu]

Originally Posted by Glathannus

Not to defend PJ Harvey (whose music I haven't yet explored), but what period of time are you talking about, exactly? The late 1990s through early 2000s? Shiina Ringo spent a lot of her teen years writing much of MM and SS before she ever signed to EMI. So if you only count KSK (a somewhat short album) with the B-Sides which aren't covers, Shiina Ringo didn't really create so much in her earliest EMI years. Or were you talking about some other time period?

I was referring to the amount of quality music Ringo made (and I like all her albums). If you only consider one or two albums her "accomplishment", then you're free to agree with Jihad...

How does writing music in her teen years change anything? Lots of people worked hard on their songs before debut.

Originally Posted by TurtleFu

I think this is basically her way of being retired. It requires the least amount of effort from her while still making SOME money. Most likely (and this is pure speculation) she's probably being a mom right now, and she needs some income, but I also don't think she "sold out" completely because she's hardly making tons of money.

You make it sound like she had no savings, when she already sold millions of albums in those early years. She doesn't have a money problem ffs. She's doing whatever she wants right now. She already "sold out" completely when Honnou was released.