[TJ] 2010.02.24 - Sports (CD) [Album]

[kuro_neko]

Originally Posted by Denitson777

I think adding forty seconds to that song would make me like it even more

word. ditto that for me. Ikiru was crazy, the type of crazy you can't just wash away.

[lazer85]

!!!! I usually never leave my small Saitama town on the weekdays but today my friend from Osaka was visiting and staying in Tokorozawa. Went to see him there and a store was selling Sports outside. If it wasn't my first time seeing him in 6 months, I might have faked a headache to go home and listen quicker.

On track 3 now, the new 40 seconds on ikiru are tight. I really do envy you people who get to hear this album in full quality first, it would have been a great follow up to Adult.... I'm so happy.

What an awesome night, saw long time friend, made new friend, survived 4 hours of japanese conversation, got album by favorite japanese band, ate good tempura and donuts, got hit on by a waitress (I'll probably leave that part out when I tell my girlfriend about today, even if I'm innocent) and made it home in time to listen and not lose sleep! LIFE IS GOOD.


EDIT: Up to track 9, I don't know what happened but I'm in love with noudouteki sanpunkan now, definetly top 5, maaaybe top 3 on this album. Even Utten Kekkou sounds listenable with decent quality and that was the one song I thought wasn't good at all at first. And zettai zetsumei is just a litttttle bit better, the drums have some cool effects on them and I can focus on the instruments one by one now.

And I don't know why I haven't said it before but I think some moments of ikiru, ringos vocals are the best they've been since KZK.

EDIT: FINISHED. Regardless of whether you love or hate this album it is most certainly the same caliber as Kyouiku and Adult, or at least immeasurably close. It is FAR more cohesive than Variety or SG which is a huge thing for me because I love being able to listen to an album straight through and I could with everything before Variety. The songs that I didn't like much have all grown on me (noriki, FOUl, FAIR, and sweet spot I'm slowly growing to love.....Utten is the weakest by far and I don't THINK I'll be skipping it, at least as good as superstar...). The bridge of Sweet Spot til the end is GREAT.....what a surprise...I thought I'd be skipping that one.

Tomaru is as great as I thought it would be, I had been skipping it but I knew itd be good when I could hear a decent version.


And aside from the extra time I dont notice any differences.

[gekokujyo]

Holy the 40 seconds make a huge difference cos it now kinda segues seamlessly into "denpa tsuushin", which is just fucking smooth and sweet.

This is silly but I wish I'd held out and waited to listen to this in higher quality cos it's really That Much better than the LQ rip we had earlier. The guitars sound so sick on "denpa tsuushin", and the drums all round are just much, much crisper. Sigh.

[kuro_neko]

just opened mine in the mail. for all those interested in packaging, the slip case box fits over the front right the same the Variety first case did, with the medal embossed. undernearth the cover of the booklet is the 5 colored Sports era-logo, with the booklet, inside and out, and the cd, all a metallic gold color. The inside of the booklet is mostly black and white with gold in the front and back with only two or three pictures of the band, all the images we've seen of them in track suits etc. The song listing credits are in the middle and interestingly enough, the album isn't referred to as Sports inside, the sticker outside and the album side both list the album as Kyougi, which means a match or a competition (such as in a Sport), so for those of you who don't want to refer to it as Sports, there you go, it looks like there is official Kanji for this era after all. I will post with my thoughts later in the day after I spin it a few times.

[Glathannus]

Originally Posted by kuro_neko

for all those interested in packaging, the slip case box fits over the front right the same the Variety first case did

Okay, so it's a horizontal-loading slipcase...

Does the slipcase cover the normally-reserved-for-obi area of the jewelcase?
Is the exposed area anything special, like the jagged edge that Variety-era first-pressings had going on?

[Scribble R]

Sounds good, lazer.

I happened to stop by the new Japan Centre in Central London today, and saw the Tokyo Jihen Rockin' On. It was 12.90 though, so no...

(If it was the current issue of Switch with the Ringo x Chanel photos, I'd have definitely bought it)

[kuro_neko]

Originally Posted by Glathannus

Okay, so it's a horizontal-loading slipcase...

Does the slipcase cover the normally-reserved-for-obi area of the jewelcase?
Is the exposed area anything special, like the jagged edge that Variety-era first-pressings had going on?

the obi area is clear, the backing extends through to the back, but the side and top are clear with nothing inside it, so when it sits in the slipcase it looks clear but with the gold metallic in the back (which looks nice against the gold emboss, I am guessing they did that because the plastic on top of the gold resonates with the cover). there is no obi, just a sticker on the front which says Sports in red with the Kanji for the title and the first press details. It matches the 3min single pretty well, very minimalist.

edit: I just finished my first listen and I will have to listen a few more times before I post thoughts on individual tracks, but I gotta say that after reading a lot of your impressions and reviews, some make sense and some don't. to me, this album, from a sonic perspective, sounds like Kyouiku, Adult, and Variety were thrown into a blender with a dash of synthesizer. I have to admit that with the exception of Kimaru, Uki's tracks standout as being my least favorite after a first listen. I am extremely excited about what Ringo and Izawa have accomplished together, this is really their album, as most of their tracks are collaborations, whereas out of the 4 Uki tracks, only one was with Ringo. I don't know why that is, but to me it looks like Ringo worked more closely with Izawa on the general bulk of this album, while Izawa contributed entire completed tracks. So as this stands, in my mind this is a really a Ringo x Izawa album (and I like Izawa, so that makes me happy).

there are no official english titles in the booklet and iTunes Japan has updated their store with the album, featuring the romaji for the songs (which are usually the english titles for most releases), so I don't think we are going to see official english titles anytime soon.

at any rate, this needs to sink a little. what a dense album.

[chii]

Are there any tracks that might be comparable to Kurumaya-san with regards to vocals?

[ShadyNook]

Originally Posted by chii

Are there any tracks that might be comparable to Kurumaya-san with regards to vocals?

No. well, maybe Sanpunkan is the closest enka melody.

Hibari Misora is calling you.

[mizer_unmei]

Originally Posted by ShadyNook

Hibari Misora is calling you.

<3

Respecttt.