Welcome to EMF!

Actually, all their DVDs available are region 0 :D And only one Shiina Ringo DVD is not, so we're lucky that way, to be able to buy and watch their DVDs without the need for region-free players or gimmicks. If you have doubts or want to confirm the region on any DVD, just ask in the products threads. We have information that's waaay more reliable than what the resellers tell you.

I don't think there is anything about Tokyo Jihen that specifically attracts younger fans. When it comes to the age of fans outside of Japan, you can blame the nature of the internet more than the nature of Tokyo Jihen. Most people your age are not as technologically and multi-culturally connected as you are. We youngins around here actually have a lot of respect for our older members (older from a date-of-birth standpoint - not a membership standpoint), because you tend to be more familiar with older music that Shiina Ringo is also more familiar with than us, and our interests are not exclusive to new/hip/trendy music. Shiina Ringo is sort of a bridge between the west of decades ago with the east of decades ago, so a lot of us like to talk about and listen to her influences.

We'll try not to make you feel younger than us when we reflect on our years of being acquainted with Shiina Ringo's history inside and outside of Tokyo Jihen. :P

To quote Frank Lloyd Wright: "Youth is a circumstance you can't do anything about. The trick is to grow up without getting old."

And you are a month older than my little brother, who is almost five years younger than me.:D

welcome to EMF ron :)

hey fluffie, your best friend just came!

And your arch-enemy :D:D

Thanks for all your warm welcomes! Seems like this is going to be a fun place.

So yeah... I'm getting the impression that Variety is not much-loved among the fanbase, is that correct? That's okay, if I was a trend-follower I wouldn't be listening to TJ in the first place! ;) Honestly my favorite varies as my mood shifts. If I'm in the mood for something jazzier, definitely Adult. Something more rough-edged, Education. Those three albums are so distinct, it's easy to pick the one I'm in the mood for at any moment.

I haven't heard enough Shiina solo stuff to judge it as a whole, but I get the impression from what I've heard that it tends to be more... what's the word I'm looking for... mainstream? Accessible? I'm not sure either of those are right. For the most part, my tastes run more towards progressive rock and what you might call "out there" music... Zappa is a big favorite, as are Yes, King Crimson, etc. So I get the sense that TJ leans closer to those directions than her solo work does. (They sound like a Japanese Mr. Bungle at times.) Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, I'm sure.

Thanks for all the advice on the videos... complicated stuff, I guess. And thank you, Inaudible-Whisper, for giving my podcast a listen! I'm glad you found it enjoyable.

So I guess I have to ask... where should a person of my tastes start in regards to Shiina's solo work?

Ron Moses

It's hard to say, for me, but I guess Karuki Zamen Kuri no Hana, or KZK, will really give you another perspective over her solo work (if you haven't heard it already). It's similar to Adult, in the sense that it mainly blends Jazz with Rock (in a broad sense), but it's also so much more, as you will feel it's not that easy to label it with a genre.
Well, that's my opinion... but I don't really know any of the bands you mentioned, and the ones you played at your podcast don't give me a precise direction lol.

PS - Currently listening to the Sakanaction portion of your podcast. Really good! Never heard of them :o

Yes, definitely Karuki Zaamen Kuri no Hana if you like stuff that's "out there". It's probably the most "out there" record that could still be called pop music :D
Tokyo Jihen are much more straightforward than her solo work tends to be, there's a band sound to it whereas she experimented more with her solo stuff, so there's a good chance you'll like that better.

Obviously I'm basing this on very little experience, so I'm probably full of crap, and feel free to tell me so. This is all first impression -- in other words, things I'm going to be embarrassed to have written six months from now.
:D

But as I'm listening to samples from Karuki Zaamen Kuri no Hana, it seems like the solo work is more sonically adventurous, whereas the TJ stuff is more musically adventurous. The KZK material I'm listening to is amazingly dense with all sorts of wonderful sounds, but beneath it all is a tendency toward very simple melodies. Of course, simple melodies -- almost childlike at times -- are a big part of both Shiina's and TJ's appeal, but to my ears, the solo work raises the stakes by enveloping those melodies in these incredible soundscapes, whereas TJ raises the stakes by tweaking out the melodies a few extra degrees, and keeping the presentation relatively straightforward.

For example, I'm listening to Yattsuke Shigoto. Great tune! There's really not much to the composition itself, but all these cartoony flourishes throughout the track elevate it well above a simple pop song. I can't imagine it working acoustically, but in its recorded form it's a wonderful listen.

Compare this to a track like Keshou Naoshi. Sonically, it's far simpler than Yattsuke Shigoto. But musically, the melody and chord progression are considerably more intricate. This is where I hear the difference between the solo work and the TJ stuff. Neither is inherently superior to the other, but they're different approaches, and which you prefer depends on where you're coming from as a listener.

Of course these are isolated examples, and as I said, only a first impression of what I'm hearing. I like it, though, a lot. I'll be purchasing this later today. Thanks for the advice everyone!

Ron Moses

I never thought of it that way, so I can't say whether I agree or not, but you DO have a point! Good post.
By the way, why don't you listen to the original version of Yattsuke Shigoto? You could then confirm or deny for yourself how it translates in a more conventional arrangement.

Yattsuke Shigoto from Zecchoushuu