Say something interesting for once.

[Inseu]

Originally Posted by BlueApple

Fun fact about me: when I listen to Muzai Moratorium & Shouso Strip... I SKIP A LOT OF SONGS... but later into the catalog I listen to her and Jihen's albums more completely. So what am I doing wrong?

What songs do you skip?

I tend to skip emotional songs like "茜さす 帰路照らされど・・・", "ここでキスして。", "同じ夜", "ギブス", "闇に降る雨" and "罪と罰".

[s3r3nity]

I've just started the article and I'm already bothered. Did I dream this, or wasn't marketing a huge motivator behind Ringo's persona??? Wasn't she selling crazy/sexy/sadistic just like AKB48 sells virginity/kawaii/schoolgirls? Wasn't Ringo not really even happy about being seen the way she was, like she felt she had to force it, and she's really happy now that she can do stuff like SG?? I really thought this was the case, I remember reading it, but feel free to disprove me...
Either way, it seems stupid to me that the article is trying to make the fact that she's "edgy" her only great factor. She is a good musician, she blends different styles of music, she is very creative, she has a unique style of singing...these are all reasons I like her, not because 20some years ago she wore a nurse's outfit and smashed glass and did things that other artists at the time weren't doing. She can be a good musician and not edgy and it's silly to think that her being 'different' was her only good quality.
I love early Ringo as much as anyone, but I'm not going to fool myself into thinking that she was any "better" then than now. She's doing what she wants to with her music, and she's still writing good stuff.

[deadgrandma]

Originally Posted by Inseu

What songs do you skip?

I tend to skip emotional songs like "茜さす 帰路照らされど・・・", "ここでキスして。", "同じ夜", "ギブス", "闇に降る雨" and "罪と罰".

Skipping Tsumi to Batsu = missing the point.

[TurtleFu]

I've said that much before. Early Ringo was a teenager who was always trying wayyyy too hard, had a lot too prove. Is she complacent now, or is she doing what she wants? She's fallen into a nice groove, from Sanmon Gossip onwards. I think she's extremely happy. Being rich probably doesn't hurt.

[deadgrandma]

I'd never say she was trying too hard. What an weird kind of thing to say.

I mean, who listens to MM or SS and thinks "this is trying waaay too hard..." She isn't Kanye West or anything. I think most other bands don't try hard enough.

She was just younger. I was 'edgier' when I was younger, I think anyone who has a youth is. There isn't anything deeper than that when it comes down to it. Sheesh.

Oh and she wore a Kimono on Iroho... the direction that was so promising and what ALBUM 5 should have sounded like all the way through.

[Inseu]

Originally Posted by TurtleFu

I think she's extremely happy. Being rich probably doesn't hurt.

What happened to that Ringo being a poor mother barely making enough money to support her children stuff you used to bring up all the time?

[Nimh]

That article reads like someone who takes a 2 week vacation to a foreign land and then considers everything witnessed there as being the only "real" that there ever was in that place ever. Total narcissism.

[TurtleFu]

That's a good point DG, +1 (though I agree with BlueApple that the Iroha PV was a reference to Kurosawa's Dreams).

@BlueApple
You're right, though I'm not entirely sure WHAT the Gyakuyunyuu cover art is supposed to be reference. Because she's not only in a kimono, but full on Oiran (courtesan) garb. Meiji Restoration/Yoshiwara-ga reference?

On that article
I am 100% on board with her description of Koko de Kiss Shite. Her other opinions? eehhh not so much.

Some choice quotes:
"Sheena was operating in a country where gender equality was far behind that of the West."
Japan may have some issues with gender in certain areas that is "worse" than other places. But dear god stop this stupid, vapid "Japan vs. West" dichotomy!!

I kind of hate expatriates like that who live in Japan. Total air of superiority, "here's what's wrong with Japan!", like an old geezer shouting about "kids these days", acting like they are experts on Japan just by nature of being WHITE and in JAPAN.

Also, a TON of those things need [citation needed] after them, because she says things that directly contradict interviews that we already have in English.

[gekokujyo]

The basis of my love for Ringo has been consistent since day 1, that she manages to demonstrate complete mastery over her craft, while still managing to make things that people will want to listen to/watch/buy.

The article is insufferable in many ways but one thing that I agree with is the fact that Shiina has always been a pop writer, having been influenced by the music of many other pop artists.

So for me, I will continue to listen to her as long as she keeps on writing this amazing shit. If she wants to do an auto-tuned EDM track, by all means, because I know for sure that it's going to be executed beautifully.

ADDENDUM:

Also, her point of view and the way she conveys them lyrically is always spot on. For anyone with at least a working knowledge of Japanese, look at the lyrics for Tadashii machi, and then the ones on Hashire wa number --- she still has her touch. Many good musicians aren't always very good writers and Shiina is an EXCELLENT writer.

[deadgrandma]

I dunno....

When Maron Hamada is making better jazz rock tracks than Ringo something's wrong :-/

I don't think Ringo really cares about music as much as we'd like to imagine anymore. Sunny's lack of spark/direction really seems to be showing that she's 'done' with the whole thing (or that she just wasn't fully ready for making a new album yet). I don't expect her to bring out many more albums (2, maybe 3 if we're lucky), and you can feel the 'contract obligation' element with all the recent releases- it makes me :-/ quite a bit.

Or... maybe I was just expecting too much. It's really the first time she's repeated herself so blatantly. You can literally go through the entire album and say "this track sounds like x in her catalog" for every single song on it.

As for lyrics- I don't disbelieve you, I'm assuming that may make swallowing Sunny a little easier. But people say the same thing about late era Tori Amos too... "THE LYRICS"... still doesn't cover up that she's as inspiring as a dry dog turd musically these days (of course I'm not saying Ringo is anywhere near that low of course, there is still some nice tracks to be enjoyed on Sunny if you take away the fact it's meant to be her 5th album). All I'm hoping is that album 6 will reignite the fire that made stanning/defending her from the haterz her so worthwhile. Or at least isn't physically painful to listen to- for example- not have everything set to 'nosebleed' - I know it's possible, we've HEARD jiyuu, carnation, iroha all sound better than they do on the CD :-p

(Going off topic- Speaking of Carnation- not many people seemed to say anything about that awesome NHK Songs version.)