I'm still a little taken aback that I like this record, I never would have given it a chance if it were from anyone else. I don't like impeccably slicked out cabaret pop jazz, and that's the only real way to describe this, but they nailed what they were going for so beautifully that I just kind of have to hand it to them, this is a great album.
I was planning on buying the regular edition but Amoeba had the deluxe, and I'm glad I got it, the art design on the packaging is perfect, the fake ads for cologne -- is this irony? No, it's accurate, this music hides on its own beautiful surface.
the shiina videos are all on youtube now. most of them low-resolution, but 'meisai', 'identity' & 'tsumiki asobi', 'gibbs' are worth seeing, and her best videos 'ringo no uta' versions 1 & 2 are both hi-resolution.
― milton parker (Jon L), Friday, 17 February 2006 06:54 (eighteen years ago) link
― BARMS, Friday, 17 February 2006 10:59 (eighteen years ago) link
a friend of mine who's obsessed with hollywood musicals, bob fosse productions etc. got this record the first time -- the idea of someone making a modern record in this style that isn't a museum piece completely blew her away.
KZK remains the most overwhelming, but a major reason why she hasn't caught on here yet is that she's moving too fast for critics to get a bead on.
in the pantheon of uncompromising, eccentric songwriters that really oversee their own production, 70's = joni mitchell, 80's = kate bush, 90's = bjork perhaps, 00's = shiina ringo, she's that huge
― milton parker (Jon L), Sunday, 12 March 2006 00:07 (eighteen years ago) link
http://freckle.tenkeimedia.com/nl/ringo/souretsu.html
― milton parker (Jon L), Sunday, 12 March 2006 00:08 (eighteen years ago) link
― Patrick South (Patrick South), Sunday, 12 March 2006 02:24 (eighteen years ago) link
The Feb.19th, 2006 [DOMESTIC! Virgin Line] concert was recorded and will be broadcast on SkyPerfectTV channel 721 (FujiTV 721) on March 25, from 11:00PM - 12:40AM. Don't forget to set your DVRs!
― milton parker (Jon L), Monday, 13 March 2006 01:48 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 01:15 (eighteen years ago) link
― ryan (ryan), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 02:42 (eighteen years ago) link
Interestingly, she comes across as more of a female Cornelius than Takako Minekawa did.
― BARMS, Tuesday, 11 April 2006 07:11 (eighteen years ago) link
it's reassuring to hear anyone else say this, I think she's peerless.
if you've got the albums and want to start in on the DVDs, I'd recommend Baishou Ecstasy -- a 60 minute concert film where her performance in one auditorium is broadcast live by satelite to five other completely full theatres. the songs from KZK are redone as acoustic jazz cabaret songs by a 30 piece big band orchestra, and the songs just work -- she opens with an Edith Piaf cover, and like most of her concert films there's an extremely unsettling narrative twist at the end
I'm not as into the Electric Mole, which is Tokyo Jihen live at Budokan playing slicked out TJ versions of the KZK songs, though the Lynchian short film interludes are _really_ bizarre this time and there's a version of "Stem" that starts like Black Sabbath, plateaus like the Carpenters and ends exactly the same way as Sachiko M's sinewave solo on Ground-zero's Last-Concert album.
The videos are compiled on the Seiteki Healing series, volume three has the KZK clips.
http://www.everlasting-dream.net/ringo/ is my favorite fan site.
― milton parker (Jon L), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 19:20 (eighteen years ago) link
Of course, I'm not sure how much comfort it should be coming from a not very popcentric* person like me, but it might even be true (or plausible, or whatever truth-like value you prefer).
I don't own anything yet, myself, but once I've moved into my new apartment, and maybe after I wait a month or two to deal with some other necessary purchases, then I will at least pick up Adult and Karuki Zamen Kuri no Hana.
*though hopefully not anti-pop.
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 19:47 (eighteen years ago) link
― milton parker (Jon L), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 04:39 (eighteen years ago) link
OK, now I am even more intrigued, although I also trust Milton's rave reviews. I was looking this stuff up on eBay the other day, seems that these CDs are reasonably available. I'll have to investigate.
― sleeve (sleeve), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 04:43 (eighteen years ago) link
so is it better to start with shiina ringo solo or with tokyo incident? or does it really matter?
― A. Lingbert (A. Lingbert), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 08:17 (eighteen years ago) link
I think Shiina made her name (in Japan) during the "Shouso Strip" period culminating w/ very popular nurse cosplay-parody video for 'Honnou'. I think there's the most tension there between charting rock star and widening weirdness palette.
It's also the period when most of her Cindy Shermanesque personas cropped up, sort of the dominant theme of her solo career. Before switching to T. Jihen there was 1) japanese ghost persona of 3rd & final album - death, 2) final song built entirely out of samples from her back catalog (link still above), & 3) a final video which chronologically travels through all her previous video roles.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DQBWmLfxwxs&search=shiina%20ringo%20uta
― )alex(, Wednesday, 12 April 2006 16:42 (eighteen years ago) link
― A. Lingbert (A. Lingbert), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 17:54 (eighteen years ago) link
imagine going to a stadium show and having that be the opening song.
what alex said. I like the Cindy Sherman reference, the song's lyrics are about an apple tree that longs to be human but settles for giving away her fruit at the end of each season -- sung by a person who keeps shifting through violently different personas, it's almost painful.
― milton parker (Jon L), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 21:10 (eighteen years ago) link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyf9M7mt_RY&search=tokyo%20jihen
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Saturday, 22 April 2006 19:11 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Saturday, 22 April 2006 19:12 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Saturday, 22 April 2006 19:16 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Saturday, 22 April 2006 19:24 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Saturday, 22 April 2006 19:55 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Saturday, 22 April 2006 21:05 (eighteen years ago) link
― ryan (ryan), Saturday, 22 April 2006 21:11 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Saturday, 22 April 2006 21:13 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Saturday, 22 April 2006 21:15 (eighteen years ago) link
http://www.everlasting-dream.net/ringo/video.htm
ryan, do you have "Hatsuiku Status" (green cover, cartoon drawing) and "Gekokujo Xtacy"? I know I want the latter, the former I'm on the fence about. The youtube excerpts from "Dynamite Out" (like the one RS linked to) make me wish I hadn't passed on it.
― milton parker (Jon L), Saturday, 22 April 2006 21:43 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Saturday, 22 April 2006 22:11 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Saturday, 22 April 2006 22:15 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Saturday, 22 April 2006 22:17 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Sunday, 23 April 2006 13:24 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Sunday, 23 April 2006 13:33 (eighteen years ago) link
I <3 Shoso Strip.
― RoxyMuzak© (roxymuzak), Sunday, 23 April 2006 13:49 (eighteen years ago) link
Anyway, I could still go.
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Sunday, 23 April 2006 13:56 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Sunday, 23 April 2006 14:23 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Sunday, 23 April 2006 14:25 (eighteen years ago) link
http://shiinaringo.se/pics/Tokyo%20Jihen/jihen1.jpg
― milton parker (Jon L), Monday, 24 April 2006 01:58 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Monday, 24 April 2006 02:14 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Monday, 24 April 2006 02:22 (eighteen years ago) link
― milton parker (Jon L), Monday, 24 April 2006 02:28 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Monday, 24 April 2006 15:38 (eighteen years ago) link
ok im ordering Adult right now....
― ryan (ryan), Monday, 24 April 2006 15:50 (eighteen years ago) link
― BARMS, Monday, 24 April 2006 16:53 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Monday, 24 April 2006 16:56 (eighteen years ago) link
http://www.everlasting-dream.net/ringo/specials/patipati99.htm
Yes.
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Monday, 24 April 2006 22:26 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 10:26 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 10:53 (eighteen years ago) link
― curmudgeon (DC Steve), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 17:15 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 18:10 (eighteen years ago) link
idk if anyone's mentioned this but tokyo jihen are on spotify now, under the name "tokyo incidents"
― american bradass (BradNelson), Wednesday, 15 January 2020 20:19 (four years ago) link
Tokyo Jihen is available where I am (Vietnam) under Tokyo Incidents
oh lol i'm late
anyway the first two albums are masterpieces for anyone who doesn't know
― american bradass (BradNelson), Wednesday, 15 January 2020 20:20 (four years ago) link
News EP out today, available on Spotify in the US!Which is good, but I still wish I wasn't restricted from just buying the mp3s here.
― Nhex, Wednesday, 8 April 2020 10:00 (four years ago) link
Looking forward to this, been listening to them a lot recently, the mid/later records are much better than I remember them, especially Variety which is ace.
― Maresn3st, Wednesday, 8 April 2020 10:07 (four years ago) link
New Jihen video up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t67VbQhh9_A
― Maresn3st, Friday, 14 August 2020 00:00 (three years ago) link
muzai moratorium: it's a great album
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Sunday, 22 November 2020 03:51 (three years ago) link
such an absurdly good debut
― ufo, Sunday, 22 November 2020 03:57 (three years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75-c5h7obKohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L79JmTcdycc
― ufo, Sunday, 22 November 2020 04:13 (three years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg8foBeQfcw
even her b-sides from early on are unreal
― ufo, Sunday, 22 November 2020 04:20 (three years ago) link
New TJ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS45uTF_8P0
― Maresn3st, Thursday, 13 May 2021 23:16 (two years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pG7zs-2vQY
― MaresNest, Tuesday, 7 March 2023 13:21 (one year ago) link
The new single is pretty great and has Hisako Tabuchi from Number Girl on guitar!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl_fGKFFq_Y
― MaresNest, Wednesday, 24 May 2023 13:16 (eleven months ago) link
omg tabuchi and ringo reunited
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Wednesday, 24 May 2023 14:55 (eleven months ago) link
New Ohzora Kimishima is extremely good Shiinacore if anyone's interested
― imago, Friday, 29 September 2023 22:35 (seven months ago) link
oh wow that's great. shiina's an obvious influence but there's a whole lot more going on than just that
― ufo, Friday, 29 September 2023 23:52 (seven months ago) link
It's great on initial listens, I've only just gotten my head around 縫層 and that was years ago
― MaresNest, Saturday, 30 September 2023 00:02 (seven months ago) link
Will try that!
Does anyone know why in 2023 you can get her whole discography on Spotify/Apple Music but you still can't purchase them to own in the US
― Nhex, Saturday, 28 October 2023 13:18 (six months ago) link