the Shiina Ringo thread

Why does youtube.com think I'm in Spain now? Everything's coming up in Spanish and Spain is given as my location.

Same thing is happening with me too.

I think it has something to do with the link. When I went into youtube cold, it went away.

yes it's very average. reminds me mostly of _other J-pop bands_. I still love it, but it's been a long slow road from crazy to get me here

I suspect non-crazy peoples won't have any problems taking to this at all though, it is quality.

showing a friend of mine the Tokyo Incidents - Souretsu DOMESTIC! Virgin LINE clip, she noted that the last line 'Your face. / Let me see it, please.' is a spin on the Japanese custom of asking someone to pull back a sheet that's covering the face of the deceased so one can pay their respects with hands folded & head bowed. And sure enough, that's her pose at the end of the clip. Usually one doesn't ask the deceased to uncover their own face, she can be a little demanding

the Sabbath > Carpenters > Folke Rabe version of Kuki is back up with a bunch of other things from Electric Mole as well

I've listened to the new album a couple of times, and... well, I feel very differently about it than you guys, Milton and Rocket, moreso with respect to any J-Pop comparisons, mainly because I'm not exactly sure if the term "J-Pop" means any particular sound anymore.

Once upon a time, sure, but today? It's like "indie rock" in that respect. You can get a sense, but there's so much breadth in J-Pop these days that everyone is going to imagine a different sound when the term comes up today... ALL of that is just to say that I don't think the new Tokyo Jihen is any more "J-Pop" than the previous two albums at all. It's lighter and has more space, sure. In fact, isn't condensation an element of "Classic J-Pop" anyway i.e. putting as much flavors of sugar into one nuclear chunk of pop fudge as possible? The new Jihen is a bit of the opposite in some ways, moreso than the previous two.

I'll listen to this album a few more times, but I'm not understanding what you guys were getting at above at all... not meant as a dis at all, just sayin'.

Well, I freely admit to not being that familiar with J-pop, so I don't think I'm prepared to martial any sort of arguments for my impression, but it's still my impression.

ok well good questions

when I say J-Pop I'm talking explictly about the 90's and maybe early 00's -- we need a new term for the last few years. I don't think it describes any one sound as much as their approach to the entire appropriation of any / many Western styles, but all redeployed / remade towards histrionically happy shiny ends. Puffy's first few records produced with Tamio Okuda are still the best example of this for me, a band with zero style loyalty, one song modelled on Pearl Jam, the next on ELO, the next Disco, the next Beatles 1964-65 complete, but all remade with... well... squeaky intent, exuberant joy

for instance even a band like Number Girl that's based entirely on emo indie comes out sounding more twee than wistful (although they did stick out simply by going for emo)

even the bands going for a very tough image, who favor 'punk' or tough sounds... there's something in the music that is inherently lighthearted and happy, it seems like a disjunct when it gets to the chorus. someone like Tomoe Shinohara might have ramped it up to such psychotic avant levels that you were left bleeding, but still... she's still J-Pop

from her first record, Shiina was always much weirder, even when she was doing Alanis / Nirvana tributes. the ringmod distortion on the vocals, the twisted lyrical content, the nods to the Japanese Noise underground, the pre-Shōwa pop influences, the Asian classical arrangements placed her outside of what I would have ever called J-Pop. She stuck out and then she took it too far for 75% of her mainstream fanbase with KZK, and since then it's been a long return through Jihen, literally announced as a 'Japanese Pop' band, a clean break from the drama & outright strangeness of her solo stuff

solo Ringo had many 'pure entertainment' moments (the 'Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You' cover with the kazoo break for instance), but with Jihen the albums really started filling up with these 'pure entertainment' numbers, the early video for their cover of Peggy Lee's "Dynamite" was really throwing down the gauntlet. the albums were still built around dark songs, though, everyone bought the first Jihen for 'Sounan' and she was still making crazyeyes during the 'Dynamite Out' live DVD. the crazyeyes are gone now, she's not writing any of the tunes, it's all (mostly) sunshine -- that intent, more than any sound or style or production method is what I'm connecting to trad 90's J-Pop. I don't think this record has much variety either, I think the title is a reference to its multiple authors and lack of a center.

that make any sense? I know you know your J-Pop a lot better than I do, most of it makes my eyes bleed

that was a longwinded way of saying 'it's more like J-pop simply because it's much sweeter than earlier Jihen'

still, even though my teeth are beginning to hurt, I still think Jihen is _the_ J-Pop band for people who would normally shy from J-Pop, the gateway drug

That totally answers my question actually, and now I'm getting what you're saying above. :D

Yeah, J-Pop hasn't completely disconnected itself from whence it came, although the artists are starting to appropriate Western stuff more interestingly and succinctly than ever before.. Kumi Koda's stuff is a perfect example of this. (No, I won't force you to go listen to Kumi Koda to understand this. lol.)

http://strikeup.wordpress.com/2007/11/06/tokyo-jihen-senkou-shoujo-pv-and-audio-rip/

& this song isn't average after all, it's kinda perfect

Re-watching clips from Tokyo Jihen's Dynamite Out! I am amazed over and over again by how completely on the band is. As much as I don't hate the new line-up (and love Adult), it's sad this version came to an end so quickly.

based on the youtube clips that one does seem like the DVD to get if you're buying one (sadly it's one of the two live DVDs I don't have). the DOMESTIC! Virgin LINE TV special is still my favorite for its first half, but it's still commercially unavailable

New PV DVD has a version of Senkou Shoujo sung in English called 'Put Your Camera Down'. I prefer the single version, especially with that video.

pictures from the current Spa & Treatment Japanese tour, posted by user kroneko in EM forums

http://photo15.yupoo.com/20071122/201225_341513000_xdszlxht.jpg
http://photo14.yupoo.com/20071122/201213_649408648_cenvbksu.jpg
http://photo15.yupoo.com/20071122/201219_220184604_hoarlidj.jpg

this tour's production looks more portable than last year's, kind of hope this means they're thinking about playing a few shows over here

did not know one my favorite b-sides was a cover

Cyndi Lauper Unconditional Love Live Japan 1991
Shiina Ringo Unconditional Love (Kabukichou no Joou b-side)

(Kabukichou no Joou was her 2nd single from 1999, way early Ringo, though the production on the drums during the bridge is quietly psycho)

Ever get the feeling that Uki really want to be playing a banjo sometimes?

Sorry, I'm not into that solo Shiina Cyndi Lauper cover.

Bad but kind of hilarious cover:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnvkSkVWLfI&feature=related

Well, okay maybe not hilarious, but very WTF.

Oh shit, a Shiina Ringo thread. Found this through google, though I usually frequent other boards here. Nice! I love finding other people who actually know about her greatness.

Senkou Shoujo: the song is good stuff, though maybe a bit too much on the poppier side (Kameda wrote it). I like the English version a little better, but that could just be the added effect from the familiarity more than the tempo change. The video is great either way.

took me a while to get a handle on variety (which my ipod for whatever reason translates as "an entertainment") but it landed on my top 10 list. in the lower reaches, because it's spottier than the first two, but i like most of it a lot. i even like fukushuu/vengeance -- their grunge song, or their concrete blonde song or whatever, i think it's kind of hilarious. it definitely misses shiina's writing, but it still has her presence, which isn't a small thing. and "ramp," "backstage," "o.s.c.a.," "my way," "killer tune," "metro," "ss/aw" -- lots of great songs. the towering piano interlude in "sake and nondrinker" is more or less classic all by itself.

http://strikeup.wordpress.com/2008/01/07/tokyo-jihen-spa-and-treatment-tour-videos-for-download/#more-142

TV broadcast of Spa and Treatment Tour aired 5 January 2008

Man, whoever runs Strike Up! is awesome. So much good stuff to download that will never been put out on DVD or anything. Not that I can afford to buy those anyway (someday I will watch you, Dynamite Out!... someday).

Mothra: Totally agree on Variety. Not as good as the first two, but still a lot of good songs, enjoyable listen despite the lack of Shiina's songwriting. I actually enjoy Fukushuu too, especially the outro and the somewhat goofy lyrics (hurt you from behind...)

'botomin' from variety is a really well-constructed little number. fine, fine vocal interplay and the bass solo is a very nice touch.

is there a site somewhere that lists songwriting/production credits etc?

I usually check this one out.

http://www.ether-sea.com/ringo/

Thanks for pointing that out Milton, I am enjoying most of it immensely. (And these concerts videos are great too.)

So I feel like I should know, but who is this extra guitarist on the live Tokyo Jihen footage?

that's Izawa on guitar for "Gunjo Biyori". Youtube for Kabuki / OSCA.

new concert's pretty great. her bicycle horn on 'Kronekodow' kills me, Spike Jones RIP

live arrangements are generally identical to the album versions, which underlines just how live the new album is

that's Izawa on guitar

Oh right, no keyboards. Duh. (Not that I knew he played some guitar as well.)

I'm trying to stream some videos from http://soundstory.tistory.com/77 but I keep getting an error message in Japanese.

I like this live "Killer Tune" a lot more than the album version (or the other live version I think I heard it). Surprisingly (since there's no chance for corrections), I think her voice sounds better here. Oversinging less?

I've never heard this ("Yami ni furu ame" in medley with other songs) live before (not that the album version doesn't sound quite a bit better, unsurprisingly):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NWDhokl_5U

that's the encore from the "Gekokujo Xtacy" DVD ('Shoso Strip'-era live)

the Budokan show that opens with the kinderchoral 'Souretsu' and 'Gunjo Biyori': http://strikeup.wordpress.com/2008/02/23/tokyo-jihen-domestic-virgin-line-live-video-files-and-audio-rip/

google can find you 'Dynamite Out!' .rar's as well. I hadn't seen the version of 'Jusui Negai (The Suicide)', her vocals on that version had me look up the lyrics, can't believe I missed those

Isn't it about time for a DVD-release announcement for Spa & Treatment?

am loving 'kyoiku' at the moment

takes many a spin to fully come to terms with it

'genjitsu wo warau' is phenomenal. wow

It's a good song, but her singing in English doesn't work for me on that one (including any live versions I've heard).

well it's got bizarre phrasing in the verses. i can deal with that. it's a pretty unflashy vocal performance overall by her standards. but yeah, the song is great.

So what's the difference between these "Dynamite Out/In" DVD's? The CDjapan descriptions are kind of vague, I know the region codes are different. Are they the same show??

Genjitsu wo warau is great! As is Kyoiku.

Dynamite Out is much better (based on what I've seen of each on youtube, which is quite a bit by now).

I had no idea that Ahito Inazawa from Number Girl played drums on "Meisai" and "Ishiki", two of my favorite tracks from KZK.
He also comes out in the video, but it looks like it's not on Youtube anymore.

Oh, so it's two different shows.
I wonder why they did that. Released one on region "2" and the other with region code "all".

Dynamite In isn't a different show, it's just out-takes, rehearsal and backstage footage from the Dynamite Out Tour.

Not the sort of the thing you'll want to watch more than once, really.

Oh wow, it's got all that, except the actual show. hahaha

I don't hate Kyouiku, but I am more and more convinced that Adult is a million times better.

Sorry, I bet some of you were expecting real news. Isn't it time for a new Tokyo Jihen single?

hahahah
well as long as this thread keeps tiding over

It's time for the Spa & Treatment DVD....