Soil&Pimp Sessions w/ Shena Ringo - live TV appearance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-yhXqN-EYM&mode=related&search=

I found a copy of Pimpin' by Soil & "Pimp" Sessions, their first record. Sounds pretty much like what they're doing on this single, total fun. A couple of the solos are impressively Ayler-out but still in a pop context. Really need to order their new record.

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/7750/20061208173913kz0.jpg

borrowed from http://ringoran.wordpress.com/, which also discusses the next solo album, which ties in to a new film she wrote songs for. half the track listing is previously released, but she's notorious for radically revising old songs with completely different arrangements. so this while this won't exactly be the proper 'next', it probably won't be a simple compilation, either, the selection of tracks is very esoteric

That sounds really promising then.

& Junpei is Ringo's brother -- they're just fucking with us now, spelling their last names differently. her name's spelling in romanji has been variable to date, 'Shiina' appears most often, this makes me think they're making a play for the west with the slightly less exotic 'Shéna' spelling, or at least I hope so

fingers crossed for a Soil & "Pimp" / Zazen / Jihen US tour. they would clean up this place.

I would come out of audience retirement to see them perform. I'd even leave Philadelphia.

western online discussion seems to favor 'Shiina', but hey y'know Virgin EMI could settle this easy with a domestic release

I don't know why I've waited, but I am just checking out the videos from this that have appeared you know where. Seriously, my only music buying priority at the beginning of 2007 is Shiina Ringo/Tokyo Jihen, though that will change as new releases start to come out (and as my mood changes, etc. etc.).

thanks for noticing that someone posted most of Baishou. it's missing the long narrative intro and outro to the concert, but it's nice to have online access to the Piaf cover.

just to link to one of her previous singles to show why this DVD was a surprise when it came out: Identity (rock pisstake that ends with a quiet sample from Cluster's Curiosum album)

They all seem to have warnings that they may not be playable on all DVD players, on cdjapan, from what I remember anyway. Maybe I will just buy some and then if I need a different player I'll get it, and if not I won't.

Actually, though, as far as Baishou Xstasy goes, I don't really like a lot of what's there, particularly her singing on the English version of "Stem." The whole thing looks interesting, but I'm not sure her voice really carries it.

milton, are you going to have a best of 06 up somewhere (or do you already)? I'm always curious about what you're listening to, although I admit much of it is in a more experimental vein than what I've really been interested in lately.

Heisei Fuzoku Tracklist
Posted December 12th, 2006 by Op2
Categories: SR/TJ
01 - Gamble (ƒMƒƒƒ“ƒuƒ‹)
02 - Kuki (Œs)
03 - Sakuran (TERRA ver.) (ö—)
04 - Hatsukoi Shoujo (ƒnƒcƒRƒC©—)
05 - Papaya Mango (ƒpƒpƒCƒ„ƒ}ƒ“ƒS[)
06 - Ishiki (ˆÓŽ¯)
07 - Yokushitsu (—Žº)
08 - Meisai (–ÀÊ)
09 - Poltergeist (ƒ|ƒ‹ƒ^[ƒKƒCƒXƒg)
10 - Karisome Otome (TAMEIKESANNOH ver.) (ƒJƒŠƒ\ƒ‰³—)
11 - Oiran (‰ÔŠ@)
12 - Yume no Ato (–²‚Ì‚ ‚Æ)
13 - Kono Yo no Kagiri (‚±‚Ì–é‚ÌŒÀ‚è)

her voice wasn't in strong form that night but Baishou's concept, range and the fucked up narrative collapse in the very last minute make up for it. there are much stronger individual moments on other concert DVDs but you have to go hunting -- Baishou is the only one I've watched all the way through more than once.

all the DVDs are definite fan-bait -- I don't watch them too often. I like a few of her videos (Ringo No Uta, Meisai, Identity), they're packed with weird details, but they're basically just promotional clips... and in concert she often goes for a wildly sweet j-girl squeaky voiced sentimentality I have trouble with. but each concert DVD has at least one insane song rearrangement or fucked up David Lynchian abstract interlude that keeps me investing. an expensive fucking habit.

a 2006 list would be mainly reissues, or just live concerts I saw this year. I post to the noize board listening threads usually -- my favorite pop reissue this year was Lucio Battisti's ul Umanamente uomo: il sogno, you might like that actually, odd catchy chamber pop.

EMI Completes Buyout Of Japan's Toshiba-EMI
December 14, 2006 - Global

Steve McClure, Tokyo

EMI Group is to purchase Toshiba Corp.'s 45% stake in Toshiba-EMI, the Tokyo-based label said in a statement issued late Dec. 13.

The deal will take effect within the April-September first half of fiscal 2007, or earlier, should Toshiba exercise an early completion option.

Following completion of the sale, Toshiba-EMI will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of EMI Group. EMI has agreed to pay ¥21 billion ($178 million) for the stake.

"EMI Group believes in Toshiba-EMI's future business growth and growth in the Japanese music market, the world's second-biggest after the U.S.," Toshiba-EMI president/CEO Shoji Doyama said in a statement.

"Toshiba-EMI will continue to maintain its longtime relationship with Toshiba Group," Doyama said, adding that the label will not change its name for the time being nor make any changes to its current management structure.

"The music content business today is less relevant to other businesses within the Toshiba Group," Toshiba said in a statement explaining why it had decided to accept EMI's offer to buy out its share of Toshiba-EMI.

The Japanese company is home to artists including GLAY, Kyosuke Himuro, Tomoyasu Hotei, Yumi Matsutoya, Sheena Ringo, Utada Hikaru and Eikichi Yazawa.

EMI's purchase of Toshiba's stake in their joint venture, which was established in 1960, follows similar moves in the Japanese market in recent years by other major international record companies. Under Doyama, who became head of Toshiba-EMI in January, the label has been streamlining its operations, including cutting its payroll by some 170 employees to 330 at present.

I found a used copy of the 'Gekokujyo Xstasy' DVD, from the Shoso Strip tour -- it's a region 2 disc. which is too bad, because it's amazing -- non-stop, full throttle, loud guitar rock concert. Most of the later DVDs are either so eccentric, sophisticated or laid-back that it can be hard to see how she was ever anything but a cult star, but a concert like this makes it clear why Shoso Strip sold two million, she's 9000% rock star on this one, dressed in a bloody straightjacket with a huge bandage wrapped around her neck.

my favorite concert video of hers is still the opening two songs on Domestic Virgin Line @ Budokan, which remains commercially unavailable. the 500MB file turns up online -- it trails off after the opening with the choir, but must-see just for that opening

my favorite track is the spoken / sung intro & metal break redo of 'Kenka Joto' which starts 5 minutes into part 9. that's the only real sign of crazy weird-shiina on the DVD -- the production on this DVD rides the adult contemporary image, very very slick -- it's got moments, though I don't like it as much as the accompanying studio record, where the smoothness is taken to such levels it's weird all over again

(the only Roxy album I'm really into is the debut, but I can sort of see what you're saying if you mean the later polished period)

Yeah I know, that sucks.

I actually am not liking most of it so far as much as most other live TJ I've seen (including w/ the current lineup). Agree, I don't like these versions (so far anyway--I'm only up to 5 of 11) as much as the album. I'm not sure I agree that the album takes the smoothness to such extreme levels that it's weird. The albums versions have more rhythmic punch, than these.

I'm not necessarily on one side or the other of the "Shiina should rock out/freak out"/"I like jazzy Shiina" divide. I still really love Adult, probably as much as KZK. (I certainly listen to Adult more, though that's not the same thing.) Actually, there's more than one divide, isn't there? I guess there are also those who would like her to be more unequivocally j-pop, but they may have given up by now.

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I guess I partly mean image as much as actual sound, although TJ do project a more normal/natural image most of the time (even when the costumes say otherwise?). There was something in one song (I've already forgotten which) that reminded me of "Mother of Pearl." But the particular type of image of sophistication TJ plays with is not so different from RM's, I think. And actually Shiina's (sometimes tiresome) wackier/campier moments ("Lady is a Tramp") aren't so different from Bryan Ferry's covers of old songs on Let's Stick Together or These Foolish Things.

But I'm not too serious about the comparison. Tokyo Jihen is interesting in its own right, certainly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnRM0hC2I1s

Looking forward to the new SR, et. al. CD.

(It's funny how you can think someone is practically a genius, but also really not like certain aspects of their taste.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wjZ-J3A-uA

my impression is that Tokyo Jihen phase 1 made a claustrophobic, loud debut studio album that really threw me at first (especially as a brash, shallow followup to Karuki Zamen Kuri No Hana), but that they came off really well as a live band for Dynamite Out. the personality clashes on the record came across great live -- HZM & Hirama had tons of raw energy and stage charisma, Shiina's making unhinged expressions and she's fire singing.

Izawa and Ukigumo are professionals who helped make the second record a polished cool masterpiece, but it doesn't translate quite as well onstage when they smoothly replicate all their parts mostly note for note. so as a video Just Can't Help It tries to compensate with post-production editing -- mostly completely simulated soundstage footage synced to the audio of a live show, so self-consciously artificial that it's kind of shocking when they actually use occasional bits of the original concert footage -- when you first see the audience, 40 minutes in -- it's effectively disorienting. It's actually a similar concept to what they were doing on the studio record, live ensemble playing that's actually very carefully edited.. I like it okay, but it doesn't make as strong a case for the music as the record does.

I can see why they chose to release a full-on production effort like this for the DVD instead of Domestic Virgin Line which is a simply edited TV special, but... oh well. if you can download a 500 MB file, let me know, you definitely need to see it.

as for my use of terms like weird-shiina -- I love Adult now, but I'm still not sure I would have given a lot of her other stuff the chance it needed if I hadn't heard KZK first, that was the in for me.

I don't think that would be a problem, and I'd be very interested. (I've seen bits of this on youtube, right? or no? Is this the one with the great verstion of Kuki with the metal & feedback ending? Either way, I'm interested.)

that's from Electric Mole, the 2003 stadium tour she did in support of KZK, and the backing band is the first lineup of Tokyo Jihen before they officially formed -- they do laid back jazzy TJ versions of the KZK songs. it's got a few crucial moments worth seeing, but most of it is just too laid back, though there's a tension to see her play 4 minute solo piano + vocal ballads to an completely, respectfully silent stadium crowd -- only in Japan. that Sabbath + Carpenters + Sachiko M version of 'Kuki' is worth the whole disc though.

yousendit is the only service that'll handle a file that big, and they require you to sign up for a password. but trust me, it's worth it -- the first half of Domestic Virgin Line is packed.

new single 'limits of this world'

sure is happy

also a little terrifying, and perhaps not pushing any boundries, but on second play, I can already tell I like it. it'll balance out fine in shuffle play with something by Magma.

I'm always slightly frustrated with her video clips, so many of them seem to fall slightly short of the music. Unlike someone like Björk, whose video clips are arguably her strongest medium -- it'd be great if Shiina had her own Michel Gondry. things like the 'La salle de bain' video come close, but they're just not as outstanding as the music itself. youtube.com became the major forum for introducing & promoting foreign musicians this last year, which is the only reason I'm trifling with issues like this, the music's the thing.

Her videos are uneven. Some of them are pretty good. Even if they aren't as well-crafted as one would like, they will sometimes have striking enough imagery. And then other ones are a letdown. The one for "Himitsu" was good enough to get my attention, but it's not really all that good. Saved to some extent by how hot she looks in the car and walking down the hall at the end of that particular one. (And the one for Honnou has obvious perv. appeal which I don't deny.)

I came to her music from the Hanatarash / Otomo Yoshihide / J-noise / classical angle, and hear connections with Faust, Kate Bush, the art side. Those angles are most detectable on KZK, but once I was there, I followed her to the rest of her influences and can happily get down to the jazz & musical numbers. She left Rock behind a long time ago, the new stuff is for adults -- Jihen was still ostensibly more Pop than Jazz, on the line, but a whole album of orchestral musical / bigband -- a strict exercise like that could connect. Though definitely with an older audience.

I don't even like mentioning the 'hotness' -- I suspect it superficially distracts many people away from the music. If 'Honnou' is the first thing someone sees (and it was for most people), they're going to think they know why you're into Shiina Ringo, and I've had to tolerate a lot of painful comments from friends about why I _really_ listen to her records. Not that charisma doesn't factor in, and sex is definitely not a casual aspect of her music, it's there -- her lyrics are often shockingly graphic, she called an album 'Chlorine, Semen, Chestnut Flower', some of her promo pictures are several steps beyond not safe for work... But none of this is ever safely in a male-fantasy context, unlike any other female J-pop (I've heard), if she writes about submission she's usually writing about it with a very aggressive, angry voice -- she is not in the subject position.

I was just mentioning the sex appeal as one way her videos do sometimes work. I like "Himitsu" itself on first listen, but it didn't hurt that the singer looked good. She presents her image so many different ways, anyway. Sometimes I am quite turned off by the looks she comes up with. It varies. I can see how the accusations could be annoying, but I don't really care if part of my interest is in Shiina Ringo as pop star sex object. I also think she is incredibly talented musically, especially as a songwriter. (I think the first things I watched--just this past spring--were "Himitsu" "Kuramay-san" and "Ringo No Uta," but I might be forgetting some offputting singer-songwriter type stuff in between.)

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looks like someone re-added most of Domestic Virgin Line to youtube, including the opener Souretsu. Have you checked out the choral version of Gujyo Biyori yet?

the percussion ensemble break at the end of Kesho Naoshi is great too. that song was almost too easy listening for me to take the first time I heard Adult, but it kills me now, a total Walter Wanderley number

I should have more to say about the whole performance video. I watched a bit this morning when I was getting ready for work and then I watched some of it again when I was home during a lunch break.

I think those kids are lucky they're still alive

http://freckle.tenkeimedia.com/nl/ringo/index.html