Posts Tagged ‘shiina ringo’

October 23rd, 2007 random sometimes baseless things about shiina ringo

tokyo jihen’s latest tour is called spa and treatment. i’m sorry, this is no fun. her petite bourgeoisie image nowadays is getting to me. now i’m beginning to think shiina walking around with a handband on stage looks like one thing, while togawa jun and a handbag on stage is totally different.

this, i guess is nothing new to japanese - that shiina ringo owes togawa jun, or at least pays homage to her, in the early part of her career. this piece basically compares the two, and why shiina is a mainstream success, whereas togawa is notorious, but not gold record selling. mostly an argument about the disparity (or similarity) between major and minor labels, and the music they produced, i suppose the 90s mainstream was ripe for shiina’s alternative rock sound, regardless of originating for and indies or major record label, and togawa liked her music mostly irritating, scary and electronic in a parody of the 80s idol singers, which would hardly have mass approval.

togawa looked like an idol, but she made fun of stereotypes, dressing up like the water soaked girls in towels on magazines, or playing up the image of the cute pure schoolgirl. shiina was not at all adverse to using her looks or going for cosplay either, this being the cover to shouso strip (lawsuit winning strip), and of course the video to honnou.

anyhow, the “baseless” part of this post is some old thing i found on 2ch, which involves two of my favourite people…

ehhhh? oikawa mitsuhiro aka man who often has ridiculous parts written into dramas for him to show off his flamboyant self…

that’s exactly why it’s in the rumour thread, although this one dates back to 2000, when a magazine reported on it, and others swore they’d seen them hand in hand in harajuku. two sensitive people does not make for good pairing…

exactly.

November 3rd, 2006 what we dreamt of

there’s always a certain pedanticness about making music on your own. outside influences shape you but whatever comes of it musically is your own determination. shiina ringo is the artist i most admire (75% music; 25% mysteriousness and general mind fuckery). as a solo artist she is insurmountable, but as a member of a band (tokyo jihen, where she still is the front and centre, however), there is no getting past just being a band, namely drums, bass, and guitar.

three years later after stopping her solo career to form tokyo jihen, she announces a new single and album to be released next year, in addition to a soundtrack for photographer ninagawa mika’s first film, sakuran (more information from the tokyo incidents). i voiced some disatisfaction with her “band” career, hopeing she’d one day change her mind. there are few things i really hold my breath for, but after her last album, karuki zamen no kuri no hana (awkwardly translated as chlorine, semen, chestnut flower)…

i was starting to wonder when i’d get my next issue of hyphen, and when i get home, it’s hiding behind the gate. “the music issue”, huh? a quick flick through because i’m saving it for the train trip to work tomorrow (it’s a long saturday), i notice most of the artists covered could be described as hip hop. i understand the devotion young asian-americans have for this musical form, but nowhere do i see a profile on someone in a band. i know rock music is unfashionable and possibly even cliche, but surely, surely they could overcome their office bias and look for somebody who’s got the spirit, only that they happen to play guitar. this is probably exacerbated by my predilection for writing in the forms of music more than forty years old, but still. you don’t have to cover asobi seksu or similar again, surely there’s someone who’s lower profile but just as deserving!