I've been antsy for some new music to pique my interest and while listening to Utada Hikaru's duet with Sheena Ringo on Utada's album "Fantome", it waned on me that Sheena Ringo is one artist with whom I have only the most minimal knowledge of and decided to pick up some of her CDs and give it a whirl!
4/5/19:
4/5/19:
Muzai Moratorium
I decided to begin my journey into Ringo Shiina's catalog in order, with her 1999 debut album, and it was a hard-hitting album indeed! With a phat sound and wild, catchy melodies, I was immediately sold on this one! I love Icelandic Chanteuse Bjork and there are a few tracks here that are clearly inspired by her, with a meld of both music and sounds...
4/6/19
4/6/19
Heisei Fuzoku
I needed an album to listen to for my sunset drive and so I chose this jazzy/classical release Heisei Fuzoku for my second album experiment. I was blown away by the HUGE orchestral sound as the album began, but I have to say I wasn't too much of a fan of her screechy style of singing here.
Reminded me too much of aiko's (whom I'm REALLY not a fan of) warbly, out-of-tune style of singing. But the songs really grabbed me and I was won over by the dreamy and haunting compositions, and it became another album I'll be sure to play over and over!
Shoso Strip
As Ringo's song "Tsumi to Batsu" (Crime and Punishment) was the first song I ever knew from her, I was really looking forward to this album...
But Holy HELL, Ringo's out-of-tune, meandering and screechy style of singing was here in FULL FORCE, and this time, even the MUSIC seemed purposely hell-bent on being as screechy and obnoxious as possible, with tinny guitars doing these loud and abrasive off-kilter solos over and over again...
Truthfully, I could only get through half the album before i gave up. GADS, it was like having 15 bratty children screaming in my ears at the top of their lungs for 30 minutes straight!!! While trudging through this album, It occured to me: is this why Sheena Ringo is popular with the teens? Because her music is purposefully grating and obnoxious?
Will go back to this album at some later date where I can play it in the background while I'm doing something else. No more trying to listen to this while I'm driving- I just can't have this as the main focus of my night.
4/7/19
4/7/19
Sanmon Gossip
Gotta admit, I was so put off by my Shoso Strip experience that I was rather discouraged to try another one of her albums, but I was so glad I did because Sanmon Gossip was as good, perhaps even BETTER than Heisei Fuzoku! Full of symphonic pieces, jazzy interludes, droning bass rockers and a smattering of 60's kitsch, this one had me on my toes for the entire album!
THIS was what I was expecting to hear from Ringo Sheena!
Kalk Samen Kuri no Hana
After the wonderful experience with Sanmon Gossip, we're back with another uneven album with half the songs intriguing me and the other half irritating me. hate to say it, but man, I really dislike Sheena Ringo's guitarist, not sure if he (or she) is purposely playing so erratically, but he seems to think messy/sloppy playing equals edgy/punk (maybe it does, nowadays) and whenever these odd rock songs come on with those whiny screechy guitars, they drive me so insane I just have to fast forward over them.
Fortunately, there are enough tracks on here that I really like so I suppose in time I'll learn to love 'em all the more I spin the record....
04/09/19
Gave Shoso Strip another listen, and I can't say I'm liking this much more (though at least this time I managed to get through it). There are a few sporadic tracks I like, but for the most part, this is pure obnoxiousness! So ironic since track Tsumi To Batsu is one of my favorite songs from her.
THIS was what I was expecting to hear from Ringo Sheena!
After the wonderful experience with Sanmon Gossip, we're back with another uneven album with half the songs intriguing me and the other half irritating me. hate to say it, but man, I really dislike Sheena Ringo's guitarist, not sure if he (or she) is purposely playing so erratically, but he seems to think messy/sloppy playing equals edgy/punk (maybe it does, nowadays) and whenever these odd rock songs come on with those whiny screechy guitars, they drive me so insane I just have to fast forward over them.
Fortunately, there are enough tracks on here that I really like so I suppose in time I'll learn to love 'em all the more I spin the record....
04/09/19
Gave Shoso Strip another listen, and I can't say I'm liking this much more (though at least this time I managed to get through it). There are a few sporadic tracks I like, but for the most part, this is pure obnoxiousness! So ironic since track Tsumi To Batsu is one of my favorite songs from her.
04/10/19
My second listen to Muzai Moratorium. After how much I haven't liked some of her other albums, I wanted to go back and make sure my love of this first album wasn't a fluke. Very glad to reaffirm how great this album is. Though there are a few "crazy" sounding tracks with spiraling vocals, the main thing is that Ringo still sings in TUNE with none of that later thing about purposely warbling in any old way.
04/21/19
After a week of listening to all four over and over, I will say that I do like a lot of Ringo Sheenas stuff, but ultimately it's a pick and choose thing and I'm clearly not the target demographic for her kind of music.
Will be checking out her later releases when I have time....
My second listen to Muzai Moratorium. After how much I haven't liked some of her other albums, I wanted to go back and make sure my love of this first album wasn't a fluke. Very glad to reaffirm how great this album is. Though there are a few "crazy" sounding tracks with spiraling vocals, the main thing is that Ringo still sings in TUNE with none of that later thing about purposely warbling in any old way.
04/21/19
After a week of listening to all four over and over, I will say that I do like a lot of Ringo Sheenas stuff, but ultimately it's a pick and choose thing and I'm clearly not the target demographic for her kind of music.
Will be checking out her later releases when I have time....
