(Taken from the DOMESTIC! Virgin LINE concert in Febuary)
Further proof why Shiina Ringo is a musical master. Would you like so more or not? (Yes Please) Have you got something to hide? (No Sir)
The DOMESTIC! Just Can't Help It tour kicked off today, and it sounded like it rocked. Thanks to pariscombo for the video clip and Brad for the tracklist.
[April.07.2006] - Kamakura Geijutsukan Main Hall 01 - Yukiguni 02 - Genjitsu o Warau 03 - Shoujo Robot 04 - Kabuki 05 - Himitsu 06 - The Lady is a Tramp 07 - Genjitsu ni Oite 08 - Kao 09 - Nyuusui Negai 10 - Mirrorball (Petrols cover) 11 - Tegami 12 - Service 13 - C'mon Let's Go (Barbee Boys cover) 14 - Blackout 15 - Honnou 16 - Superstar 17 - Dynamite 18 - Shuraba 19 - Omatsuri Sawagi 20 - Kenka Joutou -Encore- 21 - Toumei Ningen 22 - Rakujitsu
Okay, so Tokyo Jihen's PV for their DVD release (ADULT VIDEO) was aired today. The song they chose was "Himitsu for DJ", meaning Ukigumo rocks the mic - unfortunetly not so literally. The PV starts out as the backdrop of a city in the midst of nightlife. Shiina is doing her thing by strolling down the streets in a limo, dressed a la kimono. Now, I know what you are thinking: this isn't the normal Shiina Ringo / Tokyo Jihen PVs I am used to seeing. And yes, let me warn you, while most of Shiina's past PV's featured herself/the band members playing "characters" in a very stylized fashion (look at the "Ringo no Uta" PV to refresh your memory) this PV is well... very bland in that sense. And I don't like that.
Moving on, the video spans out showing the band members smoking, playing chess, reading novels - you know, the whole "ADULT" feeling. And yes, they milk that cow to death. We get it, they are adults. They are all grown up now. Talk about something being trite. So just as you are completely smothered by the whole adult-ness of the PV, the soothing jazz rhythms shatter and we hear the exact opposite of everything you had currently seen/heard: Ukigumo dressed as a pimp (har har) spitting out rhyhms that, uh, seriously made me burst into laughter. Yeah, apparently that segment was just a play on the whole concept, so it shouldn't be taken too seriously. Lastly, we feature Shiina Ringo stepping out of the limo strolling down a walkway with her band members entering a mysterious room of pleasure[!] I have a feeling that this PV might continue on to another one? I suppose this video does really give that whole lounge-ish feel that Himitsu deperately needed. I admit I would still love to see them all standing in the middle of a Tokyo intersection rocking out to the "Pre-Shuraba" version.
Yeah, that's about it. I would give the PV a 1 out of 5 apples for Shiina originality and then a 5 out of 5 for Adult-ness.
01 - Shuraba (single version) 02 - Koi wa Maboroshi for musician 03 - Tasogare Naki for mother 04 - Himitsu for DJ 05 - Kabuki 06 - Kenka Joutou
Tracks 02, 03, and 04 are all-new versions of the original song. Also, with the release of the DVD, the "ADULT VIDEO" Original Sound Track vinyl is also being sold!
Make sure to pick up this DVD, as it ALL-REGION. Plus, it contains 4 all new PVs (without undoubtedly bonus features like Tokyo Incidents vol.1). If you bought the album, you must have this accompaniment!
Hmmm. There is apparently a Part 3 to this never-ending saga. Just to rephase, the bootleg that I accidentally bought off eBay arrived a few days ago. Well, it was fairly horrible that the bootleg turned out to be very Engrishy + a cheap Chinese knock off. The best part was that they labelled "Koko de KISS Shite" as "Nini ma KISS Shima" and they called Tokyo Jihen's pianist "HZN"! So as I figured that my troubles were finally over, guess what was in the mail today?
That's right. They sent me another copy of the bootleg DVD that I didn't even want in the first place. I now have two copies of a DVD (bootleg, of course) even though I only paid for one. Now, the burning question is: what to do with my second bootleg?
EDIT: After reporting the seller to eBay due to the bootleg, I was issued a FULL REFUND. That's right, I got 2 bootlegs, a $20 refund, all for the cost of nothing. Me: 1, Stupid Bootleggers: 0.
You may recall that I posted an entry about a pirated Tokyo Jihen DYNAMITE OUT! DVD that I had ordered on eBay by mistake (I found out the DVD was a bootleg shortly after I paid). Well, a month after I paid for it, the DVD finally arrived in the mail, and wow. Just - wow.
Okay, so I open up the envelope, and inside is a Chinese newspaper[!] This confused me because the everything was flat - where the hell was the DVD case? Rest assured, carefully taped inside was...
Okay... why is everything flat? You know your purchase is authentic when it comes wrapped in Chinese newspaper, and then has the DVD incased in a flat plastic wrap case that says "Huan Qiu Zhi Sheng". What's worse is that this case is the "Pre-Bootleg" where the piraters are supposed to assemble the DVD so it looks real. The seller was too lazy to even do that. Arghhh! Damn those lazy bootleggers! *shakes fist*
"The progran is for private home use only ... causing it to be rtansmitted to besubsonbers to a diffusion service or selling letting it hire exchanging it otherwise dealing with it in whose or in part is strictly prohibited unless express expressly authonzzed any explort..."
Hurray it folds up! Now I can assemble my own bootleg. This is the "Make Your Own Bootleg" SPECIAL EDITION!! I do not want to insert that "thing" into my DVD player - but I assume the menus will be fake as well.
Well, there you have it; my first Tokyo Jihen pirated DVD. I hope the seller rots in hell.
Finally, 9 days after the release of Adult (Otona, not-so-apparently) my copy from YesAsia arrived in the mail, and boy, I was more excited than every single Christmas in my life combined! Well, not really - because I had already listened/saw the scans/watched the DVD from the album prior to its arrival. Because of that, I was debating if I should: 1] Leave the album factory sealed for increased value, or, 2] Tear open the album and get high off the HOMME scent. My decision was actually number 2, except I waited a few hours before I did so. [And, according to the sales of the Limited Edition version, I doubt this album will be too rare any time soon]
The album is actually a box that folds open. Your first sight is the Himitsu DVD that is in a cardboard sleeve, with a design paralleling the top of the box. The deluxe lyric booklet follows, and then there is some sort of an advertisement for the "DOMESTIC" just can't help it venues. Last, and definitely not least, is the CD. This album was definitely like opening up a present - it is just like Christmas all over again. But I did forget to mention, although the original scent strip was encased in the lyric booklet, the whole album reeks, or, smells like the HOMME scent, which leads me to...
The HOMME scent has a varying smell to every Ringo fan. Some said the album smelled like apples, others claim it smelled like a woman's hair, after she just washed it. However one fan who had a more inciditing reaction to the scent. "Oh my GOD Pour Homme smells like my grandma!" Thanks, Marty.
There are already a few thousand reviews of the musical content of the album; I'm sure you read at least half of them already. Let me just put it this way: The album is everything you wanted Tokyo Jihen to do, but thought they could never accomplish. This album will intoxicate you with screeching guitar riffs, rich jazzy melodies, ballads that give you goosebumps, and the good 'ol Shiina Ringo pop that you know you love.
Shiina Ringo's official website (http://www.kronekodow.com/) was updated today, and instead of the usual crane layout, we have a bold new website layout placed infront of our eyes: The SR Nekoyanagi Line. That's right, all of her fans can now ride the Shiina train to where ever it goes (too bad it doesn't switch off to the Marunouchi Line or passes by the Kabukicho district).
On another note, ADULT has managed to sell 169,551 copies within the first week of sales. Unfortunately, the number isn't too high, but, could arguably pass Kyouiku in sales which reached almost 400,000 sales in 26 weeks. Can ADULT beat the 400,000 mark in 26 weeks? Keep in mind that Kyouiku sold 205,012 copies within the album's first week, so is this the final leg in the decline of record sales for Shiina Ringo?
[1999.02.24] Muzai Moratorium >>1,432,000 [2000.03.31] Shouso Strip >>2,332,000 [2000.09.13] Ze-Chyou Syuu (3 CD Maxi) >>430,000 [2002.05.27] Utaite Myoli ~Vol. I~ >>397,000 [2003.02.23] Kalk Samen Kuri no Hana >>409,000 [2004.11.25] Tokyo Jihen - Kyouiku >>383,815 [2006.01.25] Tokyo Jihen - Adult >>?
Everyone remembers Hirama Mikio, right? If your memories fail you, he was the previous guitarist in Tokyo Jihen - you know, that one that is rumored to have left because of relationship troubles with Shiina Ringo? Anyway, look at the picture above you. Really. Look at it. What the hell is that? Is it a man? Is it a woman? Nope, it's Hirama Mikio.
On a brighter note, he is re-re-re..releasing his previous album, Yume to Negoto. The album was first released when was in his early twenties, then, it was re-released during the DYNAMITE! tour. Then, following that, it was also released again in stores nationwide (Japan, of course) so more people could buy it. And now, for the fourth time, it's getting released again.
I wonder why, after all of those times, I still haven't been able to find a place to buy it? Well, I am sure it must rock, after all, one of the greatest Engrish songs out there (if you can touch it) is on the album! I know I enjoyed Bunmei Koukyou Gata Virus, so I am looking forward to finally listening to Yume to Negoto. The release date was the same as Otona, January. 25th, so keep your eyes peeled for a copy of this where ever you can buy music that has been re-re-re-released.
YouTube is a wonderful thing. Many fans have uploaded Tokyo Jihen PVs for you to adore. I just finished uploading the PV for DYNAMITE, so it's rather fresh. Please enjoy these where ever you go.
I found a radio rip of BLACKOUT and have been listening to the song ever since I downloaded it (which makes 12 times, sorry, 13, at the moment). I am not really sure how I feel about the song. It's no Kenka Joutou; therefore, I didn't instantly fall inlove with BLACKOUT. But, the song is more of a "Shuraba" to me - I am slowly growing to love it. However, I should really disregard all feelings towards this song, as the quality is far from good. Hell, accoring to Winamp, this is my only mp3 that is played in "mono". The instrumentals are amazing, but, again, hard to really grasp due to the low quality of the radio rip. This mp3 is really just acetaminophen for anyone trying to ail the wounds caused by waiting (seemingly forever) for Adult to be released.
