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The sweetness of Bonnie Pink's singing combined with the raw intensity of Keiko from Globe's would best describe her passionate voice. If either of the two vocalists mentioned above stirred the slightest emotion with their singing, I urge you to sample this artist. Not that it would say much, though; I was not kidding when I alleged she was a diverse performer. Whatever pattern her music style follows is almost indiscernible. Trying to spot the subtle connections between Yokushitsu and Identity, for example, would give anyone a headache.
However you look at it or whom you compare her too, Shiina Ringo is different from other artists. She is unique in her music, of course, but in her lifestyle, as well. Attending few interviews and participating in hardly any publicity stunts, she enjoys keeping her private life away from gossipmongers, forcing her fans to fully concentrate on her music without being distracted by all the bells and whistles that usually accompany stardom. Her mysterious image can be somewhat deciphered in her lyrics and music videos where her conflicting personalities become manifest even more: she sometimes sings gloomy lyrics in upbeat songs and vice-versa, which are complemented by intriguing (to say the least) videos. This is one of the rare cases where vocals and music truly uphold a fifty-fifty importance. Once again, Shiina herself is the sole root of this harmony as she not only writes and renders her own lyrics but also composes her music and plays scores of it with virtuosity. We can denote precedence in the electric guitar, though it is employed in more ways than one, much like her idols, Blanket Jet City.
Her first official single came in May 1998 and was titled Kofukuron. She was then twenty years old. This lead to the release of her first album, Muzai Moratorium, in February 1999. Taking a break from recording only to tour Japan from coast to coast, Shiina already had plans for her next album, Shouso Strip, released in March 2000. Expecting a child, she took a short hiatus from the music scene only to return a year later with a two-disc compilation of international covers entitled Utaite Myouri. Her last album would be named Karuki Zamen Kuri no Hana and is, to me, nothing short of a revelation. After releasing a single named Ringo no Uta, it was announced that Miss Ringo would put her solo career on hold. Thankfully, for Shiina, this only means she would pick the best musicians she had work with in the past six years and start a band! I know, it's usually the other way around. Tokyo Jihen began in 2004 and still has Ringo written all over it. I wouldn't be surprised if, in the near future, it received the greatest musical honor in Japan: a Project J profile.
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Karuki Zamen Kuri no Hana
Take every thing I like about music, condense it
into a forty-five minute compact disc and you get Karuki Zamen Kuri no
Hana. Modern, classic and synthesizing instruments going hand in hand
with traditional Japanese instruments and many others is not something
heard often. The whole is mixed perfectly and allows for the discovery of
new sounds at every spin. If your budget only allows the purchase
of one CD every year, make it this one.
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This song simply hypnotizes me. I must have listened to it a million times now and it still has the same effect. The uncanny vocals (especially those in the beginning) and large variety of instruments (try to count them if you dare) give it the edge it needs to surpass all of Shiina's other masterpieces. But not by much, mind you. |
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Tokyo Jihen (featuring Shiina Ringo)'s Official Site (Tip: use AltaVista's Babel Fish translator)
English Fan Site:
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Shiina
can use her voice in countless ways and is as unpredictable as it gets.
She makes sure there is something for everyone to enjoy in her style and
many can surely appreciate every one of the different features as a whole.
However, even with these Jekyll and Hyde transitions there is always the
same deepness I crave. It is hard to explain how she can move me in such a
way; how she rrrolls her r's or the pure freedom of her voice
can only explain so much. 
Piano,
ballet, and song-writing for school plays... Yumiko Shiina (her real
name) had the potential and backing necessary to go the distance. Music has been part of her life
for such as long time, as she was already
doing a few solo acts at the age of fifteen and was also part of several
bands, in which she was praised in national competitions and talent
searches.