Very Close to, if not actually in, the CD player:
stream full album ° seen/heard ° buy
seen/heard ° listen ° preorder
seen/heard ° listen ° preorder
stream full album ° seen/heard ° buy
Moonwalk Savings Time
It's disconcerting how seamlessly the new single from Tokyo Jihen, "Noudouteki Sanpunkan," subverts its electro-funk opening with smoov jazz. Shiina Ringo will always be the coolest person in any room, and we don't need to watch her rotate through her bandmates as proof; these Jihen songs pare down her personality to the point where she's almost uninteresting. (But then I'm one of the three people who still keeps Superficial Gossip in regular rotation.)
There are nice things going on. It is catchy. The "raise the dead on your turntable" line evokes both passed rock stars and past relationships. It's a cooking song cutely timed to perfectly prepare your Ramen. But ultimately it feels like nothing more than music to cook noodles to, gets limp as it goes along. The video adds another level of ugh with the ham-fisted Michael Jackson homage -- this song's already a chewing gum jingle (via), and the move is there, too. In all, a song I'd probably rather hear Maxwell sing. He'd keep the water boiling longer, sure, but everything would still stick to the wall.