![]() Once again, that doesn't begin to cover all of it. ![]() Shiina is a singer, but has been known to play guitar (electric and acoustic), piano, keyboards, bass guitar, drums, koto, shamisen, harmonica, melodica, harpsichord, accordion, and kazoo. There are elements of jazz and electronic music in what Shiina does (especially in her work with Tokyo Jihen), but the scope of her music varies so much that it's dangerous trying to nail it down to any category she didn't make up herself. Shiina describes herself as "Shinjuku-Kei", a naming convention she probably gets from "Shibuya-Kei", an electronic/jazz-y subgenre that started as the "James Bond style music" mentioned here (article: Way, Way, Way Underground Music). Here are some examples of her variety of sounds: Doppelganger (off "Kalk Samen Kuri no Hana") vs Torikoshikurou vs Shun (both off Superficial Gossip). And that's not an exhaustive list, either. Her work has been categorized as, among other things, rock, punk rock, alternative rock, experimental rock, chamber music, chanson, jazz, big band, bossa nova, ムード歌謡 (meaning 'mood songs'),and 演歌 ('Enka', semi-traditional ballad-y music). Any more specific descriptor than that risks pidgeonholing one of the most unique, unconventional (but massively popular) Japanese artists of all time. Shiina Ringo (or however you want to romanize it 'Shéna Ringö' and 'Sheena Ringo' are both totally acceptable) is a Japanese musician.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |