What I Think About… Shiina Ringo

Shiina Ringo in 2007

This is going to be a segment where I basically rant about an artist/group. My likes about them and my dislikes as well.

Shiina Ringo (or Sheena Ringo. Actually, there are different ways that she’s spelled her stage name over the years. I personally like Shiina Ringo better than the rest)… she is an interesting artist to say the least.

First off, I have to say that her voice is an acquired taste. Most Shiina Ringo fans can admit this right off the bat. Some people actually HATE Shiina’s voice and automatically dismiss her as an artist. Though if you don’t like the way someone sings, you are going to not listen to them. That’s just how it is, I know. With Shiina, you have to get into her by your own means. Sure, a fan can suggest a song but you may not like that particular song or that particular style she’s singing in. Now, this may be true for other artists as well, but with Shiina, it is definitely the case.

When I first started getting into Japanese music around 2004, I found a fansite for Shiina Ringo and got a chance to listen to ONE track. It was a live version of her song “Identity”. I. Hated. It. So. Much. So in the beginning, I was one of those people who disregarded her as an artist. Until, a year later, “Identity” got stuck in my head. It took a whole year of listening to other artists (mainly Ayumi Hamasaki) for me to get a Shiina Ringo song stuck in my head. I actually had to get into rock music before I got into her earlier music as well. After that I searched for some of Shiina’s stuff, and fell in love with her voice and her style of music.

Shiina Ringo in 2009

I may say this for other artists as well, but Shiina Ringo’s range of styles is what really draws me to her. She really doesn’t stay in one style for TOO long. When she started off and released her first album, Muzai Moratorium (1999), she worked primarily in a rock setting (electric guitars, drums, bass). With her third single Koko de kisu shite (1999) she became more popular.

Her style took a drastic change in 2003 when she released her 3rd studio album Karuki Samen Kuri no Hana. She used instruments like the Didgeridoo (an Australian wind instrument; used in “Mesai” and “Ishiki”), prepared piano (a piano where various objects are placed on the piano’s string, usually metal pieces; used in “Odaiji ni” and “Okonomi de”) and koto (a traditional Japanese instrument; used in tracks “Shuukyou” and “Souretsu”). This third album was one of the most non-mainstream albums I have ever heard in my life, and I loved the entire 44:44 minutes of it (yes, the entire album is symmetrical, from the titles down to the time length).

Shiina returned to a more mainstream sound in her album Heisei Fuuzoku (2007). It was the album used as the soundtrack for the movie “Sakuran” (2007), which was based off of a manga (Japanese comic book) by the same title. In this album, she worked with a famous violinist and conductor Neko Saitou to produce an album with a primarily orchestral sound (with some electronic music).  Interestingly enough for fans, Heisei Fuuzoku was a mixture of old and new songs.

For a brand new album, fans had to wait until Sanmon Gossip was released in 2009. This album was an interesting departure from what Shiina had done in the past (this time using rap and collaborations for a studio album for the first time). I feel it was still accessible to many new listeners when compared to Karuki Samen Kuri no Hana but it may have been a turn off for fans of her harder and edgier sound from earlier in her career. Like I mentioned earlier, I don’t mind the weaving in and out of styles. It proves that she is not a one-trick pony.

My one complaint (and compliment) is going back to Shiina Ringo’s voice. It does screech sometimes. It does sound like someone is scraping a piece of metal on the floor every so often. BUT, I feel that this gives her voice a bit of personality. It also makes her voice stand out.  If you heard her once before and a random song of hers came on in the other room, you’d say:  “Oh there goes that Shiina Ringo chick”.

She’s pretty popular in Japan. Her albums tend to sell well and she’s gotten a few awards as well.

Here is a video showcasing clips from her PVs (Promotional Videos or like we call it in the Western world,  Music Videos) from 1998 – 2010:

If you’re curious about what song is which, leave the time in the comments and I can tell you what song it is.

Also, here is a video that showcases Shiina’s range. I wasn’t aware that she had a 3 octave (and one note) range until this video! Awesome!

Some links:

Shiina Ringo’s official website (in English!)

Shiina Ringo lyric translations (now on wordpress; not my translations)