Customer Reviews

Karuki Zamen Kuri No Hana

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Shiina Ringo's "Kalk Zamen Kuri no Hana" is the best album you've never heard. It can be a little difficult to absorb at first, as every song overflows with random sounds and textures, but repeated listens reveal strong melodies, powerful/wounded vocals and postmodern genre-hopping pastiche this side of Bjork's "Post." Unlike "Post," however, "Kalk Zamen" is an extremely intimate experience, with a feel comparable to Bjork's later album, "Vespertine," or Tori Amos' "Boys for Pele."

Shiina Ringo is a creative voice that deserves the world's attention. It's too bad that this voice will likely never reach Western ears.

Yes, that is the translation of the name of the title of this very challenging, cantankerous, difficult, visionary and very rewarding album - "Lime, Semen, Chestnut Blossoms".

Shiina Ringo's voice is very expressive and she does a lot of things with her voice - she is a fragile innocent baby doll and the a demented sex maniac. Contrasts and clashes seems to be pivotal in Ms Shiina Ringo's art.

This album features very edgy and harsh guitar based rock music as well as Jazzy orchestral music and Shiina adapts her voice to suit the musical conditions and parameters of each song. Would I call this Pop music or J-Pop? Well! I don't know! Whatever!

The orchestral "lounge" music of track five gradually dissolves into a harpsichord solo, accompanied by a pianoforte. Track six featured some deep string instruments, violas, 'cellos and basses, and piano and some percussion. I cannot describe the instrumentation and structure of the next song, it is simply "out there"!

Curious? Buy it!