平成風俗 (original) (raw)

Shéna Ringo had to have been exhausted. After the masterstroke of "加爾基 精液 栗ノ花" ("Lime, Semen, Chestnut Blossoms..." yeah, follow the link for more on that title,) she announced her retirement from solo work, instead focusing on her newly minted group Tokyo Jihen. Looking back, it's not particularly surprising: "Lime, Semen..." is an almost insurmountably dense work, enormously rewarding, but unimaginably complex. It took Radiohead three years to recover and follow up their equally involved "OK Computer," and they're a group. But one person? Damn.

But I'm getting off track. "Heisei Customs" started life as the soundtrack for a film called "Sakuran," and the initial plan was for instrumental, electronic music. That, for whatever reason, was deemed unacceptable, so Ringo decided to recruit classical arranger Saito Neko to rework a selection of her old songs. Even then, it was to be a Tokyo Jihen album, but when that band's drummer broke his leg, it became the "next" album in her ostensibly finished solo career.

So now that that's all that straightened out, what have we got? A deep, strong, energetic and somewhat strange album of lush, full blown orchestral pop, a kind of bizarro greatest hits for a woman who was anything but traditional. A knowledge of her catalog doesn't hurt, but it's hardly necessary: "Heisei Customs" stands beautifully on its own, a bold (if accidental) comeback for an artist that had reached heights which had seemingly left her nowhere to go.

Historical context aside, the most striking thing about "Heisei Customs" is Ringo's voice. Always powerful, it gains a new tension when placed against a full orchestra. She doesn't wrap herself in the sound so much as fight alongside it, retaining a toughness that is startling in this framework. It's difficult to decide if the passion in her voice on "錯乱" ("Confusion") is from being caught up in the music, or competing against it. This live versionis less combative, but still retains much of the push and pull that makes the track pop out of the album's lineup. While the orchestration is the definitive element of "Heisei Customs," it's not all strings and horns: "浴室" ("Bathroom," originally from "Shoso Strip") betrays the album's origins as electronic music, riding along a typical dance beat before eventually revealing its classical elements with swirling, Heaven bound strings and punchy horns. When it builds, it touches the expansiveness of classic James Bond themes, albeit without the overriding sense of danger. All told, it runs through an impressive gamut of styles and emotions, from ecstatic shoegaze, triumphant, widescreen theatricality, finally coming back down to Earth with Ringo teasing, in a pouty little girl voice: "I'm not afraid of a little boredom/Why did the two of them ever chance to meet?"

Those who find Ringo's catalog a bit thorny would do well to check out "Heisei Customs." Her brand of experimentation isn't for everyone, and the versions here strip away much of the more aggressive barriers to the pure pop that lies at the heart of her songwriting. Which is not to suggest "Heisei Customs" is watered down, or lacking its own brand of envelope pushing. Rather, the orchestral backdrop keeps her grounded where she would typically fly to who knows where, ironically pushing her into tougher, more clear eyed performances and less elaborate camouflage. Whether it is the "real" final Shéna Ringo solo album remains to be seen, but as it stands, it's a worthy closing to a brief but exceptional run of left field creativity.

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