I have to open this with a quote from Rie Tomosaka’s wikipedia entry:
Rie Tomosaka (ともさか りえ Tomosaka Rie?) is a Japanese actress and pop star from Mitaka-shi, Tokyo, born on October 12, 1979 in Nagano-shi, Nagano. She belongs to Ito Company.
All I want to point out with that is that she’s not a starving artist with a unique vision. She’s very much a part of the Japanese entertainment industry establishment, and is a model/actress before a musician (none of the songs on Toridori are written by her).
That aside, Toridori is a really fantastic album, the songs are great, the arrangements are great and Tomosaka’s vocals are great. I’ll admit that I’ve turned up my nose at plenty of albums for being too ‘manufactured’ but Toridori is an exception.
Certainly, it doesn’t hurt that Tomosaka’s good friend Shiina Ringo contributes two songs, and Shiina’s bandmates Izawa Ichiyou and Ukigumo contribute also contribute songs to the album.
‘Curtain Fall’ opens the album, which is an unusual decision given both its title and its tone. Its a slow-building ballad and would have been an adequate conclusion to the album, it works well as an opener though, slowly introducing the album and easing listeners in.
Shiina Ringo’s first contribution, ‘Tokai no Manner’, is Toridori’s first single, and its best song. Its quirky rock foundation with jazz overtones is straight out of Shiina Ringo’s best work. This song knows when to be noisy, when to tone it down, and when to put melody first. The musical performances are fantastic and Rie’s vocals fit the tone of the song perfectly.
In many ways, this album is all over the place from this point on. ‘Mezame’ is an R&B ballad, ‘Tarinsu’ is a surf-influenced bouncy pop tune, ‘Zutto’ and ‘Good Day Good Bye’ are more conventional pop ballads, Shiina Ringo’s second contribution, ‘Kodomo no Jyoukei’, is a Debussy influenced piano ballad and album closer ‘Mother Goose’ is a post-rock song with reverb drenched guitars, a triumphant melody and a slow climactic buildup.
This album was released on the same day as Shiina Ringo’s Superficial Gossip and is a good companion to that album. Shiina Ringo’s influence is strong and extends beyond her direct contributions. I’m sure this album will be neglected by many (too mainstream for indie fans, not commercial enough for mainstream fans) and there are a few songs you might find yourself skipping, but the best parts of this album are exceptional, and I give it my recommendation.
Audio:
Tokai no Manner:
Tarinsu:
Video: Tokai no Manner (YouTube)
