[quote="little_norbert"][quote="AlucardX24"]My favorite music critique site is Pirouzu.net.[/quote]

Nah those guys are uber-critical morons who hate anything catchy or simple.[/quote]

Too bad everyone here agrees that Waiting at the busstop, Runners High, and Advice are awesome.
Also, for the record, everything Sawao has ever written has been catchy and simple. The pillows are the epitomy of a catchy and simple band. They do it well.

And yet beneath their simplicity, I've always noticed a hidden, unknown complexity, if only in the pre-2007 albums.

*bump*

Listened to the album this week, thought to throw in my two cents. I really can't be bothered to read a 45 pages topic, but from the general vibe I've been able to perceive around these parts is that most people dislike/hate Ooparts. Well, personally I find it to be the most intriguing piece of work by the band since Penalty Life. The only problem I have with it is the tracklist, which is not well-thought. For an album of only ten tracks, you must be careful to avoid any possible fillers. However, even though Ooparts has some of the best Pillows songs in ages (Dance With God, Melody, Foxes, Beyond The Moon, Ameagari), the rest are rather unmemorable tracks, especially when you consider great songs like 1989 and Fighting Pose were left out. I also feel the album is way too rushed. If they had waited a little longer to include Rodeo Star Mate and a possible 2010 release, things would be different. Here's my optimal Ooparts tracklist, just for the record.

01. Dance With God
02. Rodeo Star Mate
03. Melody
04. Lemon Drops
05. Foxes
06. Beyond The Moon
07. Fighting Pose
08. Ameagari Ni Mita Maboroshi
09. 1989
10. Primer Beat

If that had been the tracklist, it would probably be near my top 5 list. Still, the album shows great musicianship and beats most of its predecessors in terms of creativity and effort.

Everyone's entitled to an opinion. If you don't share my point of view, that's fine with me.

[quote="Revol"]Everyone's entitled to an opinion. If you don't share my point of view, that's fine with me.[/quote]
I love you.

I haven't been following this topic either, but I have at last been listening to the album a lot recently.

This album is about on the same level as PIED PIPER and Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! to me. I might actually like it a little better than those. Some good songs, just not anything mind-blowing (as in something that would bump another song off my top 10 or 20 list).

The trumpets in FOXES weird me out, but it's starting to grow on me a little.

I kinda like Ame agari... but it reminds me too much of Scarecrow, doesn't feel very new.

It feels like it's the last of a trilogy, along with those albums you mentioned. However, I can't help but feel that Ooparts has something different that draws my preference. I still think Wake Up! Wake Up! Wake Up! is the most complete of the three of them, whereas Pied Piper does nothing to me. That said, I'd take any of them to My Foot, which I regard as the worst Pillows album to date.

[quote="Revol"] That said, I'd take any of them to My Foot, which I regard as the worst Pillows album to date.[/quote]
I hate you.

[quote="Revol"]It feels like it's the last of a trilogy, along with those albums you mentioned. However, I can't help but feel that Ooparts has something different that draws my preference. I still think Wake Up! Wake Up! Wake Up! is the most complete of the three of them, whereas Pied Piper does nothing to me. That said, I'd take any of them to [b]My Foot, which I regard as the worst Pillows album to date.[/b][/quote]

Wow, that's friggin ridiculous. I still contend My Foot is the best post-TYMT album. the pillows have not produced anything more catchy or delightful than The Third Eye in the past 5 years. Perhaps a couple songs on the same level, but nothing surpassing it. Saying something like Beyond the Moon being better than Sayonara Universe should be blasphemy. And Gazelle City... enough said. Out of 16 studio albums, I rank My Foot #7.

I'll give you one thing though. OOPARTS does feel like the last of a trilogy. A trilogy of music that declines in value with each piece of it, culminating with the worst of the three, OOPARTS. And I just relistened to some of the album two days ago. It's decent, but not great. Foxes still throws me off. And Beyond the Moon is still boring... as is Johnny Strobo... and Life Size Life...

Aw man, I loved Beyond The Moon and Johnny Strobe/Strobo/Flash/Blinkety-Blink...

I'll give you one thing, I think "Beyond the Moon" is a great song. I can listen to this album, but it's just not that good at all. Of course, dissenting opinions.

But still, the title track "My Foot" alone is just so much better than anything on OOParts.

hahah Ooparts sux guize.

[quote="Revol"]It feels like it's the last of a trilogy, along with those albums you mentioned. However, I can't help but feel that Ooparts has something different that draws my preference. I still think Wake Up! Wake Up! Wake Up! is the most complete of the three of them, whereas Pied Piper does nothing to me. That said, I'd take any of them to My Foot, which I regard as the worst Pillows album to date.[/quote]

Why do you dislike [i]My Foot[/i]?

'The Third Eye' alone puts it above the last three albums, for me.

My Foot has a good vibe to it, but I don't like the sound/production of the album. It's too much teen rock-ish or something along those lines. And Rock'n'Roll Sinners is the worst Pillows song ever!