v00000002!

(or v0, preferably)

[color=#00FF40]yeah, v0 is the way to go [/color]

[quote="Son Goshin"]Also, I know that Sawao went on record to say that the "4th Movement is the Last Movement". But that could be years; the 3rd Movement itself was nearly 20 years long. So why the posts alluding to a very near retirement? There is nothing I've seen that even hints the pillows are close to done, seeing as there are plenty of musicians that go well into their 50's and 60's making music. Perhaps not at the same frenetic pace, but there nonetheless. Is there something in Japanese interviews the "common people" haven't been made aware of yet to suggest the end is near?[/quote]

Correct me if I'm missing something, but I can barely find any instance of Yamanaka ever saying anything about the "4th movement". The only thing I can find is a single interview back during the 20th anniversary in 2009 where he responded to a comment about how the 3rd movement has lasted a long time with "yeah, I guess a 4th movement isn't needed", or something like that. There's an interview from around the time of Moondust's release where he said something about the band entering their "end stage", but nothing about a new movement.

I wouldn't get too invested in the "4th movement" idea. We've heard two Stroll and Roll tracks by now. Do they sound so wildly different from their other recent music that they suggest entering a 4th movement? I don't think so. Literally, the only thing suggesting a "4th movement" is a t-shirt, and I think that's a pretty shitty source of information.
But... what if the "4th movement" is simply just a new era for the band rather than a major sound overhaul like the previous movements? Jun is gone, they're playing with a bunch of new bassists, they're off Avex... Those shakeups would be enough to spark a new era, right? Maybe so, and call it a "4th movement" if you want, but if you're going to listen to Stroll and Roll expecting a major sound departure, you are probably going to be disappointed. Also, if the "end stage" is the start of the "4th movement", we've already been there since 2014.

And yeah, nothing suggests eminent doom and immediate retirement, but the Avex contract ending is a pretty big thing. I don't know the details of the current situation (being produced by Delicious with distribution by King Records), but I'm pretty sure that means that they're basically self-produced now. If that's the case, they're no longer contracted to produce, say, an album a year, and have no contract obligation to fulfill.
From here on, they'll produce any new music at their own pace, and can call it quits at any time. But speculation aside, the fact is that the band is in their "end stage" now. We don't know how long it will last... Hopefully they'll at least keep it up for a 30th anniversary mega party. I'm just sayin'... we should appreciate the pillows while they're still kickin'.

Hoping the "4th Movement" signals a return to late-'90s era levels of album quality. Just putting that out there.

Soooooo do you guys know if the version of "Radio Telegraphy" without Sasaki (check it out on [url=https://www.facebook.com/pillowsjp/videos/474426142740513/]Mafu's fan page[/url] if you haven't heard it; thanks Mafu!) is gonna be the version on the album or not? And in either case, where will the other one end up?

I prefer the version with Sasaki, by the way. He's got so much [i]emotion[/i].

Yeah, the version that I recorded last night ("the pillows ver") is the one going on the album. It was mentioned when the album was announced that "the pillows ver." would be the one on the album. Don't know if the Ryousuke Sasaki version will show up for release sometime. It was a special collaboration for the radio.

Yeah after hearing the pillows ver. i like it much better than the collab for radio. Ryousuke's voice is so.. croaky at times. Just me i think.

I think that's part of his charm, but you're not alone in your preference of "the pillows version" of the song. MyFoot mentioned he didn't dig the radio version a couple of pages back, and I know plenty of people aren't fans of A Flood of Circle largely due to Sasaki's vocals. btw I heard he co-wrote the song with Yamanaka; true?

He did indeed.

I'm pretty sure that Yamanaka wrote (music/lyrics) Radio Telegraphy himself, and Sasaki just sang for the collaboration version. (Sounds like it from what I understand off [url=http://natalie.mu/music/news/167230]this interview[/url].)

Haha good thing I don't go around editing wikis, amirite.

Thanks for the interview and correction, Mafu-man.

Debris sounds kind of cool from the radio rip but hard to make a definitive verdict because of the quality.

That classic rock riff from the intro made me think of Rush for some reason. I'm not really sure why, maybe just the guitar tone.

Digging the song, though.

[quote="dimsim3478"]Debris sounds kind of cool from the radio rip but hard to make a definitive verdict because of the quality.[/quote]
I really don't think that the quality of the radio rips are [i]that[/i] bad. It's more than enough to get a full impression of the song and be able to know if it's a song you can dig. It's literally just ripped from the radio. If you were in Japan listening to it on InterFM, it would sound exactly the same.

[quote="Mafu"][quote="dimsim3478"]Debris sounds kind of cool from the radio rip but hard to make a definitive verdict because of the quality.[/quote]
I really don't think that the quality of the radio rips are [i]that[/i] bad. It's more than enough to get a full impression of the song and be able to know if it's a song you can dig. It's literally just ripped from the radio. If you were in Japan listening to it on InterFM, it would sound exactly the same.[/quote]

Reminds me if an interview with Dave Grohl I watched recently. He said when he and his band record (I think he was talking about FF) he keeps a radio turned on in the corner of the room. Just playing whatever station. It serves as a reminder of the way your end product will be consumed by most (or a huge chunk) of your audience. It keeps you grounded.

Sure, the FLAC listened through audiophile grade headphones may be the most "definitive" way to listen to a song, but in the end, you should be able to tell if a song is "good" if you're hearing it out of a tin can. Quality helps, but the core is the core.