I have better expectations for this than Tobasco. Atleast it's not concert-only release.

[quote="Spike"]I have better expectations for this than Tobasco. Atleast it's not concert-only release.[/quote]

lol I guess I can agree with this.

But for real, pillows singles have become pretty unpredictable. This could really go either way: the Third Eye or Rodeo Star Mate... HEAVEN OR HELL

[quote="Jomei"]But for real, pillows singles have become pretty unpredictable. This could really go either way: the Third Eye or Rodeo Star Mate... HEAVEN OR HELL[/quote]

Well I liked The Third Eye [i]and[/i] Rodeo Star Mate. So if those are the two candidates for this sequel I guess it's win-win for me.

I guess we can also judge the likelihood of quality based on what it's for. Rodeo Star Mate was a tv show opening, and didn't even make the album.

I don't get why people dislike Rodeo Star Mate. It's not an engrish song, and it has a catchy melody. Are people just hating on it for the odd PV and the name?

Maybe people just don't dig the sound of it very much. It's fun, but that's all you can really say about it, at least for me.

[quote="Marekenshin"]It's fun, but that's all you can really say about it[/quote]I think you can say that about quite some more songs of the pillows. I mean, of course they have some serious songs, but the majority are just fun / super fun songs.
I mean there isn't as much social criticism or frustation in their songs as in those of Number Girl, just to give an example. Or am I just really off here?

[quote="Ashinow"][quote="Marekenshin"]It's fun, but that's all you can really say about it[/quote]I think you can say that about quite some more songs of the pillows. I mean, of course they have some serious songs, but the majority are just fun / super fun songs.
I mean there isn't as much social criticism or frustation in their songs as in those of Number Girl, just to give an example. Or am I just really off here?[/quote]

Your song doesn't have to be social commentary to be "serious." I'm not talking about lyrical content for RSM, btw, just musical. I would say that the majority of the pillows' songs are pretty serious, at least to Sawao. He writes about things that are important to him, like all good musicians do.

[quote="Spike"]I don't get why people dislike Rodeo Star Mate. It's not an engrish song, and it has a catchy melody. Are people just hating on it for the odd PV and the name?[/quote]

It's a billion kinds of bland. It's not [i]catchy[/i] when you've heard that exact formula done a hundred times by the same band but in much better, more memorable ways.

[quote="Marekenshin"]I guess we can also judge the likelihood of quality based on what it's for. Rodeo Star Mate was a tv show opening, and didn't even make the album.[/quote]

Yeah except Ride on Shooting Star was for a show and wasn't on the album, but it's made of fuckwin and asskick, whereas Rodeo Star Mate is a song you listen to once and then forget about forever because it has absolutely nothing noteworthy to it.

[quote="Jomei"]Yeah except Ride on Shooting Star was for a show and wasn't on the album, but it's made of fuckwin and asskick[/quote]

Mmmmm. It's good to finally see a little RoSS love around here.

To give Sawao a little cushion (just a little), RoSS was made for [i]FLCL[/i], while RSM was made for fucking [i]Stitch[/i].

[quote="Marekenshin"][quote="Ashinow"][quote="Marekenshin"]It's fun, but that's all you can really say about it[/quote]I think you can say that about quite some more songs of the pillows. I mean, of course they have some serious songs, but the majority are just fun / super fun songs.
I mean there isn't as much social criticism or frustation in their songs as in those of Number Girl, just to give an example. Or am I just really off here?[/quote]

Your song doesn't have to be social commentary to be "serious."[/quote]

[size=85]Scroll down for the tl;dr version.[/size]
Hmmm... I think that in order to have a useful discussion about this topic (seriousness of songs) we first need to define the various key words used in this debate/discussion/discord/

1.: "RSM"[quote="Marekenshin"] I'm not talking about lyrical content for RSM, btw, just musical.[/quote]Robert Smith Mood?
[quote]Robert Smith Mood - a state of mind which make you feel like thats what The Cure write lyrics about; expression for a highly depressive, nihilistic mood; useful when you are describing your mood and dont want to look like an emo[/quote]You mean that?

2: "lyrical content vs. musical sound".
I agree with you that you can seperate lyrical content from the musical sound.
But at first you're saying, that you're not talking about lyrical content . . . .and then you start talking about Sawao's songwriting.
[quote="Mare"] He writes about things that are important to him, like all good musicians do[/quote] So, are you contradicting yourself, or am I seeing it wrong?


3. "singer-songwriter perspective vs. listener perspective"
I think, that this is where it all comes down to:
[quote="Marekenshin"] I would say that the majority of the pillows' songs are pretty serious, at least to Sawao.[/quote]You have to make the distinction between Sawao and yourself. I was talking about how I, as a listener, conceive the songs. Not about Sawao, as the songwriter.

4. "Majority vs. minority"
We are still talking about if the [i]majority[/i] of the songs of the pillows are serious or fun. My answer is: I don't know actually, haha. For me to be able to answer that question I should take the whole discography and see if >50% of the songs are serious or not. . .

Another way, is to just give an estimate and explain what songs I think are serious (that is, to me). On the top of my head: Hybrid Rainbow, Shiroi Natsu, Scarecrow, Amegari, Strange Chameleon, Suicide Diving, Girlfriend, TYMT, Robotman, Swanky Street, Me you and Mr. Moon, Sayonare Universe. Are all songs I consider serious, because it expresses an deep, mostly negative emotion.

But songs like: Rodeo Star Mate, ROSS, Rookie jet, Terminal Heavens Rock, Gazelle City, She's my sister, Ladybird Girl, Movement, Wake up dodo, Poison Rock'n'roll, My Foot, are all quite cheerful and energetic.

[b]tl;dr:[/b]
So my answer is: Well, obviously Sawao writes both serious and fun songs. But, I interpret serious songs mostly with songs that express negative emotions, while at the other hand I see fun songs as those songs that are upbeat and energetic. I think that most songs of their discography are upbeat and energetic. (about all albums after PML) And even when lyrically the mood is "down", musically the pillows present it as "up" often. And on top of that, I mostly listen to those upbeat songs, and that might explain why I relate the pillows with fun. Also: I don't understand Japanese, so I don't really listen to the lyrical content. So for you the music of the pillows may be more serious than for me. We can't really apply objective measures to it.

[size=50]edit: it's 4.14AM. . .I cant fall asleep . .aaaargh[/size]

tl;dr version was still tl;dr

Give it to me in ten words or less!

[quote="Jomei"]Give it to me in ten words or less![/quote]
Serious songs don't exist, only serious people.

[quote="Ashinow"][quote="Jomei"]Give it to me in ten words or less![/quote]
Serious songs don't exist, only serious people.[/quote]

Nice!

I'd have worded it something like: "Rodeo Star Mate, Tobasco Disco; how can things get worse?"