http://keikaku.net/reviews/103

New thread cuz the other one is boring.

DAMMIT. I love Keikaku, but man they sure have it out for the neo-pillows. The only agreeable comment (besides the positive marks) was "But instead, we've been peppered by a full stream of hastily thought out "instant" music. The Pillows probably still have it in them to release another great album but they're going to have to take some time and think about it first." True, they need to spend more time thinking out their stuff. Insta-pop is not what they need right now.

Sawao needs to be hardcore and somehow find a method of forcing all American pillows listeners to listen to PML and Living Field 5 times through, each. The "cash in" with cheap pop is too easy for them to do.

Ugh, that article was Culen to the mizzax. Not what I wanted to read...yet important. Sigh!

Maybe we should all team up on a hand written letter to Sawao and the gang, urging them to slow down slow down, and return to their truly kickass roots. They need to know that American fans truly appreciate and have heard their earlier work. It's all so frustrating! And really, all they're gonna do for their next US tour is play songs from My Foot. NUTZ! </hopeless rant>

I love My Foot as an album, I think Rock 'n' Roll Sinners, as well as Degeneration are fun songs. But yeah, realistically, it's like the pillows are handing out blow-pops for dessert, and keeping the apple pie in the fridge, 'cause kids these days like their candy.

Next tour, we hacka need to gets some signs together. Everyone buy either Moon Gold, Pantomime, White Incarnation, Kool Spice, or Living Field if you don't own one of them already and get those signed. Make a shirt, emblazoned with the phrase "Sunny day, the beautiful picture makes me turn around" or at least "Boku wa Strange Chameleon". I shouldn't have continued this rant for so long, but I can't stifle the urge to let them know how much their pre-Lostman work is appreciated.
Again, sigh.

[quote]With Good Dreams, the group proved that they knew exactly what their anime-worshipping American audience wanted (The Pillows were featured prominently in the Japanese-produced, American-syndicated animation show "FLCL" which gained them much popularity in the USA) and sought to cash in.[/quote]

That was a pretty stupid part, altough the pillows are on a sort of downhill, one thing I never thought is that they keep doing it for fame, money etc. They seem like they're enjoying themselves making the style of music they do nowadays. In one thing I agree with the reviewer, that they can still release a good record, and for that they must take their time.

No, cause Culen would not have made that PL comment. He hasn't liked anything since Runners High, which he thought was mediocre(or at least the downhill start) if I remember correctly.

It's not totally inaccurate, but I think they don't give the new album all the credit it deserves. I really think it's an improvement over the last two, although I have to admit that it drags in the middle, especially for our crowd which is already tired of the two singles.

I also doubt that Good Dreams was an attempt to "cash-in" on the anime kids' adoration... because it simply wasn't anything like the "pixies-influenced power pop" that was featured in FLCL. The article lost all credibility when Mr. Morris insinuated that Good Dreams had anything to do with pixies.

[quote]My Foot is the Pillows' eleventh full-length album.[/quote]

There's the first problem with the review right there, first line.

(It's their 17th)

While the review does go on to state some hard truths, I do have to agree it is "culen-esque" and downright pisses me off. But, it just one man's opinion after all...

Now that I think about it, I think that the main problem with their last 3 albums is that they are way overproduced. Too perfect sounding. Everything up to Penalty Life sounded as if they made did one take for each song and were happy with it. Their new shit sounds too perfect and lacks all emotion. I would rather hear shitty distorted grunge music with emotion than overproduced, technical shit.

I agree that the new production sucks. Everything sounds too clean, whereas on Happy Bivouac there is awesome feedback and the vocals don't stick out too much.

[quote]Each of The Pillows' past FOUR albums has been positively frustrating[/quote]

WTF? this guy really is a moron in some senses i think. TYMT is one of my favorite albums ever. how the hell can it be frustrating? practically all those songs were great, even lesser appreciated ones like robotman and winona. PL is where the slide began, but it's defintiely not TYMT. however, i do agree with the fact the pillows have something really good still up their sleeves. maybe they'll take some more time with their next album and really put some heart into it

I don't agree with the article completely, but like said above, you can't go that fast. They haven't done this yet, but if The Pillows start spitting out songs instead of taking the sweet time like Happy Bivouac and the ones before it then the quality and uniqueness of every song is going to be ruined. Not saying that The Pillows need to do something completely different, but make what they do interesting. I am very thankful for what The Pillows have given me.

I do like some of My Foot though from the songs I have heard. Still have 5 songs to go.

[quote="Alero"]I don't agree with the article completely, but like said above, you can't go that fast. They haven't done this yet, but if The Pillows start spitting out songs instead of taking the sweet time like Happy Bivouac and the ones before it then the quality and uniqueness of every song is going to be ruined.[/quote]

Umm...they released "Happy Bivouac" a mere 10 months after "RUNNERS HIGH". Doesn't sound like they took their sweet time with that one. (Still rocks anyway.)

[quote="Last Dinosaur"][quote]My Foot is the Pillows' eleventh full-length album.[/quote]

There's the first problem with the review right there, first line.

(It's their 17th)

While the review does go on to state some hard truths, I do have to agree it is "culen-esque" and downright pisses me off. But, it just one man's opinion after all...[/quote]

first off, there are 12 full-length albums... definitely not 17. And second, what you are calling culenesque is the opinion of most outside of anime fans and this forum.

[quote="clouds drive monster"]what you are calling culenesque is the opinion of most outside of anime fans and this forum.[/quote]

Most outide anime fans don't enjoy Smile, TMYT, Penalty Life, Good Dreams or My Foot? Wow, I learned something.

SMile wasn't mentioned, and yeah, i don't agree with the inclusion of TYMT.

Culenesque =/= bad. This is, however, not up to Culen's level; there are too many inaccuracies.

[quote="clouds drive monster"][quote="Last Dinosaur"][quote]My Foot is the Pillows' eleventh full-length album.[/quote]

There's the first problem with the review right there, first line.

(It's their 17th)

While the review does go on to state some hard truths, I do have to agree it is "culen-esque" and downright pisses me off. But, it just one man's opinion after all...[/quote]

first off, there are 12 full-length albums... definitely not 17. And second, what you are calling culenesque is the opinion of most outside of anime fans and this forum.[/quote]

yeah i read the first sentence of this article and im like, thats jsut wrong, my foot = 13, correct?