Featured Review #58: es or s by 凛として時雨 (ling tosite sigure)

[CAT5 9075]

Artist: 凛として時雨 (ling tosite sigure) Album: es or s 1. SOSOS 2. Mirror Frustration 3. Karma Siren 4. Tornado Mystery 5. end roll fiction

Rating: | SOSOS send ling some help!

 

Ling tosite sigure (凛として時雨) albums have always been a spectacle. Rewind back to 2007 - their second full album Inspiration is DEAD was just released and for me, listening to it was like being unwittingly thrust into a pool of chilly water. I hated it at first, but the longer I immersed myself in it, the more comfortable I became and I eventually began enjoying it. There was something irresistibly charming about an indie-rock band that sounded like angsty chipmunks, yet brandished the kind of instrumental prowess found in extreme metal. As much as I wanted to shun it, I kept coming back. The following year, they dropped their first single and I was completely sold. Every release after that was a complete thrill to sink your teeth into; you never knew what crazy riff TK would come up with, if Miyoko would sing more, or how the band would push their sound to new heights. The only thing certain was that Ling's new material would end up somewhere on your list at the end of the year.

Fast-forward to the present - the band has just released their latest EP es or s, and the endless wonder promised by the Ling's previous efforts is all but gone. From start to finish, the EP sounds like one big trip deja vu trip. The refrain in "mirror frustration" literally mirrors the chorus of "Beautiful Circus”, "end roll fiction" borrows moments from “secret cm”, and “Karma Siren” sounds like a limp combination of “Can you kill a secret?” and “Telecastic fake show”. It’s almost as if TK has taken Ling’s discography and thrown it into a blender, as you can almost dissect every moment on “es or s” and trace it back to an earlier creation. The problem isn’t that it’s derivative, though. Ling has always been adept at maintaining their sound while moving forward, but the band hasn’t broken any significant ground since 2010’s “still a Sigure virgin?”. Even their last full length, 2013's i’mperfect, generally considered as a creative brick wall for Ling, managed to deliver the band’s core strengths in an effective manner. On the other hand, this EP doesn’t even manage to refine their sound, let alone innovate. At most, there’s a cool, but exceedingly brief solo in “Mirror Frustration” and a pretty snazzy riff in “Tornado Mystery”, but those are hardly worth a mention when the rest of the EP is drowning in overused Ling tropes and suffering from some of TK's most drab songwriting yet.

On the bright side, the band is still as instrumentally proficient as they've always been, TK's vocals are at their most tolerant, and the production is sound. If you've just gotten into Ling or just haven't heard much of their back catalog, then there's a better chance that you'll receive this EP well and my criticism won't hold up. After all, there's nothing here that would constitute as 'bad' or unlistenable - it's all very well done. But if you're a long-time fan and have had a chance to live with their older works, then "es or s" might be a more difficult pill to swallow. You might even wonder what brought the band to this point. Each member now has their own side-projects; TK has released two solo albums, Miyoko has also released two with geek sleep sheep, and Pierre has his Chaotic Vibes Orchestra. One could easily assume that Ling is no longer their primary focus. Not to mention the anime themes that the band has been pumping out since 2012. "abnormalize" is their highest grossing single, so perhaps they've found a formula that sells and are sticking to it? It's hard to tell, and even more difficult to believe, but es or s truly legitimizes the notions that either TK's been hoarding all of his 'Fantastic Magic' for solo endeavors, or it's true that his 'Inspiration is DEAD'.

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[fitear1590 2414]

TK 'bout to be TKO'd when he reads that last line

[Yukimoto 1237]

I've listened to their older works and I still enjoyed their newest mini. Granted you are right that it isn't anything really new but more of the current style they've been using on their most recent singles. However, I guess that doesn't bother me to much, as I really liked the new mini.

[enyx 903]

My 'Inspiration is DEAD' line was used without proper Harvard referencing, I'm suing for plagiarism.

 

On a serious note, yep, I pretty much agree with everything here. I don't know what's going on with this band as of late but I haven't been able to really get into any of their stuff for the last 2-3 years now. I just find myself replaying their work from Inspiration to Sigure virgin and thinking about how they haven't really pushed their music forward at all since then.

[Pretsy 1343]

Not exactly sure if I'd agree with your line on I'mperfect being the best showcase of them being "at bare bones"  (#4 might be a good go in case such demonstration is needed). As far as my take goes, I personally view the said album as more of a condensed package you'd be able to spin thru mainstream means (radio, your non-rock fan friends) without getting appalled/confused faces during certain oddities in the midst of standard Ling rally (e.g. "Shandy" on Sigure virgin might leave post-hardcore folks on the fence). Very precise and spot-on reviewing though, @CAT5!

[CAT5 9075]

Pretzels, on 07 Sept 2015 - 09:23 AM, said:

Not exactly sure if I'd agree with your line on I'mperfect being the best showcase of them being "at bare bones" (#4 might be a good go in case such demonstration is needed). As far as my take goes, I personally view the said album as more of a condensed package you'd be able to spin thru mainstream means (radio, your non-rock fan friends) without getting appalled/confused faces during certain oddities in the midst of standard Ling rally (e.g. "Shandy" on Sigure virgin might leave post-hardcore folks on the fence). Very precise and spot-on reviewing though, @CAT5!

I think we more or less agree, but are wording things a bit differently. What I mean by "managed to deliver the band’s core strengths in an effective manner" is basically the same as "condensed". I feel like I'mperfect 'condenses' all of the core elements of ling and presents them in a straightforward and more accessible, albeit formulaic way. Although personally, I don't feel like that album is accessible to the point that it's mainstream and radio-ready. "es or s" on the other hand might be closer in that regard.

About #4, I just feel like that's ling at their rawest and most unrefined, which is charming in it's own way.

[yakihiko 1480]

Thank you for the review.

Well I can't say about if they are losing the inspiration or not, because I don't listen to them like CAT and Pho do.

I began to listen the band mainly cos of TK solo which I like and even ask for CAT a compilation of some really good songs.

This band have two good vocals, that keep me motivate by now to always takes a look on what they do.

For my taste, SOSOS is the best inside it, kind remind me of abnormalize.

btw, album name is almost "esse" xD

this band deep sleep sheep, she is the main vocal on the band?

[doombox 4421]

I was really happy TK's vocals stayed in a more tolerable pitch than in the past, and Miyoko had a nice large chunk of vocal duties as well. But, a lot of these songs didn't seem to have the same emotional build up and release that I know Sigure songs to have. So while I am not an old fan who knows the older works very well, I kinda agree that these songs are feeling a little uninspired for them... Even still, this may be one of their albums I can actually listen to regularly without burning out my ears. So it's a mixed bag of "Enigmatic Feeling" for me. 

 

Great review, @CAT5, as usual. I was really keen to know what you thought on this one since you're my go-to person for everything from this band.

[violetchain 912]

this band deep sleep sheep, she is the main vocal on the band?

No, geek sleep sheep has a male vocalist as well. They split the vocals, but he probably sings a bit more than Miyoko does overall.

[Pandabear 414]

 

Let me just say I’m one of those people who adhere to the “if it’s not broken don’t fix it” and “unoriginality doesn’t equal bad music” mentalities.

 

I agree with cat on this release not really expanding on the bands sound, but I don’t really mind because what they were doing was already rocking and working for me. I can’t really comment on the band rehashing melodies or parts from their past disco as I have yet to hear all of their disco yet, but this was still a pretty strong release for me.

 

I do however wish bands in general would realize the potential putting out brilliant mini’s or eps can have. Mini’s and EP’s are a great way to explore, experiment and present very strong tracks that make for an incredible release. Releases that are done like this usually end up becoming some of the strongest and well received output from a bands disco.

 

Back to this release, I do agree I would like to see the band progress their sound in someway, whether it’s refining it even further or exploring some other ideas or pushing some boundaries. Who know’s maybe their next album will do just that. Funny thing is, even if they don’t, I’ll probably still end up enjoying it a lot. Sure I’d be disappointed they didn’t progress in someway, but ling for me is one of the few bands who even if they release something subpar, it’ll still be awesome..