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== Background and composition ==
== Background and composition ==
Nakatani began her career as a member of the girl group Sakurakko Club in 1991, performing with the group for two years. After her departure, she released the single Anata ga Wakaranai" (あなたがわからない) in 1993, which saw little success. Nakatani began concentrating on her acting career, and gained wide exposure after starring in commercials for [[Eneos|Nippon Oil]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-11-29 |title=渡部篤郎との15年愛乗り越え…中谷美紀が掴んだ“女の幸せ”｜日刊ゲンダイDIGITAL |url=http://www.nikkan-gendai.com/articles/view/geino/242624 |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=日刊ゲンダイDIGITAL}}</ref>
Nakatani began her career as a member of the girl group Sakurakko Club, performing with the group from 1991 to 1993. During this time, she formed the duo Key West Club.


In 1995, Nakatani dueted with producer [[Ryuichi Sakamoto]] on {{nihongo|"Aishiteru, Aishitenai"|愛してる, 愛してない||{{translation|"Love You, Love You Not"}}|lead=}} from his twelfth studio album, ''Smoochy''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=株式会社ローソンエンタテインメント |title=スムーチー |url=https://www.hmv.co.jp/product/detail/589912 |access-date=2024-01-09 |website=HMV&BOOKS online |language=ja}}</ref> Nakatani herself had always been a fan of Sakamoto's work, and frequently attended his concerts.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Clamp of the Week: Miki Nakatani|url=https://www.fujitv.co.jp/TKMC/VOL84/clamp.html#about|access-date=November 27, 2021|website=www.fujitv.co.jp}}</ref> During a chance encounter, the two hit it off after learning that their tastes and hobbies matched. Sakamoto reportedly held a long-term desire to produce for a female artist, and others opined that Nakatani saw it as an opportunity to dispel her idol image.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Rui Takeshima of ''Pop Master'' compared their partnership to that of French musician [[Serge Gainsbourg]] and actress [[Jane Birkin]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2017-09-30|title=【音楽レビュー】食物連鎖／中谷美紀 {{!}} POP MASTER|url=https://popmaster.jp/music/syokumotsurensa/|access-date=2021-11-27|language=ja}}</ref>
Nakatani met renowned producer [[Ryuichi Sakamoto]] by chance, and the two hit it off after learning that their interests matched. Nakatani herself had always been a fan of Sakamoto, and frequently attended his concerts.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Clamp of the Week: Miki Nakatani |url=https://www.fujitv.co.jp/TKMC/VOL84/clamp.html#about |access-date=November 27, 2021 |website=www.fujitv.co.jp}}</ref> She appeared on his 1995 album, ''Smoochy'', dueting on the song {{nihongo|"Aishiteru, Aishitenai"|愛してる, 愛してない||{{translation|"Love You, Love You Not"}}|lead=}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=株式会社ローソンエンタテインメント |title=スムーチー |url=https://www.hmv.co.jp/product/detail/589912 |access-date=2024-01-09 |website=HMV&BOOKS online |language=ja}}</ref> Sakamoto reportedly had a long-term desire to produce a female artist, and others opined that Nakatani saw it as an opportunity to dispel her idol image.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Rui Takeshima of ''Pop Master'' compared their partnership to that of French musician [[Serge Gainsbourg]] and actress [[Jane Birkin]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2017-09-30|title=【音楽レビュー】食物連鎖／中谷美紀 {{!}} POP MASTER|url=https://popmaster.jp/music/syokumotsurensa/|access-date=2021-11-27|language=ja}}</ref>


''Shokumotsu Rensa'' was produced by Sakamoto, who arranged nearly all of its songs and composed five.<ref name=":2" /> Primarily a [[Pop music|pop]] album, it draws from a number of genres including [[city pop]] on "Mind Circus" and [[electropop]] on the [[Taeko Onuki]]-penned "My Best of Love".<ref>{{Cite web |title=中谷美紀「MIND CIRCUS」収録！これはシティポップじゃなくてシティミュージック？ |url=https://reminder.top/143678866/ |access-date=2024-01-10 |website=reminder.top |language=ja}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2023-04-08 |title=坂本龍一が携わった後世にも伝えたい音楽作品 日本のポップミュージックを豊かにした偉大なる功績 |url=https://realsound.jp/2023/04/post-1299589.html |access-date=2024-01-10 |website=Real Sound｜リアルサウンド |language=ja}}</ref> "Tattoo", with lyrics by Nakatani, channels [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] and "Shikisai no Naka e" ({{nihongo2|色彩の中へ}}, "Into the Colors"), written by Brazilian musician [[Vinicius Cantuária]], is [[bossa nova]]-influenced.<ref name=":4" /> "Strange Paradise" features the only lyrics written by Sakamoto, which references 1985 [[Jean-Luc Godard]] film [[Hail Mary (film)|''Hail Mary'']].<ref name=":1" /> It was remixed for inclusion on the album.<ref name=":2" /> Cantuária and American musician [[Arto Lindsay]] composed the "hypnotic" album closer "Sorriso Escuro", which features Portuguese lyrics.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-09-29 |title=【音楽レビュー】Invoke／Arto Lindsay アート・リンゼイ {{!}} POP MASTER |url=https://popmaster.jp/music/invoke/ |access-date=2024-01-10 |language=ja}}</ref>
''Shokumotsu Rensa'' was produced by Sakamoto, who arranged nearly all of its songs and composed five.<ref name=":2" /> Primarily a [[Pop music|pop]] album, it draws from a number of genres including [[city pop]] on "Mind Circus" and [[electropop]] on the [[Taeko Onuki]]-penned "My Best of Love".<ref>{{Cite web |title=中谷美紀「MIND CIRCUS」収録！これはシティポップじゃなくてシティミュージック？ |url=https://reminder.top/143678866/ |access-date=2024-01-10 |website=reminder.top |language=ja}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2023-04-08 |title=坂本龍一が携わった後世にも伝えたい音楽作品 日本のポップミュージックを豊かにした偉大なる功績 |url=https://realsound.jp/2023/04/post-1299589.html |access-date=2024-01-10 |website=Real Sound｜リアルサウンド |language=ja}}</ref> "Tattoo", featuring the only lyrics written by Nakatani, channels [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] and "Shikisai no Naka e" ({{nihongo2|色彩の中へ}}, "Into the Colors"), written by Brazilian musician [[Vinicius Cantuária]], is [[bossa nova]]-influenced.<ref name=":4" /> "Strange Paradise" references the 1985 [[Jean-Luc Godard]] film [[Hail Mary (film)|''Hail Mary'']] in its lyrics.<ref name=":1" /> It was remixed for inclusion on the album.<ref name=":2" /> Cantuária and American musician [[Arto Lindsay]] composed the "hypnotic" album closer "Sorriso Escuro", which features Portuguese lyrics.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-09-29 |title=【音楽レビュー】Invoke／Arto Lindsay アート・リンゼイ {{!}} POP MASTER |url=https://popmaster.jp/music/invoke/ |access-date=2024-01-10 |language=ja}}</ref>


Lyricist [[Masao Urino]] was recruited by Sakamoto to work on ''Shokumotsu Rensa'', writing the words to five demos, of which four were completed for the album.<ref name=":2">{{cite AV media notes |title=Shokumotsu Rensa |type=liner notes |others=[[Miki Nakatani]] |publisher=For Life Records |year=1996 |id=FLCG-3023 |location=Japan}}</ref> In a 2016 retrospective with ''Oricon'', celebrating 35 years of Urino's work, he recounted that period as one of the longest in his career, as he pressured himself to match the quality of Sakamoto's "imposing" arrangements and spent a month on each song. Urino reflected on their collaboration with fondness as Sakamoto gave him a newfound confidence, teaching Urino to write with "instinct".<ref>{{Cite news|date=July 9, 2016|title=35周年を迎えた作詞家・売野雅勇氏 明菜、チェッカーズらヒット曲誕生秘話語る|work=Oricon News|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/49117/}}</ref>
Lyricist [[Masao Urino]] was recruited by Sakamoto to work on ''Shokumotsu Rensa'', writing the words to five demos, of which four were completed for the album.<ref name=":2">{{cite AV media notes |title=Shokumotsu Rensa |type=liner notes |others=[[Miki Nakatani]] |publisher=For Life Records |year=1996 |id=FLCG-3023 |location=Japan}}</ref> In a 2016 retrospective with ''Oricon'', celebrating 35 years of Urino's work, he recounted that period as one of the longest in his career, as he pressured himself to match the quality of Sakamoto's "imposing" arrangements and spent a month on each song. Urino reflected on their collaboration with fondness as Sakamoto gave him a newfound confidence, teaching Urino to write with "instinct".<ref>{{Cite news|date=July 9, 2016|title=35周年を迎えた作詞家・売野雅勇氏 明菜、チェッカーズらヒット曲誕生秘話語る|work=Oricon News|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/49117/}}</ref>

Revision as of 04:27, 11 January 2024

Shokumotsu Rensa
The cover image features Miki Nakatani in a patterned tank top against a red, curtained backdrop. Cover image is textless.
Studio album by
Miki Nakatani
ReleasedSeptember 4, 1996
Recorded1996
GenrePop
LabelFor Life Records
ProducerRyuichi Sakamoto
Miki Nakatani chronology
Shokumotsu Rensa
(1996) 		Cure
(1997)
Singles from Shokumotsu Rensa
  1. "Mind Circus"
    Released: May 17, 1996
  2. "Strange Paradise"
    Released: July 19, 1996

Shokumotsu Rensa (Japanese: 食物連鎖, transl. Food Chain) is the debut studio album by Japanese singer Miki Nakatani. It was released on September 4, 1996, by For Life Records. Following her departure from the girl group Sakurakko Club in 1993, Nakatani concentrated on her acting career, before returning to music under the tutelage of musician Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Nakatani was noted for her "cool" vocal performance on Shokumotsu Rensa, and the album features contributions from Taeko Onuki, Yasuharu Konishi of Pizzicato Five, and Arto Lindsay. The album was preceded by two singles: "Mind Circus" and "Strange Paradise". Shokumotsu Rensa peaked at number five on the Oricon charts and is her best-selling album.

Background and composition

Nakatani began her career as a member of the girl group Sakurakko Club in 1991, performing with the group for two years. After her departure, she released the single Anata ga Wakaranai" (あなたがわからない) in 1993, which saw little success. Nakatani began concentrating on her acting career, and gained wide exposure after starring in commercials for Nippon Oil.[1]

Nakatani met renowned producer Ryuichi Sakamoto by chance, and the two hit it off after learning that their interests matched. Nakatani herself had always been a fan of Sakamoto, and frequently attended his concerts.[2] She appeared on his 1995 album, Smoochy, dueting on the song "Aishiteru, Aishitenai" (愛してる, 愛してない, transl. "Love You, Love You Not").[3] Sakamoto reportedly had a long-term desire to produce a female artist, and others opined that Nakatani saw it as an opportunity to dispel her idol image.[2][4] Rui Takeshima of Pop Master compared their partnership to that of French musician Serge Gainsbourg and actress Jane Birkin.[4]

Shokumotsu Rensa was produced by Sakamoto, who arranged nearly all of its songs and composed five.[5] Primarily a pop album, it draws from a number of genres including city pop on "Mind Circus" and electropop on the Taeko Onuki-penned "My Best of Love".[6][7] "Tattoo", featuring the only lyrics written by Nakatani, channels R&B and "Shikisai no Naka e" (色彩の中へ, "Into the Colors"), written by Brazilian musician Vinicius Cantuária, is bossa nova-influenced.[7] "Strange Paradise" references the 1985 Jean-Luc Godard film Hail Mary in its lyrics.[4] It was remixed for inclusion on the album.[5] Cantuária and American musician Arto Lindsay composed the "hypnotic" album closer "Sorriso Escuro", which features Portuguese lyrics.[8]

Lyricist Masao Urino was recruited by Sakamoto to work on Shokumotsu Rensa, writing the words to five demos, of which four were completed for the album.[5] In a 2016 retrospective with Oricon, celebrating 35 years of Urino's work, he recounted that period as one of the longest in his career, as he pressured himself to match the quality of Sakamoto's "imposing" arrangements and spent a month on each song. Urino reflected on their collaboration with fondness as Sakamoto gave him a newfound confidence, teaching Urino to write with "instinct".[9]

Release

Shokumotsu Rensa was released on September 4, 1996, through For Life Records and Güt, Sakamoto's own record label. The cover photograph for the album was taken by Kazunali Tajima, who became a frequent collaborator of Nakatani's.[10] The artwork positions Nakatani against a backdrop of red curtains, gazing into the distance.[5] Ryutaro Amano of Mikiki noted the photograph for its "melancholic" quality.[11]

"Mind Circus" was the first single issued from Shokumotsu Rensa on May 17, 1996.[12] It peaked at number twenty on the Oricon and charted for a total of eleven weeks. It played on the Nippon TV drama Oretachi ni Ki wo Tsukero with Nakatani in a lead role. "Strange Paradise" was released as the second single on July 19, 1996, peaking at number thirty and charting for nine weeks.[12] It was used in Nakatani's commercials for Ito En's Oi Ocha green tea beverage.

The album peaked at number five on the Oricon, charting for a total of seven weeks.[13] It charted at number eight on Billboard's Hits of the World: Japan for the week of September 16, 1996.[14]

Critical reception

Shokumotsu Rensa was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Tower Records commended the "mysterious atmosphere" that Nakatani brings to the album, naming it a masterpiece.[15] Tomoyuki Mori of Real Sound called it a "chic pop album where restraint and sophistication coexist", while CD Journal highlighted the "gorgeous" contributions by Onuki and Konishi, comparing her to singer Tomomi Kahala.[7][16]

Writing for Pop Master, Rui Takeshima noted the album's lyrical complexities and felt that Nakatani's vocals had a clear quality to it, "as if she had just stepped out of a sterile room, without pretense".[4] After Sakamoto's passing in 2023, a retrospective piece was published in Vogue Japan by Toru Mitani, echoed this sentiment where Nakatani's debut "exuded a sense of transparency and divinity" and likened her to a mysterious "vessel" in accepting beautiful melodies. They contrasted Nakatani with her contemporary, the Tetsuya Komuro-produced Namie Amuro, and called the album a masterpiece.[17]

As part of a feature evaluating Japanese actresses' forgotten music careers in Cyzo magazine, "Mind Circus" was well regarded and one of the few not to be given a negative "dark past" or kurorekishi (黒歴史) rating. Nakatani's relaxed vocals were praised and "Mind Circus" was commended as it worked because it was neither a song that relied purely on atmospherics, nor was it a diva-style that shouted.[18]

Track listing

All songs composed and arranged by Ryuichi Sakamoto except where noted.[5]

No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Mind Circus"Masao Urino  5:16
2."Strange Paradise (Paradise Mix)"Ryuichi Sakamoto  6:13
3."Aibiki no Mori de" (逢いびきの森で "In the Forest of Encounters")Yasuharu KonishiKonishiKonishi5:26
4."Yogoreta Ashi The Silence of Innocence" (汚れた脚 "Dirty Legs")Urino  6:01
5."My Best of Love"Taeko OnukiOnuki 5:03
6."Where the River Flows"Urino  6:44
7."Tattoo"Miki Nakatani  6:02
8."Shikisai no Naka e" (色彩の中へ "Into the Colors")Hiroshi TakanoVinicius Cantuária 5:58
9."Lunar Fever"TakanoToshiko MoriMori4:30
10."Sorriso Escuro"Arto Lindsay, Cantuária, UrinoLindsay, Cantuária 4:24
  • Tracks 1, 2, 6, 7, and 9 are stylized in all uppercase.
  • Tracks 5 and 10 are stylized in all lowercase.

Charts and sales

Chart (1996) Peak

position

Sales
Oricon Weekly Albums[19] 5 131,000[19]

References

  1. ^ "渡部篤郎との15年愛乗り越え…中谷美紀が掴んだ"女の幸せ"｜日刊ゲンダイDIGITAL". 日刊ゲンダイDIGITAL. 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  2. ^ a b "Clamp of the Week: Miki Nakatani". www.fujitv.co.jp. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  3. ^ 株式会社ローソンエンタテインメント. "スムーチー". HMV&BOOKS online (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  4. ^ a b c d "【音楽レビュー】食物連鎖／中谷美紀 | POP MASTER" (in Japanese). 2017-09-30. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  5. ^ a b c d e Shokumotsu Rensa (liner notes). Miki Nakatani. Japan: For Life Records. 1996. FLCG-3023.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ "中谷美紀「MIND CIRCUS」収録！これはシティポップじゃなくてシティミュージック？". reminder.top (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  7. ^ a b c "坂本龍一が携わった後世にも伝えたい音楽作品 日本のポップミュージックを豊かにした偉大なる功績". Real Sound｜リアルサウンド (in Japanese). 2023-04-08. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  8. ^ "【音楽レビュー】Invoke／Arto Lindsay アート・リンゼイ | POP MASTER" (in Japanese). 2017-09-29. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  9. ^ "35周年を迎えた作詞家・売野雅勇氏 明菜、チェッカーズらヒット曲誕生秘話語る". Oricon News. July 9, 2016.
  10. ^ "Tajima Kazunali - Music". Mild Inc. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  11. ^ "坂本龍一 追悼――YMOから戦メリ、ライブの思い出まで、タワレコスタッフ10名がそれぞれの視点から綴る〈教授と私〉". Mikiki (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  12. ^ a b "中谷美紀のシングル売上TOP8作品". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  13. ^ "中谷美紀のアルバム売上TOP5作品". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  14. ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 38. September 12, 1996. p. 48. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  15. ^ "中谷美紀/食物連鎖". tower.jp. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  16. ^ "中谷美紀 / 食物連鎖 - CDJournal". artist.cdjournal.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  17. ^ Nast, Condé (2023-04-03). "坂本龍一と中谷美紀が奏でた音楽。"知性あるアンドロイド"、その普遍性を探る（Toru Mitani）". Vogue Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  18. ^ "鈴木蘭々の隠れた才能、黒木メイサはいきなり迷走？ 意外なアノ女優たちのCDデビュー歴を暴く！". サイゾーpremium. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  19. ^ a b "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree']. Oricon (in Japanese).
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