Are you part of The Tyee's critical 1%?

Thanks for reading The Tyee today — we hope this article added to your day in some way. Our team of independent journalists takes pride in doing in-depth reporting and taking time to get it right.

We're able to focus our attention on publishing impactful journalism in the public interest, and publish it for free for all to read, because we have the support of Tyee Builders. Tyee Builders are readers who contribute a bit of money — at a level and frequency of their choice — to support our editorial budget.

This core of supporters — making up about 1 to 2 per cent of our daily readership — enables us to pay our writers, keep our articles free and open to all, and not bombard our readers with annoying ads while you try to read.

Instead of focusing on what kind of articles will attract the most advertising dollars, we can spend time devoted to researching and writing stories that our readers find most valuable and make the most positive impact in our region.

If you'd like to join thousands of readers who help make independent journalism possible, consider joining Tyee Builders. Thank you.

— Jeanette Ageson, Publisher

Click here to Join Tyee Builders

Help us un-break journalism in Canada

You made it all the way through the article – I hope that means you liked it (or if not ‘liked’ it, gleaned some useful information from it). Tyee articles are known for being quite lengthy, so we appreciate when people spend some quality time with our work.

Listen, I’ll get to the point – the article you just read was made possible because our non-profit newsroom was able to pay a talented journalist to research and write it. And we can only afford to do that because of our business model, which relies on a certain percentage of our readers signing up for our paid membership program called Tyee Builders.

The traditional business model for journalism in Canada has been completely disrupted, and we’re witnessing a slow collapse as corporate newsrooms buy up distressed publications, lay people off, and suck the value out of them before declaring bankruptcy. And it doesn’t help that tech giant Meta has blocked Canadian news on their Facebook and Instagram platforms.

There is another way and we are carving the path.

Between 1 to 2 per cent of people who visit The Tyee contribute financially, but amazingly, that small percentage is enough to fund half of our overall budget. And it means we can operate without a paywall, too. 1 per cent of people giving means 99 per cent of people get access to quality, fact-based journalism from a talented team of journalists who live and work in B.C., Alberta, and across Canada. We think that’s pretty remarkable.

If you’re concerned about the way journalism is heading in Canada and you’d like to do something about it, consider joining Tyee Builders and contributing an amount that works for you.

— Jeanette Ageson, Publisher

Click here to Join Tyee Builders
Marking 20 years
of bold journalism,
reader supported.
support us subscribe free
Music Picks
Music

She Sings Like a House On Fire

And Shiina Ringo doesn't look too bad, either. Not that it matters.

Thom Wong 18 Jun 2009TheTyee.ca

Thom Wong writes regularly about music for The Tyee. He can also be found ruminating about the state of menswear at The Sunday Best.
image atom
Shiina Ringo originally rose to fame on the short-lived 'Tokyo Laugh-In'.

A few months ago, Susan Boyle shocked the world by being able to sing. The 47-year old volunteer church worker overcame the most blatantly contrived set-up in television history, and the cartoon super-villainy of Simon Cowell, to deliver a pretty good rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream". The fact that she wasn't remotely better than your average Broadway singer was lost in the euphoria people felt over this plain, dowdy woman who could actually perform with a modicum of skill. Was this the most inspiring story of the year? The producers of the show treated Miss Boyle like she was a street dog they had found who could play dead better than all your fancy, college-educated purebreeds. I don't know about you, but the whole incident made me feel kind of sick.

Yet I must confess that when I first came across Tokyo Jihen and their highly photogenic lead singer Shiina Ringo, with the claim that they should handle the next Bond theme, I was more than a little skeptical. Call it the anti-Boyle bias -- sure she might sound good, but would someone that pretty sound at all interesting?

Shiina is a bit of a sensation in her native Japan; that she remains almost unknown over here tells me either the Internet or our influx of exchange students aren't working properly. Her solo work, what I could find on Youtube at least, while refreshing in places, is a little too pop idol for my taste. But when she formally joined her longtime touring band as Tokyo Jihen (Tokyo Incidents), things started getting interesting.

In "Honnou", Shiina sings like a house on fire, wearing, at least in this video, a giant bird's nest of a hat with matching megaphone. Tokyo Jihen's sound cannot be easily categorized and changes from album to album, the only constant being Shiina's electric voice. While definitely pop rock, they throw in healthy amounts of ska, jazz, and disco, and aren't afraid of some excessive orchestration. The resulting mix is part No Doubt, part funk, and part uniquely Shiina. All of these factors see their culmination in the song and video for "Osca". The bass snakes its way in and out of a campy, 60's French caper soundtrack, before crashing into a chorus of straight ahead rock.

Unfortunately we live in a world where music is treated more secretively than the nuclear launch codes, so YouTube remains your best bet to listen to them or any Japanese band. They haven't released an album since 2007's Variety, and Shiina has a solo album out on June 24, leading to some speculation that the band was never meant to be permanent. You can stream her new single, "The Invaluable", which sounds disturbingly like regular, acoustic guitar pop, from here.

Related Tyee stories:

[Tyee]

Read more: Music

  • Share:

Facts matter. Get The Tyee's in-depth journalism delivered to your inbox for free

Tyee Commenting Guidelines

Comments that violate guidelines risk being deleted, and violations may result in a temporary or permanent user ban. Maintain the spirit of good conversation to stay in the discussion.
*Please note The Tyee is not a forum for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, denying its existence or minimizing its risk to public health.

Do:

  • Be thoughtful about how your words may affect the communities you are addressing. Language matters
  • Challenge arguments, not commenters
  • Flag trolls and guideline violations
  • Treat all with respect and curiosity, learn from differences of opinion
  • Verify facts, debunk rumours, point out logical fallacies
  • Add context and background
  • Note typos and reporting blind spots
  • Stay on topic

Do not:

  • Use sexist, classist, racist, homophobic or transphobic language
  • Ridicule, misgender, bully, threaten, name call, troll or wish harm on others
  • Personally attack authors or contributors
  • Spread misinformation or perpetuate conspiracies
  • Libel, defame or publish falsehoods
  • Attempt to guess other commenters’ real-life identities
  • Post links without providing context

LATEST STORIES

The Barometer

Are You Concerned about AI?

Take this week's poll