Plus dure sera la chute… Je suis assez triste de constater que le retour de la chanteuse RURUTIA est tout et tout même peu satisfaisait.
Il faut dire que tout a commencé avec une relatif succès chez Emi Record (2001-2005), puis RURUTIA a fait une transition en indépendant chez Phoerix Record, il faut dire que son staff n’a pas changé et que la qualité de ses productions a été relativement régulière. Puis, après un single, en 2015, la chanteuse fera une très longue pose dans sa carrière, en partie pour des raisons de santé.
2020, surprise, RURUTIA refait surface sur Twitter et va annoncer, dans une relatif amateurisme techniques, une série de chanson qui sortiront en téléchargement.
Le résultat fut relativement décevant…Mais pourquoi donc ? Tout simplement en cause du producteur sonore. En effet, RURUTIA ne travaille plus avec son ancien co-arrangeur Taka Sato et son nouvel arrangeur, totalement inconnu, n’est clairement pas à la hauteur de ce dernier (un certain syun.T.jex).
C’est toujours le cas de son nouveau single, à peine sorti, intitulé 7th Heaven. Il s‘agit d’une espèce de ballade grandiloquente très mal produite avec un mauvais synthétiseur (sans même). Même l’enregistrement vocal n’est pas très bon et le résultat sonne comme une démo d’une jeune chanteuse débutante et autodidacte. En plus la cover est vraiment très laide et ne donne pas envie… c’est bien triste car il y a quelques années, les cover de RURUTIA étaient bien plus intéressantes.
C’est triste, mais ce retour de RURUTIA est un triste donwgrade et j’ai grande peine à imaginer une amélioration… A moins qu’elle intégré un vrai label ou qu’elle décide d’embaucher un vrai arrangeur ayant un minimum de talent. L’année prochaine la chanteuse fêtera 20 de carrière et j’espère qu’elle sortira un album meilleur que ces derniers titres passablement décevant.
Titre : 7th Heaven
Sortie : 2021.08.30
Référence : /
Prix : 250 yens
01. 7th Heaven
Van Jmusic 
Hahaha, I waited for your post about this.
I understand your concerns with Rurutia, as I too am (musically) less in love with some of the newer titles, but I’d argue this style has always been a part of her; we are simply receiving more songs of this caliber during these last few years. Given what she’s shown herself as capable of, I don’t think she has any issue with creativity or coming up with new music, it’s just that 1) we are receiving her work in smaller doses now, and 2) as an artist, what she’s had to say recently is in response to modern issues (especially with YUI and 7th Heaven), and I feel like her style changes significantly in that special circumstance.
(not sure if you’ve seen this interview, but there’s more context for that here:
http://www.tokyonoise.it/2020/11/29/intervista-esclusiva-tokyonoise-intervista-rurutia-interview-with-rurutia-the-vision-of-the-world-through-music-tokyonoise%e3%81%8crurutia%e3%81%ab%e3%82%a4%e3%83%b3%e3%82%bf%e3%83%93%e3%83%a5/)
And if you could recall Time Traveler, from Chorion:
I find the song’s composition boring, but if I remember the lyrics accurately, it’s about the world overcoming its scars and vices such as humans having prejudice for others, as opposed to the fantastical sceneries she often paints for us in other songs, often directed to a single, unknown other. But « Time Traveler » was released in the same album as « Parade, » « Magnolia no Joukei, » « Spinel, » « Hohoemi no Maria, » and others which I really like from Rurutia. They are completely different genres included within the same year or two. I personally find « 7th Heaven » to be a more well-done song than « Time Traveler, » for instance, but each is entitled to their own opinion.
Van Jmusic, I really get your concerns. But even if Rurutia never returns to her previous styles, I urge you to appreciate her past works all the more, because at least they still exist, and we’re both grateful for the songs we respectively like 😂 Don’t be too crushed or discouraged that what she’s putting out these days aren’t straight up bangers. I think she knows what she’s doing… and these pieces are simply what she has to offer at the moment. I get the feeling she doesn’t make her songs by asking herself, « what will they like? » or « How do I outdo the last album? » She does all kinds of things with her work, and these really simple pieces are just what she wants to do at the moment.
*(Plus, as an artist, there are some experiences or thoughts that are necessary to create music. Perhaps some subjects included in past albums are thoughts she won’t return to, as she’s changed throughout the years too and wants to impart more hopeful messages these days. I have no idea…)
Anyways, I like coming here to look at your reviews, as I’ve found some interesting music from your articles and your thoughts are always welcome. Happy listening.
Thank you for this long and very interesting comment.
the problem, in my opinion, is not the change of style, but the amateurism of the production and the recording.
Despite 20 years of career, RURUTIA is not able to offer a correct production. I know she doesn’t have a record label and money for it anymore, but I really feel like I’m hearing demos from a young, beginning artist …
She just has to hire a sound producer (and a communication and design manager) to offer her songs the quality of a professional production and why not a little more talent.
With Taka Sato it was easy, because he had a real professional studio and a long experience in sound production … Now 100% computer production (and without talent, I know many artists who do not have money and which produces everything on a computer and that’s much better) and home recording … you can hear it and it’s sad if we compare to the albums from before which had a production quality.
I criticize RURUTIA for his poor choice of sound producer (and her talent with photoshop lol). After 20 years (a large part of it as an independent) I don’t understand that she doesn’t realize that it’s not good.
Ah, I see. The production and aesthetics of the albums are the issues…
That’s a valid criticism given the length of her career. I don’t think I have as good of an ear as I should on production, even though I produce music on the computer as a hobby (in other words, I am the poster child of an amateur artist). But even I think the instruments in « Deeply » can be spaced better; it feels a bit like a tunnel when listening, compared to past works.
And by the way… does it seem that there’s an effect where her voice is layered twice in recent songs? I hear it in « Behind the Blue » and also these recent singles. Not that it’s a bad thing, but I’ve almost never discussed Rurutia’s works with other listeners…
Additionally, I get where you’re coming from in terms of aesthetics. For me, the covers of « We Say Goodnight » and « 7th Heaven » match the songs better than « Yui » and « Deeply », but none of them evoke the same mystery of her past works. They’re simple headshots like « Resonance » and « Node from R » were. « Seirios » was also a headshot, but I can feel a galaxy or ethereal energy from the cover, so to speak, while the cover of « Deeply » doesn’t give a hint of what the song will sound like (and I personally don’t think it matches very well). When I first saw the preview on tiktok, I too wondered if maybe this was an impersonator. I still feel bad for that, haha. Hopefully the future has great things waiting for us all.