Shin-shiro

Shin-shiro (Japanese: シンシロ, Hepburn: Shinshiro; "New White") (Japanese pronunciation: [ɕiĩɕiɾo]) is the third studio album by Japanese band Sakanaction. It was released on January 21, 2009 through Victor Entertainment. The release was the band's first album after relocating to Tokyo and moving to Victor Entertainment's main roster. Led by the singles "Sen to Rei" and "Native Dancer", the album became the group's first release to chart in the top 10 albums on Oricon's weekly album chart. Shin-shiro featured a different production approach to the band's previous albums. Band vocalist Ichiro Yamaguchi collaborated with a different member of the band in a two-person demo session for each songs, instead of their previous approach involving all five members working together. This approach was difficult for pianist Emi Okazaki, who had no experience with song production previously, and for drummer Keiichi Ejima, who learnt the guitar specifically to record demos for this album. The first finished demo, created by Yamaguchi and bassist Ami Kusakari's for the song "Sen to Rei" strongly influenced the album's production. The album was well-received critically, with critics noting the band's growth; praising the band's electronic and pop sound, as well as Ichiro Yamaguchi's songwriting and vocals. The album led Sakanaction to be chosen one of the ten iTunes Japan Sound of 2009 artists, as well as nominated at the Life Music Award 2009. In 2009, the album was made available globally as a digital download, alongside the band's debut and second albums Go to the Future (2007) and Night Fishing (2008). In 2015, the album was reissued on CD, LP record and lossless digital formats.