I have to admit that I hadn't known what my ears were getting into as the first thirty seconds of "Yasashii Tetsugaku" (A Gentle Philosophy) were getting under way. A bouncing then galloping electro rhythm followed by strings and then French horns. I knew that Tomita Lab（富田ラボ）and Ringo Shiina（椎名林檎）were the collaborators so I was expecting something distinct and certainly those thirty seconds were slowly raising expectations within me.
Then, the guitars and keyboards that reminded me of 1970s progressive rock and West Coast AOR simultaneously crashed right in. The rest of "Yasashii Tetsugaku" rises and falls in level of intrigue although the overall song is solid as I get to hear Shiina sing something that's not jazzy or supremely techno for the first time in a while. Tomita Lab took care of the melody while Shiina was the lyricist for this track from the former's 4th album "Joyous" from October 2013.
As for what this gentle philosophy is, looking at Shiina's lyrics, I get hints of the Force, Zen and the need to work together to reach that Nirvana.
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