Now that Spotify playlists have supplanted albums as the preferred method of consuming an artist's work, the concept of greatest-hits compilations feels both prescient and redundant, like releasing DJ mix albums in the era of SoundCloud. For the musicians themselves, though, such compilations can offer an opportunity to reappraise discographies and reshuffle the pieces to more flattering effect.
Sakanaction's Ichiro Yamaguchi has apparently never come across a piscine metaphor he didn't like, and he approaches the task of filleting his band's oeuvre with academic diligence. "Sakana Zukan" ("Book of Fishes") comes packaged with a dense textbook of trivia and is available in two- and three-disc versions, the latter of which clocks in at nearly four hours.
The release arrives at an interesting time for the band, currently prepping a follow-up to its self-titled 2013 album — its first to reach the top spot on the Oricon charts. Rather than opt for a standard chronological approach, Yamaguchi and co. have scattered selections from throughout their career over the discs, which are organized into three categories: "Shallows," "Mid-Water" and "Deep Sea."
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