AA's Definitive, All-Purpose J-Rock Thread

[Tremolo]

I threatened this back in my MUCC thread (http://www.animeacademy.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21226) and I've decided to go through with it.

Firstly, I love Japanese rock music.

Secondly, I love talking about Japanese rock music. Look at the threads I've made for instance, and I felt that rather than make more I should consign all my ramblings on artists to one particular place. Obviously that's not to say you can't - feel free, hell, feel free to do your own stuff in here as well if you want, I'm just a neat freak and like my stuff all in one place. :XD:

So, this is how it works. Every few days or week (or whenever) I'll post a few paragraphs about a band along with song and album recommendations and maybe even helpful links. However, you won't find anything on the pillows or L'Arc~en~Ciel because most people know of them. Instead I'll be focusing on lesser-known artists you may not have heard of; artists that may challenge a non-fan's view of J-rock. As I said earlier, J-rock isn't just the pillows or lots of effeminate men in makeup: there is so, so much more.

Feel free to discuss the bands I'm talking about, or other bands you feel I should take a look at. Even use this thread to announce release dates, exciting news or even concert dates. Anything goes (except shit like "i lubs teh jrocks lolol" or "kyo/miyavi/gackt etc is sooOOooOO hawt!!! ^_^").

With the honour of kicking off this massive ego-trip, I present the first band to go under the Trem microscope:

Inugami Circus-dan
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/inu2.png

Inugami Circus-dan had actually been around for almost ten years before they signed to a major label. Maybe their image (which is hardly marketable for the mainstream) didn't help, because it certainly gives the impression the band are "scary", or "gothic" or just rather more extreme visual kei. And yet...they're not. Mixing traditional, bluesy rock with Japanese rhythms and melodies and a good dose of the dark, gruesome and plain theatrical, their sound is unlike anything I've ever heard.

And of course, they have a female singer which is incredibly rare when it comes to such a straight-up, non-commercial band like this. Kyoko's voice is simply stunning: powerful, strident, cruel, blessed with terrifying range and in perfect synch with the music. The guitar work is rich and ear-catching - these guys are no amateurs.

Put it this way: ignore their image (if it puts you off at all), listen to their music. They're frigging amazing.

Where to start? I'd suggest their major label debut sukeban rock. When I say there's not a band song on it, I really, really mean it. Every track is nearly flawless and gives you a perfect idea of just what this band are like.

Recommended Songs: 'akaneko', 'aitsu', 'tsugou no ii onna', 'sukeban rock'.
Official Site: inugami.jp (http://www.inugami.jp/)
Other: Inugami Circus-dan fansite (http://www.geocities.co.jp/Hollywood-Kouen/3043/e/)

[Kei]

I find most J-rock and J-pop pretty boring. But I love "The Babystars" a whole lot. Thats pretty much the extent of what I listen to, as far as J-music goes.


~Kei

[Taleweaver]

Sakamoto Maaya is sooOOooOO hawt!!! ^_^

Nah, I really love everybody's favorite seiyuu-turned-singer. An immensely versatile voice, able to adapt to many different styles from classical to jazz music, and with Kanno Yoko as her "personal composer", she has the best possible songwriter. Too bad she hardly gets any good seiyuu roles any longer; her three-or-so lines in "Advent Children" were really disappointing.

[Ninja Realist]

Only band I like that could even be considered J-Rock is Polysics.

[Tremolo]

Taleweaver has the right idea.

But as for that vagabond Realist, I expected better from you ;_;. Why do you like them? What songs are worth checking out? What do they sound like? I really don't want this thread to become people just listing the bands they like - there are other threads for that. "Discussion" is the key word, here.

And sorry you feel that way, Kei.

[silan]

I think I listened to one song by Inugami Circus-dan a long, long time ago... but darned if I can remember what it was. I think I liked it, but since I didn't even remember that they had a female singer, I guess it didn't make that much of an impression on me. I'll have to hunt for it and see if I can listen to it again more closely.

Sakamoto Maaya and Kanno Yoko are one of the best match-ups in Japanese music. Kanno writes so many different styles, and Sakamoto can sing them all. Their music together is always beautiful.

[AioshiNYI88]

It's nice to see a good all purpose J-Rock thread,Thanks Tremolo

[Niner]

Er, pretty much the only J-rock exposure I have right now is stuff off the FLCL soundtrack (which is pretty much the only redeeming thing to come from that particular series), mostly Pillows stuff and that one ED from Honey & Clover, "Mistake" by THE BAND HAS NO NAME. I'm too lazy to go out and find more of their stuff, but I imagine if I did, I'd probably like it. XD

I didn't know that Maaya Sakamoto was considered J-rock, though. o.o Most of her stuff is kinda pop-ish, so I always thought she fell under the J-pop category.

[sohryu]

Only band I like that could even be considered J-Rock is Polysics.

I've heard one song, Kaja Kaja Goo (sp?), from the Polysics. It's really a great song, very catchy. The video is pretty weird, but good nonetheless. XD

I haven't heard much J-Rock, aside from all the mainstream stuff that you said you weren't going to mention. I think the thread's a good idea. ^_^

Now go research the Polysics and let me know more about 'em, Trem! :P

[A-R@D]

I didn't know that Maaya Sakamoto was considered J-rock, though. o.o Most of her stuff is kinda pop-ish, so I always thought she fell under the J-pop category.

I know people like to differentiate between pop and rock, but really pop music is a subgenre of rock music. Face it everyone! pop music is rock music with clean vocals and catchy beats. Just because its not cool to like pop music doesnt mean pop isnt rock.

As far as J-rock goes, I have listened to a few albums, but the only artists that I even partialy enjoyed were The Brilliant Green and The Pillows. Both have styles that are somewhat similar, a very non-abrasive alt-rock style that is easy to listen to. The pillows in particular have a few songs that I feel are pretty good, other than that I havent heard anything good at all really. (not to say that I have listen to a large amount of it)

[Niner]

Er, not so sure on that rock --> pop thing, but whatever floats your boat. XD

And I listen to a lot of Tommy heavenly6 as well. She probably counts as J-rock easily.

[Tremolo]

Now go research the Polysics and let me know more about 'em, Trem! :P

Fux dat, that's Realist's job :XD:


Mang, all you peoples need edumacating. The situation is more dire than I thought!

I think I listened to one song by Inugami Circus-dan a long, long time ago... but darned if I can remember what it was. I think I liked it, but since I didn't even remember that they had a female singer, I guess it didn't make that much of an impression on me. I'll have to hunt for it and see if I can listen to it again more closely.

Ooh, please do. Try and get your hands on sukeban rock, if you can. I'd say it was almost worth a blind buy, it's that good.

Same goes for the rest of you!

[Nicotine]

yay! j-rock thread! ^^

I've heard of Inugami Circus-dan but I've never listened to their music :( I shall go and find some of their songs!

Anyway, I love j-rock too of course. My fravorite band has to be Plastic Tree with Dir en grey close behind. I just got into the new band called D'Air. I don't think their that popular yet, but their music is pretty good.

[Spilled Milk]

oo fun time!!
(I'm going to sneak alittle K pop in there >.>)
Miyavi- this music will honestly give you ADHD! seriously XD I love his music it's very VERY hyper and energetic.
Antic Cafe-Their music is just plain ol fun! I really Enjoy their song Merry making for anyone who is interested. They Finally released a whole album!! as an added bonus to their music Their style is awsome and a HUGE inspiration to me.
D-they have a very "gothic" sound to them but I find their music almost has a sophisticated attitude. They scream but tastefully.
Mucc-amazing..
se7en-his music is catchy
RAIN-his music is also very catchy and makes me want to dance.

lately I've really been into alot of J-indies like antic cafe, gazette(are the indies?), Kra, BIS, Alice Nine and others. XD

[Nicotine]

Hmmm, I don't think Gazette is indies...I may be wrong though..
Bis! I love them, they have such a cute style!

[Spilled Milk]

well I knew they were just not sure if they still are..O.O..

[Ninja Realist]

Sorry. To follow up on my earlier reccomendation.

About Polysics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polysics

Why I like them: They are really fresh and interesting. Plus I am a huge Divo fan. They are kind of like this insanely hyper and frenetic Electro-Rock, that can be both permeatingly enthralling and intensely passionate.

[silan]

Ooh, please do. Try and get your hands on sukeban rock, if you can. I'd say it was almost worth a blind buy, it's that good.
Whoops, no wonder I never remembered Inugami Circus-dan has a female vocalist: I was thinking of Doremi-dan. Heh... close enough, right? They both end in "-dan"! :sweat:

I guess I've never tried any of Inugami, but I'll look for "sukeban rock." I'm always open to try new bands.

[bondingo]

And I listen to a lot of Tommy heavenly6 as well. She probably counts as J-rock easily.
Yeah, I would say she does. She's far from being hardcore or anything though (more Pop-ish in her style). As for real ROCK, I would definitely have to go with Shiina Ringo/Tokyo Jihen. Now she's really awesome :)

[Nicotine]

If you like Shiina Ringo, you'll like Bonnie Pink. Her stuff's really good, too. I suggest the song Senaka.

[Spilled Milk]

*kicks Tremolo*

ahem...
does anybody know how recent the song baka ni natta no ni by Plastic Tree is?
I was just watching the PV and its wonderful XD and I just love the song...

also...did I hear correctly about Plastic tree releasing a new album?

[AioshiNYI88]

*kicks Tremolo*

ahem...
does anybody know how recent the song baka ni natta no ni by Plastic Tree is?
I was just watching the PV and its wonderful XD and I just love the song...

also...did I hear correctly about Plastic tree releasing a new album?

I love that song. The video is soo funny

[Nicotine]

Hmm, I think that song was released in 2003. It's a cover song.

[Tremolo]

Kagrra,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/kagrra.png

Kagrra are very, very hard band to really put your finger on. On one hand, they sound absolutely nothing like you've ever heard before, and yet there is something comfortingly familiar about them. Perhaps it's the fact that their music is described as "Neo Japanese", mainly for the reason that they combine ancient Japanese melodies and instruments with a jazzy, refreshing modern rock sound that takes its influences from all sorts of places.

I know these things will start getting old fast if I keep harping on about how good the singer's voices are, but Isshi really has the most gorgeous falsetto I've ever heard. His voice is incredibly versatile and unmistakably his - I can't say I've heard anyone who sounds slightly like they have a blocked-up nose when they sing, but he somehow manages to pull it off.

The instrumentation isn't anything immediately striking, but that's the whole point. Repeated listenings of Kagrra really do have their own rewards - smaller things jump at you each time, and no song of theirs sounds exactly the same each time you hear it. With that, the instrumentation is really beautifully crafted and perfectly orchestrated.

Having since gone major and acquiring a extraneous comma, Kagrra have gradually ditched their older look of kimono's and makeup, but still manage to look like no one else currently on the Japanese music scene.

I suggest starting with their gozen album, which is simply the band in excelsis and the perfect example of their sound and style. Their second major label ~san~ is also very good and perhaps slightly more available.

Recommended Songs: 'urei', 'satsuki', 'ihoukyou', 'ayashi no hikari', 'uta', 'omou'.
Official Site: pscompany.co.jp/kagrra, (http://www.pscompany.co.jp/kagrra,/)
Fansites and Further Reading: Silan's Kagrra thread (http://www.animeacademy.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20561), neo japanesque (http://kagrra.evadne.net/kagrra_frame.htm).

[Nicotine]

I've listened to them and they're pretty good. I don't like they're visual though, I wonder who designs they're costumes...(that sounds so shallow! XD).
Anyway, I'll check out those recommendations, too.

[General Suburbia]

I've listened to them and they're pretty good. I don't like they're visual though, I wonder who designs they're costumes...(that sounds so shallow! XD).
Anyway, I'll check out those recommendations, too.
Yes. How I long for the good old days when rock stars still wore spandex and sported long hair.

[Tremolo]

Yes. How I long for the good old days when rock stars still wore spandex and sported long hair.

And your point is...?

Hmm, I think that song was released in 2003. It's a cover song.

It was indeed :) The band that originally did it were a punk band called The Pees. I have their version as well and it's totally different. 'moshimo piano ga hiketa nara' released on the same single was also a cover of a popular/famous J Dorama song - the original is a slow, piano-lead thing. And I like the covers but I'm not sure they should've been included on the Shirochronicle album...it seemed a bit like filler shoving two cover songs there as opposed to new ones.

also...did I hear correctly about Plastic tree releasing a new album?

This year, most likely.

[Tremolo]

Bu-umped for discussion about the stupid new song from stupid Gackt.

Gackt's music is almost becoming a brand name, what with his whoring of songs to the new Zeta Gundam movie trilogy and now REDEMPTION for the new Final Fantasy VII game (which I don't give a toss about). But then Gackt's whored himself out to every brand under the sun, so whatever.

I can't help but like the guy. He's batshit insane and his music has made barely any progression from his first mini-album, but I'll be damned on the day when I actually make a point of not listening to him anymore.

'REDEMPTION' sounds like every other Gackt song ever made and follows on from his more recent electronic influences. Although that makes it sound far more experimental than it actually is.

So we've got the verses with the vague techno thing, and Engrish murmering which is a bit different from the norm, then the chorus which is suitably anthemic and big, repeat once or twice, then the typical bridge which is another part of the song from earlier, just sung slower and mildly distorted, and then it ends with a DER DER DUN guitar/drum thing which most of his songs end on. Typical Gackt, basically. If you're at all familiar with his music you know exactly what I mean. The PV even has him with another terrible hairstyle gesturing dramatically.

And yet I enjoyed this a lot more than most of the stuff on DIABOLOS, if perhaps not as much as 'Metamorphoze', 'Dispar' and 'ROAD'. There's something about this one that really grabs me - maybe because I really like the obligatory Slow Part, I dunno. It's good.

REEDEMMMPSHOOONNN!

[Liegenschonheit]

psst.. If you do Judy and Mary or Go!Go!7188 I'll give you a cookie. Or even Shiina Ringo. People need to know that J-rock isn't just men in drag screaming and prancing around. (Even though that is fun, sometimes.)

I agree with TW on Sakamoto Maaya. Not only is she very talented and an amazing singer, she made the transition from anime music to mainstream j-music seem easy. Her newer albums like Dive and Shounen Alice are just really damn good. And, she is really, really nice ^_^

[Tremolo]

psst.. If you do Judy and Mary or Go!Go!7188 I'll give you a cookie. Or even Shiina Ringo. People need to know that J-rock isn't just men in drag screaming and prancing around. (Even though that is fun, sometimes.)

Not really a Judy and Mary fan, but I'm gradually getting into Go!Go!7188 and I love Shiina/Tokyo Jihen, so I'll definitely do her at least. Plastic Tree, THE BACK HORN, Gazette and possibly LUNA SEA are on the to-do list as well.

And yeah, I hate that stereotype as well. I've done threads on BUCK-TICK and MUCC and nether conform to it at all, fortunately - hell, even when they wore make-up, they still dressed in relatively "normal" clothes. I'll probably regurgitate those threads here at some point. :XD:

Kagrra used to do the drag thing, but their music is so good and different I don't really mind.

[Akuhei]

Go!Go!7188 is amazing x_x, <3 girls with guitars as Tremolo once said :P

[silan]

:D Nice comments on Gackt. He's sadly overrated, IMO. Not because his voice isn't really good, mind you. I actually love his voice; it's his music I don't really like. I love "Emu ~for my dear~", which will always be one of my favorite songs, period. But most of his music..... Let's just move on.

A Kagrra, review! I'm happy. I got some of their indies for Christmas!

[Tremolo]

:D Nice comments on Gackt. He's sadly overrated, IMO. Not because his voice isn't really good, mind you. I actually love his voice; it's his music I don't really like. I love "Emu ~for my dear~", which will always be one of my favorite songs, period. But most of his music..... Let's just move on.

Oh he's tremendously overrated, but I still enjoy his music in a guilty pleasure kind of way. And his voice is amazing.

'Emu' is definitely one of his best songs, too.

A Kagrra, review! I'm happy. I got some of their indies for Christmas!

Oh, awesome! Which ones did you get?

And I've been totally hooked on ~san~ for the last few days. I listened to it six times in a row yesterday - I think I'm liking it even more than gozen now.

[Nicotine]

Go!Go!7188 is amazing x_x, <3 girls with guitars as Tremolo once said :P

I love them *_*. Aa Seishun and Jetto Ninjin are my fravorite songs from them.

[silan]

Oh, awesome! Which ones did you get?

And I've been totally hooked on ~san~ for the last few days. I listened to it six times in a row yesterday - I think I'm liking it even more than gozen now.
~san~ is awesome, isn't it?

I got kirameki and Ouka Ranman. I can't stop listening to them. I'm in heaven!

Oh, and I finally got my hands on Macabre. I was so shocked to see it sitting unpurchased in Uwajimaya; I couldn't believe my good luck. So even though I was almost broke from Christmas, I bought it anyway. But I need to listen to it a bit more before I figure out how it rates against the others.

I also just got in MISSA today. Slowly but surely, my Dir en grey collection is becoming complete.

[Mayonaka Haku]

I also just got in MISSA today. Slowly but surely, my Dir en grey collection is becoming complete.

That was their best album imho. It had such an interesting atmosphere that had both emptyness and a sort of tense insanity to it. Though I enjoyed Macabre and Gauze, there is just something about MISSA I really liked.

[ant]

Does anyone consider T.M. Revolution J Rock? If so I will post a comment.

[Spilled Milk]

naw I think he would be classified as J-pop ant. buuut that doesn't mean you can't start a new thread about him. japanese music isn't all confined to this thread its just a thread to help introduce people to more J-Rock :).
I love TMR so I think it'd be cool if you made a thread about him :)

[Tremolo]

Nah, TMR is very much pure cheesy pop. Enjoyable, though :D

Yeah, as SM says, go and make a TMR thread. I'll post in it :XD:

~san~ is awesome, isn't it?

It's just beautiful. Every song's a keeper.

Oh, and I finally got my hands on Macabre. I was so shocked to see it sitting unpurchased in Uwajimaya; I couldn't believe my good luck. So even though I was almost broke from Christmas, I bought it anyway. But I need to listen to it a bit more before I figure out how it rates against the others.

I really can't wait to hear your thoughts on this, it being my favourite and all, and I still consider the apex of what Dir en grey can achieve. It definitely needs a few listens, but once it grabs hold of you it never lets go.


Oh, and if there are any LUNA SEA fans around, I really recommend the album HEAVEN by Tourbillion, the new project from singer Ryuichi and guitarist Inoran. I was surprised with how good, solid and consistent it was. Despite lacking SUGIZO's guitar, you could almost fool yourself into thinking it's new LUNA SEA music, which is a good thing.

[Nicotine]

Oh, and if there are any LUNA SEA fans around, I really recommend the album HEAVEN by Tourbillion, the new project from singer Ryuichi and guitarist Inoran. I was surprised with how good, solid and consistent it was. Despite lacking SUGIZO's guitar, you could almost fool yourself into thinking it's new LUNA SEA music, which is a good thing.

I should check that out since I miss Luna Sea ;__;. Ryuichi's voice is really soothing...I wish they would just...reband? XD

[Tremolo]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/nightmare.png
Nightmare
I've become kind of bored with the visual kei scene of late. When I first started out, all I really listened to were visual kei bands, but now genuinely awesome vis-k bands that are really worth listening to are very hard to come by nowadays; the scene has got pretty stagnant. I do love what Gazette are doing, and alicenine are pretty good, too and of course I adore Kagrra, but the rest...eh. Everyone seems to be trying to sound like Dir en grey, and I'm bored witless of it - all the singers are trying to sound like Kyo, and I don't really appreciate that.

Enter then, Nightmare. A visual kei band who don't particularly sound much like visual kei and sound nothing like Dir en grey. Unlike the two previous band's I've profiled however, Nightmare's singer Yomi does not have a particularly amazing voice. It is however very dependable, does everything it needs to do well and has got progressively better over the five years or so they've been together. I guess what I like so much about Nightmare is that none of their songs sound the same. Unlike other visual kei bands who pretty much do the same thing over and over, Nightmare experiment often and are always adding new elements to their music. Synths, 60's pop, rap, dream pop, punk, agit-pop - they've done all these styles and more, and it never sounds forced or over-done.

Their most recent singles 'jibun no hana', 'Raven Loud speeeaker' and 'livEvil', undoubtedly their most interesting and daring songs yet, make me all the more excited for their forthcoming new album.

I guess what sets Nightmare apart from other visual kei bands (because they certainly don't look particularly unique) is their attitude and how it comes across in their music. They have a kind of spunky energy to them, and unlike very uber-effeminate vis-k bands, their music comes across as distinctly solid and more manly. It's hard to describe, but it's there. Their videos also display a noticeable sense of fun - unlike their peers, Nightmare are very grounded and not up their own collective arses.

So what am I trying to say? Nightmare may look pretty standard and forgetabble, but they really aren't.

If you want to see what this Nightmare dealie is all about, I'd begin by looking at their most recent singles or their most recent album Libido, which is their most polished and focused collection of songs.

Recommended Songs: 'Raven Loud speeeaker', 'nazuki', 'shian', 'varuna', 'tokyo shounen', 'be buried'.
Official Site: nightmare-web.com (http://www.nightmare-web.com/)
Fansites and Further Reading: Anxious Wings (http://anxious-wings.disphorical.net/), Shounen Terrorist (http://nightmare.chusha-ki.net/).

[ant]

if you like Gackt maybe you'll like B'Z http://bz-vermillion.com/top/index.html

[Tremolo]

Wait...B'z are nothing like Gackt :XD:

I've never been much of a B'z fan. I like their song 'negai', but I find it physically impossible to get into the rest of their stuff. I don't really like the singer's voice and those guitar solos, whilst good, are a bit too cheesy for me. Yeah, they're not my thing.

[Spilled Milk]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/nightmare.png
Nightmare
I've become kind of bored with the visual kei scene of late. When I first started out, all I really listened to were visual kei bands, but now genuinely awesome vis-k bands that are really worth listening to are very hard to come by nowadays; the scene has got pretty stagnant. I do love what Gazette are doing, and alicenine are pretty good, too and of course I adore Kagrra, but the rest...eh. Everyone seems to be trying to sound like Dir en grey, and I'm bored witless of it - all the singers are trying to sound like Kyo, and I don't really appreciate that.

Enter then, Nightmare. A visual kei band who don't particularly sound much like visual kei and sound nothing like Dir en grey. Unlike the two previous band's I've profiled however, Nightmare's singer Yomi does not have a particularly amazing voice. It is however very dependable, does everything it needs to do well and has got progressively better over the five years or so they've been together. I guess what I like so much about Nightmare is that none of their songs sound the same. Unlike other visual kei bands who pretty much do the same thing over and over, Nightmare experiment often and are always adding new elements to their music. Synths, 60's pop, rap, dream pop, punk, agit-pop - they've done all these styles and more, and it never sounds forced or over-done.

Their most recent singles 'jibun no hana', 'Raven Loud speeeaker' and 'livEvil', undoubtedly their most interesting and daring songs yet, make me all the more excited for their forthcoming new album.

I guess what sets Nightmare apart from other visual kei bands (because they certainly don't look particularly unique) is their attitude and how it comes across in their music. They have a kind of spunky energy to them, and unlike very uber-effeminate vis-k bands, their music comes across as distinctly solid and more manly. It's hard to describe, but it's there. Their videos also display a noticeable sense of fun - unlike their peers, Nightmare are very grounded and not up their own collective arses.

So what am I trying to say? Nightmare may look pretty standard and forgetabble, but they really aren't.

If you want to see what this Nightmare dealie is all about, I'd begin by looking at their most recent singles or their most recent album Libido, which is their most polished and focused collection of songs.

Recommended Songs: 'Raven Loud speeeaker', 'nazuki', 'shian', 'varuna', 'tokyo shounen', 'be buried'.
Official Site: nightmare-web.com (http://www.nightmare-web.com/)
Fansites and Further Reading: Anxious Wings (http://anxious-wings.disphorical.net/), Shounen ist (http://nightmare.chusha-ki.net/).


not to mention Yomi is an extremley adorable midget XDD he's so short and spunky. almost Fluffly...O.O

you should do antic Cafe <3 I heart miku's voice..its not the greatest but I think it really fits their style well...I love oshare kei's look alot better than Visual kei. only a few groups that I really enjoy their music tho...(they need to mix the two somehow)
and personally i found alice nine to be really...boring..i admit they are all steamy sexy..but their music is just blah...

[AioshiNYI88]

I would like to see The Back Horn get more attention, I was hooked to them once I listened to "ame", I sort of think they dont get enough attentionj but I may be wrong, I just find their music pretty addictive.

[Tremolo]

I would like to see The Back Horn get more attention, I was hooked to them once I listened to "ame", I sort of think they dont get enough attentionj but I may be wrong, I just find their music pretty addictive.

I really dig the back horn, and ame is an amazing song - I just think the reason they don't get enough attention is because they're not a group of pretty boys wearing makeup and silly costumes. They do have a fanbase, but the fanbase is a far more sensible, mature one than it is for Dir en grey for instance, or the more popular visual kei bands. I'll do a digest on them soon, I really do like them a lot.

[AioshiNYI88]

I really dig the back horn, and ame is an amazing song - I just think the reason they don't get enough attention is because they're not a group of pretty boys wearing makeup and silly costumes. They do have a fanbase, but the fanbase is a far more sensible, mature one than it is for Dir en grey for instance, or the more popular visual kei bands. I'll do a digest on them soon, I really do like them a lot.

True that was the first thing I thought when I wondered why they arent as popular. Thank God for them and The Pillows for showing you dont always have to be a bunch of androgenous pretty boys. Not that I dont like Visual Kei bands.

[ant]

ELLEGARDEN if you like Sum 41 you would like them, and they actually sing in the best English tracks that I have ever heard for an all Japanese band.

[Tremolo]

ELLEGARDEN if you like Sum 41 you would like them, and they actually sing in the best English tracks that I have ever heard for an all Japanese band.

I've just started listening to ELLEGARDEN, and I do rather like 'em quite a bit. Not sure the Sum 41 style is fair (because they're pretty bad :XD:) but they do have that pop punk style and are very, very entertaining. The vocals are certainly very different than the norm in that they try to sound very American - even when they're singing in Japanese they still somehow manage to sound American. They're probably the only Jrock band I could listen to through the speakers and not get funny comments from my roomies.

And I can't get of 'My Favorite Song' right now, it's awesome.

[Mana]

Ah, ELLEGARDEN. Good to see people know abotu them. Heard of them first from a friend of mine's girlfriend, and from what I've heard, they're pretty good. Though, I'm not the fangirl that Amanti is...

As for J-rock in an of itself, I like a lot of it, but don't really have too much, as there's not a lot of space on my har... CD wallet. Come tax return, Roark and I are planning on investing in a new computer (with a sexy 250 gigs of space), and by then I'll have a lot of catching up to do.

As for bands? The ex Malice Mizer will always be number one for me in my book, if nothing else than because I bought one of their albums on a whim, and they were the first non-anime Japanese music I listened to. Other favourite groups/singers are mostly X-Japan, Hide, Moi Dix Mois, Penicillin, BuriGuri, Thee Michelle Gun Elephant, The Pillows, and Ellegarden. Nothing to exciting, nothing too off the norm.

[ant]

Not sure the Sum 41 style is fair (because they're pretty bad :XD:)

I couldn't think of another band to compare them to, but yeah ELLEGARDEN > Sum 41.

[Nicotine]

I wonder, does anyone listen to Bump of Chicken? They're kind of overlooked, but their music is awsome:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bump_of_Chicken

[Tremolo]

I wonder, does anyone listen to Bump of Chicken? They're kind of overlooked, but their music is awsome:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bump_of_Chicken

I've heard of them, but I haven't actually heard them. Are there any songs or albums you'd recommend at all?

And because I'm bored and excited, here are some new single reviews:

MUCC - gerbera
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/gerbera2.png http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/gerbera1.png
'gerbera' essentially continues the slightly more melodic, hard rock development that MUCC's most recent album houyoku (my personal favourite album of 2005 for those who care, it really is that good) pioneered. The first thing that really strikes me about the song is how short it is - a mere 3:40 or so, but it manages to pack a lot in.

Interestingly, the verses turn out to be heavier than the chorus, with a lot of heavy, crunchy guitar. The verses on the other hand are more pop, but almost folksy in sound - this is emphasised by the use of acoustic guitar which is really unusual for a MUCC song but comes out sounding very fresh and pretty.

The bass work is Yukke's usual wonderful work, and Tatsurou's voice continues to be the absolute best rock voice in Japan right now. If not the world. It just doesn't get any better than this, really. His voice is just amazing, with incredible range and packed with so much emotion that it just sells you completely, and yet he makes it sound so effortless.

So, another fantastic release from MUCC. Roll on the album.

Kagrra, - chikai no tsuki
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/chikai1.png http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/chikai2.png
Kagrra are back, but now have an anime opening theme under their belts - for a Shounen Jump series, no less. Clearly this is going to be a departure from the usual gorgeous Kagrra sound, right? No. To be honest, it's business as usual, with 'chikai no tsuki' being another bright, airy, danceable, Neo-Japanese delight. There's not a lot else to say about it really, except it's more lovely, catchy Kagrra goodness.

As for the come-with songs, I definitely prefer 'kokyo' over 'bikuni', mainly because I'm never a huge fan of the songs where Kagrra try and do "heavy rock", because it's just not them.

Overall, another very good if not mind-blowingly amazing release from one of the more consistent J-rock bands around. Definitely worth a listen.


I'm planning a review of Gazette's new album NIL soon, so check back for that if you care.

[silan]

Kagrra are back, but now have an anime opening theme under their belts - for a Shounen Jump series, no less.
The most bizarre combination I've ever heard of. But I'm loving the single so far, and the real cover for it is one of their most beautiful. Ahhhh... Kagrra, how I love thee.

[Nicotine]

I've heard of them, but I haven't actually heard them. Are there any songs or albums you'd recommend at all?


Sailing Day is one of the best songs I've heard from them so far along with Lamp and Diamond. Their album Yggdrasil, their latest album, is one of the best things I've heard.

[silan]

Bump of Chicken is pretty good. They have a mellow sound that's nice on the ears. I haven't heard Yggdrasil yet, though.

I still don't get their name, though. When I hear it, I think roadkill.

[Dimesion 12]

There are a few jap bands that i like, but are hard to find on the net because their names are common words. The first band is a hard rock called "10 Feet". The second band is more fast paced, i guess, called "Energy". If any of you might know where i could find Energy on the web, that would be good because i want to check them out and look into them more.

[Spilled Milk]

Have you Tried searching "Jrock Energy" ?

[sohryu]

The second band is more fast paced, i guess, called "Energy". If any of you might know where i could find Energy on the web, that would be good because i want to check them out and look into them more.

Energy is actually a Taiwanese band. They were awarded Best Band in the Taiwan and Hong Kong Region at the 11th Chinese Music Chart Awards. Here's (http://us.yesasia.com/en/artIdxDept.aspx/code-c/section-music/aid-39791/) a link to what I found on YesAsia. This (http://asianfanatics.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=7922) is a thread I found on some Asian Fanatics forum (why I'm not a member I have no clue XD). I browsed the thread, the fangirls seem to know a lot, you just have to put up with some retarded posts. Apparently, they also have a Yahoo Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/energy_tknas/) where you can find photos and video clips and such. It's members only, though, so you'd have to join to see those. And here's (http://www.s13.invisionfree.com/Energy4ever) an Energy forum, with a few surprises. >_>

<_<

[ant]

Because I'm a L'Arc~en~Ciel fan Hyde has done a solo prodject from what I heard its pretty good but its not L'Arc~en~Ciel IMO its similar but doesn't have as much of an edge.

[Tremolo]

Merry / Merii/ メリー
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/merry.png

Merry are, officially or unofficially (whatever, it doesn't really matter) part of the angura kei (http://wiki.theppn.org/Angura-Kei) sub genre of Japanese rock music, which is far away the absolute best of all the weird little genres available, the kind that don't translate into Western rock music in quite the same way. It's darker and more emotional than visual kei, but far less formulaic and more inventive and different. It's awesome and I love it to bits. And Merry are one of the absolute finest examples of an angura kei band.

Their music is always incredibly consistent, sharp, tight, full packed with punch and emotion. It's very hard to describe exactly how they sound, because they sound like...well...Merry. "Twangy", "edgy", "warm"...it's very hard, but their music really speaks for itself. There's passion there, personified by the slightly odd frontman Gara. Not only is he responsible for the vocals, but also for writing most of the lyrics, and very interesting, beautiful, and/or strange ones at that, he's the weirdest of all the members ("1000% strange"). Gara has yet to compose a song, but since he's so busy with writing most of the lyrics all by himself, let's let him off. The twisted poems he creates are simply picturesque, in the most randomly obscure, romantic, disgusting, angry and artistic ways. Gara often seems to have the intention of leaving it to the listener to decide what he's trying to say.

The music itself is all very, very solid. Everything works beautifully in tandem together - the sharp, tangy guitars, the funky bass, the almost playful drumming... it's the epitome of what a band should do: fit together perfectly.

With Merry, it's best to start at the beginning. Their first full album gendai stoic is fantastic and amazingly assured and consistent for a debut release. The follow-up Modern-Garde is even better, and their major label nu-Chemical Rhetoric is even better.

It's ironic that Dir en grey's Kyo was a mentor to Gara, telling him that he'd have his own band one day. It's even more ironic that Merry are far better than Dir en grey. I think that speaks for itself.

Recommended Songs: 'tasogare restaurant', 'bluesy night', 'yellow girl', 'japanese modernist', 'tamerai shuffle', 'lost generation', 'kuroi niji', 'kubitsuri rondo', 'dekiai ni suisou'.
Official Site: merrymate.jp (http://www.merrymate.jp/pc/index.html)
Fansites and Further Reading: Black Sheep (http://www.yuukitenshi.net/merry/)

[Spilled Milk]

oh yaaay! I'm so glad you did merry! they are so wonderful! Gaara's vocals are just wonderful.. (and as an added bonus he's a smex beast) Kibitsuri Rondo is my fave <3 the music video is wonderful.

[silan]

Well.... I suppose it's been long enough. I guess I'll finally comment on Macabre like I said I would many, many moons ago.

It's taken me so long to form an opinion about it because I don't really know what to think about it. It's certainly the most diverse CD, with a wide range of sounds. I mean, there's even a song on here that sounds sort of jazzy/swingish to my ears -- of course, with the usual Dir en grey twist ("Audrey").

"Wake" is the best song on the album, and one of the better ones they've done. But most of the songs on here are excellent. "Zakuro" is very good, although it takes awhile to get going. "Taiyou no Ao" is a classic Dir en grey "ballad"... if you can ever call a song of theirs a ballad. "Egnirys cimredopyh" is quirky and definitely doesn't sound like a song you've ever heard before. In fact, I really like all the songs on here, even "Berry" whose spoken opening still freaks me out (in a good way).

So why did it take me so long to form an opinion of the CD as a whole? .... I don't know. I think the problem I had with Macabre is that, while I like all the songs, I found myself listening to only a few over and over again and skipping the rest. Some of the songs have taken a while to grab my attention so that I start wanting to listen to them, and some still haven't.

Whatever the case, Dir en grey is definitely at their best here, vocally, musically, compositionally (which, if it's not a word, should be). I don't deny that this is one of their better written albums.

It just hasn't turned out to be my favorite. My loyalties still lie with Kisou and with Gauze.

[Tremolo]

I think what I like about MACABRE is how it's definitely their most consistent set of songs and an album you really have to sit down and listen to all in one go. The only track I ever skip on it is 'rasetsu koku', whilst I skip two or three tracks on all their other albums. It does take a while to really "get", but once it does there's no going back.

Whatever the case, Dir en grey is definitely at their best here, vocally, musically, compositionally (which, if it's not a word, should be). I don't deny that this is one of their better written albums.

Definitely. Am I a bad person for thinking it might not ever get this good again? I really do like their recent stuff and all, but MACABRE really set a benchmark for me.


One album I've really, really been digging lately is D'espairsRay's [Coll:set], released last year. I'd always liked them, but I'd never really been a fan until I heard this. It's fan-flipping-tastic and I recommend it to anyone who likes heavier music with a more melodic, pop edge. There's some wonderful moments here, especially 'Infection', 'Garnet' and 'tsuki no kioku -fallen-'.

And Antic Cafe's new single 10's collection march came out a few days back and I'm a bit disappointed. Easily their weakest set of songs so far, with only the first track 'maple gunman' providing their usual hooky pop goodness. I expect better next time.

[silan]

I love [Coll:set] too. They've got more of a standard rock sound, though; I don't really feel like it's too innovative. But that's not saying much because it's still damn good rock. They have a lot of awesome songs on there. One of the first I couldn't get out of my head was "Abel to Cain". Right now, I think one of their best songs is "Hai to Ame". But this is a solid rock CD with a lot of good hits.

[Spilled Milk]

Has anyone heard of Takui? He's wonderful. Very unique sound..somewhat like good ol' fashioned Rock 'n Roll.
songs I really like are
Fukuoka (very retro)
and
Stay together
His album Nuclear sonic Punk has some great songs on it. and the single Gandbu Roulette is great.
oh and the Vid for his newest single wich is really great! the vids kinda boring but the song is wonderful (I just saw it now XDD)
http://www.takui.com/stream/Messeage_Long-WB-A.asx

[Tremolo]

HYDE - FAITH
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/top_pic.jpg

It's (almost) here, HYDE's new solo album in over two years, and clearly he means business. Why? Not only is the album getting a proper US release in June, but HYDE will be playing a few gigs over there, too. And as for the credits... In the words of CDJapan, "This time around, the album features a number of significant supporting musicians - guitarist/co-producer/co-producer Kaz, former Nine Inch Nails and current Methods of Mayhem and A Perfect Circle musician Danny Lohner on bass, The Cult and The Mission UK member Scott Garrett on drums, and Marilyn Manson and No Doubt engineer Sean Beavan for record and mixing." That's a pretty impressive line-up you have to admit, it's just a shame the album isn't quite the apocryphal, continent-crossing work it's clearly intended to be.

For a start, it's far more polished than 666, but the great song to average song ratio isn't nearly as high. With a good 90% of this album being in English and HYDE's voice never being quite as good as when not singing in his native tongue, a lot of the choruses come across as a bit murky and indistinguishable. Only the first track 'JESUS CHRIST' with its avant-garde, Muse-esque instrumentation and falsetto hints at a far more interesting work, and is by quite a way the best track on the album. After this, we're back to HYDE's usual U2-apeing heavy rock, only far better produced. The solitary ballad 'PERFECT MOMENT' is far too dirgey and not a patch on 666's similar 'SHINING OVER YOU'. Similarly, nothing on here is as immediate and catchy as 'HELLO', although the second Blood+ opening theme 'SEASON'S CALL' comes exceptionally close.

The whole theme of religion and faith is probably used a bit too much, with the album cover especially being ridiculously over the top. I would comment on how prevalent these themes are in the lyrics, but I can barely understand a word of what HYDE sings in English, so that would be a bit useless.

Of all HYDE's three albums, this is probably the weakest. It's better produced than 666 but far more average song-wise, and it simply doesn't hold a candle to the utterly sublime ROENTGEN which I'd recommend to anyone. It's not disappointing per se, as none of HYDE's post-ROENTGEN stuff has been exceptionally different or unique, but it was very solid and entertaining. FAITH is perhaps just a bit less solid.

Download This: 'JESUS CHRIST', 'SEASON'S CALL', 'FAITH'.

Appendum (23/4): I think I may have written off the themes and lyrics of the album a bit too soon. I still attest that HYDE's English singing isn't exactly crystal-clear, but digging about a bit has revealed a lot more as to what the album is actually about: "In the MC before FAITH, HYDE said that 'This sunday is Easter, Saturday is the day Christ was buried, Friday the day He was crucified. Then Thursday is the day of the Last Dinner. FAITH is about the moments after the Last Dinner. After His death, I don't think his dying wish was to be used for wars. He was an honest man.'" Whether HYDE is actually Christian or not has yet to be really revealed (apparently he isn't), but what the album is actually about suggests that he's done his research at any rate.

To be able to understand the power of faith in 'JESUS CHRIST', questioning science (which was such a prominant argument with religion about cloning) in 'DOLLY', to interpret Jesus's message of sacrificing his life for us, in 'FAITH' his constant plea to have us awaken to peace in 'MISSION' and then question why god lets his own creation destroy each other in 'IT'S SAD'. Whether you think this is awesome or pretentious is up to you, but I'm honestly quietly impressed, despite not being particularly religious.

You can even tell what research he did by looking at 'DOLLY's lyrics - "Build a tower tall and strong, It will be beautiful. Using our technology, Babel will stand anew." If you know the story of the Tower of Babel, it was said that man wanted to be like God so they built a tower to Heaven, only to be struck by God speaking different languages so that the project could never be completed. So we are acting like God, giving birth to clones. I don't know, do I sound like I'm giving him too much credit?

On a more shallow note, the album itself gets progressively stronger with each listen. I'm not sure whether I'd say HYDE has sacrificed good songs for being all intellectual about religion, because some are growers, even if they do still lack the impact of some of the 666 stuff. And yet...I think I was perhaps being too hasty earlier in writing this off as his weakest effort so far - I honestly think that it's now marginally better than 666 and I give it a much heartier recommendation than I did yesterday. Just don't expect to be blown away immediately.

[Tremolo]

MUCC - 6
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/6.png

MUCC are the best band in Japan. Fact. And they're very busy this year. We've already had the new single 'gerbera' (which isn't on here, by the way) this nine-track new album and a new single next month. Phew!

6 is a bit heavier and far less immediate than their sublime last effort houyoku, and isn't exactly a major shift in style, either. But it is entertaining, if a bit less meaty than their other albums, due largely to the shorter running time and only eight proper songs. The sound is more reminiscent of their more raw, louder older albums only with Tatsurou's voice far better than it was then.

The fact is, there isn't a lot to say about it. It's just very good MUCC music, if not the best jumping on point for new fans.

Download This: 'kuukyo na heya', 'akai sora', 'haruka'.

alice nine - zekkeishoku
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/alice1.png http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/alice2.png

The fact alice nine seem to have been around forever and this is only their first album is absolutely incredible. They've really taken their time, and zekkeishoku really pushes them above the usual visual kei morass with it unusual arrangements and different styles.

The only real problem with the band and with this album's crystal-clear production is that the singer's voice comes off as even more loud, dramatic and strident. If you're not in the mood it's incredibly annoying, especially considering the wealth of really, really good songs here that show more invention than their peers. If you are in the mood though, this is enormously entertaining stuff and a real musical odyssey, to coin a lame phrase. Pop, heavy metal, dance, pop rock, it's all here and a welcome change from the masses of vis-kei groups intent on rehashing Dir en grey's GAUZE over and over again.

If you're in the mood for the singer's voice, this is an exciting, highly listenable album that has raised my opinion of this band (slightly above average vis-kei stuff) considerably.

Download This: 'koukan', 'FANTASY', 'ARMOR RING'.

[silan]

Is that really Alice Nine's first album? I'll have to check that one out.

And even though I like his voice, I'm not a huge fan of Hyde. But FAITH was surprisingly tolerable the first time I listened to it, and when I've got time I'm actually going to sit down and spend some quality time listening to it.

MUCC.... I still haven't listened to Houyoku, let alone their new album. I really need to get around to that, don't I.

As always, thanks for the reviews, Tremolo.

[L-sama]

Well, since I'm here...what about *ducks head from any oncoming objects being thrown* Zard?

They've been around for almost 15 years, and they're still going strong with the upcoming release of their 42nd single!

[Tremolo]

Well, since I'm here...what about *ducks head from any oncoming objects being thrown* Zard?

They've been around for almost 15 years, and they're still going strong with the upcoming release of their 42nd single!

From what I've heard of them, they honestly seem more pop than rock. The focus is more on the vocals rather than the instrumentation which is definitely more a pop thing imo. That's just my opinion, I'm no expert or anything. Either way, they're not a bad band.

Write a few paragraphs or something. The more waffle in the thread the merrier, I say.

[Dirty Harry]

MUCC latest album is great. It's really good.

I hear their next album is all covers. That sounds like balls. I hope there's no Engrish.

[Tremolo]

deadman
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/deadman1.png

Weep for deadman. With only two albums and a few mini-albums & singles to their name, the band announced their "stopping of activities" in March. A shame, because they were easily one of the most promising younger visual bands in Japan, and it's disappointing that we never got to see what else they had up their sleeves. Still, I have to make it clear that deadman is really only about one person and one person only, and that is Mako (I bet you can't guess which one he is in the picture above) the singer, songwriter and general "face" of the band. I suppose you could liken him a bit to Mana with the gothic influences and extreme androgyny, but that's pretty much where the comparisons end.

Mako has a strong, rich voice which is deeper than that of most visual singers - although by no means are they a visual kei band by any stretch of the imagination - and it's easily one of the main draws of the band. No one else in the entire J-rock scene sounds anything like him and in a world of Kyo and Kioharu soundalikes, that's a very good thing in my book. Like deadman's music, his style is also very versatile - whether he's screaming like Marilyn Manson in the bowels of hell or singing about lost love in fragile falsetto, it always sounds perfect. He's also an unbelievably good live singer - not one tone too flat or sharp. As for the musical side, deadman have a surprisingly spare sound. You can tell it's four people in the band and they don't sound over-produced like their contemporaries tend to. It's hard to describe, but it sounds nice. The guitars have a very solid, grungy sound that really provide the backbone of each song and complement Mako's wonderful vocals perfectly.

So, where to start? You don't have a lot of choice, I'm afraid. Their first album no alternative has quite a different sound to their second and last album in the direction of sunrise and night light, but they're both excellent and more than worth your time.

With dates in Europe at the start of the year it seemed like deadman's rise had only just begun, but sadly that was not to be. Whether they will resume activity is another matter, but we can definitely expect something new from Mako at some point.

Recommended Songs: 'degreeds centigrade', 'when the saints go marching in' (aka 'seija no koushin'), 'follow the night light', 'asthenia bullet stain', 'fragile sandy', 'this day.this rain', 'moumoku no hane to hoshi wo te ni'.
Official Site: deadman.jp (http://www.deadman.jp/)
Fansites and Further Reading: sakura to ame (http://www.geocities.com/sakuratoame/)

[Tremolo]

Plastic Tree - namida drop
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/namida_drop.png

01. namida drop
02. rokugatsu no ame
03. namida drop (instrumental)

This is the mighty PlaTree's first single release since the four-month single release session that culminated in December with kuuchuu buranko, and, confusingly, their last 'til their Chandelier album at the end of June, easily one of my most eagerly anticipated albums of the year. They are my favourite band after all, so I'm a bit biased. Nonetheless, as a die-hard fan I can appreciate that namida drop is by no means the best thing the band will ever do. The order of the day is light, summery, American-flavoured pop-rock and is kind of a spiritual successor to the almighty opinion-dividing single that was mizuiro girlfriend ("too pop!11"; "the b-side is much better!"; "zomg i'm leaving fandom forevers!").

Basically, this four singles in a row thing they do back at the end of last year was really interesting. We got two pop-rock releases in sanbika and namae no nai hana, then much darker territory was visited with Ghost and kuuchuu buranko, so this is like a nice blast of summer-is-coming! spirit. Which is weird because Pla are hardly known for their overwhelming optimism. Lead singer Ryutaro used to be a manic depressive and is still something of an extreme hypochondriac to this day, even if he does seemed to have lightened up a bit over the years.

Anyway, the songs. The best bit in 'namida drop' is quite clearly the bit where Ryutaro totally deviates from the catchy chorus at the end of the bridge. It's nice and unexpected and very, very Plastic Tree and you'll know exactly what I mean if/when you hear it. It's not a particularly amazing song, certainly nowhere near as mind-blowingly incredible as 'Ghost' was, but goddamn is it catchy. It's also interesting to note that this song is the ED to the shitty new anime Glass no Kantai that absolutely no one is watching, a bit like 'Sink' was used as the ED to some anime I've never even heard of and can't recall for the life of me right now either. Poor Plastic Tree. 'rokugatsu no ame' is a bit aimless and certainly not as strong as their older B-sides, but it's not out-and-out annoying like the chorus of 'paranoia' was. Then again, it's not quite of This Should Be An Album Track Like Whoa! quality like 'lilac', 'gichigichi' and everything off the 'tremolo' (:D) single were.

So, is this recommended? Sure. But don't expect this to be the cream of the crop or indicative of the band's general output, or else you'll be disappointed. If you are, I recommend the Summery pop-rock charms of Charcoal Filter to brighten your day.

[Tremolo]

May Singles Review

Antic Cafe - BondS ~kizuna~
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/BondS.png

01. BondS ~kizuna~
02. GO!!GO!!GO!!

Antic Cafe's last single 10's collection march was a bit mediocre, lacking the punchy, immediate, sugary catchiness of their usual output. The title track of their new single is a lot better and definitely grows on you with repeated listenings, but it's not particularly spectacular and not a patch on stuff like 'merrymaking', 'wagamama koushinkyouku' and most stuff off their superlative amedama rock mini-album which I reccomend to everyone. 'GO!!GO!!GO!!' is pretty boring despite its title and it does lead me to wonder as to whether the band may be running out of steam a bit. You can only do the cute, pop-rock stuff for so long before it gets old. Still, their skills as musicians haven't diminished, with the guitars as excellent as ever, and Mikku's wonderfully distinctive vocals still one of the main draws. They're still good, but they could be better.

Merry - sayonara rain
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/sayonara.png

01. sayonara rain
02. sentimental new pop
03. slow->dive

Merry are fantastic and easily one of the very best rock bands in Japan right now, but (and yes, there sadly is a "but") I can't shake the feeling that I've heard them do 'sayonara rain' before. It just sounds far too much like a lot of their previous stuff to make me really excited, which I shame because I really do genuinely love this band. It's a good song, but it's really Merry sounding far too much like themselves to make it really special. On the other hand, the other two tracks are a bit heavier and much easier to get your teeth into, especially 'sentimental new pop' which is a brilliant mish-mash of numerous elements that comes together perfectly. Merry most certainly haven't lost it, I just think the title track is perhaps playing to the crowd a bit much. Still, we have another two releases by the band to look forward to in June and July (including a new album!) so all is well.

MUCC - ryuusei
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/ryuusei1.png

01. ryuusei
02. bokura no kage
03. daikirai 2006

MUCC are bloody brilliant, they are. Really, really amazing. I've yet to hear a single Western band sound like they do, a single Western band imbue their music with so much passion and drive and quiet drama. 'ryuusei' isn't a very good example of their general sound, but it's a sound of a band expanding their horizons a bit and exploring new sounds. This song has piano, synths and strings, something that very, very few MUCC songs have ('ame no orchestra' aside, because, guess what, that has an orchestra in it) and it sounds lovely. The arrangement is nice and complex, Tatsurou's vocals are pure perfection once more, and the chorus flows and builds. It's wonderful. I wouldn't want every MUCC song to sound like this, mainly because I don't think I could cope with enraged fans accusing them of selling out, but that doesn't lessen the fact that it's a great song. B-side 'bokura no kage' is a bit heavier and generally less important, but it's nice enough and 'daikirai 2006' is a rather pointless updating of one of their most ancient songs. A great single, mainly for the sublime title track and one I wholeheartedly recommend.

[Nicotine]

Meh...I was *really* disappointed with Namida Drop. Oh well...can't wait for the upcoming album.

MUCC's been getting better though...and they're coming to America!

[Spilled Milk]

Well one things for certain. The Cover Art for namida drop is awwwsome! I really like it! (i know that has nothing to do with music blah blah sorry!)
SOmeone you all should really check out is Youjeen. SShe's a korean singer with a solo career in Japan. If you like the strong grungey female vocals then check her out!! I really reccomend her song FAKE. she kinda looks like a korean Kelley Clarkson but her vocals are much different.

[Roark]

Just thought I'd mention to people who may want to know...

Dir En Grey is touring.

[Nicotine]

Just thought I'd mention to people who may want to know...

Dir En Grey is touring.

Yup, I'm gonna see them in August. ^^

[[-=[montney]=-]]

Hey is anyone gona go to ThePillows concert in Logan Square Auditoriumin Chicago on the 20th?

[Nicotine]

I wish the Pillows would come back to Texas..I missed them last time...

[Spilled Milk]

the Pillows are good..but the amount of poor english in their songs can actually be abit to much..I normally don't mind poor english
but sometimes it kinda gets annoying.

[Tremolo]

The Pillows are a good band and all, but they certainly not the best Japan has to offer. If it wasn't for FLCL, I genuinely don't think anyone would give a toss about them.

I've been on an enormous THE BACK HORN kick for the past few weeks. They're utterly brilliant and are due a digest imminently, so keep an eye out for that. Other than that and the new Plastic Tree album (preordered!) there's not been anything too amazing around at the moment. I guess it's because it's the summer and as such Jpop seems to be ruling the charts, which is a shame.

[Spilled Milk]

PENICILLIN member on vocal HAKUEI Was diagnosed with Lung Cancer in June, he died on July 6, PENICILLIN is liable to disband.

This rock band formed in 1992, is CHISATO on guitar O-JIRO on bass & GISHO on vocal, after 1 year HAKUEI join in, so launched to HAKUEI on vocal, GISHO on bass, O-JIRO on drum.

Member position
HAKUEI(Tanaka Hakuei)
Vocal

CHISATO(Hayashi Tomoaki)
Guitar

GISHO(Kontou Yoshiaki)
Bass

O-JIRO(Tsuna Nobuhiko)
Drum

www.penicillin.jp

To be totally Honest...I don't know how true this is...but if it is true...its really depressing news. I absolutley Love penecillin and hakuei is such an awsome vocalist...Most likely..and hopefully its just a stupid hoax...

[Tremolo]

June/July Album Round-Up

AILE - WHITE FEATHER ~tenshi kara no okurimono~
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/aile1.png

The first full-length album from one of the more hotly-tipped new oshare kei bands that have the advantage of not actually sounding too cute. Like An Cafe they definitely have more crossover appeal and like An Cafe, also boast a freakishly feminine bassist, which should attract the fangirls.

AILE make rather solid pop-rock music with mildly sappy arrangements and great guitar - kind of like a more modern-sounding SHAZNA. For newcomers, this is a great jumping-on point, but for those who have been slavishly following their maxi singles will be disappointed at how much old material is present on the album, and as such it feels like a rather premature best-of compilation rather than an album. Furthermore, their absolute best song 'romance senki' isn’t on here, which is sad.

Still, WHITE FEATHER is recommended for oshare kei fans and pop fans alike and makes for great, carefree summer listening.

Download This: 'romance senki' (>_>), 'LOVE SWEETS', 'Brilliant tears'.

Merry - PEEP SHOW
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/peep1.png http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/peep2.png

Another burst of tangy, warm, sharp, jazz-rock from Merry - which is what we've all come to expect from them. Except this time, it's a bit different. The fact is, Merry are a fantastic band and this is very strong album, but it lacks the gut-punch of their older works, and nothing is quite as strikingly memorable as 'kubitsuri rondo' and 'dekiai no suisou' were from their last album, except maybe 'sentimental new pop', and that was already released on the sayonara rain single.

However, I’m certainly not condemning them. It's clear that Merry are trying something a bit different this time around – the songs and melodies are a bit more subtle and take more time to plant their seed in your mind. And whilst there are no slow songs, many of the new album tracks somehow manage to sound like ballads and love songs, despite superficially not being so – and that takes talent. The only real downer of the album is the presence of three filler tracks that don’t serve much purpose except to make it look longer than it is… but they could be a lot worse and don’t grate at all, unlike the filler on Dir en grey’s kisou album. Ultimately, PEEP SHOW is a real decadent grower of an album and one more than worthy of your time.

Download This: 'sentimental new pop', 'kousoubiru no ue de last dance', 'ringo no uso', 'mado kara nigeta love song'.

Plastic Tree - chandelier
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/chan.png

All of Plastic Tree's albums, this is by far their most dense and layered for a few years. Whilst cell was all about trying out different styles with great success, it wasn't a particularly cohesive, flowing album, despite containing some of the bands most interesting and affecting songs. chandelier is the first album to be released on their new label, and thusly contains their previously released five singles: 'sanbika', 'namae ni nai hana', 'Ghost', 'kuuchuu buranko' and 'namida drop'. Considering the rather different styles of each song, it was hard to see exactly how well they’d fit in with the new album tracks, but Plastic Tree manage to pull it off. All the new songs feature stylistic similarities to the singles, and as a result chandelier ends up as their most satisfying record since their 2002 benchmark Traumerai.

Download This: 'internal organ mic', 'Ghost', 'puppet talk', 'kuuchuu buranko'.

[silan]

deadman
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/deadman1.png

Weep for deadman. With only two albums and a few mini-albums & singles to their name, the band announced their "stopping of activities" in March. A shame, because they were easily one of the most promising younger visual bands in Japan, and it's disappointing that we never got to see what else they had up their sleeves. Still, I have to make it clear that deadman is really only about one person and one person only, and that is Mako (I bet you can't guess which one he is in the picture above) the singer, songwriter and general "face" of the band. I suppose you could liken him a bit to Mana with the gothic influences and extreme androgyny, but that's pretty much where the comparisons end.

Mako has a strong, rich voice which is deeper than that of most visual singers - although by no means are they a visual kei band by any stretch of the imagination - and it's easily one of the main draws of the band. No one else in the entire J-rock scene sounds anything like him and in a world of Kyo and Kioharu soundalikes, that's a very good thing in my book. Like deadman's music, his style is also very versatile - whether he's screaming like Marilyn Manson in the bowels of hell or singing about lost love in fragile falsetto, it always sounds perfect. He's also an unbelievably good live singer - not one tone too flat or sharp. As for the musical side, deadman have a surprisingly spare sound. You can tell it's four people in the band and they don't sound over-produced like their contemporaries tend to. It's hard to describe, but it sounds nice. The guitars have a very solid, grungy sound that really provide the backbone of each song and complement Mako's wonderful vocals perfectly.

So, where to start? You don't have a lot of choice, I'm afraid. Their first album no alternative has quite a different sound to their second and last album in the direction of sunrise and night light, but they're both excellent and more than worth your time.

With dates in Europe at the start of the year it seemed like deadman's rise had only just begun, but sadly that was not to be. Whether they will resume activity is another matter, but we can definitely expect something new from Mako at some point.

Recommended Songs: 'degreeds centigrade', 'when the saints go marching in' (aka 'seija no koushin'), 'follow the night light', 'asthenia bullet stain', 'fragile sandy', 'this day.this rain', 'moumoku no hane to hoshi wo te ni'.
Official Site: deadman.jp (http://www.deadman.jp/)
Fansites and Further Reading: sakura to ame (http://www.geocities.com/sakuratoame/)

A full year later, I weep.

I acquired the deadman albums so long ago that I've got no clue when or why, but after finally listening to their second album, I'm truly saddened that they're no longer making music. This is the kind of music that I really, really enjoy: well-produced, excellent composition, and with highly talented musicians. But even more than that, I really enjoy them because their music is so distinctly unique and different from all the other hundreds and thousands of groups out there. I love this album for the same reason I love Dir en grey: their music is original and focused, none of their songs sound like their other songs, and, plain and simple, none of their songs sound like anything I've heard before. They were a very fresh and very talented band, and it's a huge shame that they stopped. But at least we've got those two albums, right?

I didn't even remember you talking about them, Trem. When I did a search looking for more information, your post came up as one of the top five results!

That's ironic.

Anyway, I enjoy almost all of their songs on their second album, but my favorite by far is "this day.this rain." It really surprised me when it randomly came up on my iTunes one day. I thought, "what the heck is this?" And that was the song that really got me interested in deadman.

[Barrelhaven]

Thank the forum gods for this thread. Seriously. I've been meaning to get into the J-Rock genre, but didn't really know where to start. This'll definitely provide a nice springboard though.

I really don't know much, aside from what I hear in anime. Thanks to this thread, I got an opportunity to expand my horizons a bit. After looking into some of the bands mentioned here, I've taken a particular liking to Go!Go!7188, The Back Horn, ELLEGARDEN, The Brilliant Green and Merii. Anyone got any more recommendations for me based off those bands (and Asian Kung-fu Generation and The Pillows)?

Posting activity in here has gone down lately (Trem, keep those reviews coming!), so I hope this thread hasn't died off.

[Tremolo]

I've been meaning to revive this thread properly recently, but with AA becoming so quiet I've never really gotten around to it. Thanks for showing me there's still some interest, and I'll definitely endeavour to pick up the band profiles (including a proper look at the back horn, Plastic Tree and Shiina Ringo) and album reviews. On the album front, there's a bit of a fallow period right now - only Kagrra have released anything decent recently, but I'll see what's on the horizon.

For now, you guys will have to make do with something a bit different!

_____________________


MUCC @ CAMDEN UNDERWORLD, MARCH 18TH (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Mizuiro/Picture075.jpg)

Seeing a J-rock band I like live has been something of a life ambition of mine ever since LUNA SEA's 'gravity' hooked me forever all those years ago. Unfortunately, such an ambition has been repeatedly thwarted by the fact that Japanese bands very rarely play over here. Europe is fair game, even America, but the UK? Nooo. However, MUCC decided that this year's "Euro Tour" should include London, and for that I'm forever grateful. The fact I didn't know about this until the actual day of the concert was another matter entirely. Some kind soul at the itai_tegami LiveJournal community posted a picture of MUCC's Euro Tour poster with all the dates on it, and lo and behold, London was at the very top. Unable to believe my eyes, I dashed over to Camden Underworld's website and promptly ordered a ticket, thanking my lucky stars that they weren't sold out.

I arrived at the venue at about 6:40, and stood in the rain and cold for the next half an hour or so until the doors opened. This concert, among others, has taught me that there's absolutely no sodding point arriving uber-early because you can get right to the front anyway, even if you happened to be at the very back of the line. That and I didn't have to mingle with the incredibly scary looking fangirls near the front. The audience were interesting, mainly because those who'd came all painted and dressed-up like early MUCC looked like they were enjoying it the least, whilst all the normal-looking folks like myself were leaping about having a blast. Not to mention all the teenage Japanese schoolgirls who kept shrieking the band member's names in my ear, which was difficult to avoid considering how utterly tiny the venue was. The stage itself was pretty small and in the corner, and there were no security people which meant, yes, we could touch the band if we so wished. Be still my beating heart!

I'm not entirely sure why the ticket says "plus guests", because there weren't any. MUCC took to the stage sometime before nine to the most unbelievably mad reaction I've ever heard. Looks-wise, they were very much still looking like they did from their most recent video, libra. Tatsurou was wearing this enormously oversized smock thing, which I think he painted himself. It looked pretty nifty, except when he lept about he sort of looked like a six-year-old girl in a big dress, although that's probably just me.

And they rocked. There was so much energy to their performance, particularly Yukke, who didn't stop moving for the entire thing. I would've been exhausted after a few songs, but clearly I'm not Yukke.

I recognised the majority of the songs they played, which I'll list as best I can:

gokusai
nageki no kane
gekkou
25toki no yuuutsu
utagoe
panorama
monster
risky drive
ryuusei
saishuu ressha
libra
zetsubou
daikirai
yasashii uta

There were two encores. In the first encore the songs were all really heavy and kind of merged into one, but there were about four tracks there overall. The second encore was just' yasashii uta', which they got everyone to sing along to, which was pretty awesome and obviously pretty neat, because "la la la la la" is a universal language. Tatsurou showed off some of his mad English skillz, which most people couldn't hear, but they cheered at everything he said anyway. There was a pretty funny moment when he had a little palm translator device that he used to translate some Japanese expressions, one of them about climbing Mount Fuji. I don't get it either, but it was pretty amusing.

So, it was a great concert. I got to see one of my most favourite bands ever live and fufilled a life ambition of mine. Not too shabby for a Sunday evening.

[Barrelhaven]

I've been meaning to revive this thread properly recently, but with AA becoming so quiet I've never really gotten around to it. Thanks for showing me there's still some interest, and I'll definitely endeavour to pick up the band profiles (including a proper look at the back horn, Plastic Tree and Shiina Ringo) and album reviews.


Glad to hear it. And yeah, AA hasn't been as lively as it used to be (I lurked here long before I actually joined). Oh well.

Meanwhile, ya got any more recs for me, based on those bands in my previous post? The only thing that sorta turns me off on a band, I guess, is a low, deep male voice. Anything else I wouldn't mind giving a shot.

[Tremolo]

Glad to hear it. And yeah, AA hasn't been as lively as it used to be (I lurked here long before I actually joined). Oh well.

Meanwhile, ya got any more recs for me, based on those bands in my previous post? The only thing that sorta turns me off on a band, I guess, is a low, deep male voice. Anything else I wouldn't mind giving a shot.

It's been ridiculously quiet as late. No idea why.

As for recomendations: Jinkaku Radio (think Muse if they were Japanese, but perhaps not as overblown), L'Arc~en~Ciel, Plastic Tree, LUNA SEA, Shiina Ringo, NIRGILIS, Olivia, UVERworld. See how you go with some of those for the time being. :)

[silan]

I've been meaning to revive this thread properly recently
I don't really think there's any proper way to revive a zombie thread. At least you can depend on me to smash through propriety at a whim and bring it back to live. Mwa hah.

Your review of your live with MUCC reminds me of the first live I saw with Dir en grey. It really was exciting to be in a small little venue with a ton of other fans. Those are the best concerts, I think, the ones with just you and your fellow fans and the band in a tiny concert hall.

Anyway....

Review! Review!!!! Lack of reviews = unforgiveable laziness.

[Tremolo]

I don't really think there's any proper way to revive a zombie thread. At least you can depend on me to smash through propriety at a whim and bring it back to live. Mwa hah.

Your review of your live with MUCC reminds me of the first live I saw with Dir en grey. It really was exciting to be in a small little venue with a ton of other fans. Those are the best concerts, I think, the ones with just you and your fellow fans and the band in a tiny concert hall.

Anyway....

Review! Review!!!! Lack of reviews = unforgiveable laziness.

Unfortunately I AM unforgivably lazy. >_>

There's just been hardly anything out this year so far that I want to listen to. We're being swamped with all these soundalike, lookalike bands and it's all quite distressing. Only the new Kagrra and Shiina Ringo albums have caught my ear, so I'll start writing about those soon.

And speaking of Dir en grey, they're playing London later this year. I'd be totally up for it, but I'm worried they'll just play material from their new album, which (three songs aside) I really, really don't like. I'll see.

[silan]

New Kagrra album! That's right!

I'm so out of the loop that I completely forgot about it.

Is it good?!

[Baka Neko]

Don't know if you want updates slipped in, but it's hard to ignore. XD

For those that aren't already aware, there's going to be a 2-day J-rock festival held in LA this year. It's called "Jrock Revolution" (brought to you by Yoshiki, who seems to have dubbed himself responsible for the success of J-rock bands in the west, oh boy), and it will include nine bands: Kaggra,, alice nine., Miyavi, Duel Jewel, Vidoll, Merry, Mucc, D'espairsRay, and Gilgamesh. Tickets went on sale today, so the best spots are sold out, but tickets are stilly available for anyone interested!

Anyone here going?

[Mana]

I'd love to, but LA's a bit far to go, just for a concert. Maybe if they have good success on the Weat Coast, these bands will travel more stateside. Dir En Grey sure got a hell of a good reception in Chicago this fall.

[Barrelhaven]

So, what's new, Trem?

If you remember, I only got into the J-Rock scene a few months ago. I'm looking to expand the library again, so any new recommendations (anything that came out of the last 6 or so months) to aid the binge?

I don't really follow too many bands, but I've taken a particular like to GoGo7188 and The Back Horn. Yui, The Brilliant Green, The Pillows, and Asian Kung-Fu Gen are also up there, though. Any recommendations similar along those lines, or any new CDs they came up with lately, will be appreciated!

Oh, and I went to a GoGo7188/Peelander Z concert in NY on a whim not too long ago. They sure know how to put on a show. Random pics:

Girl cutting off the Yellow dude's hair (from Peelander Z) (http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/1606/dsc01011yi9.jpg)
Human bowling, for no particular reason. (http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/8616/dsc01029sr8.jpg)
Akko and Yuu. Such cuties. Turkey in the background going nuts. (http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/6747/dsc01061pw8.jpg)
Some more of the cuties. <3 (http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/6926/dsc01074gv7.jpg)
Akko - vocals/bassist (http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/6031/dsc01076hj1.jpg)
Yuu - vocals/guitarist (http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/9448/dsc01101cf8.jpg)

[Tremolo]

So, what's new, Trem?

Not much at all, really. :( My statement earlier ("We're being swamped with all these soundalike, lookalike bands and it's all quite distressing.") remains the same. I'm saddened by all the fans latching onto these deeply terrible new bands that don't bring anything new or exciting to the table.

On the plus side, it's been a good year for my favourite J-rock bands. Plastic Tree's nega to poji was pretty brilliant, and this was made all the more special by the fact they're playing in London in November (a veritable dream come true). THE BACK HORN's self-titled new album was another predictably solid release, but with less standout tracks than before. L'Arc~en~Ciel have a new album out at the end of the year called KISS and BUCK-TICK's new release tenshi no REVOLVER hits in just two days.

LUNA SEA are reuniting for a one-off concert on Christmas Eve - hopefully new material will follow! And that new supergroup formed by Yoshiki sounds very promising.

And while not a favourite of mine by any stretch of the imagination, UVERworld's BUGRIGHT was jam packed with some great, hook-laden pop tunes.

But as for other bands I like... Dir en grey's latest album was a major disappointment on every level, and An Cafe lost a member (Bou) only to gain two new ones with their music suffering enormously as a result. Gackt's latest single 'RETURNER ~yami no shuuen~' sounded exactly like all his other stuff, coming across like a tired retread of 'MIND FOREST' only with added farty pipes.

EDIT: Oh! And SHAZNA reformed! Which would be more exciting if a) they hadn't completely ditched their previous look (I'm especially disappointed with singer Izam who's a genuine transsexual) and b) had made a great album. Whether if it requires more listens I don't know, but my iTunes tells me I sat through it until halfway and clearly got bored. Sigh.

I guess my main problem with J-rock right now is the distinct lack of great new bands. If anyone can recommend me any then please, for the love of god, do.

If you remember, I only got into the J-Rock scene a few months ago. I'm looking to expand the library again, so any new recommendations (anything that came out of the last 6 or so months) to aid the binge?

If you like THE BACK HORN and AKFG, you'll probably like MUCC if you don't mind a slightly darker sound. I'd recommend starting with kuchiki no tou or hoyoku.