Traxan

BRIDEAR new album "BARYTE" will be released KADOKAWA new label "BAKU-ON.ca" at 2016/03/23 (2 TYPE)
 
limited edition (3,240yen) will include CD+DVD, and regular edition (2,700yen) will include CD only

Curious to know the viewpoint here on the GITS movie featuring Scarlet Johansson. If you haven't heard, it's based on the Stand Alone Complex TV series and not the Oshii film, which kind of relieves me a little. Oshii's movie was a think piece about Major Kusanagi struggling with her own existence. I didn't have much confidence in Hollywood to get her existential crisis right.
 
But, if they base it around The Laughing Man series, that'll work. I hope.
 
And if there are no Tachikomas, I'm not going.

I would like to see this if only to honor the memory of Armmy.
 
As for mine:
 
I wish Shadow could release one last album.
I wish YouTube would stop blocking Japanese music.
I wish Rami was putting more effort into Raglaia. She's played maybe 8 gigs since coming back in late 2014. It makes me wonder if her health is still bad.
I wish Cyntia would reverse course off that pop nonsense.
Ditto Exist Trace
Ditto Aldious
I wish the American guitar magazines would discover K-A-Z and Syu.
I wish Bass Player magazine discovered Kiyoshi, Sawa and F Chopper Koga.
I wish Modern Drummer would discover Senri Kawaguchi
I wish some JRock bands other than Babymetal tried to reach out to a foreign audience.
(in short I want these artists to become a worldwide success and not just be our little secret because they deserve it, especially with all the mediocrity out there)
 
And I wish this quartet would get back together on a regular basis instead of this one-off show.
 

People are already blaming Yoshiki for the cancelled show while they're saying absolutely nothing about Pata and fail to recognize how critical his condition is. How truly awful and inhumane the Visual Kei scene is at times like these.
I seriously hope the man gets better and that he takes his time to recover, everything else can wait. Health goes above all.

So here is the news.
 
 
 
Kyary revealed on her LINE LIVE stream earlier today that she will be launching a five-part plan to celebrate her upcoming 5th anniversary as an artist!
The stream explained away the mysterious video uploaded to her official YouTube channel on her 23rd birthday, where the singer was carted away in an ambulance for some “emergency surgery”. The 1st part of her anniversary celebration was the Universal Studios Japan attraction “Kyary Pamyu Pamyu XR Ride”, which opened to the public in the “Cool Japan” area of the park just earlier this month.
The 2nd part will be Kyary’s first best-of album (title TBA), which will include everything from her debut song “PONPONPON” to her recent, yet to be released tie-up songs. The album will be released on May 25th, with a limited edition version shaped like Kyary’s own face.
The 3rd portion of Kyary’s 5th anniversary celebration will be her long-awaited 3rd world tour, which will begin in Singapore this May. KPP has promised to make stops in the UK, Australia, America, and Taiwan before bringing the tour to a close at the famous Budoukan performance hall with 2 performances on August 19th and 20th. Further details about each date will be revealed later on this year.
Lastly, Kyary has announced that she will be collaborating with several artists (both foreign and Japanese) on new music in addition to hosting her first artwork exhibition.
3rd world tour (TBA) & Budoukan concerts (August 19 & 20, 2016) Collaborations with other artists (TBA) 1st best album (May 25, 2016) 1st artwork exhibition (TBA) USJ Kyary Pamyu Pamyu XR Ride (January 15, 2016) A special website has also been opened to celebrate her 5th anniversary, where fans will be able to find more details about each new project while looking back on her career thus far. Currently, there are plans to post interviews with KPP, a logo contest, and more on this website, so make sure to keep checking it (and this blog) for updates! There is an English version for international fans!
Comment from Kyary:
 
The past 5 years since my debut in 2011 have really just flown by. It’s been my motto to challenge myself to interesting and new things in career thus far, but since this year is my [fifth] anniversary, I hope to be a little ambitious and show the world more of just how genki Japan can be! And flashier than ever! I’d like to make the year of my 5th anniversary and thrilling one, and would be so glad if you could please look kindly over me!!

I know they meant well but that was kinda painful. Seeing VK guys cover Motorhead, though, is pretty funny.

In addition to the labels below, Victor Entertainment is included. Videos from Gacharic Spin and Mary's Blood are now blocked.
 
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/12/04/japanese-music-and-vocaloid-content-disappears-as-youtube-rolls-out-new-paid-service/
 
Japanese and overseas communities react to YouTube disabling U.S. access to content, as Google pressures Japanese labels and rights-holders to sign up for paid service YouTube Red.

In Japan, where copyright laws are much stricter than those of many other countries, it’s not uncommon for new music releases to only get partial airplay on the radio or a short promotional video as a means to prevent piracy. Marketing methods like these, along with including special CD-only merchandise or perks, have contributed to CD sales still making up the majority of Japan’s total music sales, despite the format slowly becoming obsolete worldwide. No doubt this is one reason why the country got off to a much slower start when it came to embracing free online streaming sites, such as YouTube, and capitalizing on the global market the way K-pop set out to do.

But just when it felt like more and more Japanese companies were finally jumping on the YouTube bandwagon, the video-sharing behemoth decided to roll out YouTube Red, a premium, ad-free subscription service that includes the ability to view videos offline or download them to your mobile device for up to 30 days.

Although YouTube claims that they have 99 percent of creators on board with the new subscription-based system, unfortunately a large number of Japanese labels are part of the one percent that has yet to sign on, and as a result their content is now unavailable to American fans—a development with came as quite a blow to fans of Japanese music in the U.S.

While fans have the option of choosing whether they would like to keep watching free videos with ads or upgrade to a more optimized viewing experience, if creators want to keep making revenue from their content, they have no choice but to agree to the new YouTube Red system.

Some labels have yet to respond to YouTube’s requests, and until they sign on, their content has been region-locked from American viewers.

Here’s an incomplete list of labels that have yet to agree to YouTube Red’s terms:

Currently Blocked

    Nippon Columbia (J-pop, rock arists)
    Sony Music Japan (J-pop, rock, visual kei artists)
    AKS (AKB48 and sister groups except NMB48)
    Up-Front/zetima (Hello!Project groups)
    Pony Canyon (male and female idol groups, J-pop artists)
    P-Vine (J-pop, blues, jazz, and punk artists)
    Teichiku (Japanese enka, kayokyoku artists)
    Danger Crue (J-rock, visual kei artists)
    Stardust (J-pop artists, including Momoiro Clover Z)
    Dreamusic (J-pop artists)
    Zankyo Record (J-pop, rock, and jazz artists)
    Dir en grey (and possibly other bands managed by Free Will)

Currently Available

    Avex (J-pop, rock artists)
    Universal Music Japan
    TOY’S FACTORY (Idols and J-pop artists, including BABYMETAL)
    A-Sketch (J-rock artists, including ONE OK ROCK)
    HIP LAND MUSIC (most artists)

This is problematic for Japan, since offering offline viewing and downloading capabilities isn’t something that Japanese streaming services are familiar with, and it makes it harder for Japanese companies to monitor when, where, and how content is being used in accordance to Japanese copyright laws.

Unfortunately it not only affects labels that create content, but also labels without license rights, such as Sega’s Hatsune Miku Channel, which posts Vocaloid music owned by Incstoenter.

But unlike regular music content, the Vocaloid community thrives mostly on user-created content made from Vocaloid software, and a number of U.S.-based Vocaloid content creators are also suffering as a result. Many fans say they now plan to move over to Niconico Douga, Japan’s leading video-sharing site, to get their Vocaloid fix, but for creators this could seriously damage their viewership numbers.

Recently the Japanese Vocaloid community caught wind of the issue, and many of their reactions have been less than sympathetic.

    “Isn’t this good news for Japan?”
    “This is great opportunity for Niconico to get more popular in America.”
    “What’s the big deal? They should just move to another platform.”
    “This is all the work of other Asian countries that are anti-Japan. They’re trying to get Japanese culture content removed.”
    “I hope they block more and more anime. They should put a stop to illegal streaming. If they want to see it, they should pay for it.”

Because copyright policies are so strict in Japan, it may just be a matter of waiting for labels to sort through YouTube Red’s new agreement before content is restored, like with Victor Entertainment. Still, considering how most Japanese labels are reluctant to sign other similar services such as Spotify, there’s a chance that many will not.

For the time being, since YouTube Red is only available in the U.S., and therefore only affects American users, but Google has plans to expand the service to other international markets from 2016. At that point, only time will tell whether Japanese music-related content will still be available in your country or not.

[CD track list]
01.The Gate of Palace
02.Bite The Bullet
03.Crime and Punishment
04.Song for You
05.Ready to Go
06.Grayish World
07.Bloody Birth Day
08.I'm Dead
09.Sweet Trap
10.Infinite Love
11.Moebius Loop
 

I've washed my hands of Aldious. I'll just listen to the first two albums and Raglaia until Yoshi comes to her senses and boots Re:NO Thanks. It's bad enough that Aldious's music has suffered so much since Re:No More joined but now covering this bad Avril Lavigne song from her failed solo career was the end of it for me.
 
FLiP are nice but too soft for my tastes.

Interview with the girls in English. Confirms the rumor that one of them actually did work in a Maid Cafe.
 
http://jrock247.com/2015/07/band-maid-interview-2015/

Mary's Blood new full album "Bloody Palace" will be released at 2015/10/07, although details have not yet been announced

This just plain sucks. The band I fell in love with on "Deep Exceed" is gone. They've gone down the same soft pop track as Cyntia and Exist Trace.

New music video. This band is really growing on me.
 

 
That guitar solo breakdown is SICK.

Yay resurrecting another old thread.
 
Let's show a little love for the blue haired wonder Hana of Gacharic Spin. She has to sing and play a very hyperactive style of music, which can't be easy.
 
And I will miss Aruto. Aldious liked to play real fast and without her steady time it would all fall apart. I have high hopes for the new girl given who her stepdad is.
 
As for the west, Neil Peart has been my idol since my teens (ain't saying how long that is). Also love the work of Martin Axe of Opeth and Witchery, Dave Lombardo formerly of Slayer (how did I not see him listed?), Brann Daillor of Mastodon, Gar Samuelson of Megadeth (RIP), and Henry Ranta, formly Soilwork. IMO Henry played on Soilwork's best albums.

Aldious announced their first single off the new album will be released in July. It was written by Toki.
 
http://ameblo.jp/tokidious/entry-12022207887.html
 
New drummer Marina Bozzio (she is the stepdaughter of American drumming legend Terry Bozzio. Terry married her mother in 2008) already has her first endorsement deal: with Vic Firth sticks.
 
http://ameblo.jp/marinadious/entry-12022231292.html?timestamp=1430669852
 

 
She also apparently speaks fluent English. I assume she sent this tweet because I've never seen English out of anyone else in the band.
 
https://twitter.com/Drums_Marina/status/595005483519324160

Aldious announced their first single off the new album will be released in July. It was written by Toki.
 
http://ameblo.jp/tokidious/entry-12022207887.html
 
New drummer Marina Bozzio (she is the stepdaughter of American drumming legend Terry Bozzio. Terry married her mother in 2008) already has her first endorsement deal: with Vic Firth sticks.
 
http://ameblo.jp/marinadious/entry-12022231292.html?timestamp=1430669852
 

 
She also apparently speaks fluent English. I assume she sent this tweet because I've never seen English out of anyone else in the band.
 
https://twitter.com/Drums_Marina/status/595005483519324160

Holy shit, I just discovered something. Marina is the step-daughter of Terry Bozzio, one of the best drummers in the world. He used to play drums for Frank Zappa, and if you know Zappa you know he demanded the best players for his band. Even though she is not blood, if she learned from him she will be fucking brilliant.

http://aldious.net/archives/category/news
 
Her name is Marina. They didn't mention past bands, or if they did Bing Translate didn't pick it up.
 

(she's on the far right)
 
She's got big shoes to fill. Aruto was a great drummer. I hope Yoshi was a little more careful this time in picking a replacement. And is that a tattoo on Yoshi's thigh?

So this video is being passed around my Facebook feed by a bunch of friends.
 
 
Now, knowing Japan's penchant for contrivances (AKB48, Babymetal) and the whole maid cafe obsession, I initially dismissed it. Now I'm not so sure. For starters the song is really fucking good, so I want it to be real.
 
So does anyone know if these girls are a genuine band, formed by the members and writing their own songs, or if they are an agency creation?

Excellent sleuthing, ender^2.

heh oops. But the second one is from her blog so I know it's genuine.

New music video. Rami has definitely learned how to sing in her time off, it's not just wailing at the top of her lungs.
 

 
BTW, I figured out who her guitarist is. He was the producer who butchered the last Aldious album. I don't know if he produced Raglaia but if he did he got his act together. It sounds good. Kind of American metal influenced in its sound. And he is one hell of a guitarist. Yoshi and Toki never came close to that solo.

My translator comes through again:
 
I went to dinner with former member Rami.

She is starting a new band named Raguraia and they will be releasing a CD soon. Rami is working really hard.

I really feel happy for her!!

When she had to leave Aldious, her doctor said that she won't be able to perform live anymore. In the three years since then, she has worked real hard to overcome her condition and also did a lot of singing practice, so now she is able to sing again.

I am just so happy.

To me, music and my band are the most important part of my life; so when I think about the possibility of losing them, it would be like losing hope and dream. It would probably be more painful than dying.

Rami feels the same way as I do, that is why she worked super hard to get back to where she is now, I am so proud of her and I am really happy for her.

Congratulations

Even though she is not part of our band anymore, we will continue to push and encourage each other, together we will show the world just how wonderful metal and music is.

I'll be rooting for her and please everyone check them out.

Since we haven't seen each other in a while now, so it was nice to catch up and it brought back a lot of good memories.

My translator comes through again:
 
I went to dinner with former member Rami.

She is starting a new band named Raguraia and they will be releasing a CD soon. Rami is working really hard.

I really feel happy for her!!

When she had to leave Aldious, her doctor said that she won't be able to perform live anymore. In the three years since then, she has worked real hard to overcome her condition and also did a lot of singing practice, so now she is able to sing again.

I am just so happy.

To me, music and my band are the most important part of my life; so when I think about the possibility of losing them, it would be like losing hope and dream. It would probably be more painful than dying.

Rami feels the same way as I do, that is why she worked super hard to get back to where she is now, I am so proud of her and I am really happy for her.

Congratulations

Even though she is not part of our band anymore, we will continue to push and encourage each other, together we will show the world just how wonderful metal and music is.

I'll be rooting for her and please everyone check them out.

Since we haven't seen each other in a while now, so it was nice to catch up and it brought back a lot of good memories.