beni

I'm also curious why some of you have changed your names.
 
  Don't take it so hard hon

It's the name I desire to be addressed as. I am... simples~ xP Shout out to okaasan for not agreeing to it! ;-;

It's the name I desire to be addressed as. I am... simples~ xP Shout out to okaasan for not agreeing to it! ;-;

The lighting in here is pretty awful, and my phone cam's brightness was set way too high, so while this selfie was technically a fail, I still like it ;3

Quoting both posts because the bolded parts are all I really have to say for this release I tried out tonight (but yes, I will continue to waffle on because that is me). I first listened to this duo back with their compilation album, 'Flash Back.' This was one of my first Japanese music artists and Japanese albums I tried. It's still one of my favourites so I was more than up to try this newest album of theirs out. I'm actually quite disappointed with it, due to the two reasons I noticed above. While I can't say anything on 'CAPS LOCK,' since I never got to it, I began missing the vocals halfway through this album. There just isn't enough Toshiko in it and this is important to me since it's her vocal work which attracts me the most to their songs. And the music, as a whole, became quite tiring since it carried on with this- (quoting the best quote for explaining this); 'Nakata tried to incorporate those stupid US dance music trends into this album and that's why it sucks;' said by physicalthings on Last.fm. This really rings true for me. Some tracks were enjoyable while listening and memorable after listening, but VERY few.

Here are my honest thoughts on the album.
C'mon, people. The capsule stans weren't really expecting this direction? Really? I knew Nakata was a hipster since I first listened to "Jumper".
I knew he was ahead of the trend and now, with this album, he's following the trend - and doing it right. "More! More! More!" and "PLAYER" were my long-night coming-off-of-drugs jams back in the day and I got a lot of my friends to listen to them. I knew this "EDM trend" scene was going to hit capsule sooner or later. It was just a matter of when.

When" Caps Lock" came out, I wasn't too surprised that he was heading in such a minimalist direction - especially after how simple "Stereo Worxxx" was perfected. However when the Wave Runner teasers and all that jazz came out, I knew that "Caps Lock" was merely just a concept album to ease their way into the Warner label. "Wave Runner" is their big break in the label - their massive monolith album.

It's pretty much a beast of an album. No lie. When I first heard "Feel Again", it was instant love. Toshiko is ever-so-present and is very pleasing due to her being somewhat absent in later releases (not completely). I knew this was released to please the capsule stans. What made it interesting is the break in the song - so beefy. So simple. Almost similar to Martin Garrix's "Animals". That is when I knew that the day has finally come - the day Nakata's hispter music has surfaced.

There's so many great songs on this album. 'Wave Runner' starts off with an appropriately self-titled track. It takes some cues from the intro track to "Fruits Clipper" and "Flash Back", I feel. However this time it feels more like an anthem - to prepare yourself for what this album has in store.

The album gracefully starts off with 'Another World'. Very somber at the beginning - with Toshiko very much present. It's not until after the verse when things get bumpin'. The chorus is, what the stans will consider, very American EDMish. At this point in my life I don't even care. Yeah it's been so overused the past 5 years that it's just natural - it feels like - to hear it on the radio, etc. However what makes this difference from all of that is that Nakata is doing it with care. He isn't whoring it out, plastering useless bloops and bloops, drum beats and whacky basslines like m-flo has done since their return.

Nakata has had this musical change in his mind since the release of "Flash Back" - I guarantee it. It's just so obvious. Like I said, it was only a matter of time.

There are some great tracks on here - obviously the singles "Another World" and "Feel Again". "Dreamin' Boy" is an incredible song. Toshiko sounds so good and there's the traditional capsule melody and synth you'd expect from earlier capsule. "Hero" is also another massive track. The beginning sounds like something that would've easily been on "Sugarless Girl". Also, "Depth". This is my first time hearing it. I know it was on some movie or game or something. The vocoder in this song MAKES IT. Yes.

Now the album isn't completely perfect. I might get hate for saying this but I can't really get into "Dancing Planet". I've heard it being compared to the likes of "Factory". I'm usually a fan of Nakata's instrumental work but I, for some reason, just can't dig this. I mean it's good. The production is top-notch and the drums and sound effects are incredible. It just feels a little out of place on the album. "Unrequited Love" is another weak song. It's just not as good as the other songs that Toshiko is present in. "Beyond the Sky" is also another weak instrumental track. I'm just not feeling it. I do love the PSO-ish vibe coming from it though.

I'm only on my second or third listen but I am very much pleased with the album. I can see myself listening to it for a while. People who are upset at their direction need to take a good hard look at their previous later works and ask yourself why. I am not a capsule stan at all. My life doesn't revolve aound eating and drinking capsule. I do, however, consider myself a big fan of them. I've purchased every album they've released since "More! More! More!" (thanks to MH for introducing me to them during that era). I've even gone along and purchased some of their back catalog too.
 
Nakata is a great producer and capsule would NOT be the same without Toshiko. The two are meant to be together with this group. However what i'm trying to say is that not much has changed with this album when comparing it to, say, "Player" or "World of Fantasy". At ALL. Sure, electronic music has evolved a little bit since then - with trap beats and trance like synths in choruses becoming the normal in modern EDM but capsule has not had that much of a drastic change. (Their major change in musical direction was when "Fruits Clipper" was released.) I just feel this album is just like anything else they've released since. It's still a solid album and people should be happy Toshiko is so present in it - compared to the stock vocals.

I still can't really give it a rating yet but if I could just come up with one off the top of my head, i'd say on a 1-5 scale, i'd give it a 3.5/5. 
Highlights: Another World, Dreamin'Boy, Hero, Feel Again, Depth
 

Back when I only used iTunes, all the tracks were either already romaji typed (and sometimes, even with the English translation besides this), or I change the text to that. But now, I'm still going through my library in foobar to get them all as the orginal titles since I now use Last.fm, and I'd feel pretty bad if I kept using incorrect tags. I'd keep them as romaji if I wasn't using Last.fm so that I could read and remember them since I don't know Japanese. But, for now, at least I'm making them as they should be, really.

A happy birthday to todays bunch~
Kles! joumyaku_salad! and bb digi!!

A MASSIVE Happy Birthday to the previous lot. So sorry I missed out on doing these recently yet again.
 
And, another massive shout out to today's lot and in particular, RpgRiser (have an awesome one, dear friend!), elias, Tenak1992, Kyara as well!!

Idk you.
 
But lets be friends because....
 
dat name.

THE TURTLES JAPAN, the superband consisting of Seiji Kameda (producer, known for his basswork in Tokyo Jihen) and Sakai + Yamamura (from Flumpool), will release their debut album titled "ELECTRIC HUMANITY" @8/4/2015, and "will mainly express "lack of natural traits in modern human relationships" by adopting EDM sound that *might* appeal masses these days" (pretsy's note: ummm...)
 
They also announced the arena tour with the same name
 
Promo pic:
https://fbexternal-a.akamaihd.net/safe_image.php?d=AQCuCvgdN3TAdEaB&w=484&h=253&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theturtles.jp%2Fassets%2Fimg%2Fogp2.png&cfs=1&sx=0&sy=1&sw=1200&sh=627
 
No other details except that their single "It's Alright" will be included as well
 
source: ro69

It's fun to play songs that Cat doesn't like

oomori theme pls

I love plugging with everyone and I'm always happy seeing others joining in! If those who do vote for the 5th option, it's be awesome to seem them give it a chance so we all can grow as a community, or at least pick up an activity we can all be together in and have fun with. Not only is it a great way to find new music interests as fitear at the top has said (and yes, you better come in moar, good sir!), but we're all enjoying one of our favourite hobbies in hearing and viewing music together while also chatting about it. Call me a shut-in (I won't deny this u-u), but it's an event I look forward to every day and has become an important and fun part of MH, at least to me. It's certainly the only party you'll see me at!

plug is love, plug is life

I wish I had more time to join, but it's always fun when I do. A great way to check out some new music and connect with the other members.

But, it would be awesome if plug allowed videos from other sites (vimeo, jpopsuki.tv, etc.)

(LOL, I wanna hear from the people who vote for "FUCK this site. It's ruining MH! (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻")

Cutting the last poll a bit short to get things back on track.

How do you feel about plug.dj? Feel free to elaborate on your responses!
 
To submit a poll for the MH POLL OF THE WEEK, P.M. @CAT5 with your poll question, choices, and state whether it's multiple choice or not.

Wb~

am i doing this right
 

 

 

 

 
pls contribute ur own too ♥

Fatima will revive for one-day at their live "Fatimaは二度死ぬ～裸の刃物を持つ男 2 1/2～" at TSUTAYA O-East at 2015/06/28
 

 
http://fatima-online.com/0628.html

Hi der. *waves excitedly*
A member from the past!? ='D Welcome again! Great to see a MH friend return. ;w; I hope you enjoy your time here and get back into it. All the best and see you around~

hi

It would seem that some of the users here misread or misinterpreted this poll? I'm pretty sure I didn't ask for anyone's opinion on the album. Those who are attentive enough might notice that I intentionally omitted an option for "none" - which effectively makes that option and point of view entirely irrelevant for this thread's sake.
 
However, you're always bound to get those who are determined to share their opinions where they are neither wanted nor appreciated. It's the same ego-driven madness that coerces ppl to to click "dislike" on YT videos instead of closing the tab or going to another video. It's all painfully unnecessary, and I personally cringe upon witnessing it, but at the same time, it's a natural function of the human ego. When people see others praising something that they can't personally appreciate, the ego reads that as an attack, and so it feels the need protect, defend, and validate it's own existence - which is why you end up with worthless posts like some of the ones above.
 
But understanding and accepting this as the nature of things should help you get along with this kind of behavior much better I believe. 

Picked the four I said I enjoyed most in the review thread. If I change my mind on my favs after another listen, I will come back to edit my votes. Also, I applaud you for making even more discussion on the band and album, aha.