gekiai

I've always felt like Plasticzooms are 100% a singles-only band, most of their albums so far haven't managed to leave a great impression on me, unfortunately..

Unfortunately I did not like this album, even though I had somewhat high hopes after listening to the teasers. It just flows together in the worst way possible for me (i.e. unmemorable and shallow-sounding stuff). I would give it another chance some day maybe, but as of now I don't even have the willpower to relisten, haha.
 
It's not their worst, just very very forgettable.
 
(disclaimer: I regard their first EP/album thingie as their only truly impressive release tho, so I'll shut up XD)

Just gonna casually add some melanin to this thread ...
 
 

PLASTICZOOMS is my most recent discovery so I figured I should make a review on them!  
 
PLASTICZOOMS - PLASTICZOOMS
 

 
Disclaimer:
 
1) This is actually my first time listening to PLASTICZOOMS seriously, so this is probably really objective...nor can I cite or compare any of their other previous works
 
2) I don’t know much musical lingo, despite being in band/orchestra for 4 years. So I’m not gonna get all complex, though I wish I could
 
3) This is my first review. Have mercy on me please (but do give me critiques and/or your opinion on the work too!)
 
Let's get started!  
 
Frontal Attack: Every time this track comes on I just smile some to myself. It sounds so...spacey and weird, but I think this it works well. As the song progresses, more things are added from extra beats, to the guitars, and finally Sho. So as an introduction, I guess it gets the job done as an “SE” of some sort.
 
The Future: It’s a good transition from Frontal Attack. The track itself is..quite alright. It doesn’t knock me off my feet, but it’s definitely something I don’t mind hearing when it comes on shuffle. The guitar solo part is pretty darn cool though, and I love to hear the drums in that part too. The rough vocals Sho uses near the end is a nice touch too.
 
Quite Clearly: This is the song that I liked at first, but then I listened to it more afterwards and felt kinda meh towards it. It has it’s redeeming values, but quite clearly, it’s meh to me. hAH
 
Minds: THIS IS THE SONG THAT I HAD STUCK IN MY HEAD THE ENTIRE WEEK. It’s beautiful, and I love the little melody that comes up in the background occasionally and the slower part before the chorus...omg. I like the female voice along with Sho’s, but I feel in short moments it overpowers his voice somewhat (that may be because of his accent though). This was the song on their album advertisement, which was the only reason I decided to check this out actually!  
 
HIGHWAY: The other song I had in my head this week..I dig the vintage feel to it. When I was first dipping my feet into PLASTICZOOMS’ music, this was really the only title track song (aside from P A R A D E ) that really stuck out to me. The chorus is catchy af and i find myself singing along each time. I love the part after the last chorus..just gold.
 
U12: This is the “jollier” song on the album, and it still hasn’t grown on me yet. The bass in this song is pretty great and the part just with it and the synths is fairly cute.
 
Night & Hurt: Aaaand we’re back to the darker stuff. The weird voice/vocals in the background and the occasional spacey sounds (return) really add to the mystery in this song, Sho’s voice in some parts sounds really..I don’t think creepy would say it, but like some evil overlord that's commanding the peasants (or something). I still feel so-so with the song in general, but it always feels so short when I listen to it.
 
Smoke Motion: I don’t know why this reminds me slightly of Quite Clearly, but it does. I think the effects in this song is interesting though, and has me tapping my foot along to the beat at times. This song does a lot and I feel it took me a while to take a lot of in. I daresay this is probably the most “experimental” song on this album...oh and the drums at the end reminded me a bit of the ones in THE NOVEMBERS’ Romancé and I was like “cool, I love this effect!” 
 
Veiled Eyes: Ah, the other title track. This is the first song I heard by PLASTICZOOMS (I think), and it didn’t woo me off my feet. It still doesn’t. Honestly, they could’ve chosen Minds as the other title track, even it kinda was the promo song.
 
Breitenbach: I love, love this track. I think it’s a good song to end the album off with. It’s just so pretty, from the piano, the occasionally ornamentations, and the guitars.
 
Ending thoughts: I’m still getting used to Sho’s accented English, so I couldn’t decipher a ton of what he was saying, but I think it would’ve helped with my interpretation maybe. I don’t know if this was the best album for me to start with, but it wasn’t bad. I think the order of the album is pretty good, though U12 threw me off when I was first listening to it. In the end, I will definitely be looking more at their discography, since I really like their sound !
 
Least Favorite Song?: Veiled Eyes
Favorite Song?: Minds, duh
Runner Up?: Breitenbach
 
Overall Rating? 
/10

PLASTICZOOMS is my most recent discovery so I figured I should make a review on them!  
 
PLASTICZOOMS - PLASTICZOOMS
 

 
Disclaimer:
 
1) This is actually my first time listening to PLASTICZOOMS seriously, so this is probably really objective...nor can I cite or compare any of their other previous works
 
2) I don’t know much musical lingo, despite being in band/orchestra for 4 years. So I’m not gonna get all complex, though I wish I could
 
3) This is my first review. Have mercy on me please (but do give me critiques and/or your opinion on the work too!)
 
Let's get started!  
 
Frontal Attack: Every time this track comes on I just smile some to myself. It sounds so...spacey and weird, but I think this it works well. As the song progresses, more things are added from extra beats, to the guitars, and finally Sho. So as an introduction, I guess it gets the job done as an “SE” of some sort.
 
The Future: It’s a good transition from Frontal Attack. The track itself is..quite alright. It doesn’t knock me off my feet, but it’s definitely something I don’t mind hearing when it comes on shuffle. The guitar solo part is pretty darn cool though, and I love to hear the drums in that part too. The rough vocals Sho uses near the end is a nice touch too.
 
Quite Clearly: This is the song that I liked at first, but then I listened to it more afterwards and felt kinda meh towards it. It has it’s redeeming values, but quite clearly, it’s meh to me. hAH
 
Minds: THIS IS THE SONG THAT I HAD STUCK IN MY HEAD THE ENTIRE WEEK. It’s beautiful, and I love the little melody that comes up in the background occasionally and the slower part before the chorus...omg. I like the female voice along with Sho’s, but I feel in short moments it overpowers his voice somewhat (that may be because of his accent though). This was the song on their album advertisement, which was the only reason I decided to check this out actually!  
 
HIGHWAY: The other song I had in my head this week..I dig the vintage feel to it. When I was first dipping my feet into PLASTICZOOMS’ music, this was really the only title track song (aside from P A R A D E ) that really stuck out to me. The chorus is catchy af and i find myself singing along each time. I love the part after the last chorus..just gold.
 
U12: This is the “jollier” song on the album, and it still hasn’t grown on me yet. The bass in this song is pretty great and the part just with it and the synths is fairly cute.
 
Night & Hurt: Aaaand we’re back to the darker stuff. The weird voice/vocals in the background and the occasional spacey sounds (return) really add to the mystery in this song, Sho’s voice in some parts sounds really..I don’t think creepy would say it, but like some evil overlord that's commanding the peasants (or something). I still feel so-so with the song in general, but it always feels so short when I listen to it.
 
Smoke Motion: I don’t know why this reminds me slightly of Quite Clearly, but it does. I think the effects in this song is interesting though, and has me tapping my foot along to the beat at times. This song does a lot and I feel it took me a while to take a lot of in. I daresay this is probably the most “experimental” song on this album...oh and the drums at the end reminded me a bit of the ones in THE NOVEMBERS’ Romancé and I was like “cool, I love this effect!” 
 
Veiled Eyes: Ah, the other title track. This is the first song I heard by PLASTICZOOMS (I think), and it didn’t woo me off my feet. It still doesn’t. Honestly, they could’ve chosen Minds as the other title track, even it kinda was the promo song.
 
Breitenbach: I love, love this track. I think it’s a good song to end the album off with. It’s just so pretty, from the piano, the occasionally ornamentations, and the guitars.
 
Ending thoughts: I’m still getting used to Sho’s accented English, so I couldn’t decipher a ton of what he was saying, but I think it would’ve helped with my interpretation maybe. I don’t know if this was the best album for me to start with, but it wasn’t bad. I think the order of the album is pretty good, though U12 threw me off when I was first listening to it. In the end, I will definitely be looking more at their discography, since I really like their sound !
 
Least Favorite Song?: Veiled Eyes
Favorite Song?: Minds, duh
Runner Up?: Breitenbach
 
Overall Rating? 
/10

"They look like final fantasy characters  XDDDD"
 
"I'm a girl and they're prettier than me, so unfair ;_;"
 
 
Ugggggghhh.

they got the wrong vocalist tho

Did nobody mention Riku? No? Look at this wrinkly, well-used piece of drug-leftover, I love him dearly. Gawd. He even looked old, when he was in his early twenties (don't do drugs kids, srsly is2g you'll look twice your age!). 
But then again I have a serious weakness for used-looking, old, broken dolls like him. 
 
 
Or let's talk about Loki

 
Like damn Daddy, seeing you without too much light and softener for pics makes my heart beat for you
 

Welcome! You'll discover a ton of awesome music here

Just gonna casually add some melanin to this thread ...
 
 

Just gonna casually add some melanin to this thread ...
 
 

It actually really sucks when you listen through an album and you don't like a single song on it....especially if it's by a group you actually really like  

I find myself with a lot of time to think about the state of Japanese music and how things have changed since I first became a fan. I'm sure you guys have these thoughts as well. For the 10th anniversary, I'm going to publish some random musings I've had about the scene. They'll just be bullet points from one sentence to a few sentences about anything related to visual kei or J-rock. If you guys want to join in just leave your bullet points below and I'll be posting them sometime soon.
 
Thoughts from @Zeus:
 

the GazettE
 
We always had a dream of getting together a J-Rock Wikipedia of sorts to catalog our history. That idea is all but dead in the water. Last.fm is the closest we have to that and it's very decentralized. The day those servers go down is the day an entire epoch of international visual kei ends. From the perspective of an international fan, live distributed releases suck ass. It sucks more when the song in question is not put on another purchasable release, rendering that song out of reach for people like me unless we fork over tons of money to a third party reseller, so it's not like we could benefit the band if we tried. It really sucks when it was given away at a band's last gig, because the fans of that band will only dwindle from that moment on and the release will become even rarer until it reaches a tipping point where no one cares anymore. Then, you might get it if someone feels kind and doesn't purge it from their hard drives. An entire era of Japanese history was lost when Mega Upload went down. Many places exclusively used that website for all their deeds. It's said that 4% of all the traffic in the internet flowed through their servers at their peak. I say this because there are lots of releases that you just can't find anymore because links are dead and the fans have left. I've learned a valuable lesson about the permanence of data. I used to hate collection albums and viewed them as a quick way to make a buck. But after some stellar recent releases and faves of mine that broke up and left a collection album behind before they broke up, they are very useful for both sharing a blast from the past and for making mix tapes. Most blogspots have always seemed like a futile attempt to mimic what we do here for some bored teenagers 15 seconds of fame. I used to expend my energy trying to stamp them out, but that's just as futile. There were a select few that actually served as an archival device and were lit. Places like Byouto and Evil en lucifer existed with a plan and a demographic in mind and actually bothered with mirroring their own links and getting their own CDs. Re-recordings are almost always better than remasters for me. At least with the former it feels like the band put some effort into it. Speaking of which, the re-recordings on Lycaon's second album aren't that bad. I still don't like EROS or Aventure though. I've never listened to an X JAPAN song and I don't understand all of the hate Yoshiki gets sometimes. I like poking fun at Japanese Democracy, but other than that I'm from a different era than original X fans (are there even any left) so I can't cash in on nostalgia. I'm so far divorced from their music I have no feelings one way or another and if it ever does get released, I plan on buying, listening, and reviewing the new album fairly as if we haven't been waiting forever to hear it.  

THE PIASS
 
Never thought I would see a scene without UNDERCODE. Then again, there was a time I thought there would never be a scene without Matina and these days few people remember that label. Does YOHIO hang around here? He must visit every now and again - this place is too addictive and centralizing not to. Is there even anywhere else to go? Where do all the n00bs come from? I haven't heard anyone refer to anything as "too American" in years. We successfully stamped that ignorance out of the scene! I remember when XodiacK was first formed, their partnership with HearJapan, and their subsequent financial failure with their first single. They were a joke back then. Now they are considered a cult classic. It's crazy how malleable opinions are. BORN and Lycaon are two bands I waited forever for their disbandment, and when it happened I wasn't happy. Visual kei is making a third shift in sound away from the millenial-kei tunes into the unknown. This is a great time to be a fan!  
Thoughts from @fitear1590:
 

the fin.
I need more VK bands with technical guitar work that aren't necessarily tied to some offshoot of metal (Aicle was a perfect example) The lines between VK and certain brands of indie are getting more porous; a very exciting combination of worlds! Honestly, what happened to Shiina Ringo? She was such a prominent figure in my music taste at one point, but she fizzled out... Please. End. The. Treble. Synth. Fad. Long live "art kei". May the patron saints (ex-members of bands like Moran, yazzmad, amber gris, etc.) keep the style going!  
Thoughts from @emmny:
 

DIV
amber gris saved visual kei after Buglug tried to destroy it and before issei literally almost destroyed himself falling off a balcony meto style Few things were more depressing than seeing Yuuki ruin UnsraW and then flop into infinity with DOAK "Lost november" by Diaura is the most iconic vk song released in...ever Revival kei was the only thing that saved vk past 2012 DIR EN GREY's career trajectory has been amazing and no I don't care what you have to say about DSS No, i'm not EVER getting over D'espairsray so can it. Can bands stop acting like visual kei is still popular, trying to play massive venues (which would have been considered average size 10 years ago) and then flopping intensely? Miztavlah YOU'RE NEXT...300/1200 O-West wait on it DADAROMA and Mejibray have the biggest followings in the western fandoms since vk died and its actually kinda adorable...won't save vk tho Ikenai Kiss by DIV was both the peak and death of EDM kei...RIP  
Thoughts from @doombox:
 

CROSSFAITH
 
I still don't know how baby VK bands manage to pay for their costumes and make up artists when they can't get 100 people in a venue. MIYAVI proved you can survive after VK, have a public marriage and family, be covered in tattoos, and still be wildly popular. These days it's getting plain to see VK has gone down like the Titanic and we're all waiting in tiny lifeboats, clinging to each other and hoping another big ship will eventually come to save us. I'm still not over K (Pay money To my Pain), Shunsuke (Eldorado, bis), or Jasmine You (Versailles).  ONE OK ROCK took over the world. I'm still in shock. Japanese electro-core burnt out way too fast but man it was fun while it lasted.   
Thoughts from @tetsu_sama69:



BAISER
 
When will people realize that most VK bands are just homage of older previous groups and THIS WILL ALWAYS BE A THING?!!? Most VK singers are just massive fanboys of Kiyoharu/Kyo/Hyde/Ruki even if it doesn't seem like they are there always SOMETHING that gives it away and trust me even your vk daddies had people they were fanboys of as well. "Musical differences" is just an excuse for you ran out of mommy/daddy's money for your costumes/recordings OR you just don't get along To survive in this fandom you either have to be extremely open-minded or stick to what you know you like but trust me... not everyone is going to like what you like and you have to accept that Accept it, we're all weeaboos.  
 
Thoughts from @Ito:

Sel'm
 
Not only has aie somehow managed tostill be sticking around, he is almost seemingly trying to  single handedly save VK...and somehow suceeding?  It took nearly the full span of 10 years, but every one of my favorite VK bands from 2007 has disbanded I am not sure if VK has gotten worse or if I've just gotten older and grumpier Yoshiki has transitioned from a legend to a laughingstock in the community It surprises me when I meet someone IRL and they tell me they are a big VK fan...and then I find out they haven't heard of MH. Like where the hell else are you going? I wish I was more inclined to go back and check out older work. I know I have missed out on plenty of wonderful Jrock, but I am just so keen on keeping with what it current. I really need to fix that. Are we ever going to get any VK bands to come to the States again, outside of the biggest of names? While I listen to far less VK now than I used to (read that as my musical tastes have broadened), it still holds an incredibly special place in my heart.  
Thoughts from @CAT5:
 

八十八ヶ所巡礼
 
International Visual Kei fans are some of the craziest, most irritating, and deranged people that I've come across. They're also some of the most passionate, interesting, fun-loving, and generous music fans that I've had the pleasure of knowing. There's always been a stigma surrounding the community, but in my experience, there's more good to be said than bad. Monochrome-Heaven is one of the most slept-on forums of all time. We've been around for a decade and the community is still thriving despite the fact that forums are continually slipping into obsolescence. The world of J-rock is vast and infinite, and there's always something new and different to try if you look for it or ask the right people. Trying to convince VK fans that music outside of VK is somehow "better" or more worthwhile is an exercise in futility. Condescending or scoffing at VK fans is also equally idiotic. I've done both. Don't do it. You'll just come off as an absolute dick who's insecure in his own tastes and interests. VK marketing ploys are still pretty fucking hilarious and ridiculous.  Speaking of which, most of us have, at one point, gone broke for Visual Kei and Japanese music in general. It's expensive and wallet-crippling, yet glorious all the same. I still can't wrap my head around cheki or conditional disbandments. DIR EN GREY have never NOT been relevant.  

Phantasmagoria
 
MH and VK fans at large love themselves a good drama/scandal. From what i've seen, it's usually best to just have a sense of humor about these things. J-rock changes over time. Your favorite era may have been five, ten, or even fifteen years ago. Hell, it might even be NOW. Whatever the case, accept that the musical landscape is constantly changing. I think it's more effective to cherish your favs. and continuously sing their praises than it is to bitch and moan about bygone styles and eras, and how all new music sucks. Sharing keeps the J-rock community alive. It's what's kept us going this long. And not just the sharing of the music itself, but the sharing of news, lyrics/translations, scans, review, live reports, images...even something as simple as sharing your own, unique thoughts about a band or a release. It all counts. Every little piece contributes to keeping the scene alive at large. MH has truly been blessed in this regard, as so many of our members have come here to share openly and freely all out of love for VK, J-rock, and Japanese music as a whole. It's a beautiful thing and I thank everyone for every penny spent, every CD ripped, every mb uploaded, every post typed, and every general ounce of energy poured into our common love for Japanese music.

Thanks for reading!

Tbh, all the people who virtue signaled Hide's death day, when they never even knew about him when he was actually alive.  That always bugged the crap out of me.
 
Every VK fan that ever said about any band "they need to put out something harder" or "this is too poppy"
 
"I don't like x-band anymore bc Tanuki revealed their manwhore tendencies" and related: "x-vkbandoman can't possibly be a manwhore bc he looks too innocent"
 
Any VK fan that freaks out when someone else says their favorite band sucks.
 
Extremely pretentious reviews of VK albums.
 
VK fans who call VK Jrock when they most definitely 100% mean VK bc they don't actually listen to any other Japanese rock.
 
Any band  said to be copying Dir en grey.  If I could roll my eyes any harder at this, they'd be in the back of my head by now.
 
Ok this turned out to be less "shit new vk fans say" and more, this is the ridiculous shit I've heard from VK fans over the years.

People who claim to have been into vk for 10+ years yet barely know entry level acts is the main fad amongst noobs these days. 

"Is anyone else getting tired of VK? I've been listening to it for the past six months and two days, so I've been into the scene for awhile, and all these bands just sound the same now. Thoughts?" 

[obvious ripoff band of a more established band] is NOT a ripoff of [said more established band] (+ the occasional attached essay about how totally different they are even though they're actually not) gets me every time

No one mentioned these people, who think vkei is big in Japan and they call the musicians celebrities xD

"VK is dead" #ResurrectVK

It actually really sucks when you listen through an album and you don't like a single song on it....especially if it's by a group you actually really like  

Welcome! ^ ^ 

It actually really sucks when you listen through an album and you don't like a single song on it....especially if it's by a group you actually really like  

razor are awf, but not as butt-clenchingly embarrassing as this thing.
 
and sadie was (moderately) better than born at any time, so the relative downgrade adds to the negative tone here.
 
I can only speak for myself, but I never got into born, and I avoid any ex-member projects by proxy.

Get over yourself and have some dignity, man. Everyone here ends up taking a few L's eventually and gets called out on it, but this is a very forgiving and accommodating community that treats these things with good humour. So If you're interested in this stuff then please: discover new bands, enjoy the dl's and just talk rubbish like everyone else here, and you might make a few friends, have a good time and whatever else; if not, then it's beyond me why anyone would feel inclined to make an eulogy for themselves on a bloody internet messageboard before fading into lurkdom.