crossparallel

Couldn't get the download to work, but guess what, I have a screen recording! If anyone wants to help me record it properly from nico, that will be so appreciated. If not, I'll put the screen recording up tomorrow.
 
Edit: MERRY ONE MAN TOUR 2019 - For Japanese Sheeple - 
There were a couple of hiccups with the stream, but hopefully small enough that they won't distract from the experience.

if your band meets at least two of the below criteria:
 
- have your cover artwork be drawn by Suehiro Maruo
- perform short skits during gigs
- use melodies reminiscent of kayoukyoku in your songs
- design your outfits based on school uniforms
- have at least one song about (pre-/post-/mid-)WWII and/or nationalism
 
That's it, I cracked the Angura Code™, thank you for coming to my TEDTalk.

Ba.竹田和彦 (Takeda Kazuhiko) (ex-MASK (as Kazutake)) has joined LIPHLICH at their live on June 9!
 
 

If you can wait until the weekend, I'll sign up for premium and try to record it then.

It's so tiring hearing the same rehashed opinions about k-pop being exploitative, manufactured etc. The truth of the fact is, yes there are some toxic sides to the industry, but it differs from group to group and change is happening. If people discussed say American pop music the way they do k-pop, taking every breakdown, every atrocity and using it to paint the whole industry, what an ugly picture that would be.
 
Anyway, there's a large overlap in the things that draw me to k-pop and visual kei. Mixing music styles, theatrical concepts, interesting personalities. And there's a ton of variety , if you like me are drawn to angsty, dramatic shit, boy does k-pop provide. The part of me that enjoys visual kei is 100% the same that listened to BTS' Singularity and Tear on repeat all of last year.
 
 

I mean seeing BTS on Saturday at the Metlife stadium. I’ll be sure to let you all know how it goes. 👍

It's so tiring hearing the same rehashed opinions about k-pop being exploitative, manufactured etc. The truth of the fact is, yes there are some toxic sides to the industry, but it differs from group to group and change is happening. If people discussed say American pop music the way they do k-pop, taking every breakdown, every atrocity and using it to paint the whole industry, what an ugly picture that would be.
 
Anyway, there's a large overlap in the things that draw me to k-pop and visual kei. Mixing music styles, theatrical concepts, interesting personalities. And there's a ton of variety , if you like me are drawn to angsty, dramatic shit, boy does k-pop provide. The part of me that enjoys visual kei is 100% the same that listened to BTS' Singularity and Tear on repeat all of last year.
 
 

ppl out here gonna act like 90s band names like ✝Le+Rêve:DuCroissanT✝ are fine but a band using latin terms as album titles is too pretentious

I gave Atom one listen back when it came out. I actually liked it, but Ai no Souretsu was the only track I kept going back for. This post just convinced to give the album a few other spins. Thanks!

@Jigsaw9 that's hilariously spot on.

Except! As someone who loves Atom Miraiha No. 9 - it has become my second favorite album of theirs after Six/Nine! - it pains me to see it not get the adoration it deserves. Granted, it is a bit weird and even cringy at times (the "I don't know if I should be impressed how they do that with a straight face" kind). There's also the aspect where the music very deliberately references recognizable sounds and moods - but not without its unique twist on them! I think the title is a key to the method, a future built from fragments of the familiar and nostalgic. But once you embrace the album, there is nothing like it. So let me be super self-indulgent and do a track by track of why it rocks. 
 
cum uh sol nu - This is halfway a grandiose incantation about immortality that would be at home at any old sci-fi or fantasy film with bad effects, but also personally the chorus gives me the image of a lone drunk rambling ("I'll never die, ha!"). Is it a flask of alcohol or the alchemist's flask with the homunculus inside (unscramble the title)? Keep the theme of creating humans in mind, because next comes...
 
PINOA ICCHIO - The superior love song for the age of AI. Listen to Imai having so much fun on the guitar! It's the combination of danger and exhilaration (to the point of madness or system breakdown) that I love.
 
Devil's WIngs - It really gives the feeling of flying, falling apart into sensations and coming together again. Also if you read the lyrics, the juxtapoition of the standard gothic imagery of souls and devils with the cells multiplying is cool.
 
El Dorado - This, this is my favorite! The melody inexorably pulling you forward, and one the most vivid Sakurai performances ever as the drunk "alchemist", in Mexico at that.
 
Bi NEO Universe - Eh, I'm not so big on this one. "aishiaVODKA"  is iconic though.
 
BOY septem peccata mortalia - This one is pretty funny with the whining ("Why is it wrong?") and the tantrum at the song climax. Also the vehiment denial of telling lies always reminded me of Pinocchio (given the second song's title), so I always imagine this song as his journey through the Land of Toys, only a not-quite-PG-13 version of it.
 
Jukai - I'm not sure this even works without the imagery of the lyrics in mind, but they come together with the music to form a terribly vivid sensual impression. Sakurai tying love and death is nothing new, but never has it been quite this chilling.
 
THE SEASIDE STORY - There they go again with the tonal whiplash. Now excuse me but I LOVE THIS. I'm just unreasonably happy with the idea of Sakurai singing a song from the point of view of the little mermaid reimagined as a shoujo heroine without batting an eye. I don't know how the conversation about this went, but thank you Imai! And just what a lovely summer jam. (Mix with Sid Vicious ON THE BEACH for pure perfection.)
 
FUTURE SONG - It is the future and you're kicking ass. Apparently you're also getting some. But bottom line, if you don't take the excuse to self-insert yourself into an imaginary space opera, what even is the point?

Manjusaka - This one is striking, the way it walks the line between tender and cutting, spiteful even. The music gives me a very specific feeling, like the electric air before a thunderstorm. Also if you are a B-T lyrics nerd, there is cool continuity with the imagery of the cherry blossoms - in Kalavinka they "suck red blood and sing", and here they are "spitting blood" (going by Cayce's translations).

Cuba Libre - The first thing I fell in love with about Atom Miraiha, especially with it coming on the heels of The Mortal, was how colorful it was, and this is the clearest example. Maybe because Cayce pointed out that "Taiyou ga Ippai" is the Japanese title of "Plein Soleil", but this song has a bit of that old film glamour to it for me on top of the carnival vibe going. It's also impossibly catchy.

Ai no Souretsu - It either gets you in the feels, or it doesn't. The grand yet poignant closer. (Only it isn't! Ha!)
 
NEW WORLD - Part of me hates that this is the actual closer. Don't get me wrong, I like the song, how airy and shimmery it is, and the water-spiral-dancing line, pretty! But after Ai no Souretsu? Nah mate. I usually do the same I do with Merry's Fuyu no Castanet (which I also like) and pretend it was never on its album. Once in a blue moon though, I let myself think how it could fit in the album progression, and it sends my thoughts spiralling back through the beginning, zeroes and nines and going from the creation of humans to the creation of whole worlds. So I am happy it is where it is.

Excuse the rambling, but guys, see, I stayed until 5 in the morning to write about this album! Please give it a chance, something just may click.

I enjoyed this a lot. Given it was the least promising of the previews for me, my expectations for the EP are at an all-time high.

HQ version:
 

 
 

They're really kinda overdoing it with the whole 'anthemic' chorus thing these days 😕 
Gonna echo @Jigsaw9 here in that i'm not feeling particularly hot on any of these. Tracks 3 and 4 sound like they have potential, although track 3's instrumental kinda sorta vaguely reminds me of that Zombie Paradise song they had on Nonsense Market

Wataru is an Instagram model now 😘
 
https://www.instagram.com/ruco_inc/
 
https://twitter.com/RUCO_inc (I think he also mentioned he won't play in bands anymore, idk if that's correct tho)

"for Japanese sheeple" tracklist
01. Toxicosis Island
02. 匿名希望 (Tokumei Kibou)
03. Kamome Kamome
04. 【人間曲芸坐】【Ningen Kyoukugei Suwa】
05. sheeple
06. 最後の晩餐 (Saigo no Bansan)
07. sheeple Living Dead Remix by Miya (MUCC) [CORE & Limited Edition only]
 
CORE edition

 
Limited edition

 
Regular edition

@Jigsaw9 that's hilariously spot on.

Except! As someone who loves Atom Miraiha No. 9 - it has become my second favorite album of theirs after Six/Nine! - it pains me to see it not get the adoration it deserves. Granted, it is a bit weird and even cringy at times (the "I don't know if I should be impressed how they do that with a straight face" kind). There's also the aspect where the music very deliberately references recognizable sounds and moods - but not without its unique twist on them! I think the title is a key to the method, a future built from fragments of the familiar and nostalgic. But once you embrace the album, there is nothing like it. So let me be super self-indulgent and do a track by track of why it rocks. 
 
cum uh sol nu - This is halfway a grandiose incantation about immortality that would be at home at any old sci-fi or fantasy film with bad effects, but also personally the chorus gives me the image of a lone drunk rambling ("I'll never die, ha!"). Is it a flask of alcohol or the alchemist's flask with the homunculus inside (unscramble the title)? Keep the theme of creating humans in mind, because next comes...
 
PINOA ICCHIO - The superior love song for the age of AI. Listen to Imai having so much fun on the guitar! It's the combination of danger and exhilaration (to the point of madness or system breakdown) that I love.
 
Devil's WIngs - It really gives the feeling of flying, falling apart into sensations and coming together again. Also if you read the lyrics, the juxtapoition of the standard gothic imagery of souls and devils with the cells multiplying is cool.
 
El Dorado - This, this is my favorite! The melody inexorably pulling you forward, and one the most vivid Sakurai performances ever as the drunk "alchemist", in Mexico at that.
 
Bi NEO Universe - Eh, I'm not so big on this one. "aishiaVODKA"  is iconic though.
 
BOY septem peccata mortalia - This one is pretty funny with the whining ("Why is it wrong?") and the tantrum at the song climax. Also the vehiment denial of telling lies always reminded me of Pinocchio (given the second song's title), so I always imagine this song as his journey through the Land of Toys, only a not-quite-PG-13 version of it.
 
Jukai - I'm not sure this even works without the imagery of the lyrics in mind, but they come together with the music to form a terribly vivid sensual impression. Sakurai tying love and death is nothing new, but never has it been quite this chilling.
 
THE SEASIDE STORY - There they go again with the tonal whiplash. Now excuse me but I LOVE THIS. I'm just unreasonably happy with the idea of Sakurai singing a song from the point of view of the little mermaid reimagined as a shoujo heroine without batting an eye. I don't know how the conversation about this went, but thank you Imai! And just what a lovely summer jam. (Mix with Sid Vicious ON THE BEACH for pure perfection.)
 
FUTURE SONG - It is the future and you're kicking ass. Apparently you're also getting some. But bottom line, if you don't take the excuse to self-insert yourself into an imaginary space opera, what even is the point?

Manjusaka - This one is striking, the way it walks the line between tender and cutting, spiteful even. The music gives me a very specific feeling, like the electric air before a thunderstorm. Also if you are a B-T lyrics nerd, there is cool continuity with the imagery of the cherry blossoms - in Kalavinka they "suck red blood and sing", and here they are "spitting blood" (going by Cayce's translations).

Cuba Libre - The first thing I fell in love with about Atom Miraiha, especially with it coming on the heels of The Mortal, was how colorful it was, and this is the clearest example. Maybe because Cayce pointed out that "Taiyou ga Ippai" is the Japanese title of "Plein Soleil", but this song has a bit of that old film glamour to it for me on top of the carnival vibe going. It's also impossibly catchy.

Ai no Souretsu - It either gets you in the feels, or it doesn't. The grand yet poignant closer. (Only it isn't! Ha!)
 
NEW WORLD - Part of me hates that this is the actual closer. Don't get me wrong, I like the song, how airy and shimmery it is, and the water-spiral-dancing line, pretty! But after Ai no Souretsu? Nah mate. I usually do the same I do with Merry's Fuyu no Castanet (which I also like) and pretend it was never on its album. Once in a blue moon though, I let myself think how it could fit in the album progression, and it sends my thoughts spiralling back through the beginning, zeroes and nines and going from the creation of humans to the creation of whole worlds. So I am happy it is where it is.

Excuse the rambling, but guys, see, I stayed until 5 in the morning to write about this album! Please give it a chance, something just may click.

No worries.  I do enjoy me quite a bit of the "Atom" album, it just took a really long time to grow on me (and still I prefer basically anything else xD). "cum uh sol nu", "BOY septem peccata mortalia", "FUTURE SONG" and "Ai no souretsu" are all killer tunes!

@Jigsaw9 that's hilariously spot on.

Except! As someone who loves Atom Miraiha No. 9 - it has become my second favorite album of theirs after Six/Nine! - it pains me to see it not get the adoration it deserves. Granted, it is a bit weird and even cringy at times (the "I don't know if I should be impressed how they do that with a straight face" kind). There's also the aspect where the music very deliberately references recognizable sounds and moods - but not without its unique twist on them! I think the title is a key to the method, a future built from fragments of the familiar and nostalgic. But once you embrace the album, there is nothing like it. So let me be super self-indulgent and do a track by track of why it rocks. 
 
cum uh sol nu - This is halfway a grandiose incantation about immortality that would be at home at any old sci-fi or fantasy film with bad effects, but also personally the chorus gives me the image of a lone drunk rambling ("I'll never die, ha!"). Is it a flask of alcohol or the alchemist's flask with the homunculus inside (unscramble the title)? Keep the theme of creating humans in mind, because next comes...
 
PINOA ICCHIO - The superior love song for the age of AI. Listen to Imai having so much fun on the guitar! It's the combination of danger and exhilaration (to the point of madness or system breakdown) that I love.
 
Devil's WIngs - It really gives the feeling of flying, falling apart into sensations and coming together again. Also if you read the lyrics, the juxtapoition of the standard gothic imagery of souls and devils with the cells multiplying is cool.
 
El Dorado - This, this is my favorite! The melody inexorably pulling you forward, and one the most vivid Sakurai performances ever as the drunk "alchemist", in Mexico at that.
 
Bi NEO Universe - Eh, I'm not so big on this one. "aishiaVODKA"  is iconic though.
 
BOY septem peccata mortalia - This one is pretty funny with the whining ("Why is it wrong?") and the tantrum at the song climax. Also the vehiment denial of telling lies always reminded me of Pinocchio (given the second song's title), so I always imagine this song as his journey through the Land of Toys, only a not-quite-PG-13 version of it.
 
Jukai - I'm not sure this even works without the imagery of the lyrics in mind, but they come together with the music to form a terribly vivid sensual impression. Sakurai tying love and death is nothing new, but never has it been quite this chilling.
 
THE SEASIDE STORY - There they go again with the tonal whiplash. Now excuse me but I LOVE THIS. I'm just unreasonably happy with the idea of Sakurai singing a song from the point of view of the little mermaid reimagined as a shoujo heroine without batting an eye. I don't know how the conversation about this went, but thank you Imai! And just what a lovely summer jam. (Mix with Sid Vicious ON THE BEACH for pure perfection.)
 
FUTURE SONG - It is the future and you're kicking ass. Apparently you're also getting some. But bottom line, if you don't take the excuse to self-insert yourself into an imaginary space opera, what even is the point?

Manjusaka - This one is striking, the way it walks the line between tender and cutting, spiteful even. The music gives me a very specific feeling, like the electric air before a thunderstorm. Also if you are a B-T lyrics nerd, there is cool continuity with the imagery of the cherry blossoms - in Kalavinka they "suck red blood and sing", and here they are "spitting blood" (going by Cayce's translations).

Cuba Libre - The first thing I fell in love with about Atom Miraiha, especially with it coming on the heels of The Mortal, was how colorful it was, and this is the clearest example. Maybe because Cayce pointed out that "Taiyou ga Ippai" is the Japanese title of "Plein Soleil", but this song has a bit of that old film glamour to it for me on top of the carnival vibe going. It's also impossibly catchy.

Ai no Souretsu - It either gets you in the feels, or it doesn't. The grand yet poignant closer. (Only it isn't! Ha!)
 
NEW WORLD - Part of me hates that this is the actual closer. Don't get me wrong, I like the song, how airy and shimmery it is, and the water-spiral-dancing line, pretty! But after Ai no Souretsu? Nah mate. I usually do the same I do with Merry's Fuyu no Castanet (which I also like) and pretend it was never on its album. Once in a blue moon though, I let myself think how it could fit in the album progression, and it sends my thoughts spiralling back through the beginning, zeroes and nines and going from the creation of humans to the creation of whole worlds. So I am happy it is where it is.

Excuse the rambling, but guys, see, I stayed until 5 in the morning to write about this album! Please give it a chance, something just may click.

It can be quite intimidating, yeah.  
 
If this helps, here's a little breakdown of their post-2000 albums so you can get a general feel:
 - ONE LIFE, ONE DEATH (2000): dads discover science fiction
 - 極東 I LOVE YOU (2002): dads discover science fiction but with layers*
 - MONA LISA OVERDRIVE (2003): dads discover cyberpunk*
 - 十三階は月光 (2005): dads dress up for Halloween and drink a bit too much but it goes much better than expected
 - 天使のリボルバー (2007): dads being dads
 - memento mori (2009): dads being dads but more rad, how do you do, fellow kids?
 - RAZZLE DAZZLE (2010): dads stumble into a disco, drink a bit too much but this time it does not go well
 - 夢見る宇宙 (2012): dads being dads who took their medication
 - 或いはアナーキー (2014): dads could not find their medication... hilarious results!
 - アトム未来派 No. 9 (2016): I could not find the dads but this background music is kinda okay
 - No. 0 (2018): dads have become cyborgs, I have become a dad while listening, feels weird man
 
* originally these two albums were imagined by the band as one concept double-album
 
My personal recommendations would be MONA LISA OVERDRIVE, 十三階は月光 and 或いはアナーキー btw.

Elvis and C. 16th ± are old These New Puritans songs from the Beat Pyramid album.
 
 
 

Welcome to the 3rd annual most notable VK looks presented by yours truly, The Reverend.
 
As usual, we're here to celebrate the 'Visual' in Visual Kei. Suggest your favorite or least favorite or weirdest looks from the past year in the comments below!
 
Thanks to the ORZ team for helping out and contributing, and especially @platy for making like five banners for me and letting me choose which one I liked best.
 
マーブルヘッド (Marblehead)
 
 
ユメリープ (Yumeleep)
 
 
キズ (Kizu)
 
 
lynch.
 
 
BRATBAX
 
 
the Raid. vocalist 星七 (Sena)
 
 
SHiSHi guitarist お花 (Ohana)
 
 
MEIDARA
 
 
Virge
 
 
Dillinger
 
 

@Furik

縄, R指定 were Gara (Merry) and Ryou (Baroque)
アイドル狂いの心裏学 was Haru (Dog in the PWO) and Lime (Kizu)
リストカッター was Show (A9), Gara, Ryou
夕暮れの謝罪 was Gara, Ryou, Show, Haru, Lime & Tatsurou (MUCC)