Himeaimichu

The song sounds ok, but I miss the chaotic sounding stuff from GossiP. 

I always thought Kagome was a cool sounding stage name that I've seen a few bandmen use. I'll probably use it myself

13 minutes ago, Bear said:

 

The first thing you should do is to look outside of the top 20 charts. Because there's not a lack of rapper who either go fully old school, lean towards the old school or just experiment quite a lot. I can see artists and groups like Run the Jewels, EL-P, Killer Mike, Czarface, Ruste Juxx, Reks, Earl Sweatshirt, Flatbush Zombies, Chance the Rapper, Freddie Gibbs, Madvillain and more just to mention some.

 

And then you have legends like Ghostface Killah releasing Twelve Reasons to Die in 2013 and Twelve Reasons to Die II in 2015, both among the best hip hop albums ever released.

 

So hip hop is still going strong in the US. Hip hop is a lot more than what the teens listens to today, just like Jrock and visual kei are way more than anime openings and endings.

 

I know who those people are and I'm fans of a lot of them lol. I just wish the popular stuff was still good.

33 minutes ago, psychonnect_rozen said:

 

- Childish Gambino

 

- Tyler The Creator

 

- Brockhampton 

 

- Kendrick Lamar

 

- Kanye West 

 

- Kids See Ghosts (the self titled album they put out is one of my favourite Hip Hop albums)

 

You may have heard of some of them or have listened to their music, but there is so many good modern rappers out there. Just gotta find the right one! 

Oh yeah, I know Childish Gambino, Tyler the Creator and Kendrick very well! They have really nice skills. I also like Denzel Curry. I think he has some bars.
Really though, my kind of thing when it comes to Hip Hop is not only good rhymes, but good beats, which I feel isn't as common any more since every song nowadays uses trap beats. (Which I don't 100% hate, it has it's place, it's just so regurgitated). I really like the kind of beatwork from the early 2000's from producers like Dr. Dre, Pharrel, and Timbaland, because they tried to push the limits of what Hip Hop is, and used a lot of cool samples. Also, I like how the drums would change up a lot, and I wish more songs today were like that. Stuff like "How we do" by The Game and pretty much anything by Missy Elliot is like my bread and butter lol.

Oh, also, there is British Grime, which is guaranteed to have good rhymes and good beats, because of the unique dialect they're done in (It almost sounds Jamaican, which would make sense, since a lot of the rappers have partial or full Jamaican ancestry, as well as the general Jamaican Dialect being influenced by British), as well as the music being inspired by UK Garage, so you got a lot of that cool, intense electronic sounds, lots of it in minor key. Essentially, Britain is sort of holding the Hip-Hop tradition way better than the US lol

39 minutes ago, psychonnect_rozen said:

Same. It’s annoying to hear about the new BTS song everyday from a bunch of annoying fans. I know someone who’s a fan of KPOP but we often jokingly make of fun of each other. I like to annoy her and say VK is superior in every way XD

Yeah I just don't see the big deal in the genre because it's mostly pop, but then again, music is subjective and while the I–V–vi–IV personally is grating to me, there are people who authentically enjoy it, so I can't judge them. I just have odd tastes. I will say, I do like Psy because he breaks the industry standard, and actually had to fight censorship to get his music out there when he first started out (Seo Taiji and Boys had to do the same thing) so I really admire that.

44 minutes ago, psychonnect_rozen said:

I don’t necessarily hate the topic of drugs in songs as many are really good ( Lookin at you egnirys cimredopyh +) An Injection) as long as it’s done in an artistic or sarcastic manner. But if your just bragging about how much chicks or how much drugs you did, it’s fucking lazy, annoying and stupid.

Oh yeah, there is definitely a right way to do it and there are a lot of artists who do. Especially IryouKei bands that often use it as a horror element. I just hate that it's so normalised to see xanny bars and sizzurp cups in music videos. I mean, say what you want about the old school days, even though it was the crack epidemic, you didn't have them smoking from a crackpipe in the music video (unless it was being portrayed in a negative sense). Then again, censorship was bigger back then. I mean, they used to censor the word gun lol. So maybe I shouldn't complain, since laws are now lax and people have more freedom to express themselves, which I'm for. Plus, if I can enjoy my weed music, they have just as much a right to enjoy their sizzurp music. 

For me, I weirdly enjoy some of Three Six Mafia, which is weird because I absolutely hate most modern rap (I'm that one person who still listens to the 80's guys from NY lol), and Three Six Mafia really popularised trap-beats (though the basic premise of it has been a thing since Miami Bass). Though, the way they did it feels more organic and less boring than most trap beats. Plus, I like DJ Paul's rapping style, which again, is weird because I hate the majority of Southern Rap styles (except him, Ludacris, and the old school ones). I can't stand "Sipping on some syrup" though, because I absolutely hate the glorification of prescription drugs that has plagued Hip Hop starting in the late 90's, but really became big post 2010. Also, where I'm from, stuff like that is so normalised and is seen as in inherent part of Southern Hip Hop culture. Essentially, the triple six is mainly a guilty pleasure for me, because I'm basically the Hip Hop equivalent of those guys who act like Nirvana ruined rock. (Only, I at least try to be open minded and try new stuff.)

And while I don't like the majority of Kpop, I do like Seo Taiji and Boys, because of how experimental they were and their whole thing was essentially flavor of the moment. One album is like New Jack Swing with some metal riffs sampled here and there, another album is like full on metal, and their last one even forayed into G-Funk a bit.

Shazna is another one for me, because pop rock isn't my thing, but their music is really nice feel-good music. Also, Izam is a literal goddess and I strive to achieve his levels of androgyny.

The video is cool but they seriously used the worst shots lol.

I can't really recommend albums, but more of artists, since a lot of the artists I listen to were in multiple bands and didn't release albums lol. 

Yuuga from Devil Kitty briefly had a solo project, and released one full length, which was mainly rerecordings of Devil Kitty songs, and two mini albums, which was his foray into Nu Metal. Gokiburi would continue this for their first era, but after that, he switched to Deathcore, and Metalcore with his "revival" of Devil Kitty (AKA he considers it a completely different band from the other Devil Kitty). 

Cuartet is a Visual Kei band that could be seen as a "brother band" of the GazettE, their vocalist being the dude who did vocals for Kar+te=zyanose when Ruki was a drummer. One of their guitarists was originally in Ma'die Kusse, but he left the band before their first single (he was only on Koishigure, a song released on the Eternal Records Kaleidoscope omnibus). Their style is like the GazettE's was from 2002 to 2005, although much more raw. Sadly, their production was shit, because their producer, Yayoi (owner of Eternal, the Tokyo sublabel of Kisaki's Matina, and it's successor, Climax Enterprise. The GazettE was signed to the former originally) kinda didn't put a lot of effort into the mixing. I mean, even the other bands on the label have better production. Otherwise, these guys are a cult-classic and are a must-listen for anyone who likes early Gazetto. 

DEZERT used to regularly mix Korn Metal with elements of early and mid 2000's Visual Kei. Lots of Kagerou, Girugamesh, and Mucc influences, as well as some more weirder influences, like Guruguru Eigakan.  However, as of recent, they've switched to pop rock.

Kuroyuri to Kage is a similar band to DEZERT, although with their own distinct flavor. They were originally called Memento Mori and had a distinct traditional Japanese theme, but they expanded to a more Eroguro inspired theme with Kuroyuri. The lead singer's current band, Gulu Gulu, continues this style. 

Any of the Gauze PVs from Dir en Grey,

Ogre by Cuartet, 

Sentimental na Onigokko, Shiikureta Haru Kawarenu Haru, and Mad Marble Hell Vision by The GazettE,

Ozashiki Asobi to Iki Na Taboo by Memento Mori, 

Any Kiryu PV 

Interstingly, the lyrics to Rubra were written when Ai made this tweet:

4 hours ago, psychonnect_rozen said:

EDIT 2: Just sent her a message in the Ask box. I added the fact that I love Gauze just to be funny XD. She hates that album lol

Diru fans who hate Gauze honestly confuse me. Like, it's one of their most influential and iconic releases. I can understand personally not caring for it. But fans that full on hate it really confuse me.

嗅覚障害 for me was my favourite. It has a nice groove, a mix of melodic and harsh vocals, and I fucking love those growls he does throughout the song.

At first, I kinda expected 不味い麻酔 to sound like Zakuro no Uta by Memento Mori, because Mei reused the "Korose Korose Korose" lyrics in the original live version, but the current version lacks those and kinda sounds like Misui, but with a Memento Mori sounding chorus, which I love. The tone of his voice even resembled the way he used to sing in Memento Mori. I just kinda wish he used the korose 3x growls like he did live, but hey, I'm not gonna complain when it's a solid song.

Rubra was interesting. I felt like it was a cross between Hesonoo and Child Mother.

変なメリーゴーランド managed to really impress me. It kinda sounds almost like Kiryu, which is funny because Mei used to be hammered by Kiryu fans for vaguely resembling Mahiro, even though their vocal styles are much different, and aesthetic-wise, Mei is much more inspired by Ruki, Daisuke and Kyo. Also, the only similarities Memento Mori ever had with Kiryu is traditional Japanese instruments, but I'm going on a tangent.

Overall, I'm very pleased and I'm so happy to see Mei make music again. I feel this is the perfect comeback for him.

Just now, psychonnect_rozen said:

Whats so toxic about Tanuki? Is it literally Japanese Tumblr? Lol

It's a forum dedicated to Visual Kei rumors. Some are true, some are false, some are complete invasions of privacy

9 minutes ago, suji said:

mamo stans.

I actually had a Mamo stan from Japan harass me on facebook before, because I made a partially joking (but also partially serious) post about Mamo being a Kusomen in a Vkei group I'm in. I posted the screenshot to my FB to see if anyone knew who she was, and this dude who was a somewhat popular Western Vkei musician (not gonna say any names publicly) actually ratted me out to them and she continued to harass me even more (gladly I blocked her). She even try strawmanning Ai from Gulu Gulu and talked down to me like I was some newbie fan lol.

Funny enough, she didn't deny Mamo's shitty behavior, but actually tried to defend it by saying that my favourite bandmen (who I doubt she even knows) isn't a good person either. Like, even if Ai was a kusomen, that doesn't mean I have to turn a blind eye to shitty behavior. Like, yes, I know Mamo ain't the only one, but for fuck's sake I was just shit posting in a shit posting group

"[insert band here] is totally copying [insert other band here] and you should be mad about it!"

While I'm still in the basic process of forming stuff, I do have some ideas for Visual Kei music projects I want to do.

狐憑キ (Kitsunetsuki) - Means "Fox Possession" in Japanese, it's my main project that combines traditional Japanese music with early 2000's Kote Kei.

La'Kyumi:ko - From 九尾狐, using the Kan-on reading for the Chinese word for 9 Tailed Fox, it's my idea for a band that mixes Traditional Chinese (not to get too into detail, but specifically the kind of Ming and Qing dynasty music played by Chinese immigrants in Nagasaki during the Edo period) with Kote Kei.

FAERiE KiTTY - My Devil Kitty parody project I'm also working on. I named this after my cat, Faerie lol. 

I don't even bother with caring if a band is a rip off anymore. It just seems like the kind of thing 14 year old girls complain about, and within music, almost everything has been a rip off.

Plus, with the rise of tribute-kei, ripping off has become more closer to what we'd call sampling in Hip Hop. We know it's from somewhere else and they want us to know too. It's actually fun to find out what riffs they sampled and how they implemented it, as they often change it up. It's still enjoyable music, it still takes skill to play, don't worry about it too much. 

I mean, Ruki didn't invent the neck stripes all on his own (anyone remember Yuuga from Devil Kitty and Saki from Cuartet?) And ripped off looks from other artists. Also, it seems petty imo to complain about copying looks.  I see a lot of fans who always complain when another vocalist has neck stripes, and I'm pretty sure none of them remember when The GazettE had more Japanesque themes and Ruki was trying to sound like Daisuke from Kagerou and were signed to the label of the dude from La'Miss Fairy lol. It just seems petty to complain about. Like, so what if I wear neck stripes and dreads? I'm not copying Ruki, I'm copying Saki from Cuartet. Get it damn right (JK lmao)

Basically, don't worry too much about it. Like whatever you want, everything is a rip off of something and no one is completely original. As long as you're not like claiming the entire piece as your own original creation and let people know your sampling, at least. (Or in the case of 90% of Tribute Kei, its implied that there will be ripping off lol) I do believe copyright infringement is a thing, and I've definitely seen some examples of full on ripping off, but when it comes to Visual Kei, the topic is more nuanced than a lot of more prude, puritan fans will realise. 

Guruguru Eigakan, for most of their run, has always been a weird mix of Punk Rock, Thrash Metal, Traditional Japanese and Ryukoka/Enka (early Japanese pop), and lead vocalist/guitarist Amano has mostly kept his voice the same.

Though, they did go through a small change when all the members (minus Amano) left. Basically, with their first lineup, the other members, notably bassist Yoshikawa, had more vocal parts, while with their 2nd lineup, the other members mainly provided backup vocals (with a few duets between Amano and guitarist Shin). 

Luna Sea, Phantasmagoria, Memento Mori, Mercuro

I never bashed them, but I didn't care for their music, but that's mainly because metalcore isn't my thing and they sounded like every other generic metalcore vkei band. But the musicians do have skills at least. Can't say the same for Tsuzuku's voice tho lol

Gill'e Cadith. Even though they were short lived, their music is really important to me personally, and it's sad that Karuna barely does anything that I can vibe with anymore. At least bassist Shigure is playing support for Kimi wa Surudoku, so maybe a revival will come someday? Hopefully?

T-Shirt designs have been revealed

Any of the VHS tapes Cuartet often handed out at lives.  I only found one on rarezhut once, but someone else bought it lol. Hopefully another will come around

4 hours ago, Ruri said:

mejibray... i don't get why people don't like them tbh

I never hated them, but I always found their music to be sorta run-of-the-mill Metalcore, which isn't my thing, but it has it's place in the scene. However, I can't speak for other people

CrowXClass. I was (and still am) big into traditional Japanese music, and I used to be a pretty big Wagakki band fan. The lead singer of CrowXClass, as well as one of their Shakuhachi players, would later play in Wagakki band, and that's how I found them. They described themselves as Visual Kei, and through them, I found the bands Kiryu, Memento Mori, ACE, and Kagerou.

Memento Mori. People used to attack them because they were similar to Kiryu, but honestly, they sounded nothing alike. They're actually more closer to a GazettE clone than a Kiryu clone (I mean, they sampled the Hyena riff).

I liked R Shitei's early stuff, and I did like some of their more later stuff back when I was more into pop punk and what I thought was emo lmao. I like a lot of Nu Metal bands within Vkei.

I'm also a huge fan of Eternal era Gazetto, which most of the fanbase doesn't seem to like as much, which is understandable, because it's some weird sounding stuff, and they did borrow a few Dir en Grey riffs during that era lol.