echo

Tonight Dangan played with Lezard and Jack Caper in the Riostar Records tour final ive at Takadanobaba AREA!
 

 
IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!
 
Each band had their own set, but in between they mixed members with each other to form session bands. Each session band played two songs. 
 
The session bands were:
●ナスのナスがまま
[Vo. Hiro (Jack Caper)・Gt. Leo(弾丸 NO LIMIT)・Ba. TACC (LEZARD)・Dr. Suguru (Jack Caper)]
●ヴィジュモン
[Vo. Miyuu (弾丸 NO LIMIT)・Gt. Riku(Jack Caper)・Ba. Chika (弾丸 NO LIMIT)・Dr. natsume (LEZARD)]
●はむひなUすけ
[Vo. Kousuke (LEZARD)・Gt. Hinata (Jack Caper) Ba. U (Jack Caper)・Dr. Yusuke (弾丸 NO LIMIT)]
 
Leo's session band was up first. Before they even started though like, the curtains opened, and Leo accidentally knocked down his mic stand hahaha They started with Dangan's Sono uso honto!! It was weird hearing a different vocalist sing it, but it was still fun! They also played the Lezard song where you flip people off (it was actually really fun lol) Leo looked really ridiculous cos he was borrowing Jack Caper costumes I think. He was definitely wearing the vocalist's weird feather vest thing haha but his guitar playing is so good so I kind of didn't care <333 During the MC, Hiro briefly introduced all of the bandmen and when he said "Leo on guitar" Leo played a really cool riff, but Hiro was like wtf did you do that to show us your skill or to cover up in case no one called your name?? So he made Leo no play anything and introduced him again and everyone yelled Leo's name so Hiro was like wtf you have so many fans you don't have to cover it up!!! And then Suguru was like "wait what about me! They didn't call my name that loud!" And Hiro was like "okay we'll try again for you. ON DRUMS, SUGURU!" and no one cheered. hahaha <333 Hiro also asked everyone what they ate for lunch. They all joked around like "I ate a really high class/expensive meal!" or describe the meal in a really fancy way, but then it was like at somewhere dumb like Matsuya or from 7-11 or something haha. Oh and Leo said that he hates eggplant (eggplant is in the session band's name) lol It's like, the food he hates most in the world apparently 
 
Jack Caper played next. So Hiro and Suguru came back out. THEIR FURI. WTF. I cannot. I was so lost and like couldn't hear the beats very well? Like usually I pick up furi really easily, but it was confusing af haha. Musically it kinda just sounded like noise to me, but I think I might've just been distracted trying to do their furi. haha. They have one song that has something to do with India or something and we had to jump around in an almost bollywood way? Like it felt kinda racist haha but w/e I really liked their energy though! I wouldn't mind seeing them again ^^
 
Next was Miyuu and Chika's session band! They were super w/e about everything like no plans haha At one point Natsume even said something along the lines that Miyuu didn't plan anything out haha They walked out on stage with their arms around each other's shoulders to some kid music or something? It was really weird sounding, but definitely went with their theme of having "chill w/e fun" I guess. haha. They played a song called Butterfly? or something. I think it's a well-known song in Japan, but I'm not sure. And then they played a pokemon song haha like just everything about that session was ridiculous haha. Miyuu kept stating how lax their whole group was. It was nice to see them all getting along! Like I think all three bands really bonded throughout this tour <333 Miyuu was saying how naturally he started with the other two members of their session (^^) During their songs he was like "you wanna sing?" to Riku, but Riku backed away so Miyuu went and bothered Chika and made him sing randomly haha. Chika was so embarrassed but I guess he can't say no to Miyuu so he sang haha <333
 
Lezard played next. I haven't seen them in forever and it was a bit strange without a vocalist, but Kousuke and TACC did a good job! They kind of traded off a lot and even Natsume sang a few lines in one of the songs. I don't really know Lezard music so I can't really say much, but it was really fun! Other than the crazy Kousuke-fan that was next to me and my friend. We ended up moving to the row behind us cos she was going so crazy haha
Lezard also said they're currently searching for a new vocalist. I hope they can find someone who suits them!!

Yusuke's session was  the last session band to play and omg. Yusuke in casual clothes. so. fucking. hot. I literally cannot. I pretty much died when he walked out on stage and so did his fans. hahah one girl was near tears, frantically calling his name. Like I'm pretty sure EVERYONE noticed her hahaha <3 Yusuke seemed to enjoy the attention though. I think they played two Johnnys songs? During the MC Kousuke was asking all the members which Johnny guy they'd want to be. Yusuke chose Kimutaku lol, but U and Hinata didn't know any Johnnys guys so they asked Kousuke to choose for them. Idk shit about Johnny's either so I don't remember who he chose, but apparently he chose good ones? lol. I think Kousuke said he'd want to be Aiba? They were being all dumb too pretending they were a Johnny's group at Tokyo Dome or some huge venue  like "Is everyone enjoying themselves? How about you up on the 2nd floor? and the 3rd floor? and the 4th floor?" Like they were so convincing though I actually looked behind me like an idiot thinking there was a 2nd floor even though I knew there wasn't haha The second song they played was some song that apparently everyone knew but me. There was a lot of "SHE HA HA" or something  in the chorus? idk it was pretty fun though. More like I had fun watching Yusuke cos I finally had a good view of him for once haha. He looks like he's having so much fun playing drums!!! Oh and like Kousuke was blowing kisses at everyone the whole time and all the girls just about wet their pants. haha When they finished and Yusuke came out from behind the drums he was blowing kisses too and everyone was dying haha. They seriously loved the attention <333
 
AND THEN FINALLY DANGAN!!! <33333333333

 

 
okay so like. I literally cannot. I'm basically super in love with Leo, Yusuke, and Miyuu after tonight (sorry Chika). I mean I was already in love with Miyuu, but wtf. Like. Leo is so hot wtf? How did I not notice him before?? And like, I didn't realize there were so many metal riffs in Dangan songs wtf. If you've never seen Dangan live you definitely should. They sound good recorded, but they are SO MUCH BETTER LIVE (okay I know I say that about all the bands I like, BUT IT'S SO TRUE) <3 And like, Leo actually seems pretty shy, but when he's playing guitar he's definitely not. He's totally in the zone. <333333333 And Miyuu is such a good front man!!! He's really good at looking around at the whole audience, but still singling you out once in a while so you feel special <3 He definitely pointed at me and sang a line to me <3333333
 
I love love love ii wake moratorium and Envy! Okay, who are we kidding. I love all of their songs. I couldn't stop smiling the whole time. And like the band all looked like they were enjoying themselves too <3 AND LEO AND MIYUU GIVE SO MUCH EYE CONTACT WTF <3 I was shamelessly throwing hearts to both of them (and occasionally Yusuke, but he was hard to see through the stage smoke) and saku-ing them the whole time <33333 I'M SO IN LOVE WITH THIS BAND! I hope they get more fans!!!! Oh! and Miyuu said that he SUPER likes singing Graffiti. I think it's the lyrics <3 And he was like "if anyone else sings it but me, it's not the same" or like "it won't be a song" or something like that. Like I think he just loves that song a lot haha  <3
 
For the encore, Leo started talking and Miyuu was like "oh! you spoke! That surprised me!!" cos apparently the encore cheer was kind of weak so they considered just not doing the encore. I guess Leo asked the staff guy if they should just not, but the staff guy told Leo to come out and tell us instead. And Miyuu was like "tell them then?" so Leo just super matter of factly stated "the encore cheer was weak and we considered calling it quits" and Miyuu was like oh that's all? haha Leo made it sound like he had a lot to say, but that was really all it was haha
 
For the encore they brought out all the bands. Because our encore cheer was so weak, Miyuu made us yell really loud for them to come out, though. Miyuu said "Rio" and we all had to yell "STAR" and then the rest of the bandmen came back out on stage. Hiro was missing though so they were like "where is he???" and he came from the back through the crowd and climbed up on stage haha but his face was all covered in makeup? marker? idk he looked really gross and all the bangya were like wtf??? lolol At some point he must've rubbed himself on Leo cos Leo had some of the blue/grey/green color on his cheek haha
 
TACC and Kousuke are so dumb! They did like a dumb comedy routine that I can't really translate, but basically they were just being idiots and doing some dumb kind of dance thing haha. <333
 
First encore song was Sono uso hontou! YAYYYY <3333 LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS SONG <3 It's even more fun when you have all the bandmen on stage doing the furi with you haha <333 second song was a Jack Caper song. It was their first time playing it live apparently. It was pretty fun! the switching between furi was a bit strange, but definitely easier than the songs they played during their set? Okay and I can't remember if it was the same song or for the Lezard song, but in one of the songs they had each bandman yell something they wanted the bangya to do. Like how they normally yell "ATAMA" right before a headbanging part? But instead they yelled some random shit haha Miyuu said to do (and also demonstrated) the dumb dance thing that TACC kept doing earlier haha Leo was like "no no no no" when they tried to get him to say something, but finally he said windmill headbang. <3 Chika was even worse. HE'S SO AWKWARD. He was like... "do something that feels like Chika?" and then he kinda stood their awkwardly then finally did a salute thing so we all kinda awkwardly saluted? haha all the bandmen were laughing at him haha Natsume's was ridiculous. I have no idea what he said, but he basically stood on the vocalist box and just like danced super sexily for his turn hahaha <3333 super hip action. I think all his gya died. lol and at some point someone called for a gyakudai and we did like 10+ gyakudai's I think. And like all the bandmen were pulling us and grabbing us/holding our hands/arms <333 One of the vocalists was like "If there's someone you wanna touch go touch him!!!" LOL
 
can I just say
 
LEOLEOLEOLEOLEOLEOLEOLEOLEOLEOLEOLEOLEOLEOLEOLEOLEOLEOLEOLEOLEOLEOLEOLEO <3333333333
 
like honestly I made so much eye contact with Leo this whole live? <3 Did I already saw how much I love him??? lol and like during gyakudai, one of the times I was kinda further back, but he grabbed my wrist? and then hand? and then squeezed it??? <3333333333333333 And he grabbed my arm/hand a few other times? AND SO DID YUSUKE? and I cannot???? <333333333 Okay idk where the fuck Miyuu was during this. I think he stayed on shimote but LEOOOOO <333333 YUSUKEEEEEE <333333333 At one point Yusuke even squatted down with his arms out wide as if to say "I know you want me. Come and get me" and all the girls rushed at him and he looked so happy hahaha
 
Oh and during the gyakudai Hiro kept handing out random stuff from the stage. Like I think he gave a girl a roll of duct tape? haha and he was taking apart one of those folding fans and sticking them in Leo's hair and during gyakudai he was handing out the wooden stick parts of the fan and then eventually even the cloth bit. He's so weird wtf haha <3
 
At the very end they wanted us to do some kind of pose. They had us choose between three different poses that I'm not really sure how to describe haha but Miyuu demonstrated all three and have us choose by clapping. like 6 ppl clapped for the first one and the 2nd and 3rd one had  more claps but like not enthusiastic and the bandmen were like omg it's like you hate all of them hahaha so they asked one of the staff and he chose the 3rd one, which was us just saku-ing haha So the bandmen all yelled "RIO" and we yelled "STAR" and saku'd haha. And then we took a few photos <333
 
SOOOOO, in conclusion. You should all go see Dangan live <3333333333333 Just go support all the Riostar bands <3 They're all so fun! 
 
and here's some picspam from tonight!
 
okay sorry/not sorry that was wayyyy longer than I was intending haha

I saw Moana recently. It was really good!! And wtf the Rock sings in it so why not? lolol It was kind of refreshing to see a Disney movie without a typical princess plot (it actually poked fun at the princess thing) and I think it did a pretty good job representing traditional Hawaiian culture (unlike Lilo and Stitch, which was just kinda stereotyping the locals in Hawaii). It's definitely worth watching!! 

FINALLY SOME NEW TRA GOODS!!!
 
 
They will start selling these at buppan from the 1/25 live!!

Good to hear that~

Omi will be hosting the Line chat this week! It'll be on Saturday, January 21st from 21:00 (JST)
Don't miss out! Omi's actually pretty fun to talk to! lol 
 
Last time he told us about how when he was younger he grabbed a carton at a convenience store to drink. It was green so he thought it was melon soda, but it was actually soy milk so it surprised him really bad. But now it's like his favorite drink lolol <3
 
 

Hal is better!! <3
 
 

as I promised @vanivani , some thoughts on glamhaze's last album :
 
like many other glamhaze fans i was a little disappointed when i saw that the tracklist only has 5 studio recordings, 4 of which are title tracks from their previous singles. it's especially depressing since we all know that glamhaze has a ton of unreleased songs that they never pressed to disc. heck, i wouldn't even have minded if they had re-recorded some jilled ray songs. the only "new" track here was Ayatori - a super fun track that the band plays at every single oneman so far if i remember correctly. it's true that a "rough mix" of that track was distributed at their O-West oneman but it was quite badly produced even by demo standards, so it was nice to see them doing a proper recording for it. no complaints there!
 
that said, i still bought their album really because of the PVs which they included after incessant requests from fans (like 20% of the questions fans fielded to them on the ZL tour were literally 'PVs plz??'). Last Scene PV was especially a beauty. i can't get over how gorgeous everyone is?? <33333 ok fangirling aside, it would be a hugeeee shame if they had never released the PVs officially. so yeah, that alone would have justified the purchase for me.
 
BUT! the biggest surprise for me was actually the live recordings. to be honest i'm not a huge fan of live recordings in general because something just feels off listening to the tracks without the immediacy of the visuals. but somehow.. glamhaze's live recordings felt so real and warm as if i was right there. and, i know people always feel like i say this of every vocalist i love (which is like 1083571) but i feel quite strongly that Satoru is without doubt one of the best vk vocalists technically. he's just SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good live like wtf. i remember how i was completely mind blown the very first time i heard him live in jilled ray, and he def only got better and better with time. ugh. Ray is one of my favorite guitarists in vk and he's sooo flashy both visually and sound-wise - just listen to yasashii machi, his lines were so tight and prominent compared to their studio recording! overall, the recording quality on Disc 2 was fantastic as far as i'm concerned.
 
anyway, i'm thoroughly satisfied with their album, despite my initial misgivings. do yourself a favor and buy it and listen to it. and don't forget to support satoru on his solo project!!!
 
here's the live recording of "Dirty Heaven" from the album, one of their numerous unreleased tracks:
 
 

Greetings, monochromians and netizens at large! I'm a bit late, but here are my top 20 Favorite Albums (and mini-albums) of 2016. In this list, I've made no distinction between Japanese and International releases, since I enjoyed much fewer non-Japanese albums in 2016 than usual. I usually never bother ranking my AOTY lists, but I wanted to give it a shot this year for fun. I do think the rankings reflect my general sentiments in a way, but...don't read too much into them lol. XD
 
Lastly, Please note that this list isn't meant to be some kind of objective statement on the music released last year - this is simply a recollection of the albums I enjoyed most in 2016. So have a look around, and if you have any thoughts to share, please feel free! (I also made some short audio samples for each track, for those who might be curious!)
 
Let's get into it!  
 
20

The Heart Speaks In Whispers by Corinne Bailey Rae
  While this album didn't entirely live up to the lofty expectations set by 2010's The Sea, there was still a lot here for me to enjoy! Corinne dabbled in her usual pop fare, but it was the strong, classic r&b and soul influences throughout the record that truly struck a chord. I adore her usually refined and elegant approach to songwriting, but it was great to hear her stretch those fantastic vocal chords and really go for it at times too.
19

SECRETS by Deep Sea Diver
  At the risk of sounding like a complete and utter weeb, I must admit that's it's been incredibly difficult for me to find American indie-rock bands that cater to my taste. There are, of course, some that I enjoy, but on the whole, few seem to possess the kind of rhythmic and melodic sensibilities that I go for. Seattle's Deep Sea Diver are an exception, though. They're certainly not innovators by any means, but they do have an understated quirkiness that I find extremely charming!
18

TAXIS by koh nakashima
  I'm a bit surprised that there's not much mention of this guy in the Western Jpop sphere. For me, he's been one of the most impressive and promising newcomers to hit the scene. He seemingly came out of nowhere, dropping two EPs - RAFT and TAXIS - just a few months apart. I found TAXIS especially appealing for its nostalgic, yet refreshing blend of house, city-pop, uk garage, and pop. This also gets extra points for being one of the few releases where me and @beni's taste actually converge! 
17

NIPPONNO ONNAWO UTAU BEST by NakamuraEmi
  Speaking of nostalgia - NakamuraEmi also won me over with an acoustic-pop style that hearkens back to early 00's jpop. Though, like Koh Nakashima, she brings a hip flair to her music and even skillfully incorporates a rap flow at times; which is something of a normal occurrence in Jpop these days thanks to acts like daoko and suiyoubi no campanella. Funnily enough, "NIPPONNO ONNAWO UTAU BEST" is simultaneously Nakamura's major debut while also serving as a best-of album for her indie material. This was my first experience with her (as it probably was for most people), and I'm nothing short of impressed. She already has a well established sound, honed from years of toiling away in obscurity, and I can't wait to hear what's next for her.
 
 
16
 

Word in the Petals by CHERRYBOY FUNCTION
  Unless you're some kind of Japanese club music aficionado, then chances are you probably haven't heard of CHERRYBOY FUNCTION. Hell, even if you're just a casual fan of electronica, coming across him or his music is unlikely given his sufficiently weak social network game and scanty remix work. Yet despite this, he's been quietly cranking out his bleeps & bloops via the small record label ExT Recordings for about a decade now, and also plays alongside more prominent electronic acts like DE DE MOUSE and TOFUBEATS. Word in the Petals is just another great dose of his colorful techno and house grooves.
15

THE NEWEST JOKE by VELTPUNCH
  Despite their prominence as one of the western fanbase's treasured indie bands of the 00's, I was never much of a VELTPUNCH fan. Even when I first listened to this album, I wrote it off as being decent, but nothing more. Yet for reasons unknown to me, I gave it another try and it actually began to click, growing on me with each repeat listen. With a whopping fourteen tracks, clocking in at over an hour, the album does drag on for a bit too long. I might have placed this higher in the list if the pleasant-but-forgettable tracks were omitted in favor of the stronger moments, but there's still more than enough raucous indie-rock fun here to keep me coming back! 
14

LAST WALTZ by world's end girlfriend
  This was actually my first time listening to a WEG record, and to be honest, it just barely made my list. Not because I didn't enjoy it, but because it's simply a massive record and I felt I hadn't properly digested it yet. Though the fact that I still included it is a testament to the impression that's it's left on me. LAST WALTZ is an expansive amalgam of beautiful, cinematic landscapes, twisted distortion, and gritty electronics - right up my alley. I'll definitely enjoy continuing to digest this one in the year ahead.
13

freeform jazz by uyama hiroto
  Uyama Hiroto will probably be viewed as the spiritual successor to his peer and collaborator, the late Nujabes. However, with all due respect, I would say that this album has propelled him into a league of his own. While not technically "free-jazz", it certainly feels less bound than his previous works. It's a more musical effort overall, and the drumwork is especially more organic than before, as opposed to the straightforward boom-bap approach that similar artists take. In fact, you can hardly categorize this as just "jazzy hip-hop" anymore. Hell, the entire album only has one actual rap feature (and thankfully so, because I can't stomach cheesy backpacker rap!). It's an exquisite listen with fantastic vibes.
12

remix04 rem by Chouchou
  I've followed Chouchou casually for years now, but this album has completely cemented me as a fan. It's a self-remix album in the which duo have reworked their songs completely into ambient piano pieces, and it's astoundingly gorgeous! It's so well done that this albums feels like a new, cohesive work of its own, as opposed to an assortment of previously released tracks. I'd love for them to continue along this style.
11

DEEPER by HITORIE
  Wowaka's musical mind never ceases to amaze me. As a former vocaloid producer, he brings to HITORIE all of the colorful melodies and infectious riffs that I love, while thankfully leaving the actual vocaloid at home. If it weren't for the tail end of the album, DEEPER would have been much higher in rank, but the first half is so strong and has received SO MUCH playtime from me that it warrants a place on this list!
10

"inori de wa todokanai kyori" by JYOCHO
  The spirit of uchuu combini being resurrected in the form of JYOCHO was no doubt the biggest year-end surprise for me. For the most part, JYOCHO picks up exactly where the band left off, except this time adding a flutist into the arrangement. Even the new vocalist Rionos is barely distinguishable from uchuu's Emichoco. All in all, It's a lovely dose of math-pop, and just what I needed in my musical diet last year.
09

DISTORTION by THIS IS JAPAN
  These 4-piece alt. rockers appeared with yet another awesome debut EP last year. Citing influences such as Fugazi and Japanese indie legends NUMBER GIRL and Bloodthirsty Butchers, these guys play a style of rock that smashes together fun and catchy melodies with pure, spastic rawness! At a time where the smooth grooves of city-pop and the chilled sounds of western indie are trending in the J-indie world, THIS IS JAPAN is a breath of fresh air!
08

Floa by Mammal Hands
  With the emergence of acts like mouse on the keys and fox capture plan, bands fusing post-rock with piano-based jazz seem to be appearing more these days. Mammal Hands was my latest discovery in this style, and unlike their labelmates GoGo Penguin (who also released a solid album in 2016), this trio are a bit more loyal to their jazz influences. They have a pretty awesome saxophonist, which definitely supplements their jazzy predilections and gives them a more notable edge over similar bands. I like to imagine that Floa is what Uyama Hiroto would sound like if he went in a more jazzy and cinematic direction.
07

Flames & Figures by The Seshen
  The Seshen was another serendipitous new discovery for me last year. I stumbled across them while perusing one of my favorite UK music labels, Tru Thoughts, and I was enamored immediately. They make the kind of forward-thinking soul music that I love, with hints of electronica, synth-pop, and psychedelia all bundled into one, crisp, enthralling package. I've seen them described as "Little Dragon meets Erykah Badu", which is brilliant since I love those two. Apparently, they've also supported acts like Thundercat and Hiatus Kaiyote (who I also love!).
06

IKI by HITORIE
  No, you're not going crazy. This is, indeed, another HITORIE album on my list lol. They released two last year, and as you can see, I'm smitten with them both! IKI, however, is the second one to be released and also the better of the two. It doesn't have the powerhouse singles that DEEPER did, but it's the more cohesive and balanced work. Whereas DEEPER fizzles out towards the end, IKI is thoroughly engaging throughout. The amount of quality music that HITORIE released last year is just baffling!
05

A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead
  I'm most likely a fan of any Japanese band that you can describe as sounding Radiohead-esque - sleepy.ab, downy, trico, wooderd chiarie, ar - so it only makes sense that I'd be a fan of the masters themselves. I can't even tell you why I like them so much, but I guess their sound just speaks to my heart on a visceral level. This album is like the soundtrack to a dream of infinitely unravelling splendor. The arrangements are gorgeous and the production is as pristine and masterful as it gets. Amazing!
 
04

Ugly Slave Children by No Party for Cao Dong
  These Taiwanese rockers completely swept me off my feet after seeing what I'd easily consider my favorite music video of 2016. Admittedly, the album took a while to grow on me, with its unexpectedly danceable nature, but I've really come to love its uniquely passionate blend of grooves, mathy passages, and emo outbursts. 
03

SONASILE by Shohei Amimori
  I was beginning to lose faith in PROGRESSIVE FOrM, my favorite Japanese electronic label, as the quality of their releases have been shoddy over past few years, but Shohei Amimori has completely dispelled my growing stigma with this album! SONASILE is an absolutely incredible sonic feast of colorful IDM and sunny glitch-pop. There are also hints of modern classical and jazz piano strewn throughout, and even some very strong Shibuya-Kei influences. I'm surprised that the western fandom seems to have overlooked this one!
02

dai roku sakuhin-shu "mudai" by downy
  As expected, downy's 6th untitled album is absolutely singular! It's much different from their previous album, yet just as good. Robin Aoki's vocals are more prominent than they've ever been, and the production seems a bit more earthy and natural, as if the album was produced specifically with live performances in mind. It's brought out a new kind of warmth to their otherwise stark and cold, dystopian sound. The general soundscape of the album isn't as varied as their previous releases, but it works in downy's favor here. Instead of going for an outwardly expansive sound, the album plays out like the band exploring their own inner workings, and it's a whole new world unto itself. I'm not sure how these guys do it, but they keep evolving while remaining a uniquely potent force.
01

siraph by siraph
  You know those "create your dream band" topics? Well, I've ruminated on those kinds of subjects quite a bit and never in a million years would I have thought to create a band as perfect as siraph. These guys are literally a dream come true - mostly due in part to the god-tier combination of haisuinonasa's Yoshimasa Terui and school food punishment's Masayuki Hasuo. Terui was the driving force behind haisinonasa and Hasuo was responsible for school food punishment's best material. With both bands in the throes of oblivion (the former appears to be on hiatus and the latter has been disbanded for years), their unique sounds seemed at danger of being lost to time. Thankfully, siraph has appeared with this godsend of a debut to save the day! The EP combines Terui's offbeat, math rock-sensibilities and Hasuo's eccentric synth grooves to brilliant effect. Both composers wrote three tracks each, and while their individual styles are obvious, they couldn't be any more complimentary as a unit. Singer Annabel completes the circle, bringing with her an anison charm that completely invigorates Hasuo and Terui's already imaginative compositions. With this EP, in addition to their demos and recent single, siraph has single-handedly made my 2016!

Right now I'm re-reading Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto. I read it a couple years ago and I saw it in the wrong section at the library and figured I should read it again. Both stories in this book have a strong element of grief. Even when it's not directly stated, it's always felt in the tone, the words, and the characters' responses to the events that happen afterward. Her style never feels melodramatic, which I value. I enjoy subtlety in emotions, and trying to understand the combinations of factors internal and external in creating quiet inner storms. Of the two stories in this book, I think the first has the more interesting characters while the second has the more unusual plot. The second features some supernatural elements, but the author delivers them in such a way that it becomes believable that this could happen in everyday life. The characters are all a little strange, but grief and loss do strange things to people. I recommend it both to those who haven't read it and to those who already have. 

to be fair, it -is- called "poison chocolate" so from the jump it doesn't seem that serious of a song, haha. for real though i love their goofball mode but going back to something more mature a la butterfly/aoi yami (or blending it with panic's sorta steez) for the bsides/next releases would be great—hearing aoi yami was what hooked me on them in the first place. and i swear to god they better make their next record -at least- a mini... love everything they do but all these singles is a bit much looool

On youtuberepeat the whole evening and again this morning.. Oh god, I really really like this!
This band grew on me so much during the past year (?).. it's amazing....

yesterday was glamhaze's last live at Shibuya rex
 

 

 

 

 

 
i'll probably use this same thread to post updates on satoru's solo project if thats ok?
 

Goods for their 2nd anniversary one-man on 1/22
 

 

・FAVORITE SONGS・
 
Aimer - us
アンティック-珈琲店- - JIBUN
アンフィル - オフレコディスコ
アンフィル - 指切り
アンフィル - ラヴァ
アンフィル - Lamplight=melody
アンフィル - セピア
Angelo - リテラシー
アルルカン - omit
ASTARIA - Dancing rendez-vous!!
Axkey - クリアノート
BLESSCODE - Gone with the Wind
BRATBAX - Jailbird
BUCK-TICK - DEVIL'S WINGS
Develop One's Faculties - この世界が嫌いな人へ
DIV - 神様がもしいるなら
Fixer - MaercS
GARAK'S - ガラクタヒーロー
GLAM GRAMM@R - リトル・マーメイド ～the First Love～
グラムヘイズ - 優しい街
グラムヘイズ - ハナムケノウタ
グラムヘイズ - I say goodbye,what about you?
GOTCHAROCKA - Ash
GRIMOIRE - ネバーエンド
白日ノ夢 - 事例02 -お祈り-
Initial'L - MOON LIGHT DOWN
KAVKA - Nameless
清春 - FUGITIVE
黒姫の夢遊病 - 旅立ちの輪舞曲
黒姫の夢遊病 - 黒猫姫
LIEVRE CLAY - Infinite Loop
LIEVRE CLAY - colors
LIPHLICH - シャルルの憂鬱
LONDBOY - アイリス
#ロストワールド - メルトリアム
the LOTUS - ダムド 『Awaking "-ELIZA-"』
the LOTUS - HALION
Luccica - ButterfLux
Lydiar - the Elpis
Megamasso - ふとん史
Migimimi sleep tight - GOODBYE
MORRIGAN - NECRO
THE NOVEMBERS - 美しい火
ペンタゴン - ドラマ
Purple Stone - パニックパニック！
Purple Stone - パラダイス・ダンス
the Raid. - Let's Get Crazy 
the Raid. - Re:born
Rides in ReVellion - Seirios
Rides in ReVellion - Another...
Rides in ReVellion - Close.
Rides in ReVellion - RAIN
Royz - R.I.P
SALIVAN - TRUST
SALIVAN - Clever Trap
SALIVAN - PROGRESS
砂月-SATSUKI- - CRYING
SHIVA - 蟻-ARI-
SHIVA - VARUNA
SHIVA - キミノカゲ
SHIVA - DayBreak
少年記 - 離さない
Sioux - カミオ
TRA TRA TRA - メルト
umbrella - アラン
UNiTE. - 無限ピクセル
vistlip - Imitation Gold
vistlip - 彩〔Re:Birth〕
ViV - anagram
ViV - EMOTION
ザアザア - カミソリ
-真天地開闢集団-ジグザグ - 悪いのはバンドマン
-真天地開闢集団-ジグザグ - 死んでほしい
-真天地開闢集団-ジグザグ - 愛シ貴女狂怪性
-真天地開闢集団-ジグザグ - 小夜時雨
-真天地開闢集団-ジグザグ - 一祭合祭
ぞんび - 墓場 de ラヴソング

I don't have time to write fully detailed reviews, so I'm just going to share with you my favorite releases and songs from 2016 with short blurbs. Also, these aren't best to least best, they're all equal to me and it'd be pretty hard to choose one over the others so they're not in any specific order except maybe alphabetically. Enjoy and thanks for reading!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
・FAVORITE RELEASES・
 
甘い暴力 - 嘘キス

Honestly, fucking phenomenal. 10/10.
This is the new unit that was formed after the disbandment of 黒姫の夢遊病 and 白日ノ夢.
I can't wait for them to release more music in 2017 because this song is lit.
-----
 
AmyDolly - creation

Literally disgusted at myself for liking this.
There's something super addictive about it even though it sounds atrocious. I just can't get enough.
Both songs are cringeworthy yet bangers at the same time???
-----
 
アンフィル - アクア

This is probably my favorite Anfiel song EVER.
Shogo's voice is so smooth and sexy like milk and it just flows nicely throughout the entire song.
-----
 
Axkey - アイシア/DAHLIA

Both songs are super catchy and the vocals suit the music perfectly.
Pretty perfect release to me <3
-----
 
BLESSCODE - Imperial City

I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT WAS POSSIBLE TO MAKE A SONG LIKE THIS.
FROM THE CHORUS TO THE SOLO, EVERYTHING IS PERFECT. 
I THINK THIS WAS THE SINGLE OF THE YEAR THAT I WAS MOST HYPED FOR EVER SINCE I HEARD THE PREVIEWS
EVEN NOW WHEN I LISTEN TO IT, I'M STILL LIKE "OH FUCK"
The 2 other tracks on this release compliment the single exceptionally. 
This release is just so well-rounded and hot like fuck omg
-----
 
DECAYS - Baby who wanders

More like "Baby who fucks me up"
This was a nice surprise this year.
I normally wouldn't have given this a listen, but a lot of people were saying such good things about it and I can see why.
I can get down with any song that has a violin in it tbh.
-----
 
dexcore - The Dead Sea

This was probably right under Imperial City for single I was most hyped for.
I'm really not into harsh and brutal vocals, but when they're paired with hot, angelic clean vocals, then I'm into them.
The chorus in The Dead Sea is fucking phenomenal. It's also my ringtone.
Mistake and Hunger are fucking lit as well. 
I can't wait to hear more from these guys!
-----
 
FoLLoW - FoLLoW

If you haven't listened to FoLLoW yet, do yourself a favor and listen to this album.
I know the album art is atrocious but their music is SO GOOD.
Ever since hiroki showed me プラネタリウム, I've been hooked. 
It's a shame they decided to disband.
-----
 
白日ノ夢 - 白き記憶

I don't even know what to say other than THIS MINI ALBUM IS FUCKING AWESOME.
Kou is for sure one of my favorite vocalists and every release is phenomenal.
I can't think of one release that I didn't like between Shounenki, Hakujitsu, and Kurohime.
事例03 -策略- from this release is a fucking B A N G E R
-----
 
Kra - 宇宙トラベラー [CELL+CORE]

Another band that has yet to release something that I didn't like. 
While these are 2 separate mini albums, I'm counting them as a whole because they're equally brilliant.
Songs like Eclipse are highly reminiscent of Kra's earlier songs and I'm glad they revisit earlier sounds.
-----
 
黒姫の夢遊病 - リィザ

SLEEPING BEAUTY, NIGHTMARE KISS
PAINFUL PRINCESS RIZA
SLEEPLESS BEAUTY, FEAR, EVIL KISS
DARKNESS BEAUTY RIZA
RIZA
SAVE ME
RIZAAAAA
-----
 
凛 - 「the end of corruption world」

Kisaki pls come back
All my jams packed into one release
-----
 
MAN WITH A MISSION - The World's On Fire

Whoa... something that's not vk.
This is probably my favorite album by MWAM.
The first 3 tracks are so explosive that I couldn't help myself but to venture further into the album.
-----
 
ピノキオ - Melancholy box

Someone made a status about this album, so I decided to check it out and I was extremely pleased.
Pleasant album from start to finish with some really stand-out tracks!
-----
 
RAINDIA - トラッシュジュウス

Another release that surprised me this year.
I listened to this single on repeat for 4 hours while I was on a plane.
I can easily listen to 碧落ノ彼岸花 on repeat all day.
-----
 
RAZOR - RED INVISIBLE

After losing interest in BORN in 2012, my initial thought was: "I'm going to hate this."
Did I? Not at all. Surprise surprise. I literally found all 6 tracks enjoyable.
PRIMARY and RED ZONE are my favorites.
-----
 
SHIVA - 救世主-メシア－

UH........ RIDICULOUSLY GOOD. LIKE DAMN.
-----
 
少年記 - TIMELESS

 BANG ME one last time.
-----
 
vistlip - Snowman

I haven't enjoyed a vistlip single in its entirety since CHIMERA.
Either the singles weren't that great, or there was a B side I didn't care for.
With Snowman, I could get behind all 3 tracks which is the first since 2013 LOL
-----
 
パノラマ虚構ゼノン - XENON BEST SELECTION

YAAAAAAASSSSS SO MANY BANGERS
-----
 
-真天地開闢集団-ジグザグ - オキラ

Dude this release was crazy good especially 本当はね、私わるい子。
-----

Purple Stone held their 2nd Tokyo oneman (4th overall) to celebrate GAK's birthday on 1/13!
 
Some photos (i'm actually kinda surprised they got so many flowers!! <333)
 

 

 

 

 

 
Set list on the night (which @CloudyTree has already posted on the news thread)
 
Opening SE 「PαR@LyZ￡ -Op.10-」 
1.  パラダイス・ダンス 
2.  歌舞伎町バタフライ
3. アオイヤミ
4. 回転木馬  
5. Dark Insanity 
6. Hysteric Lady 
-SE- prelude re:vir 
7. RIVER 
8. 絵空事 
9. 嘘つきピエロ 
10. Scar 
11. ポイズンチョコレート 
12. 甘酸っぱいマンゴー 
13. アドレナリンBANG! 
14. パニックパニック！ 

Encore
1. キャットウォーク 
2. BLAME 
 
 
and pics from their Jishuban instore the very next day because why not?
 

 

 

 

 
btw today is GAK's actual birthday! here's his twitter if you wanna wish him happy birthday
 

I really like Fumas hair in the instore photos ;; 
Regarding their recent direction – I like it a lot, it's fun and cute loved that Keiya got another chance to dance, haha.

Ruimaru caught the flu so he won't be able to perform tomorrow at 3STAR IMAIKE (Nagoya). The four remaining members will perform without him.
 
 
I hope he's okay!! ><
 

Pamy explaining/demonstrating how to make their vivacraft things!! <333
 
In case you didn't know, you can buy these paper cutouts of the members in different poses:
each set is ￥1,000. If you buy all four sets (not including the anime version) you get a signed artist photo!! https://kerberos.theshop.jp/items/3480333
 
Everything is available on their webshop!! http://vivarush.jp/webshop/
 
Even if you're not interested in buying these, just watch the video. Because. PAMY <333
 
OTSUPAMI! OHAPAMI! OPAMIPAMI~~!!

Anfiel has such nice and refreshing music. And that solo in Lamplight=melody... 👌
 
When I first heard them I found it boring, lol, what was wrong with me.

I got recently hooked on this band and I like them a lot, their music is super catchy and danceable.

i haven't had the time to update this thread more regularly than i'd have liked >_> sorry!
 
so the new single's full PV is out - thoughts anyone? what's your take on the band's recent direction?
 
 

Anfiel was the front-page feature in vol. 37 of ZEAL LINK's free paper.

i scanned the first few pages of the magazine (THEY ARE SO GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
 
i might translate the interview when i have free time, but enjoy the pics in the meantime