qotka

Holy hell, I just saw them live and the hype is nonsensically high. It was funny because they came on right after Xaa Xaa and the resemblance (in aesthetics mostly) was almost confusing. People went craycray for them, a large portion of the crowd even called it a night after their performance and didn't bother staying for the last band on the bill (I thought Razor would be a lot more popular than that, considering the lineup?).

my depression is back.
 
also i may have been focusing on 3rd row gaijin the entire time because i read the thread before watching the video.

On October 25, DEZERT will release a new single titled "Bokusatsu HERO" (「撲殺ヒーロー」)
Tracklist - 
1. 撲殺のメロディー (Bokusatsu no MELODY)
2. ヘドロママ (Hedoromama)
3.「Hello」
4.「遭難」-piano ver- (Sounan)
 

i love them so much for doing this i'm crying....... TwT it brings back so many memories
 
remake look of puppet show era:

 
complete remake of nega to poji look:

 
the old photos (with bucchi):
 

This is the main message of the film imo, to sell them as the biggest thing in Japanese rock heading towards world domination. I think that in this aspect, X are trying to have their cake and eat it. They invented visual-kei - that's all you need to know, the pioneered a movement of sorts that sounds cool and groundbreaking, which paints them as heroes. But giving more screen time to the scene would expose them for what they are - in the end, X Japan and visual kei will always be a niche. They can fill Tokyo Dome 10 times and appear on Kohaku on New Year's Eve, but they're by no means Japan's darlings/national treasure/symbol/whatever the hell it is Yoshiki wants to portray them as, and their music might be great but it's irrelevant to what happens in the charts these days, or even to what's happening in visual kei these days. They're legends to visual kei fans but telling America/the rest of the world how legendary they are/were out of this context is dishonest at best, and I think this is one of the things that bothered me the most about this film, even though I enjoyed most of it as a fan of the band.

This is the main message of the film imo, to sell them as the biggest thing in Japanese rock heading towards world domination. I think that in this aspect, X are trying to have their cake and eat it. They invented visual-kei - that's all you need to know, the pioneered a movement of sorts that sounds cool and groundbreaking, which paints them as heroes. But giving more screen time to the scene would expose them for what they are - in the end, X Japan and visual kei will always be a niche. They can fill Tokyo Dome 10 times and appear on Kohaku on New Year's Eve, but they're by no means Japan's darlings/national treasure/symbol/whatever the hell it is Yoshiki wants to portray them as, and their music might be great but it's irrelevant to what happens in the charts these days, or even to what's happening in visual kei these days. They're legends to visual kei fans but telling America/the rest of the world how legendary they are/were out of this context is dishonest at best, and I think this is one of the things that bothered me the most about this film, even though I enjoyed most of it as a fan of the band.

- lynch. - SINNERS - EP 【Limited edition CD+DVD+photo+sticker】
- ムック - 脈拍 【Regular edition】
- ムック -T.R.E.N.D.Y. -Paradise from 1997- 【Regular edition】
- ムック - THE END OF THE WORLD 【Regular edition】
- ムック -シャングリラ 【Regular edition】
- ムック - 葬ラ謳 【Regular edition】

This is the main message of the film imo, to sell them as the biggest thing in Japanese rock heading towards world domination. I think that in this aspect, X are trying to have their cake and eat it. They invented visual-kei - that's all you need to know, the pioneered a movement of sorts that sounds cool and groundbreaking, which paints them as heroes. But giving more screen time to the scene would expose them for what they are - in the end, X Japan and visual kei will always be a niche. They can fill Tokyo Dome 10 times and appear on Kohaku on New Year's Eve, but they're by no means Japan's darlings/national treasure/symbol/whatever the hell it is Yoshiki wants to portray them as, and their music might be great but it's irrelevant to what happens in the charts these days, or even to what's happening in visual kei these days. They're legends to visual kei fans but telling America/the rest of the world how legendary they are/were out of this context is dishonest at best, and I think this is one of the things that bothered me the most about this film, even though I enjoyed most of it as a fan of the band.

This is the main message of the film imo, to sell them as the biggest thing in Japanese rock heading towards world domination. I think that in this aspect, X are trying to have their cake and eat it. They invented visual-kei - that's all you need to know, the pioneered a movement of sorts that sounds cool and groundbreaking, which paints them as heroes. But giving more screen time to the scene would expose them for what they are - in the end, X Japan and visual kei will always be a niche. They can fill Tokyo Dome 10 times and appear on Kohaku on New Year's Eve, but they're by no means Japan's darlings/national treasure/symbol/whatever the hell it is Yoshiki wants to portray them as, and their music might be great but it's irrelevant to what happens in the charts these days, or even to what's happening in visual kei these days. They're legends to visual kei fans but telling America/the rest of the world how legendary they are/were out of this context is dishonest at best, and I think this is one of the things that bothered me the most about this film, even though I enjoyed most of it as a fan of the band.

This is the main message of the film imo, to sell them as the biggest thing in Japanese rock heading towards world domination. I think that in this aspect, X are trying to have their cake and eat it. They invented visual-kei - that's all you need to know, the pioneered a movement of sorts that sounds cool and groundbreaking, which paints them as heroes. But giving more screen time to the scene would expose them for what they are - in the end, X Japan and visual kei will always be a niche. They can fill Tokyo Dome 10 times and appear on Kohaku on New Year's Eve, but they're by no means Japan's darlings/national treasure/symbol/whatever the hell it is Yoshiki wants to portray them as, and their music might be great but it's irrelevant to what happens in the charts these days, or even to what's happening in visual kei these days. They're legends to visual kei fans but telling America/the rest of the world how legendary they are/were out of this context is dishonest at best, and I think this is one of the things that bothered me the most about this film, even though I enjoyed most of it as a fan of the band.

This is the main message of the film imo, to sell them as the biggest thing in Japanese rock heading towards world domination. I think that in this aspect, X are trying to have their cake and eat it. They invented visual-kei - that's all you need to know, the pioneered a movement of sorts that sounds cool and groundbreaking, which paints them as heroes. But giving more screen time to the scene would expose them for what they are - in the end, X Japan and visual kei will always be a niche. They can fill Tokyo Dome 10 times and appear on Kohaku on New Year's Eve, but they're by no means Japan's darlings/national treasure/symbol/whatever the hell it is Yoshiki wants to portray them as, and their music might be great but it's irrelevant to what happens in the charts these days, or even to what's happening in visual kei these days. They're legends to visual kei fans but telling America/the rest of the world how legendary they are/were out of this context is dishonest at best, and I think this is one of the things that bothered me the most about this film, even though I enjoyed most of it as a fan of the band.

Directed by Stephen Kijak
 
Starring 
 
X Japan
 
 
 
June 30th came and went, and while we may have not gotten the album, we might have gotten something arguably more interesting. To the misfortune of the initiated non-Japanese speaking fan of visual kei, there is an inarguable drought of first hand accounts outside of the handful vague magazine articles that are passable at best; and it is to this need that a film about X Japan would seem like an heaven-sent. I still think that the most interesting aspect of the whole story of visual kei is how it exactly got started, and what the people involved were feeling at the time of its inception. "We are X" would seemingly be able to fit the bill, seemingly. I was able to see that it definitely wasn't going to live up to expectations based on its short runtime alone, but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy a good A&E music documentary so either, and the X story is definitely very interesting. So how does it fare? 
 
We Are X” is a moderately entertaining and a rather brief 90 minute promotional package for Yoshiki’s upcoming world conquest ( it’s still coming you guys. ) that is simply not what it could be. The basic gist of the film is Yoshiki reminiscing about everything that happened in his life leading up to their long awaited [citation needed] debut at the Madison Square Garden, encompassing his thoughts on life, death and all things Yoshiki with bits of historical retrospective sequenced in between. You know what you’re in for right from the start, when the film opens with such grand spectacle that’s only befitting of a man of Yoshiki’s stature ( if you ask him, that is ); dramatic piano music wailing under a Yoshiki monologue lead up to the graphic designer and pyrotechnics ejaculating all over video deck all at once, and after the initial shock of the grand spectacle of it all, it becomes apparent that the film starts to work in two different ways; the slick albeit dripping with cheese rockumentary with interesting historical footage on the one end, and the absolutely stunning character worship of Yoshiki on the other. Although there’s something to be said about the devil reading the bible, I think a cynical reading of this glossy piece of PR is if not perfectly warranted, then at least an amusing exercise for the viewer.
 
The way the story is told is through Yoshiki’s own biography and musings and, the film’s story arch spans X’s career from the beginning to the show at the MSG largely from his perspective, and from here we are beset with the greatest structural problems of the film that completely slaughters it from being of great interest. X and the other band members are established only as they come into his story and information about them is related only in a manner as it specifically relates to him. A central feature of X’s story, which is the Toshi’s cult debacle, gets so much time only because it plays a role in the breakup and reformation, and the way hide is presented is that his greatest asset along with strange magnetism and philanthropy was being Yoshiki’s “producer,” as it was told. Heath and Pata each hardly get word in; is it because they didn’t want to, or that their input is inconsequential to the narrative? Who’s narrative by the way, X’s or Yoshiki’s? Or is Yoshiki X? These characters are attached to the spine of Yoshiki’s project through which they are even allowed exist in this film. You can probably already see what’s going on here.
 
The lost opportunity of having comprehensive member bios becomes perfectly evident when Yoshiki’s own childhood and early bijuaru years are reflected on, and what little was shown of it was easily the highlight of the film. Their lives at this point were danger, death, excessive drinking and the most thrashing cockrock around, so what caused it? What were the motivations, influences and the rest of it? Yoshiki’s dad dying and him getting a drum set. After this he conjured willing and able session members from the nether realm - & Saver Tiger - and he invented X in the vacuum of his own persona! Poor fucking Pata gets literally nothing, probably ending up sharing the same total screen time with Yoshikitty or the hide doll. A proper biography of hide is unjustly totally omitted, and while the whole Toshi cult debacle does occupy a central position the last third of the film, it is terribly vague the way it goes about; he married an unspecified woman and joined an unspecified cult that brainwashed him in a rather unspecific manner for unspecific ends. The film also goes over no songs or albums in any detail, and I mean there is hardly word said about any single note of music they’ve done in specific, nor about their influences and creative process for that matter. For a music documentary it’s exceptionally light on anything musical, except when it’s something that particularly relates to the story of the visual kei grand wizard Yoshiki.
 
Another aspect of the story that is completely absent is a proper survey of visual kei. The culture is hardly explored in any way, nor does X get drawn into the larger context of things and is merely portrayed as a hugely popular rock band that was quite influential in the domestic market. I have a theory on why this is so: the film is aimed at an all-American market as a promotional piece: the 90-minute mark cannot be exceeded under any circumstance, and visual kei may only be brought up as an object to prop up the band. One segment of the film has a few lines by members of bands such as Dir en grey, Luna Sea, Mucc etc. and the total of what they were allowed to say was: “ekkusu kakkoi sugoi desu ne.” One might have been able to set this aside if it weren’t for the fact that a couple of minutes later Yoshiki’s American entourage gets MINUTES of screen time, including Gene Simmons who even gets to have a personal anecdote on how X would be huge in the west if it weren’t for the Anglo-centrism of the American audiences. 
With these direction choices in mind, I feel that X was portrayed more in the way that the American public would like to digest the band: a big insular arena rock sensation that’d be the biggest band in the world if it weren’t for unfortunate circumstance. This doesn't kill the film exactly, but it makes it of lesser importance and interest. 
 
Now why the film is like this is because all this is after all, it is a promotional package for X’s long delayed triumphant conquest of the western music market. Its structure is built around the MSG show, with the original attempt at the west sequined in the latter middle part of the run time so it could be later brought up as a setup for their return. After going through the disbandment and the tragic deaths set to an image of Yoshiki being outrageously portrayed with wings behind him, it’s right at the end of the film where he is still standing defiant and fully convinced that he still has to do it, he has to besiege the billboard and he must do it for hide and Taiji; and then cue to an awesome cringe inducing montage of weeaboos wearing bootleg shirts and an assorted collection of Yoshiki’s cool celebrity “friends,” as they were called. It depends on your point of view whether this is amusing or just simply enraging. At this point, I admit to subscribing to the former school of thought. 
 
So, for people who are interested in visual kei and X, it falls short of expectation. What does it have for the outsider? Well, it’s a mixed bag. First of all, it is a cheesy TV documentary level production made by a guy who’s previous documentary was about the hardcore musical renegades The Backstreet Boys, so the emphasis is on the word production; and still despite all this it occasionally appears to assume general knowledge from the viewer while totally catering to people who’d be exposed to X for the first time. The music isn’t spoken of and only clips of it are played, so you either must know it beforehand or take the word of everyone in the film that X is this great band from Japan you haven’t heard of. Obviously, my memory isn’t 100% but I’m fairly confident that the only song mentioned by name in the film was Art of Life.
I’ll have to say that it’s not boring though, because the bare bones of the saga are interesting and all the early X stuff is awesome. So considering that anyone with the misfortune of having read this is most likely quite well versed in the bijuarus, I can say there's worse ways of spending your time. I'd watch a Japanese record store employee telling about the best selling vk records for two hours ( probably rather than this, actually ) so I'm definitely biased towards everything even remotely related to visual kei. You’re should be good as well if you go into it with the same mindset you would have watching some Vice documentary on a Sunday morning while eating breakfast.
 
                                                                               

Yeah, I am dissapointed with this documentary.

I actually read Yoshiki's biography (released in 2009), and, oh boy, was it interesting. How much he trained, situations when he was hospitilized and had around 5% of fat due to his constant training, the way they refused Sony in the beginning and so many other stories, the way they performed, drank and were touring in Japan - that was powerful, that was interesting to read.
 
This documentary - meh. There was NOTHING epic. It was absolutely plain.

If this film was centrally focused on their MSG performance, that means @ShanethVarosa and I are technically featured in it.
 
AMA
 
I'm both disappointed and not really surprised that all the juicy bits (the cult, impact on the visual-kei scene as a whole, anything about any members other than Yoshiki and hide tbh) are glossed over or omitted. I'm hoping this sparks enough of a KAKUMEI to inspire some insider-tell-all from someone disgruntled  version, á la "Mommy Dearest," in the somewhat near future. 

OK 0.1g no gosan definitely caught my attention. Bonus: their bangya look hardcore and I'm loving it. Will follow.

・R指定 - Sink
・相川七瀬 - サイレントノイズ
・a crowd of rebellion - 梟
・LM.C - ツメタイヒカリ
・緒方恵美 - みらいいろ
・氣志團 - プラットホーム
・清春 - メランコリック
・GOOD ON THE REEL - 空白の日
・THE NOVEMBERS - アンドロメタモルフォーゼ
・People In The Box - エンジェルダスト
・PELICAN FANCLUB - 水色ガールフレンド
・MUCC - 3月5日。
・Plastic Tree - ゼロ (re-recording)
 
Source: https://www.barks.jp/news/?id=1000144244#utm_source=tw_BARKS_VISUAL&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=tw_auto
 
None of the bands are covering Sabbath, so I'm gonna rampage and riot in the streets. Also, disappointed that Sink is appearing on this release. But I'm cool with a crowd of rebellion covering 梟 (can't wait to hear their vocalist actually sing in actual Japanese), THE NOVEMBERS covering Andrometamorphosis, and Plastic Tree themselves re-recording ZERO. 

I dunno, quite a few (foreign) audience members tried it at the Years & Years live, and eventually Olly had to make a passive remark to shush them so he could, y'know, actually sing and be heard. Maybe some artists like it, but I don't get that vibe from what I see on YouTube. It often looks like the artist is just tolerating it.
 
Also, like... singing along loudly with the band seems to be a pretty recent thing, like within the past 10 years. (At least in the U.S..) When I was going to concerts in high school people may have moshed, danced, crowd surfed, or mouthed along/sang in a low voice, but they didn't actually drown out the singer with their off key voices. It's just another one of those selfish "me, me, me" things people do now without any consideration to the other people around them.
 
In any case, recording is generally prohibited in Japan, but live houses will usually give it a pass if it's a non-Japanese artist playing. It's also in poor taste to sing along when not cued.  I've seen more live houses overseas looking like a funeral than in Japan tbh, but I have been to bigger concerts like Lady Gaga in Japan where most of the people just came just to come, and weren't actually that familiar with the artist or their songs so the crowd was pretty dead.
 
As far as VK goes, you do furi for songs that have it, headbang/gyakudai/whatev for the harder songs, and for ballads it's polite to just listen, really soak in the atmosphere, and then applaud after.

fake news...stop diverting from the truth.
yoshiki emailed people of this forum to share his special artwork and promotional materials to best meet the needs of foreign market.

It would be gold if an actual jrock news site used our posts as legit information (track listing, cover art etc). 

5 glorious pages of MESS delivered by the QUEEN trolls
depression CRUSHED thank YOU MH

Did anyone else receive the version of the album where the saxophone solo in track 4 is just abruptly cut off halfway through and the song suddenly cuts to Yoshiki listing off all the countries he's been banned from in alphabetical order? Really took me out of the flow of the album

My name is Jasmine Masters and I have something to say. Yoshiki has done fucked X Japan and Visual Kei, bottom line cut and dry!

That's probably a good tip if you're going the phone route, since I don't think any phones have high quality enough mics to not get totally blown out. If you're willing to drop $100-200, then going with something like the Zoom H2 or H2n will get you great quality even without the best environment (i.e. a pocket, like me).
 
 
That was recorded with an H2n in my pocket at Ikebukuro Cyber which is... not exactly known for having the best acoustics either XD

Greetings, MH! June felt a little slow for some of us, but nonetheless, here is our latest batch of recommended tracks!  Check them out and let us know what you think!
 
(We apologize if some videos aren't available due to region restrictions!)

@helcchi's Picks
"vainglory" by MEIDARA

In February, a mysterious masked band released a disruptive trailer, raising speculation on whether at least the vocalist was an established member of the scene. The speculation was soon dispelled when it was revealed that the band were relative newcomers having regrouped from previously disbanded Galumia, however their music has left a lasting impression on me. "vainglory" might be the most overlooked of the three songs on MEIDARA’s debut single, with its softer sound and slower pace yet this ambitious little number doesn’t scrimp on expressiveness. With Yagami’s powerful voice, an anthemic chorus and a half-minute guitar solo, this song is fitting for an ending track as "vainglory" closes out an excellent debut on a high note.
 
"蜉蝣の夢" by FIXER
"Kagerou no Yume" by FIXER

An atmospheric ballad that is pretty in its simplicity and not often synonymous with FIXER. The 4-minute emotion-filled song features a beautiful chorus that is punctuated by discordant guitars, distorted vocals and distant screaming, emanating a sense of unrest and culminating in a soaring climax. This song would also work well unplugged, and whilst many will find it mediocre, I think it’s got enough charm earn itself a spot in a playlist for rainy days. Besides, one of the last ballads that Jey sang was the remarkable but off-tune "Dears" by RevieЯ so I’ll take it.
 
"Omelas" by JILUKA

JILUKA have upped the ante with their release of the explosive “Omelas" - faster, louder and are you kidding me. The premise of the song is possibly a nod to Ursula K. Leguin’s short fiction "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, with the cave and caged scenery of the PV  illustrating the hidden atrocity that lies beneath the utopian city of Omelas wherein a single child must be locked away in the darkness and kept in a state of perpetual filth and misery as a social contract to maintain the city’s peace and happiness. The production quality of the PV is a feast for the eyes with outstanding cinematography while the gripping powerplay between the guitar and drums weaves an intricate auditory story that is diabolically mesmerising.

@emmny's Pick
 
"ドラマチックな恋心" by SAVAGE
"Dramatic na koigokoro" by SAVAGE

If you're ever curious as to what a dry month (some of us) had for June and for all of 2017...this sums it up. SAVAGE are that friend with benefits that you have known for a bit too long to give up on so you text occasionally and meet up once in a blue moon for mediocre sex but somehow it's all kind of fun and cute? That's a lie, SAVAGE are actually the herpes you get after the fact but it's kind of cool because you knew you were gonna end up with something so you might as well consider it a parting gift. In fact, SAVAGE as a strand of herpes would be like...antibiotic-resistant or something because these guys actually won't die and keep rehashing the same shit over and over. Luckily for some of us with questionable taste, it's all in good fun. I've been on a SAVAGE kick since they've been coming through with their six city oneman tour digest footage on their YT channel, quelling my curiosity for live audio from them. They sound sharp live, at least in comparison to their studio output, and threw a surprisingly solid show by the looks of it. "Dramatic..." was the track that looked especially engaging; I always heard it in the snippets and was like "hey, I should probably listen to the full track" but didn't get around to it until now. Their weirdly psychedelic take on visualcore that has taken off in the past year is in full effect here and oddly intoxicating. June was dry, but SAVAGE made it somehow worthwhile...and that's one thing I don't regret from our affair!
 

@fitear1590's Picks
"セクシーホモサピエンス" by クウチュウ戦
"Sexy Homosapiens" by Koochewsen

These days, Koochewsen is one band that I can truly count on. Accompanying the release of their '1st love album,' whatever that means, they released the PV for "Sexy Homosapiens." The song title should be apparent enough, but this band always keeps it entertaining and their PVs never disappoint. If I had to sum up this particular video in one phrase, I'd go with: 'bathtub guitar solos.' "Sexy Homosapiens" is a fine and prog-alicious introduction to Koochewsen's wacky world, so do yourself a favor and try them out.

"ラビリンス" by MONDO GROSSO featuring 満島ひかり
"Labyrinth" by MONDO GROSSO featuring Hikari Mitsushima

Clicking around the related and recommended videos on YouTube can be a surprisingly rewarding experience. My favorite Japanese find this month comes from DJ/producer MONDO GROSSO featuring J-pop vocalist Hikari Mitsushima. The dreamy house-style beats mesh perfectly with her delicate voice. But what brings it all together for me is the gorgeous PV. Filmed in a single shot (I'm a sucker for ambitious one-takes) in Hong Kong at night, the video brilliantly captures all the vibrant lights and colors while the camera glides through an urban market and residential area. The splendid visuals all mask the fact that Hikari isn't exactly the most graceful dancer!

"ガブリエル" by Yeti
"Gabriel" by Yeti

Yeti may have built a following with their sprightly indie rock, but PV track "Gabriel" from their sixth mini album ハウル (Howl) sees the band broaching a ballad-oriented style. Call me a sap, but I'm loving it. They don't lose all their energy though, as the choruses pulse with power pop momentum. Also, since the subject of Yeti's VK status is a hot topic around these parts, let's consider a few things. With the video's church setting and the random white kid (classic VK PV tropes), as well as the song's general composition and Satoshi's quivery whispered delivery at the beginning of the third chorus, is this song a step (or at least a nod) towards their VK roots? In any case, this song is just one facet of their sonic palette (see plastic's review of "Mujuuryoku").
 

@plastic_rainbow's Picks
 
"See Inside" by PASSing truth DRIVE


PASSing truth DRIVE was a random find when I browsed through the youtube channel of a J-indie record label called 'KiliKili Villa'. The song "See Inside" comes off of their new album Ha and opens with a dizzying echo of the voice, signaling the strangeness that comes ahead. What we have here are some peculiar acoustic guitars, a funky digitized voice, an eerie saxophone and basically a mix of nujazz/trip hop and folk into one. There is also an avant-garde side to it as the video for the song showcases the aesthetics from old black and white films like 'A Trip to the Moon'. Watching the video while listening to the song is a must in order to fully experience the uncanny storytelling. The repetitive whispering of 'see inside' and the monotonous rap section generates a sense of dark horror as you watch the robotic men march without purpose. PASSing truth DRIVE have been around for years, forming in 1992 and to my surprise used to perform with the well-known punk band Eastern Youth. Despite an apparently punkier sound in their earlier years, they have decided to break away from those roots this time around into something more experimental and jazzy, which may not be for everyone but can be pleasing to the ears if you have an open mind.

"雨中遊泳" by Plastic Tree
"Uchuu Yuuei" by Plastic Tree

Sure enough, Plastic Tree always stay rooted to their signature sound and "Uchuu Yuuei" is like any other fruit that flourishes from that tree. In celebration of their 20th anniversary since their major debut it's not a negative thing to say that the track recycles all of their previous material because it pays homage to their pre-2010 works. Particularly, "Uchuu Yuuei" is reminiscent of "Tsumetai Hikari" and "Yuki Hotaru" as it creates a similar kind of solitude and coldness emanated from Ryutaro's mournful singing. On top of that, the emotive guitar riffs and skip of the piano immerse you into the shivering rain of loneliness, which is essentially what the ballad strives to express. Even though Plastic Tree have not done anything totally impressive in a while, the beauty and sadness of "Uchuu Yuuei" is still worth a listen. And seeing how they continue to stand vigorously even after over twenty years, Plastic Tree will surely not wither away just yet.
 
"無重力" by Yeti
"Mujuuryoku" by Yeti

If you thought Yeti were going to put out another mini album entirely composed of soft alternative rock, think again. Howl blesses us with two tracks that characterize a heavier sound, one of them being "Mujuuryoku". If you listen to the first few seconds you would have never thought that it was written by Yeti, who claim to be no longer involved with the VK scene. Yet, the slow and metal infused opening practically sounds like something you'd hear from a heavier VK ballad, until Satoshi's delicate vocals come in and you remember that oh wait, this is Yeti that I'm listening to. Satoshi's vocals work well against the heavy backdrop, but in a matter of 'un duex trios' the track reverts back to Yeti's soft sound and lays out a serene ballad. It was honestly a tough pick between the two heavier tracks and I recommend VK listeners, as well as all listeners, to check out "Aun" also, which unlike "Mujuuryoku" does not transition to a ballad and is more edgy. It would be great if Yeti experiment more with this heavier sound and I look forward to what they'll be putting out next.

@The Reverend's Pick
"最近じゃデパートのオリジナルソングにすら 幸せを感じるんだ" by The Mirraz
"Even the songs in the department store, can make me happy these days." by The Mirraz

The Mirraz have decided to dip their toes in the post-hardcore wading pool with their new single "Even the songs in the department store, can make me happy these days." The new track still features Shouhei's highly-caffeinated rapid-fire vocal delivery but tempers the energy a bit with a backdrop of slower, fuzzy melodies and purposeful yet dreamy drums and backup vocals.  There are still a lot of just *words* being yelped and sung every which way, but on this track they take on a twinge of emo-ness (see: the title) and appropriate urgency. If you're intrigued by the possibility of a punk love song filtered through the lens of At The Drive-In and The Novembers be sure to check the newest by The Mirraz.

@Disposable's Pick
"あましずくとマクガフィン" by グリモア
"Ama shizuku to McGuffin" by GRIMOIRE

How long has Grimoire been around, a year or two? Either way, you couldn't tell that by looking or listening to them. Their aesthetic concept, both musically and visually, is so sharp and defined that nobody sounds nor looks like they do and the production values are just unparalleled — and now in a very un-visual kei fashion we have an album for once. A crude description would be for you to imagine Pentagon at their most primordial, mixed in with a little bit of Mejibray (don't take that wrong, okay ) and Moran in a way that their style at its bare essence consists of brooding, stylised core riffs and RyNK's cute mischievous boy voice in a netherworld dark pastel carnival. Their signature is not being exactly lighthearted or jovial, but certainly an aversion to the heartrending blackness some of their contemporaries that might dabble in similar soundscapes and riffs in particular; it's a playful darkness that defines them. 
"あましずくとマクガフィン" stands out from the rest of their discography for a couple of reasons. It's slower paced, more inclined to rely on the atmosphere than their tracks have tended to in the past; a clear album opener within the visual kei tradition in this regard. It vaguely reminds me of similar tracks Mejibray has done, but fuck if their own style is beyond reproach at this point. What I think achieves this effect in particular is that RyNK's tone is always almost conversational, but especially in here to me he sounds like a child singing in his room next to scattered toys and posters, a visual effect further emphasised by the jingling riffs and their trademark samples of bells and the rest of it — flourishes so consistent with their aesthetic that one often doesn't even consciously catch them, because it's so comfortably ingrained into Grimoire's character. It's the music box variety of new visual kei that has once again transformed its imported riffing style seamlessly into its purposes and aesthetic vision.
 
 
Guest Recommendations:
@Ada Suilen's Picks
"Bad Blood" by Acid Black Cherry

I started to know Yasu with this project and I was literally hooked by his suggestive vocals and his unexpected versatility, making him one of the best singers around in the scene. This year for him marked an interesting achievement, as the project arrived at the tenth anniversary, and for the occasion came Acid Blood Cherry; considered a spin-off release, it can be defined in its entirety by this track, where the stronger point is the contrast between Yasu's bright vocals and screamo vocals by Tenji Nagano from Crack6, one of the many illustrious guests of the release, for a raging and unique rock track, suitable for each to hear.

"Sans Toi Mamie" by Ataru Nakamura

This song marks my own regret for not having listened to this singer before. Following up a blasting solo career and a brief but engaging phase with the visual kei band Decays, Ataru Nakamura releases her first mini-album, which is surely a worthy one, made of melting tones and of a gloomy depth, where this track is the peak; the powerful guitar in the background reinforces the struggling melody of this ballad, accompanied by a moving vocal interpretation, meaning that this singer will be one of my replays, and I hope even yours.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Thanks for checking out our recommendations this month! And another big thanks to our guest contributor Ada Suilen! If you have any thoughts on the list, or if you have any recommendations of your own, we look forward to seeing your comments below!
 

me and @K8A05.30 in central stockholm after attending a vk party at @WhirlingBlack's place
was lit af