qotka

The last one I went to was last year in Osaka in September at MUCC from their tour called 「殺しの調べ This Is Not Greatest Tour」😭. It was my last concert for the year in Japan as I had to fly back home (fun fact : my flight was on the day MUCC had their next concert from the same tour but this time it was in Yukke's hometown. So as I was boarding my sad ass in the plane they were holding the live).  It was probably the best concert my eyes could ever witness because they had a setlist full of favorite songs and plus they started the live with a cover of Iconoclasm from BUCK-TICK, so two of my favorite things in one gig was beautiful 😂. Anyways I cried the whole concert and had friends console me and rub my back multiple times and we took loads of pictures, but I look too disgusting in them 😂. The only one I'm proud to show off is this. Three happy maskots chilling XD.  This picture was taken while we were waiting around the venue for the queue for the merch to start and we got to see the members pass by us in their van and yeah, awesome sauce of a time XD 

OK so this one didn't happen at a live and I'm risking exposing myself for the 14-year-old fangirl trapped in an old hag's body that I am (as if I haven't already lol), but here goes.
 
Went to Tower Records Cafe in Shibuya. It was MUCC Day, the band was doing a live broadcast on nico and the cafe had a special MUCC-themed menu. My friend and I just wanted to hang out and suspected nothing even when the waitress asked us if we're cool with being photographed/recorded.
 
Fast forward to this scene:
 
 
 

DIMLIM:
Gt. Ryuya, Vo. Sho, Gt. Retsu
Support:
Ba. Yume (ex-Pisaro, Now in DIMLIM)
Dr. Hibiki (ex-A Ghost of Flare)
 
Set-list:
1. Birth
2. Innocent Passion
3. THE INVISIBLE
4. Limit of reverse
5. Age of lies
6. Destroy a desire
7. MASSACRE
8. 浄土の花
9. 記憶、紺碧の微笑み‬
10. 初潮
11. 虚妄の歌
12. PERSOALIT NONCONFORMIT
13. 「」
 
encore:
14. THE SILENT SONG
15. 塵外
16. ハレワタ
17. MASSACRE (Chorus)
 
 
This was one of my first concert experiences in Japan and it was one of the most memorable concerts I've ever been to.  The venue is Takadanobaba AREA and I must admit in pictures it looks tiny, but once inside it’s a lot larger than I expected. The venue is divided into 3 sections: the front, middle, and back. Of course, your boy here was in the front! There was a lot of guys at the live; to my surprise I think it was an even number of girls and guys. Walking into the live, there was a curtain raised with a projection of the DIMLIM logo and the sounds of baby’s crying and screaming. It was very fitting because I wanted to scream as well, I was thrilled to finally see DIMLIM live. The live started a bit late but once it began the projection went away and the SE track “birth” began. The curtain was still raised, but a light from the other side projected the shadows of Ryuya, Sho, and Retsu onto the curtain. They stood still until “birth” ended. A few seconds of silence passed, and they just gained life as they began playing “Innocent Passion
. The song began with the opening riffs, and once Sho gave his scream, the curtain was lowered revealing all of them. 
 

 
Everyone looked amazing, but Sho stood out since the paint on him was inverted from the paint he had on the MV for “THE SILENT SONG”. He had a white colored face with black details. He still looked killer. As they played, Sho hits all the screams, including the intense high-pitched ones. Most bands skip these types of screams, but Sho made sure he hit each one. Other noteworthy standouts are Ryuya and Yume (At the time he was in Pisaro but he’s now officially in DIMLIM). I was shocked at how skinny Ryuya was, even though he still looked great. Yume, well, he’s short. I’m not joking. He’s so tiny, he had a box next to him, that he would use to stand when he wanted to yell something or get the crowd’s attention. It was cute haha. Everyone was noteworthy because Hibiki (ex- A Ghost of Flare), despite not being in a visual-kei band, still wore eye shadow, did his hair, and wore a cool outfit. He looked wonderful. And Retsu… well he’s fucking beautiful, so nothing else I can say there.
 

 
They played a few more songs, but I was so unprepared once they got to “Destroy a desire”. A lot of the songs had dance moves that go with them, like fist pumping or waving your hands side to side, etc. (AKA Furitsuke). For the most part, it was headbanging. But for “Destroy a desire”, people started jumping side to side. They first jumped to the right and before I could make it and realize what was going on, they started jumping to the left (towards me) and I almost crashed in to one of the girls. Side note: Im 6’3” so I’m nowhere near little. I would have destroyed this girl. Luckily, I managed to jump left and join them.
After this they debuted the song 「」.It began with the whispers of a women and goes into a techno like rhythm. The pacing of the song is slower than the usual songs DIMLIM puts out. Its not the heaviest song, but there are some screams. My personal favorite part is the harmonics that Ryuya adds during the slow parts. It’s a really nice song.
 
To my surprise they played “初潮”afterwards. I was expecting this song to be their closing song, but I didn’t mind it. It’s every bit as beautiful and powerful live as I’d hoped it be. I gained so much respect for Yume because he owned that solo and overall did an awesome job. He even played it sitting just like Tsubasa (former Bassist) used to. Retsu executed the solo beautify and it gave me chills seeing it played live.
 

 
And probably the most fun I had was during the wall of death. For those that don’t know, a wall of death is when the crowd splits into two and gets some distance between them, so they can run towards one another. During “MASSACRE”, Sho asked us to split and so we did and as he was hyping us up I proceeded to taunt the other side haha (I flexed a bit haha). 
 
Unfortunately, I don't remember much about “Age of lies” and “記憶、紺碧の微笑み”. These two songs where part of the first live limited single so this was my first time listening to them. All i rember is one of them not being as heavy, so kind of slow. Wish I can say more but thats all I got.
 
The main set ended, and they played a short video. Sadly, I can't read Japanese, or at least all the Kanji that was there. There was a lot of clapping and cheering haha. The video ended, and the curtain opened, and the band stood before us. All the lights were off and out of nowhere Sho gave a powerful scream that began “THE SILENT SONG”. Sho had a podium in front of him like the one in the MV. It was painted black and had the DIMLIM logo sprayed onto it. It was a really nice touch and I wasn't expecting it. Sho sang the song with the podium. He would lean on it in order to get closer to the crowd and even shaking it to get the crowd going. Sadly, he shook it too hard and halfway through the song the podium fell apart. Sho tried to hold it together, but it collapsed, and all the pieces fell to the floor. Sho sighed but he laughed it off and continued singing. Staff stepped in and removed the pieces off the stage.
 
I figured that the end was near, and of course they closed with their debut song “ハレワタ”. All i can say is Holy Hell was it good live. The energy they gave off was incredible. They played and sang passionately and when they headbanged, everyone headbanged. The song ended, and I thought it was over. I was wrong, DIMLIM wanted to get us going one last time so they transitioned into the chorus of MASSACRE and made us do a wall of death again to end the show and we did. I taunted again hehe... and the show ended as powerfully as it had begun.
 

 
Bonus:
They have this thing where if you buy cheki, certain cheki will be marked with "Lucky" in Kanji. If you get a cheki with one of these written on them you can take a picture with one of the members. I bought three and got Luky hehe... I was thrilled, and I yelled a bit and some of the girls there game me a stink eye. You snooze you lose, because I didn’t see those girls after, so they didn't get lucky HAHA.
 
I waited in line to take my picture and once it was my turn I was really nervous. I went in the room and there they were Sho, Ryuya, and Retsu. I wanted to tell them something at least, so I told them I had come from the U.S. to see them. And that their music is super cool.
Sho nodded with his arms crossed and said "hmm”. I’m guessing that a good thing, Ryuya said "Ahhh". lol and hands down the best reaction was Retsu. He said in English,
"I can speak english a little bit.... Stay with Us!" I wanted to cry he made the effort to speak English for me and he did it so well.  I took my picture with Retsu ❤️ 
 

 
 
 

here for the aesthetics and Akira's solo

For some reason it'll only show me my top 5. lol
I've been using the same account on and off since 2004 so it's weird AF
 
Thank you @plastic_rainbow! Now it went from being weird to positively humiliating. This is why I love last.fm!
 

Finally sorted out my life XD
https://www.last.fm/user/trianglewars

Their first live will be on 2018.04.08 at 高田馬場AREA. 
 

 

 

 

 

 
Members :
Vo.行来
Gt.Takuya
Ba.Ryuichi
Dr.satoshi (ex-DIV)
 
 
Twitter : https://twitter.com/Laplus_official
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/laplus.official/
Website : http://laplus-official.com/

In case someone didn't see. Upcoming PV song is included 

Hi all, I wasn't aware that there is such an elaborate forum for J-rock/VK stuff!  Glad to be here!
I'm Ken; I live in rural Ibaraki, Japan.  I've been a fan of visual rock since I was in high school (early 00s!)
These days I work all the time but I occasionally find time to go to shows or play as a support bassist for local bands.

Recently I'm working on a YouTube show about late 90s/early 00s VK.  In addition to doing reviews,
I would like to analyze various tropes and aspects of the genre .  It's still a little rough but I'd  appreciate any kind of
feedback or support.   Thanks!
episode 1
episode 2

 

In what may be the gay anthem of 2018, Kaya has announced his new single "FABULOUS" will be released this spring; details will be announced on March 1, where he will perform at a club event in AiSOTOPE LOUNGE where the PV will be shot...it'll also feature drag queens, DJs, and GOGO boys,
 

 
https://ameblo.jp/kaya-rose/entry-12351182453.html

This is how I love to remember myself : crying and being sweaty after a MUCC concert XD. First half of last year was amazing XD.
 
 

[CD tracklist]
01.遠国 (ongaku)
02.恋は灰色 (Koi wa haiiro)
03.エクジスタンシアリスム (Existentialisme)
04.雨中遊泳 (uchuu yuuei)
05.サイレントノイズ (silent noise)
06.サーチ アンド デストロイ (search and destroy)
07.残映 (zanei)
08.いろつき (irotsuki)
09.念力 (nenriki)
10.scenario
11.ノクターン (nocturne)
12.静かの海 (shizuka no umi)
 
 

 
 

 
 

 

#yoshikigate is spreading...

It doesn't translate into 'with no end', it's 'indefinite'.
期限 is used when talking about expiration dates, so think about it as a hiatus without a set 'expiration date'
Of course there's always room to speculate, but announcing a band has disbanded before they'd announced anything is not something that should be under 'news'.

singles are up for pre-order on CDJapan !!!!!

rofl. everyone's name is satoshi.

Seems like Satoshi is taking part in a live in February . He's going to be the vocalist of a band consisting of 4 people called Satoshi, properly named "Satoshis".
 
I liked that "I'm going to sing!" line. Please keep singing.
 
 

Drunk Miya smiles are the best. ;w; ♥

This was what my friend once sent me when I was feeling shitty XD It's a new year and I'm still not over it 😭💕

Yes, really check them out. To be honest I started looking them up for study purposes because Tatsuro uses some nasty kanji and phrases and they're fun to research (I don't regret sounding like a nerd just know XD). Also Miya's songs are just...I don't know who did him wrong in the past but I'll find that person and hunt them down XD. Yukke's songs on the other hand are, to quote an intellectual (Tatsuro), "from another world", he has too many things to say XD. Satochi's style shows his child-like side and his somehow trying hard to blend in this world vibe (wow I need a hug too XD).  "Ieji" is basically a live proof of their feelings and evolution story, in my opinion that is. 
 
Monsta X's videos are really nicely done. I love it that they're keeping the classic themes of kpop instead of doing this "Hi we are 200 members who are in love with the same girl and it's not creepy yaaaaay balloons !" fanservice story (not that I don't watch those type of mvs...for the songs XD). Their uniqueness though, doesn't stop me from investing into good quality holy water 'cause goddamn their abs all over are just unfjdkd
 

This is 100% true and it surprised me so much. At age 38, he sounds a lot better than he did most of his career. The vocal training is so noticeable, both when you listen to the re-recorded versions of tsuuzetsu and homura, and when you compare how he used to sound live vs. how he sounded this year. I think the best way to see it will be to listen to his performance of 'kuchiki no tou' from the 2006 Budokan live and compare it with how he performed it at the same venue in June last year (WOWOW broadcasted it so it's been uploaded to places, but I sure hope it's included on the huge DVD boxset they release this year ). There was an element of being rough around the edges that I find very appealing in his older performances, but his range and his technique have improved so much that it's inevitable that now it'll all sound 'cleaner'.

Haha, yes most of the Mucc fans were vocal this year with so much going on. Tatsuro has improved a lot over the years, so maybe you'll like his voice more this time around? 
 
I hope you get to check out the Zigzag and Xaa-xaa releases.  
 
Itchy Poopzkid? That is a great name lol.
Twice are really popular. A few of my friends are traumatized from hearing them so much in Korea lol.
 
I'm so happy you enjoyed it! It was really surprised, I liked o1 but 2V-ALK just blew it out of the water in every way. 
 
I hope you do a list! I am excited to see what you liked this year. I see you make comments in your status about a bunch of bands I always mean to look into them but having a list is so much nicer. 

Enjoy~.  
 
Bleed is awesome. I was listening to it again today, they really did make something wonderful. Then again, I don't think they've made an album I dislike?
Awww, thank you. I wanted to keep things simple. 
 
Who were your faves that released in 2017? (I also second @BrenGunwith hoping you make a list) 
I checked out The War just recently, it was the first Exo album I listened to since XOXO. So it's been a while. lol. If you say Exodus is better I will be sure to go give it a try. NGL I had mostly checked out The War for the songs G.Soul co-wrote because I love him. ^^;
 
I'm glad I lived up to expectations.  I do hope you're gonna share your thoughts once the dust has settled? *starts crowd chant* LIST! LIST! LIST! 
 
Hell yes, bring them to the Mucc side! Mucc are one of the those groups that, like you said, try to keep strong concepts with their albums, lyrics, everything. It's always well throught out and I love it too. ♥ I really need to spend more time with the lyrics. I'm always listening at work or in the car where I can't get too deep into it. But I'm so happy you mentioned it so I cam make it a bigger priority now lol. Same with Miya too. When I first got into Mucc I was all about Tatsuro... but after learning Miya writes most of my favorite songs from them, and I started reading their blog posts, he really pours himself into what he writes. ;w; He may not be the most talkative but he knows how to connect with people. 
 
Classy Time Traveling Gangsters™ I am here for this lol. Dramarama and All In are probably some of my all time favorite Kpop videos because they are so aesthetically pleasing but also tell really interesting stories. I've seen other drama MVs from groups but they feel more like love triangles or crime sagas.. Monsta X tries to be unique and I appreciate it. 
 
 
 

I was looking forward to this list, and it didn't disappoint.
2017 was an incredible year music-wise and I'm still in a bit of an overload from it.

Be warned all who enter here!
If you came looking for an objective list based on some popularity rating or sales criteria, you came to the wrong place! This list is completely subjective and a little fangirly, but I still hope you find a couple of things that are worth your time, anyway.   Also, sorry in advance if some of the previews are region blocked for your area. 
 
 

MUCC ・ 脈拍 ・ VISUAL KEI
My entire 2017 really goes to MUCC, hands down. They took their 20th anniversary celebration and did it so big, I don’t think we’ll see any other band go to this lengths in quite some time. They re-released, re-recorded, and re-mastered most of their fan favorites between 新痛絶(Shin Tsuuzetsu), 新葬ラ謳(Shin Homura Uta), a second edition of their Best of and Coupling Best discs, a second PV collection, a tribute album, a self-cover album, and then there was this little gem of new material: 脈拍(Myakuhaku). No wonder as soon as it was over they unapologetically announced they’d be going on hiatus for 3 months. They deserve a break, to say the very least. But I digress! Myakuhaku may have been a bit lost in all the excitement for MUCC revisiting their roots, but it’s definitely something new and old fans alike can enjoy. 

The opening title track is clear and direct in its message, MUCC haven’t forgotten where they came from. They turned back time and stripped down to the quintessential visual kei heavy and melodic combination that gave the band the height of it’s popularity a little over 10 years ago. They then took that staple and folded into the mix of anime songs, ballads, and more recent metalcore-infused forays with this album. One of my favorite tracks is “EMP” since it's a total nu metal throwback. It has my 90s-lovin' name written all over it. There’s a lot of other fun musical nuggets packed in this album, “BILLY×2 ～Entwines ROCK STARS～” is a gritty little old fashioned rocker that gets you up and moving, and “孵化(Fuka)” is a surprise mid-tempo number that swells up into this crazy breakdown then veers hard left into a weird (but good) twangy guitar solo. You can tell MUCC pushed themselves to create something great for us and in my humble opinion they more than succeeded. I couldn't get enough of this album this year and, Mucker or not, I hope everyone checks it out. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

MONSTA X ・ THE CLAN PART 2.5: THE FINAL CHAPTER 'BEAUTIFUL' ・ K-POP
I think there were a few of my fellow MH members around in late 2016 who might remember when I fell down the MONSTA X rabbit hole and proceeded to become utterly obsessed. For most that probably don’t know, my love of K-Pop predates my registering for this forum, in fact one of my first avatars was of Chansung from the group 2PM with the u/n “digitalbounce” (also from a K-Pop song). But, it’s been a few years since I was this into a group. MONSTA X aren’t the most popular group around, though I think as far as third generation boy groups are concerned they usually make the top ten lists. Even then, I still consider them criminally underrated. 
 
The third installment of their The Clan trilogy is their strongest release to date, as far as I’m concerned. And even stronger if you count in the repackage version Shine Forever that includes two more songs (the last .5 in the final chapter). The majority of Beautiful leans heavily on R&B (“넘사벽 Incomparable”, “니가 필요해 Need U”, “Miss You”, “5:14 (Last Page)”) which creates just enough contrast with, but also compliments, the hip hop songs (“Oi”, “Calm Down”) that take advantage of the group having rappers that actually know how to rap. Last.fm doesn’t even have a true count of my plays (my phone's music app didn’t scrobble until recently when I made the switch to spotify), but it’ll still show you I played this album basically every day since it came out. Rest assured, I regret nothing. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

-真天地開闢集団-ジグザグ ・ 『メンヘラ』はじめました ・ VISUAL KEI
Zigzag makes me wish I was slightly more motivated to look up and translate lyrics, because I know I'm missing out on a lot when it comes to them. I can only imagine I’d like them even more, which is saying something because I have enjoyed everything I’ve heard from them over the last two years. I also have a huge soft spot for bands that don’t take themselves too seriously. Zigzag's tunes are pretty rockin’ to begin with, but when the band decides to get serious about showing off their musical prowess it's definitely no laughing matter. Their take on soft, melodic songs is simply beautiful, especially fitting with the traditional elements and instruments that are the backbone of their religious/idolatry concepts. Talent and humor? What’s not to love?
 
I chose 『メンヘラ』はじめました(menhara hajimemashita) over their other release 糞麺氏ね(kusomen shine) this year only because it seemed slightly more musically cohesive, but I love them both and enjoyed them both immensely. | Preview: - 臨兵闘者 ～皆陣列在前～ ・ 『死にたい』御年頃 ・ 短絡的『絶望』
 
 

PVRIS ・ ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN, ALL WE NEED OF HELL ・ ALTERNATIVE
I wasn’t a big fan at first, it took a while for Pvris to stick with me. They came to me heavily recommended over the last couple of years, I checked a couple of videos, caught a couple songs live at summer festivals, but I just never seemed to be in the mood for what they were offering. I honestly didn’t get the hype. They seemed like another try-hard edgelord band ✞øø ℂvℓ✞ ƒøЯ ✞ℍîƧ ᏔøЯℓ∂. But this year it was different, I’m not sure if they matured more, or maybe it was just my tastes changing as well. But our paths crossed, and it's become a record I find myself spinning more and more often, even as we reached the year's end. I'm sure it will be coming with me into 2018.
 
Even though the title might suggest otherwise, this album is a lot less gimmick-y than expected. It's direct and raw in it's delivery, and densely atmospheric without getting overly cliché. It ends up being a strong rock record that's still dark, but full of heart too. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
 

EARTHISTS. ・ DREAMSCAPE ・ PROGRESSIVE METALCORE
Dreamscape was an early favorite this year and managed to stay afloat while most of my other usual metalcore bands didn’t quite do it for me. It’s probably more me than them though, with all the shit going on around here lately it’s best I don’t get too amped up. But Earthists have this nice cohesion of their melodic and djent-y elements that make them easy to listen to.  They do little things like adding piano into the mix or samples of wind blowing in the background that keep their take on the genre fresh and inspired and round out their sound. “Flux” and “Winterfell” are two favorites that I keep coming back to just for that damn cool piano riffing -- and it's not a cheap-ass synth piano either, it's a deep traditional, classical-sounding one full of punch and reverb (it’s likely a digital one but it sounds expensive and that’s what counts!). I’m just a little bitter it doesn’t look like they play it live, though it understandably doesn’t look as cool and progressive to be rocking out over as say, a guitar or whatever. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
 

HYUKOH ・ 23 ・ INDIE ROCK
Oh, Hyukoh. Another band who had a fabulous year. Hyukoh is the formal project of leader and chief song-writer Oh Hyuk (doyouseewhathedidthere), who decided a few years ago he was tired of going at it solo and opted to get himself a band. You really can’t hold this guy down, he collaborated on a massive number of albums this year, and I can’t blame everyone for wanting to work with him when his husky voice is this magical. It suits so many genres, I don’t get tired of listening to him either.
 
23 was a bit of a grower for me, hearing the singles alone didn’t spark much of my interest. It took listening to the full album for me to fully understand what they ‘do’. It’s not as in your face or flashy as some of the indie rock I’m used to, but Hyukoh’s style still keeps a common thread as it weaves through funky, retro vibes or the more experimental journeys like "Reserved Seat", not losing their emotional edge. “Tomboy” and “Paul” practically move me to tears with the melancholy that cuts through Oh Hyuk’s voice. I like Hyukoh so much, they’ve even gotten me to enjoy the folk-inspired side of their music I usually make an effort to avoid from other bands. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

DAY6 ・ SUNRISE ・ POP ROCK
As South Korea’s music industry grows, it has picked up a lot of tips and tricks from the ginormous music exporting machine next door, Japan. We’ve seen 12 month consecutive releases attempted a few times now in the vk scene, so when it was announced a K-pop band would be trying it, I was extremely curious how it was gonna pan out. Fortunately, it did rather well and DAY6 released singles containing two quality tracks month after month (on the 6th because “Every DAY6” was genius marketing) which ended up collected in two full albums; SUNRISE came out in June and MOONRISE in December. Both albums are fantastic, but we’ll just go with SUNRISE for now because I can’t afford them multiple slots. But if you enjoy this album, SERIOUSLY, go listen to MOONRISE. 
 
DAY6 are a rock group from one of the 'big 3' idol companies JYP Entertainment (whose stubborn asses refuse to allow their artists’ music on Spotify and piss me off to no end), so their music isn’t necessarily ground breaking, but they do write it all themselves, play their instruments live, and basically function like your typical rock band. Though their songs are generally non-offensive relationship material (meet the girl, confess love to the girl, get dumped by the girl, wait for next girl to walk by…) they do know how to pour all of their emotion into it, and their layered vocals and compositions often remind me of The Beatles and/or other multi-vocalist 60s pop rock. | Preview: I Wait (아 왜) ・ I Smile (반드시 웃는다) ・ You Were Beautiful (예뻤어)
 
 

ザアザア ・ 不幸な迷路 ・ VISUAL KEI
My love for XAA-XAA isn’t really a secret. They’ve become a flagship band for me, though I’m worried about their future since drummer Roji’s departure. Drums are such a key part of their sound due to him, it makes this album even more special in my collection. Considering I've been following the members since they were Belmosaic, seeing him leave is just a huge blow. He's gonna be missed. As far as XAA-XAA releases go, this isn't the album I tend to return to the most, but listening to it again for this list reminded me of the quality compared to other albums I was considering. It still ends up being one of my favorite vk releases this year. 
 
Aptly titled, 不幸な迷路 translates to “unfortunate maze” and likewise this album is dark and twisted, even downright psychotic at times. Though, one thing I love about this band is no matter how crazy or erratic they get, catchy and melodic choruses remain paramount. The mayhem is balanced out with gorgeous ballads and fun jazzy numbers. XAA-XAA's diversity and strong sense of melody is something you can count on with each release so far. I only hope it remains that way. | Preview: 不幸の始まり ・ ぐちゃぐちゃ ・ 恋人ごっこ
 
 

SAWANOHIROYUKI[NZK] ・ 2V-ALK ・ J-POP
If you were waiting for something truly epic to come out of 2017, look no further. Sawano has outdone himself and created something that should be able to please the rockers, the pop kids, the anison lovers, and anyone who just enjoys badass music with some badass vocals soaring over it. It doesn’t hurt that I’m a pretty big fan of the vocalists he utilizes throughout this project. My only complaint is there was less Mizuki (ex.イツエ(Itsue)) than the previous [nZk] album o1, but newcomer Tielle carries the torch well and sings her ass off. So I can’t say I’m too upset. Judging by the amount of anime themes on this record, you probably heard her sing half the OP/EDs you watched this year too.
 
Sawano is sneaky and has 2V-ALK lull you into a bit of a false sense of security at first, “Amazing Trees” is a strong album starter but not a stretch from o1. It’s when “gravityWall” kicks in that you learn you're in for a rollercoaster ride.  This album is more female-fronted than previous releases as well, but it works for me. Even as someone who is a lot pickier when it comes to higher range singers nothing got too nasally or tin-y for my tastes, even with all the over-the-top belting going on. Overall, 2V-ALK is big, beautiful, slickly produced, and something you can become totally immersed in listening to. I don’t have words to express how much I love this album. Just play it, and play it really loud! | Preview: Spotify
 
 

EPIK HIGH ・ WE'VE DONE SOMETHING WONDERFUL ・ HIP HOP
Anyone who’s spent maybe a few minutes looking into Korean hip hop should be familiar with Epik High. They’ve been killing the game there for the last 15 years and continue to be one of the most relevant hip hop units out of Korea. They deserve to be globally relevant at this point, but I’m just gonna have to stay bitter about that for now. Not only have Epik High put out album after album of quality material, they go out of their way to work with the next generation of urban music artists and help cultivate the scene.  
 
Epik High keep a pretty classic, old school style but they know how to get dark, gritty, and emotional when the song calls for it. “HERE COME THE REGRETS” featuring vocal powerhouse Lee Hi is one of my favorites-- a definite stand out for the album. But so is “노땡큐 / NO THANXXX” because everyone needs to hear Tablo yelling “I AM GROOT! MOTHERFUCKER!” to add some extra badassery to their day.  And Hyukoh lovers can also catch ya boy Oh Hyuk lending his smokey vocals to "빈차 / HOME IS FAR AWAY". I told you he was everywhere. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
It was a weird year. I had a few more J-Pop albums I really liked: REOL's エンドレスEP (so sad they're disbanding, they were a killer match up), Junho of 2PM's 2017 S/S, and Miyavi's Samurai Sessions Vol.2, but 10 was a good place to stop and I wanted to give albums I actually played the most a priority regardless of country of origin. What did you guys like last year? What releases are you looking forward to in 2018?