Pretsy

Serbian Film. ... Jesusmotherfuckingchrist.

As I promised - a bit more constructive reviews per each song: "m.o.b." by Chanty I personally think after years of being *brainwashed* by gender-bending/evolving tendences in vk that this should have been a logical outcome after visual scene getting over nu metal. As with formerly mentioned genre, post-punk and other goth/punk-related genres, post-hardcore/"aggressive" indie should be a good choice for potential visual acts when it comes to excelling in what they are doing. This kind of crossver stuff needs to happen more often. Surprise favorite of the month no. 1. "イケナイKISS (ikenai KISS)" by DIV This is not their thing. Nah. "窓の外は、カァニバル。 (mado no soto wa, carnival)" by emmurée HOLEEE SHIEEET. I wasn't really a fan of their otherwise potentially good but yet still tiring post-punk work, but wow - I definitely buy such ideas and direction from a sophomore (a bit more years for being a "veteran" ) act like this! Surprise favorite of the month no. 2. "発火 (Hatsuka)" by KEEL Heavy bias incoming in 3...2...1...: I do not care about anything that sounds like carbon 9GBO or Deadman for that matter (be it the fact that those two acts are brilliant). Aie needs to jump off his one-trick pony. Nah. "夢 (yume)" by THE MORTAL No need for further statements regarding our dark lord of submarine-kei - Atsushi! I am crossing my fingers for more surprises from this "super-band" :> "Prometheus" by Crystal Lake Energy is there but yeah, trying to curb your style into something djentbro-er is not something I'd buy. Japanese bands pls, don't cultivate this football jock frat party-core any further - don't lose your identity (which is why I usually propagate this idea of Nippon acts genderbending rather than emulating one sound completely). Nah "Party Boys" by Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas This is it - the infamous (according to 2ch) "Brokencyde of Japan"...j/k j/k, unlike in previous band's case, this band is my and totes excels at being one of a kind and unexpected - be it even simpler synthcore numbers or chaotic sets that might even make MTH and similar plundercore (let's call it that way) acts lift their hats off. "Phoenergy" by NETWORKS Seems like acts in the vein of "mouse on the keys" have spawned a huge legacy right there . Anyways, the song itself doesn't do much yet to make me fall off my chair but I can sense their potential. Curious. "リュカの黒髪 (ryuka no kurokami)" by the cold tommy Very Dinosaur Jr.-y but yeah, nothing that surprising or ear-catching. Nah? "きれいな海へ (kirei na umi e)" by THE NOVEMBERS Read my statement @earlier post "ZyouK" by the piqnic HOLEEE SHIEEET. This needs to happen more often (ps. to Bonsai: this actually sounds like much more mature and 'evil' version of harder 'Zeitgeist' numbers though - in case I understood you correctly). I shall hop on the bandwagon and cross my fingers for their potential. Surprise favorite of the month no. 3. "Happy End" by the quiet room Math-y licks yet very safe indie-ish approach should be toned down for now when we speak of acts who are not aiming to hit Bump of Chicken-y sales figures. Nah "シーズンインザスリー (Season in the Three)" by VELTPUNCH While VELTPUNCH always had on-point and sometimes even thrilling arrangements, the performance in overall though left a lot to be desired. I miss ear-catching values here. Nah "サイケデリンジャー2 (Psych Dillinger 2)" by アルカラ (arukara) Arukara has been playing too safe after CAO and I still wonder why. Nah "もあ (Moa)" by ドレスコーズ (the dresscodes) Oh hi look, it's White Stripes or The Fratel...oh wait nevermind - still not a fan of Shima's work (devoid of anything that would make me think about "identity"). Nah "Kamakura" by G.RINA 80s-90s Moogy/wavey goodiness is not bad but this feels more like a lousy attempt at emulating the said theme from vaporwave/one-time-concept based idol acts such as Especia for instance. Nah "bluemoon" by nowisee Liquid mix of ambient/D'n'B hybrid and middle-SFP-ian pop which unfortunately gets overshadowed by dangerous elements of anime seiyuu-ian choruses and hooks. Ouch - and nah "STAR TRAIN" by Perfume Read my rant @earlier post "POSITIVE feat. Dream Ami" by tofubeats Read my rant @earlier post "YOU" by 世武裕子 (Sebu Hiroko) Moderately but yet uniquely varied, very smooth piano-driven pop. I can sense her classical background here and I dig this a lot. Surprise favorite of the month no. 4. "安寧の音 (Annei no Ne)" by 雨ニモ負ケズ (amenimomakez) I think I missed the whole song after playing it twice - no ear-catching values here either, sorry! Nah Regarding my "surprise favorites": these are mainly concerning acts I never heard of before OR just used to try once or twice but forgot afterwards. So yeah, very interesting month Thankies, staff! (sorry for my nah's though)

I wonder if I should bother putting up a RYM thread (but then again, it's not like our community nor any sane music enthusiast would practice such rating/listing porn)...

Just kidding about that part above - I actually tend to tear up when numbers get very epic (e.g. vocalist gets too emotional) or audience starts singing along (lyrical theme also matters, sorta):

I think it's more of a record company with a number of sub-labels - e.g. Space Shower records which include artists such as Indigo la end, suchmos...etc. etc. http://spaceshowermusic.com/lb/artist/?genre=1 Regarding my position, I am more or less developing a love/hate relationship towards Free-Will: while they are producing/managing my first all-time vk/non-vk favorites (Dir and Merry, duh), I still question their position regarding PSC (yup, sub-division!) and labels such as Resistar Records (goddamnit Yukari). To be real frank, I never gave big thought to labeling outside of vk - considering that I tend to keep an eye on acts who are able to retain "double status" in terms of labels (indie AND Major* = more freedoms and wider market accessibility). I.e. labels matter to me in vk for the most part since that's where vk bands usually tend to lean into extremes once they sign their contracts. *examples for such bands (off-topic): Dir en grey (Firewall/SMEJ), Enon's projects (Gesu/Indigo la End) (Unborde / Space Shower Records (their contract still exists!)

Knowing that Torpedo organizes this...yeah nope for Finland : | (will be surprised if they do otherwise tho)

Nekromänseri iskee: Mitäs tapahtuikaan viime aikoina Suomen jiirokkimaailmassa? 1) Vähemmän relevantteja vieraita pyörimässä (byy) 2) Japsirokki kuoli (RIP) 3) Varastoleikkuuta niin levykauppa äksän kuin muiden osalta jiirokkiosaston puolella... 4) Ketään ei kiinnosta japani ( ) Tehdään asioille muutos - levittäkää eliittiweeaboomme ilosanomia vuosien takaa: http://naamapalmu.com/file/32329 #torkkeli (mitäs kaikki?)

Quoting Arama shamelessly here as always (sorry Krys - you got the credit though!): Some collabs look very intriguing here - especially Hikakin (Youtuber? Really?).

Yes. It has been given already that we are witnessing the birth of "visual" among new "visual kei" bands (i.e. dropping the "kei" out = becoming pretty much the same as any other BVB-y act around these corners). So it is very blatant to name newer generations "visual kei" anymore since they lack the "original face" that vk used to have among every sub-scene. Probably? I find it really hard to sympathize with newer acts - especially for reasons described above. Very cute but hollow shells with no substance or roots to the past or whatsoever. Give most of us over 10 years of this stuff (e.g. me, since 2001) and you will realize what I am about. To be really cruel and straightforward: yes. I had my statements wide open earlier and I don't think I have to provoke anyone again by repeating myself.Just lump me into the tea party club of ex-weeaboo gentlemen circa Jrocknyc-angelfire era and I can spend my days being grumpy and sobbing about vk back in its definitive, moderately varied and sincere glory. VK will be no more - I say. /not trolling/

Seems like Kyo is not ready to give up on his leatherboi look... (kinky!)

To be frank, I discovered contemporary artists in the vein of Susumu Hirasawa (examples below) through anime at first (not through P-MODEL, unfortunately): Other themes that brought me to certain artists or even scenes:

^ What I've meant is that at this age and decade people should really give up on overstating their hatred (yeah, not dislike - hatred) for trends that will most likely pop up and stay with us for a little bit longer. Feel free to be indifferent or show your dislike, but hatred (your statements make it seem so)? Also: Mucc example is vocoded. Same goes for that Teen Hearts MV ("electronic" effect (vocoder) vs. notes adjusted to the closest, correct pitch (autotune)). P.s. autotune =/= vocoder (just because it USES a phase vocoder doesn't make it a "vocoder")

If it fits the genre/style of a certain song, then why not? (emphasizing the latter since it sometimes works for non-electronic numbers too) "Burn it with fire" statements are too naive for this decade tbqh

Things that got unmentioned for some reason but deserve AOTM-recognition imho anyway: Gesu no Kiwami Otome - Otonatic / Muka no Kisetsu - I might be pretty much the only avid follower of their major (or Enon's) ventures and I can tell you something: the more popular they get, the more intriguing they get when moving towards more complex directions. For further details, you folks ought to check their "Otonatic" PV through jpopsuki.tv (because YT effed up US viewers now anyway). Base Ball Bear - Fushigi na Yoru - Very radio-friendly yet another groovy chune by courtesy of BBB. Driving melodies, very BBB-y (back-to-NB and Supercar-y while retaining britpoppy values), not to mention the chemistry-ridden bandplay - talk about real passion! Pretty much the same stuff as with Gesu goes for them too. Make sure to hit their PV through jps.tv (because YT is a corporate bullhorn). Now for the stuff that got mentioned - thoughts/blurbs: - NOVEMBERS: while I could see all the fuzz...fuss behind this mini (?), I personally don't embrace it that much as you do guys - even if it has that (sugar)sweet Novembers' goodness. Why? The way it ends up abruptly (the last song raises a few - no, MANY questions as a proper closer) downgrades it a lot as a standard 2015 album one could enjoy as a whole. Sure thing - some members managed to get over it, but I am being really picky here this time (especially after acknowledging Koba's capabilities to produce even more massive numbers or entireties, see: GIFT). - Tofubeats: I used to propagate this artist while being totes entranced about upcoming netlabel wave at that time (Seiho etc.). His beatmaking sensibilities deserve their netwide recognition, but his songwriting on the other hand has stagnated right at the start - POSITIVE as a set of songs didn't really prove anything as a "real" Tofubeats' debut: yes, glimpses of enthusiastic experimentation in this release are lovely - trying to embrace and take Tofubeats SERIOUSLY as an artist with recognizable and prominent trademark palette? Downright impossible if you acknowledged earlier electro gamechangers from Japan (take 80kidz or even Shinichi Osawa for that matter). Featured artists did less for a POSITIVE change (ha!) but for the most just fueled the flames of mediocrity even more (for heaven's sake, Komuro - stop!). Biggest J-hypekiller of this year to me - not sorry. - Perfume: Unfortunately ghosts of electropop mediocrity have begun to haunt EDM-entranced mr. Nakata too! Dabblings in the world of Capsule's stapled EDM has reached to the point where he's sucked out of his former, brave glory: STAR TRAIN as a whole was nothing but a frigid, hollow parody of pre-GAME cutesy hooks mashed with accidental Kyary bloops. I don't need to tell much about this but recommend a PV as a key evidence for my "baseless" criticism: really apathetic girls who seem to look back to their non-hasbeen glory with their tattered oba-san wardrobe while yet facing unknown, possibly very cruel future of spending their sexless lives as salarymen's wives. I might get really tear-eyed, but not really amused if Nakata called a kaisan on this project. Didn't inspect the rest though - prolly will do sooner

You cannot say "Cloudy Heart" and "ripping off" without mentioning L'Arc too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaouVTPkWUY Give that verse a good listen... (it's even more obvious than in Rottengrafty's case) Also, regarding L'arc again - I noticed that "LOVE FLIES" chorus resembles certain Dinosaur Jr. song way too much: https://youtu.be/W3rh8xlm228?t=2m21s (1991) http://www.jpopsuki.tv/video/L%2526%2523039%253BArc%7Een%7ECiel---LOVE-FLIES/7ee7cd2a45d6181b45d5714e8808c8ec (1999) - skip to 0:35 for the chorus. Also: the song itself lifts many elements from the song above, lol. ^that might be just an inspiration though, idk.

These guys - I mean Enon - are on fire! Here's to hoping that they will deliver solid stuff as usual .

I wonder why I never mentioned Kuolleet Intiaanit here (Finns might disagree tho): Although their actual style and genre is more or less based on Zorn-y acts (or maybe even The Residents, outfit-wise), they tend to sound and look a bit like your good ol' freaky, "angura-y" vk acts (e.g. Kagerou, albeit not angura, they share a few common ideas)

Seems like we have the forum record right here for most replies @intro thread (also: exactly what WB said right above), lol.

Fitting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoBAdYHeh8A Not exactly "real" Halloween songs but close enough - Japanese btw (listing non-JP too would be too much)

Arama's Ronald made a good notion there and suggested that folks could compile Japanese music (video) channels which are affected by YT Red's States blocking - here's what they have compiled so far (Those in the states ought to check this out and comment in case there's more): Tricot's staff seems to be the only one that informed about resorting to "possible alternative solutions"

I've always wanted Kyo (well, Kyo from Dir/sukekiyo, duh) to collab with some female folk singer seeing as they'd greatly contrast each other: Kyo e.g. Akino Arai (Cat might disagree with this one but I cannot think of other female folk artists who would specialize in a bit "moodier" sets)