Pretsy

Duet pls

Oh, well - it seemed that this side wasn't exposed that much from my POV. Just me again as I mentioned, so my apologies once again. Regarding what I said earlier, I still won't take my words back in terms of recruiting those with full specialization in non-vk areas. Besides, another idea which you could consider: what about staff doing "Flashback reviews" (i.e. older stuff) once in a while? I attempted to do a few but then again, I suck at doing professionally qualifiable reviews so it's your ballgame now. This might actually interest even those members around here who USED to enjoy vk in the past and get connected with the rest of our community.

It's because they are basically the only anime/vocaloid-fandom (assuming that they introduced them to us first, not the actual JAYYYRAWK fans) related group which we could take seriously? Also, add Kagrra/Onmyouza -based Japanesque nostalgia into the mix and you will realize why they are hyped Also, there are no other J-acts which have kept the same course direction-wise while still managing to appeal folks - to compare in terms of forum hype: Charisma.com became very predictable and dull, speficic vk bands (especially Mejibray) practise enthusiastic rehashing etc. etc. Feel free to name at least one latest act we should care about atm: all-the rage Japanese divas (Ayu, Namie)? We are not livejournal fandom. Ringo Shiina? Even a huge number of used-to-be-Ringo stans stopped caring about her after SUNNY ventures. Seiko Oomori? See: the staff response...

Ehh? Let's revive this: Seeing as I am one heck of a lazy listener, I will cite only Japanese ones (and move on to foreign ones muuuuch later): I dig a lot: Pelican Fanclub - PELICAN FANCLUB (very promising J-indie band!) cali≠gari - 12 (CG returned back to their exciting form!) Uwanosora'67 - Portrait in Rock'n'Roll (retro/shibuya-ish approach that doesn't go too cliche but become tasteful instead, yay!) Indigo la End - Shiawase ga Afuretara (very laid-back, yet technically very intriguing pop-ish indie record) Yukawa Shione - Cellophane no Sora (as Cat summarized it somewhere, very compelling and varied release indeed) sukekiyo - Vitium (I like what these guys are doing and coming up with + THEY HAVE CHEMISTRY) THE NOVEMBERS - Elegance (the last track is sooooo out of place but it's forgivable because other jangly tracks ROCK) Passepied - Shaba-Lover (very stellar synth-pop rock with quirky stuff happening just in right places etc. - wow) Bonjour Suzuki - Sayonara, Mada Raise de (awesome synth-pop/dream-pop/ambient newcomer - not to mention that she does this all by herself) möscow çlub - Outfit of the Day (fuck Pitchfork reviews) Hmmm, decent: Chara - Secret Garden (her efforts were much braver but I think I can dig this a lot in the near future though) Age Factory - Nohara (still solid as ever - I haven't noticed standouts yet though?) TOWA TEI - CUTE (has a good share of strong tracks but some might feel too fillerish) Yoshida Ichiro Untouchable World - Apanda (...I might need to get into ZB first in order to realize the gist, lol - otherwise very intriguing release though) Wagakki Band - Yasouemaki (see: forum reaction) Cornelius - Constellations of Music (not the best Cornelius release but hmmm) SuG - BLACK (many strong standalone tracks, but some might have needed a bit more refining - see: the title track is too cheesy for me, sorry) Ohashi Trio - PARODY (vocals are a bit of acquired taste in terms of being "anemic" - but moderate playfulness works quite well here) I Love You Orchestra - Stop Your Bitching (songs seemed to go too fast but otherwise very spot-on, dynamic instrumental songcraft) té - that long-ass kanji title (not too much from ILYO's cons but very energetic BGM anyway) Yoshie Nakano - Madokei (a real grower - nice bits here and there but kinda throws you off in the middle...for a while though) Still on the fence: Negicco - Rice&Snow (some nice goodies but VERY incoherent, absurd mix) Daoko - Dimension (I ditched the s/t seeing as this is how Daoko should really sound (final opinion) but on the other hand, GRAVITY is still nth-fold better) BOMI - BORN IN THE U.S.A. (very incoherent) Koochewsen – Compact Sigh - Graveward

I see what you did there with that reference, Atsushi *dorky snickering* Hopefully Atsushi and co. will contribute something we have never heard before from BT's 13th Floor-era and so on (nothing wrong with the said sound, but repeating it would be a bit too much) BT OHP posted songwriting credits too:

Another poll-like thing for the sake of...just having fun: What are your top 3 singles per era* (say, "Dir en grey vs. DIR EN GREY" - you can go with just one of them if you want to though), guys? This time you have to take b-sides into account too (since most fans usually tend to idgaf about remixes or live versions anyway) *technically top 3 but for separate eras, see below. In my case: DIR EN GREY (2006 ->) 1. Hageshisa to... (2009) - All these three songs were quite effective when it comes to bridging and paving their way from Uroboros (A-side still has some remnants from that album) to DSS (b-side #1) and maybe even ARCHE spoilers too (b-side #2 and weird choice for remaking). Also: you could sense that live rawness even from sorta overproduced tracks (see: Hageshisa again, but it's forgivable). 2. GLASS SKIN (2008) - As a long-time fan I can tell you I had a real hard, but worthy time while trying to get my shit together: after witnessing their post-MOAB ventures along with DOZING GREEN touring, this really came out of nowhere. Very "soft" A-side yet it still feels very mature (even lyricism isn't that "deep" for a while, thankfully). B-side #1 was something I always wanted to hear when it comes to this lil' Kisou favorite of mine - very laid-back ,yet something exotic at the same time (Uroboros spoiler!). B-side #2 on the other hand was a good, reminding wake-up call: Dir is, and will be always weird - no matter what kind of a-side venture they are leading. What about that live recording everyone forgets about? I have a very soft spot for "Ryojoku no Ame" - no matter what kind of performance is in question, I always felt like they managed to pull it off 95% of those times. Kudos to them. 3. DOZING GREEN (2007) - Very hard pick. To ease my pain - I will quote one of our most loved MH members from his '09 review! A-side B-side #1 B-side #2 (I will not quote him because of bias): - Inward Scream that segues very heavily into this huge, favorite Dir banger (that most fans dig actually). And at this point Kyo's MOAB-era approach shines - you couldn't imagine this song being as good if he were too lax and more able to control himself. One of my favorite (guilty pleasure-based) live recs! Dir en grey (<--2006): 1. Ain't Afraid to Die (2001) - While I can see that why they ditched this during Macabre sessions in favor of Zakuro, this dirgy epic needs more attention from newer folks as well - there are moments where you feel like they intended to emulate very rock opera-ish frills on A-side, while leaving certain member-specific, innocent playfulness for b-sides: willing to enjoy some Jobim-ness with Die? Listen to the B-side#1 for elevator music goodness! What about Shinya and his love for new age? B-side #2 is for you! I can see FF fangirls/boys tearing up a bit while listening to this gem. 2. [KR] Cube (2000) - I've always had a little bit of bias for the way both A-side and B-side #1 interconnect. Weird-ish, yet very fun and "para-para-y" a-side somehow segues nicely into very calm, yet very nostalgic and emotion-ridden piano version (maybe it's that behind-the-scenes band session weirdness you hear during Jealous' pregap and during the outro. Very fun remix in the end too. 3. Myaku (2000) - One of my all-time favorite a-sides from their (old skwl) VK era. Generally speaking, I like how all Macabre singles had this intentional "flow" considered while a-sides and b-sides were totally different from each other style-wise. So the same comment from above goes for this one too. What about you folks?

I suppose you meant nu metal? And when it comes to discovering new bands akin to this arrangement-based approach (sans vocals), then I could say Kuroyuri to Kage and such could be easily lumped into this league - except that Kuroyuri to Kage should be praised for actually attempting to bridge certain gaps between otherwise very different visual kei subgenres (even if their stuff lacks distinguishable variety) . The hell, that's what visual kei acts should actually practise: become retrospective and find new ways to evolve from there (Grieva has potential to do so but I am still on the fence about their latest ventures) Also, allow me to correct you in terms of "bringing something to the scene": + several other Danger Crue acts popularized this much earlier (sorry, had to be a bit of wiseass here lol) + add Deathgaze - Hazuki + that other vocalist guy-eras into the same lump too.

I'll be honest and say that you should rather expose otherwise very hidden non-vk side of this forum (inb4 someone really assumes that MH's fame as "Japanese music based forum" should be vk only because "Jayrawwkk = VK") OR hire more folks that specialize in non-vk-friendlier department. Just a sign of caution, certain staff members (hint: I've discussed this with you ). Worst case scenario: if we continued to push VK further, we will resort to being an "one trick pony"-forum instead and die out slowly along with other vk-based sites (a.k.a sink down into J-rock Updater-tier irrelevance). Oh, let's also mention the fact that most folks who ditched MH are currently favoring JPS forums - that should say a lot.

I don't think coreistic ambitions won't leave VK just like that for a while. Now that we mention, even those acts that we interpreted as "throwback acts" (take Sibilebashir for instance) or just "clusterfuck" acts (Pentagon) have showcased their sympathies towards this late wave of death/metalcore rejects very formally. Also: Deviloof (a.k.a Nokubura v2) and such are expected to pop up further and in huge numbers as well. We just have to cross fingers and hope that Japanese perceptions of "undated and not corny music" (since even casual metalcore bands in Japan realized dated, cliched aspects in their music and even tried to move on) will prevail these vk waves as well , *shrug*

Finnish Dir fan?! (yup, the dying breed tbqh) Yay. Tervetulloo tänne, new MH member.

Yassss I acknowledged the fact that Spitz has a significant share of good songs albeit having too much to try out. Here's to hoping that these artists will pull out something intriguing (Enon, don't disappoint me!).

^^ seeing Daft Punk (especially that MV) and MCR makes my inner nostalgia kid sob so hard. Talk about tearjerking reminiscences (note: this is not a negative comment) Throughout my childhood (way up until everyone sold out) I have grown up with MTV instead of a well-behaving mommie's lil' angel boy (oh god how cringeworthy is that). So don't expect any surprises (especially those from the States) in case you notice some: I am sorry, got too overexcited.

I shall repeat myself again: I still won't get into "S" (annoying riff). But then again, that was the boon and bane of pre-WtD era: strong standalone songs, very effed up orderings (Macabre gets nonsensical ordering-wise near the end, I tell you). Furthermore: comparing DEG production to western-tier glory is just pure bullshit - why do we have to blow things out of context anyway? Who knows if that was the Japanese recording standard back then - except for a few oddities like Pink Killer (god knows whether that was intentional or not).

^^Sheesh, so she is basically doing what M.I.A. has done for a while, lel. In general I might find this okay (yay for Tetsuya Komuro synths!) but it's Daoko we are speaking of...way too ballsy for her imho. (she looks cute though)

^ depends on what kind of sound you are expecting/wanting to listen to (ask Jig since he knows the best about BT eras and how they would cater to various tastes) Also, I forgot to mention mine: (Japanese only) B'z Mr. Children ORIGINAL LOVE Bo Ningen Ging Nang Boys ART-SCHOOL The Pillows (I think I have listened to a few songs but I forgot them already) Soutaiseiriron Bloodthirsty Butchers the band apart HINTO ... etc. I am one lazy heck of a music enthusiast, lol.

Present: 1) HYDE (L'Arc~en~Ciel, VAMPS, solo) 2) Hikaru Utada 3) Chara 4) UA 5) Ringo Shiina Past: 1) Yoko Ueno (notably ZABADAK) 2) Daisuke (Kagerou, idc about studs) 3) Shinji Sato (FISHMANS) 4) Jun Togawa (she's still "active" but not the same tho) 5) - Not in order btw

Moscow Club and new Age Factory sound totes cool (well, very familiar and good acts as you might guess!). Also: shame on those who missed this nice J-pop gem of Autumn! Latest Passepied album is fun! Also, latest I Love You Orchestra ain't bad either Yellowcard-meets-math rock-meets-classical elements? (except if Yellowcard were good actually, oops)

Who said that they were musically Dio-ish? Their musical aspect is nothing but ridden with Suicide Silence-ian deathcore w/ gusto for constant breakdowns and Lucker-like shriek-to-growls (I half-expected them to roll with some odd "kill them all"- footage you'd normally see in various deathcore MVs a la "Bludgeoned to Death" for instance). Also: so they weren't vk in the first place? Nokubura's Hiro prolly convinced his bandomen fellows to hop on and beat the dead horse a.k.a this scene once again. *deep sigh*

So what is this Dio (-distraught overlord-) + Suicide Silence- amalgamation? Ps. those drum triggers still bother me, ew.

Double-post! http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=dir+en+grey&album= Impressive how Kisou Vulgar sorta beats other albums in terms of dynamic range (audiophiles might be able to decipher the main point behind this) Also: it was a huge mistake from them not to SACD Uroboros (i.e. remaster it normally like say, Gackt with his 2006 re-releases that sound totes cool) but to "DSS-ify" it instead (LOUDNESS WARRRR) Arche is basically their Death Magnetic though, ouch.

This one? Also: Kaoru fricking chucked his Ganesa?! HE JUST CHUCKED HIS GANESA! I am totes jelly for that fanboy who managed to cling upon such trophy ;_;

I would be stuck with a cane in case the worst case scenario happened (depends on bone development/growth in case it's even possible for a 22 y.o. person like me)

Damn Furik, hope you will find ways to recover from that : | I have the limb/feet-only version of Greig syndrome (NOT the one with mental effects - the full name is too mouthful/a lot to write, sorry), which includes e.g. webbed toes (partially webbed fingers too but they are in norm now after a couple of surgeries) and skewfoot (the latter is only intermediate-ish so far - as long as I keep doing proper foot exercises). As a kid I had some difficulties to walk seeing as long-ish strolls ended up being total disasters ridden with severe pain and blisters - but now my walking ventures have become less nightmarish and I REALLY hope my feet won't get much more skew in the near future. Not exactly that kind of disability like much more serious cases mentioned above, but I thought of making some revelations anyway - what would I even lose after that? I already coped up with the fact that I am a bit freakier MH member, lol. *platypus growls*

Ubuntu über alles, bb!

Cat...cat, cat, cat, cat. 1) I come from the same league as Furik or maybe even Stoic- as in being long-time (prolly senile, lol jk) DEG fans who still cling upon them despite mustering a large plethora of feels towards the band - love, hate, disgust, awe, confusion, nostalgia... Even if I had been more likely to retell redundant stories on how early DEG affected my life and so on , it wouldn't rule out the fact that I appreciate cohesiveness of their works as DEG circa '06...to some extent. While MOAB and Uroboros prioritized the consistent formation of Dir's "primary sound" (which they actually lacked if we were to look back to Macabre or so), the latter might have motivated them to execute the (possibly) never-ending cycle of retrospective albums (feel free to contribute in case I missed the "new" on ARCHE for instance), without much new ado and whatnot. Is that "a sign of growth"? I'll leave it for you guys to think about for a moment. 2) This means you are counting "ARCHE" in as well? No one from the band has ever said they are "out" from visual kei on that matter (also, as my lovely namesake put it simply: once vk, always vk)? Also, I will let their current antics be the main statement here, heh. 3) Speaking of "duds", I personally see the primary metal direction they are cherishing ever since 2008 (since nu metal "is not metal", amirite friends?) as the main dud of their overall career. Why? It doesn't take a genius to note that various metal epics or just standalone bangers are just de trop and too over-the-top for certain key players in the band - Shinya as a case in point. Consequently, my current reaction towards any kind of banger (which cool kids call "br00tal") they are churning out in metal-like format is similar to how classicism aficionados would react to any kind of Dadaist piece... I like my DEG as the band that doesn't overshoot performances and sticks to executable, coherent ideas and ear-friendly arrangements (mastering and dying cat highs, urgh). Summary of my mixed feelings: Dir en grey + Appreciated variety of ideas + Moderate but brave decisions in terms of arrangements + Try-hard numbers kept to minimum (except for a few occasions, but JUST a few) + Ballads are really moderate but still retain their spot-on value - No direction - Clusterhecking value, no signs of coherent structure - Mixing or mastering tends to get mixed (there are great moments, but there are also horrid moments) DIR EN GREY + Obvious signs of direction/general idea per album, even with random experiments + Dynamic, collaborative riffcraft (to most extent at least) + Interesting aspects of arrangement or vocal-specific experiments (e.g. RED SOIL) + Heavier tracks tend to sport more oomph - ...but are also more likely to get campy or totally ridiculous for the most part (um, "The Inferno"?) - Ballads are much poorer and focus on Kyo's performance way too much - Most songs sound like as if they were glued together, rather than formed as solid, coherent entireties - Retrospective concept behind each post-MOAB album is getting tiresome, stop. All in all, I might be still that sucker with biased votes on old DEG - sorry guys! *Kardashian shrug response to Kanye*