Pretsy

I play guitar and bass (even though both, especially the latter, are becoming quite rusty by time skill-wise...I haven't played for awhile!) - and I wish I could play piano properly instead of spending ~1-2 hours trying to figure out certain melodies I could do with guitars for instance.

6/5 video editing - the loveliest part of budget vk Very neat song, but the pv is basically a collage of the most generic greenscreen vk PV effects (you could imagine bands like Phantasmagoria or even Rin doing this?) :/ Despite being one of their classics, they overdid the elements that were incorporated in my first link (no seriously, it's too much lol) Totally seconding Piisu's Sadie choice, roflmao

What's wrong with tefu tefu though? It's a legit, old Japanese word which means "Butterfly"? (Even Plastic Tree had a song with same title...) Other than that, I am curious as always. Edit: I think the album will be more Kisou-based song order-wise tbqh (some titles sound so...SE-ish to me? Idk) BY THE WAY - do I see some other titles in old Japanese too? Kanji experts, hullo?

Tokyo Jisatsu (東京自殺) Vo., Gt. Junichi Konno (-Karasu-) Gt., bg vo. Yoshimitsu Taki (9mm Parabellum Bullet) Ba. Tokie (Unkie) Key. H ZETT M (various, incl. Tokyo Jihen) Dr. Nero (Merry) Genre: post-hardcore, jazz punk, jazz rock, math rock...you know the drill, if you recognize these guys Why: cheeky people might be already pointing out that "hey Prets, you basically made fun of Tokyo Jihen's name" - no, I had no intention to "ruin" TJ's name that way. What I intended was basically hinting on the direction this band could take at first: dark, fast-paced version of something you would imagine bands like TJ playing (perhaps even to the point of 385/Midori-ish frenzy). For me Junichi is one of the most ideal vocalists when it comes to performing fast-paced, raw but still melodic takes (a la Karasu's usual post-hc/punk-influenced soundscape). His minor-based, varying guitar techniques will contrast perfectly with Yoshimitsu's "heavier" /"fiercer" playing - no wonder that I intentionally picked guitarists that sorta represent the same direction...ish. When it comes to Tokie and Nero, the way they showcase their respective rhythmic instruments, will totally go hand in hand and probably even result in something more "far-out but still familiar". How about HZM? I can see already a few people who might disagree with me when it comes to placing him in such "raw, fierce and fast" act - but don't you ever forget his brilliance @ Ringo Shiina's "Electric Mole" DVD (the zenith of his variety tbqh)! Seriously though, I felt like hearing HZM being the "inlet of melody" in the midst of all that kalamazoo caused by Nero's drumming, Tokie's fired up bass picking and guitarists' audio havoc. To elucidate all of this for tl;dr-ers, the main sound for "Tokyo Jisatsu" would be almost close to these samples/songs : , (majority of "Under-world" goes as well) and Mayonaka wa Junketsu's Electric Mole version (if it were faster and "punkier"), which I unfortunately couldn't find in YT...

I am being a Slowpoke here, but anyways: http://instagram.com/p/s7NJLFwOe8/?modal=true no need to describe who are these two guys

Might not be good as the "lead song", but hey - at least this is not Blind Guardian/Arch Enemy worship! *wink* Kamijo slaying Hizaki's dull songwriting with Lareine-y comebacks, yassss

I think they are overusing this same "Gackt's throne in the dark hall avec bandmates playing in the background"-setting :/ Other than that, the sample is not saying nor promising much...

There were misgivings about WtD and especially MOAB for YEARS in DEG fandom tbqh - I was on the hate train as well until I realized that both albums have their own specific pros: WtD being balanced nicely in between catchy and sincere songs , and MOAB having quite a "live-worthy" production (Kyo's double-vocalling was pretty much at its minimum) avec awesome songs outside the "hurrdurr"-section ("Namamekashiki.." etc.). In addition to above-mentioned albums' defense, I have to say that albums starting from GAUZE 'til VULGAR are pretty much "the holy Quadrinity" of DEG (an overstatement, but you get the gist!) - mainly thanks to showcasing what the band could do without backing out too much for Kyo's sake.

I added more to my first post for the sake of clarification - and to make it even clearer: if you consider it as "weird(est)" out of the normal BT bunch you listen to (be it just ~5 songs or the whole album(s)), then go ahead with it ("far-out" as a threat topic might sound a bit complex, but I think this might help...)

I am quite sure all music-loving people here and there admire such moments of artists they adore/respect, which are quite "unusual" or perhaps even quite "rare" for their usual genre or repertoire. What kind of name could we give to such occasions? Perhaps..."far-out"? Back to the main point - if you remember my previous topics regarding "best album openers/closers" (2lazy2link), you know the drill already. No? Let's get some things straight again: - Pick max. 4 unusual* songs (repertoire-wise + links are preferred!) of artists that you either "adore" (or admire, w/e) or just respect. - Explain your fav choices (e.g. "What does make this song "far-out" in their repertoire?"). - Anything goes at this point, so demolish all the language/nationality barriers and feel free to post your favs outside "our usual J-music territory" as well! edit: *you don't have to be necessarily familiar with artists' WHOLE production - just as long as you have at least one example of "unusual factor" off e.g. certain album or w/e. OP's example/starter post: 1. Doremidan - Akai Kutsu (from s/t single) I admired Doremidan for being able to be up for so long despite having less and less attention from vk fandom by time - and having some "unique" tendencies in normally "familiar" vk music ideology. "Akai Kutsu" is interestingly enough of their first, and yet still most unusual track to date imho. Why? I am not that familiar with Doremidan's whole repertoire, but trust me - I haven't found any other song of theirs that conveyed same-ish "eastern campfire"-ish vibes. The fact ,that this is pretty "stripped down" compared to what we usually hear from Doremidan's colleagues and perhaps from Doremidan itself, should be noted too. Lovely and sincere ballad-ish tune, 'nuff said. 2. LUNA SEA - 4:00AM (from "LUNACY") https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSQKz-iJ548 Luna Sea's "characteristics" are quite easy to define, when it comes to music - be it their "raw" self-titled era or the "safe" SHINE-era. But as with most respected acts, moments of "carefree experimentation" are always expected. "4:00AM" might sound like typical late-90s pop for negligent ears - but mind you, the idea of having r'n'b-y vibes (e.g. female chorus) and dream poppy instrumentation/performance was a total "out of nowhere"-experience for LS fanbase back then. Sure, such formula has already cultivated to the point where many might find it tiring *cough*Gazette*cough*, but "4:00AM", or the whole "LUNACY"-album is not worth missing out! 3. Uverworld - Born Slippy (Underworld cover) (from "Ø CHOIR") Uverworld might not be the one I adore, but I have a certain level of respect towards their audible desires to try out various elements, and even genres. Sure - usually covers tend to be quite different from artists' respective repertoire, but "Born Slippy"-cover imho stands somewhere in between of something "familiar" (e.g. elements from the original song) and "far-out" (e.g. Uverworld's stylistic tendencies and interesting twists). Inclusion of almost all-band tribal drumming, ambient-ish guitars, original-respecting vocals and bass has my warm welcomes, just like any other fitting method of experimentation And that's it from me! Feel free to post - but make sure that you follow my "4 picks"-rule. Let's play it fair and square as always

Man, you are giving me a hard time right now xD I am currently hovering in between Kisou, VULGAR and GAUZE - but if I have to pick one, it'd be pretty much Kisou according to my last.fm charts PLUS the fact that it's my first and quite important DEG album to me (basically introduced the miracles of vk back in 2001-2002-ish etc.) Totally seconding your sentence in parentheses - CoV is still brilliant ;O; *overexcited stan mode*

Psycho-pass 2nd season trailer + a sample of 'Enigmatic Feeling' (vaguely heard but still) It's okay.

I think I might warm up a bit to VAMPIRE's LOVE (the full version is not even out yet?) but out of all these tracks I liked only REPLAY Hyde, get your shit together ffs.

^Oooh that explains things then, thanks!

Now that my fanboying calmed up a bit, I noticed that Japanese netizens (and ringobox too) are displeased over Shiina including Ariamaru Tomi and Carnation...(due to not possibly fitting "the album's context") + NO SYMMETRY ;_; I might just assume as well that this is gonna be hands down her radio-friendliest release ever (even radio-friendlier than Daihakken tbqh!)... edit: her new look *knock knock* E-girls, where are you?

*fanboying intensifies* yassss rumors were true YESSSSSS The queen's gonna slay! ...but what's with the amount of singles in that album?

Umm...okay, so you are trying to say that this "slowtempo nonsense" is basically 9gbo's "staple style"? I am not trying to cause a debate here or anything, but I think songs like these have been cultivated in vk like for years (and years before 9gbo tbqh) - whatever floats your boat though! I just think it's not that hard to see 12012 actually *acknowledging* their "later" faults (e.g. s/t-album) - sure, they are still trying to stick to certain trends (read: "Firewall div. worship" in parts), but let's think positively: as some people already pointed it out, they are incorporating their latest "experiments" with their "Glay-rock" era releases (which I find rather pleasing together than as separate eras). To put it numerically, if I had given THE SWAN a 7-ish, I would see myself giving this 8, despite not hearing the full songs (I'll be okay with "the red" being possibly full-on br00tal approach too).

Oooh Seems like LTS will be back on the road again - sweet!

I don't really know where did allusions to Sukekiyo came from, but hey - I am not a fan, and I can say already that this will be quite decent/pleasing result along with THE SWAN (12012's change to this is hands down one of the biggest improvements in vk history). "The Red" might need some time from me, but other than that - they seemed to delve back to where they were good at ps. for the sake of sticking with comparisons, the first sample reminded me of Awake/Kiss-era L'arc - except with more "crunch"...

Samples sound quite promising in general (perhaps even more than the sample for previous release), woah.

After-gig thoughts, but in more formal fashion this time: the gig in general was quite awesome- despite the fact that we felt a bit letdown before the show due to 1) quite lacking aesthetics (since we've heard rumors from here and there about "screens showing ART" etc.) and 2) hella long PA intro consisting of 80s new wave/post punk stuff (for ~1 1/2 hours). Band didn't change actually from their previous Moscow gig look-wise, despite Kyo sporting some accessories he had in Rinkaku photoshoot (the hat and the pendant, that is). Mixing was quite pleasant - each member had its own 'spotlight' without being drowned by other instruments (honorable mentions: Yuchi and Mika had quite a good sense of rhythm - especially digging their impros during intermissions and "weirder set of songs" (hemimetabolism-vandal set)), not to mention that there were no major fuck-ups from members' part...but if we have to nitpick a bit, Takumi had a little programming mishap during "In All Weathers" (which he saved by guitar doodling, lol) Worthwhile moments: 1) Uta was one hell of an energizer - the gig was quite "fanservice-less", but Uta tried his best to show his fan-loving charisma by shaking around and pulling off "noise rocker-like" shredding at some point etc. 2) there were 3 intermissions (not 4, my bad): one was an underwater ambient-like track, the other two were Takumi-led instrumental "jazz breaks" feat. the band (Kyo just danced around in one of those) 3) New song had a bit of "In all weathers pt.2"-like vibe, but I felt more *sense* there tbh. SE: Destrudo 1. aftermath 2. elisabeth addict 3. latour 4. nine melted fiction 5. the daemon's cutlery *intermission (ambient) 6. New song 7. scars like velvet 8. zephyr 9. hidden one 10. hemimetabolism 11. uyuu no sora (extended) 12. vandal 13. madara ningen *Takumi's jazz intermission feat. the band minus Uta (due to technical probs) 14. 304 goushitsu, shita to yoru 15. Kugui 16. mama *Takumi's jazz intermission part 2 17. in all weathers SE: Zephyr (instrumental ver.) Great gig, fun company.

In case someone's curious about the Europe setlist , it will be as same as their "staple setlist" in Japan plus new, untitled song (albeit with some order changes while touring around) http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sukekiyo/2014/club-teatr-moscow-russia-23cfe85b.html Moscow setlist...

Necroing~ and (one of those few "stadium vk" songs I remember very well) (still gets me even after many years...) (FURAAII FOREEBA, FURAIII FOREEBA) (lovely chanson-ish melody)Dir en grey - JESSICA and (my first DEG/J-rock songs and dear god, still loving~) (hands down their most immense song...) and (I like stylistic tendencies here plus good ol' soaring choruses from Mucc) (his solo career might bore me mostly, but 'Aurora' is definitely something what keeps me listening to his debut album...just wow) (one of those songs that define my "MTV discovery-filled childhood") (I might not be liking them due to "too DM-y repertoire" - this one is a big, no - HUGE exception though)L'Arc~en~Ciel - Lies and Truth (my childhood...) (silly but lovely - even to this day)Kuroyume - Yasashii Higeki (I might not be listening to them on normal basis, but pop Kuroyume is just everything!)

Do you remember my album opener and closer threads? Good - because Pretsyboi is getting all active posting-wise, albeit "still playing safe" as usual. What are the opening/closing SEs (or in formal English, intros and outros) you cherish the most? We are going with the same rules as in my previous threads, but hey - repetition is the mother of all learning: When I say "intros/outros", think of them through everyday context: usually short-ish, minimal-ish and "preparing"/"finishing" piece of certain album etc. - so make sure that you put pieces that are considered as these in common knowledge or by musicians themselves (they tend to mark these as "SE"s in Asian/Japanese (?) music, FYI) - AND 4 POSTS PER PERSON/POST as usual. No "nationality/language-based limitations" here, btw - so feel free to post anything non-Asian too (as in my older threads) OP starting: 1) Dir en grey - Kyokotsu no Nari (from "DUM SPIRO SPERO") This album is something that radically divides people into two parts - those who love it, and those who hate it with passion. Despite these differences, I have seen many people - including myself, warming up to this introductory piece. Starting out with quite dissonant, partial piano playing - and moving on with almost apocalyptic mix of ambient-ish synths, low-tuned guitars and Kyo doing his "best Gollum impersonation" til the end...I might not be necessarily "digesting" this album that well, but god this is one hell of a hype track - despite being an intro only. Many pluses to "Kyokotsu" for sounding even creepier/more immense during lives! 2) Versailles - Sound in Gate (from "JUBILEE") "Soul Calibur intro avec cheesy fantasy narration" aside, this track can be basically anything - an intro, outro or even just an interlude to something majestic! Kamijo and co. managed to position this track into such place, where it feels like JUBILEE is basically going full circle (and thus possibly making listener go for a nth round). Talk about careful planning! 3) Merry - Sasurai RHAPSODY (from "Modern Garde") *whistles* talk about a classic-sounding start for a good vk classic! Merry always managed to make some goodie interludes, and this is no exception (as many "vk veterans" know it already). So get your jazz hands ready and hum/whistle along! 4) Kagrra, - Miyako (from "Miyako") Very mysterious, immense introductory number from Kagrra - I don't dig them that much, but boy - they do have some hidden gems! No "faux-Japanesque" merrymaking here, folks! S'il vous plaît! ps. in case you can't find your favs in YT, google "tunestotube" and use it for uploading your tracks...

I am not sure about my lexicon (as I said it earlier) so I am playing safe here, y'know :V totally seconding Sigure, Novembers, Naitomea and RES tracks - keep it going, guys!