ambivalentideal

I think there are two main reasons:
 
1. Techniques for smaller studios/home recordings are much more advanced now, so even no budget bands can finally afford making more polished releases. 10+ years ago a decent recording/mixing session would cost a lot of money while pretty much now anyone can fix songs with melodyne, preamp guitars and the like. Especially with indies band you can really feel the quality gap between recorded songs and live performances. A lot of dudes are not even playing their instruments/singing live anymore as they are aware of that.
 
2. Socially speaking the musicians are completely different people nowadays. Otaku-ish dudes who liked music and grew up listening to bands are more common in the scene now, while in the past it was really just a bunch of ex-chimpiras, yakuzas, bikers, hosts, etc. who did not fit into society and were in bands just because there was little else they could do to get chicks (of course there are exceptions). They had the ideas and the fierceness, but mostly no music knowledge whatsoever and especially no will to practice or overthink about their music. Now most guys went to school, have money to learn playing their instruments and afford decent equipment, and especially they all mostly compose on their laptops so there is again a bit gap in what their minds can compose and what their hands can play on an instrument. So the result is mostly polished and well performed songs but  kind of lacks the raw energy and "heart" older bands had instead. There is no right and wrong about it,  it really depends on what you are looking for in music.

It's all thanks to the Internet. Nowadays one has access to so many tutorials and hacks to polish skills.

I'm sure many of you older VK fans have also noticed this, unless I'm imagining things, but I don't think I am.
 
 What I noticed is that the indie bands of the current VK era are playing at a level that they didn't about a decade ago, and I mean in terms of sheer skill. Bands of the present day are blowing bands from about 10 years ago completely out of the water by this metric. They are playing faster, heavier, and more complex riffs. Vocalists have become much more polished singers, and the ability to growl has become much more common in a vocalist's skillset, whereas 10 years ago there weren't many decent growlers in the indies scene, and most of those who were, still didn't perform at the level of guys from bands like Deviloof, Nocturnal Bloodlust, DIMLIM, DEXCORE, D.I.D, etc.
 
I'm wondering if anyone has noticed this, and what the reason may be? Has the VK scene just gotten much more competitive? Are all the average bands simply not being noticed? What's causing this massive skill increase? Another thing I've noticed is that band members don't have zillions of past bands in their resume anymore. It's as if they've reached a high level much more quickly than they used to. Back about a decade ago, the best musicians would usually work their way up to reach a high skill level, having played for years in previous bands before finally reaching a more major status, and continue to improve from there. Nowadays, it's very common for musicians with little to no known band history to play at the level of those with years of history behind them.
 
So I'm just curious to know what you all think, but I'm sorry if this has been brought up before. I have no doubt that this has been on people's minds, especially jaded fans who have been involved for a decade or longer, and have noticed several shifts in the scene within the current era. Lastly, I don't think the skill increase is a bad thing, although I did enjoy the slower, simpler sound that bands used to have. It wasn't as impressive, but the tunes were fun. I don't think bands with my favorite type of sound will ever emerge again, but it doesn't bother me. I still have those bands, and they still exist as a part of history, with music that can still be obtained. Everyone has different taste and I'm happy w/ the scene.
 
Here's a random song I just dug up to show off my taste, just for the fun of it. 
 

I think on CDs, they're just okay. They can be hit or miss for me depending on the "type" of obi it is. And by that I mean, I've seen a few common types used.
 
1. Solid strip of color with some text
2. Have just the album name and band logo on the front.
3. Be an extension of the booklet artwork.
 
It's nice when they're more fleshed out and have more info about release, add to the aesthetic of the overall package, or include easter eggs or photos like @Jigsaw9mentioned. But, either a) extra content is rarely included, or b) they're more often than not, boring.
 
Here's an example of what I'm talking about (Please excuse the old and terrible photo):
2 out of the 4 CDs here that have OBIs are just a plain black strip with minimal text, and 1 is just an extension of artwork. The one on the bottom right I think is actually interesting to look at and it also has more information about the CD beyond just the band name and title.


 
 
@Kaya-Rose-Addict & @Bear bring up a great point about obis on vinyl, which I also love. The medium allows for bigger OBIs, so I've seen some pretty cool stuff being done. These are a few of my favorite OBIs on vinyl releases (the first two are obis that slide onto the sleeve and stay on)


 

 

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/MDN-141771593?s_ssid=e335705d2fdb9855d7
 
CDJapan has pre-orders up for a new batch of the Blu-ray.
Here is the info about it they provided:
"[Important Notes for Orders Placed After July 16, 2019] 

Pre-order Deadline: July 31, 2019 (Japan Time) 
Orders of this item placed after July 16 will be shipped after the release date, and there is a possibility that your order might be shipped in early August or later."
Seems like they are manufacturing more on a made-to-order basis. (?) Price is:
15741yen
(US$ 146.12)

I don't have money to buy something like this today, but even if I watch it on YT I wouldn't hasitate to buy it if later on if I can afford it. Most of my generation grew up downloading from the net and, once you got a job you purchased that same material.

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/MDN-141771593?s_ssid=e335705d2fdb9855d7
 
CDJapan has pre-orders up for a new batch of the Blu-ray.
Here is the info about it they provided:
"[Important Notes for Orders Placed After July 16, 2019] 

Pre-order Deadline: July 31, 2019 (Japan Time) 
Orders of this item placed after July 16 will be shipped after the release date, and there is a possibility that your order might be shipped in early August or later."
Seems like they are manufacturing more on a made-to-order basis. (?) Price is:
15741yen
(US$ 146.12)

All in all, one should really consider if Japan is to be a short or long term option. Also note that if you are going there in the prime of your youth, you might, or might not meet your significant other and if you are really interested in having a J-husband in the long term. Including overtime, him going to nomikai, possibly hostessbars for work, the woman seen as a stay at home mom, pressure to have children, other values, enternal racism etc...
And you might not even find anyone serious and be the strange gaijin...
 
I actually decided against asia when thinking about these thing when I had to make the decision of where to go. 
Japan would have been fun for a year or so, but not a long time option. 
Now I have a 10 year serious relationship with a scandinavian national of the contry I did my masters in and he is super supportive and totally for equal rights and has no trouble with me earning more and him staying at home.

I know several former JETS who were placed in the boonies (ie Shimane, Yamaguchi, Aomori, Akita, etc) and they were still able to go to lives. 
I didn't do JET but I used to live in Gunma and still went to 3-6 lives a month.
It really depends on how much time/money you're willing to spend on your hobby.

No "hats in VK" thread is complete without the KING OF HATS, Full (GUNIW TOOLS, NOOKICKY, SHILFEE AND TULIPCOROBOCKLES, etc).
 

 

 

 

 

 

Seconded ❤️
 
I already posted these in the sexiest VK outfits thread, but I really love these two (Hitomi and Lay).

 

 
I also really like the adorable hat Chisa wore in the Taste Of Life PV...

 
and this hat Yuuki wore.

don'tlookatthethighsdon'tlookatthethighsdon'tlookatthethighsjustthinkofthebiblegesu

Ayyy, Initial'L/Lycaon's Sabo's tophat????!!!  
 
 
I really love/want that hat ❤️ 

Rare promo version
 

JET may put you waaaaay out in the boonies so you can’t do lives since JET costs more money for Boards of Education to contract and your experience is still up to how well you get on with your school, but yeah bc it is run thru the government you will be a proper full time worker with subsidized health insurance/pension benefits and the pay is better.
 
I agree if you don’t plan on making Japan a home for more than a year or two do study abroad. Working society in Japan is really a bummer in most job sectors (even outside of teaching) bc of the huge wage gap for women, sexism, and forced overtime.

I know this thread was dead before but just to add on...I've never taught English in Japan before, but I have friends who do or have. From my understanding if you really want to do it, go through JET. And do NOT work for an eikaiwa. You will not have a good time. And from the rest of the replies here I'm seeing the same thing. 😕 If you really want to go to Japan and don't want to teach, my advice is to study abroad. It only lasts a year but it can be a really great experience! I studied abroad in Kyoto for a year and absolutely loved it.

I like obi! I've always kept them over the years. I used to keep them all together tied with a rubber band lmao but now I usually just keep them inside the CD along with the booklet. I feel like they're part of the release as a whole so it's nice to have them so it's complete, but it's not 100% necessary for me. I'll still buy a CD even if it doesn't have the obi. Just a nice bonus to have them. 

I like obi! I've always kept them over the years. I used to keep them all together tied with a rubber band lmao but now I usually just keep them inside the CD along with the booklet. I feel like they're part of the release as a whole so it's nice to have them so it's complete, but it's not 100% necessary for me. I'll still buy a CD even if it doesn't have the obi. Just a nice bonus to have them. 

I love obis, and keep them with every CD I buy. I also tend to buy old/used CDs that include obis. For some reason, I feel it's incomplete without the obi, lol. Also, I like how some obis are aesthetically incorporated into the cover of the album/release (i.e. a part of the album's artwork will be on the obi, etc.). Makes it feels like it's a vital part of the release.

welcome!! nice candy spooky theater avatar, I used to be obsessed with Peggy back in 2008 lol...

the problem is, these roles typically don’t go to actual queer people, but rather cishet people.  i don’t, however, think the problem is so much in cishet actors playing these parts as much as it is that queer folk aren’t casted as often.  consequently, trans people (in cases where they are openly trans) should get roles as cis people.  so, no.  she’s not wrong.  this is what acting is.  alec baldwin voiced a literal baby.  😂

well she probably should stick to playing trees, with her signature wooden acting and botox all over.

What a bummer. Don't get me wrong for what I'll say, but I'm relieved Retsu and Sho are still on. Not that Ryuya and Taishi weren't important for the band but it will be easier for the band to replace them than the main composer and the vocalist. I hope they are able to overcome this and come back even stronger, just like they did before when Issei and Tsubasa left.

I agree that Tsubasa was probably better than Taishi. If only Tsubasa had kept it in his pants... 👀👀👀