Spectralion

Due to my hiatus this list was horribly delayed and I'd like to apologize for that, but I still feel like a lot of us are not over the hard hitting band break ups in 2016 so the wonderful users of MH as well as the awesome ORz members got together to write up some memorials for them. So without any further delays, here are some words for the great bands that called it quits.
 

10. 凛-THE END OF CORRUPTION WORLD- (2010-2016)
 

9. Sel'm (2004-2016)
 

8. FoLLoW (2013-2016)
 
 

7. SCREW (2006-2016)
 

6. DuelJewel (1997-2016)
 

5. BORN (2007-2016)
 

4. AvelCain (2012-2016)
 

3. DIV (2012-2016)
 

2. 少年記 (Shounenki) (2011-2016)
 

1. ギルガメッシュ (Girugamesh) (2004-2016)
 
Please share with us what bands you're missing this year and let us know what you think about this list!
 
 

Tracklist:
 CD 1: Shin Tsuzetsu
—-. Momoku de Aruga Yue no Sogaikan (盲目であるが故の疎外感) Samidare (五月雨) Hai (廃) Itai Tegami (イタイ手紙) Chintsuuzai (鎮痛剤) Yoru (夜) Suna no Shiro (砂の城) Haitoku no Hito (背徳の人) Shofu (娼婦) Danzetsu (断絶) Ieji -2017 Hisyou- (家路 -2017 飛翔-) Kurutta Kajitsu w -2017 Haru- (狂った果実 w ～2017 春～) Kare ga Shinda hi (友達(カレ)が死んだ日)  
 
CD 2: Tsuzetsu 1st
—-. Itai Tegami (イタイ手紙) Shofu (娼婦) Chintsuuzai (鎮痛剤) Hai (廃) Suna no Shiro (砂の城) Yoru (夜) Haitoku no Hito (背徳の人) Momoku de Aruga Yue no Sogaikan (盲目であるが故の疎外感) Danzetsu (断絶)  
| Aged like fine wine.
 
Ever the black sheep of MUCC's discography, color me shocked when it was announced that 痛絶 (Tsuuzetsu) would be among the first two albums MUCC would re-record in full fifteen years later. This release, entitled 新痛絶 (Shin-Tsuuzetsu), includes two discs: the first disc including re-recordings of the entire album, the second disc including the out-of-print original first press of the album (and 友達が死んだ日 (Kare ga Shinda Hi), an extra track that didn't make it). The original 痛絶 (Tsuuzetsu) is not the coveted starter album for new fans: that honor belongs to their second album, 葬ラ謳 (Homura Uta). It's not an album anyone talks about with rose-tinted glasses, between huffs of nostalgia, it's not even an album people bring up when discussing their favorites! I chalk it up to the style. This style of angura-kei wasn't all the rage back in 2001 and its popularity has only been sinking since. In this age of bands courting old and new fans with new versions of old material, 新痛絶 comes across as the most honest and straightforward application of this tactic thus far. Fifteen years later, this album may finally make the impact that it originally should have. Plus, the new jacket for 新痛絶 (Shin-Tsuuzetsu) is dope. The one for 新葬ラ謳 (Shin Homura Uta) looks like Robot Chicken claymation, but I'll leave that alone.
 
The success of this entire venture rests on this conservative approach. MUCC takes the adage "if it's not broke, don't fix it" to heart. They demonstrated this in 2006, they tackled "娼婦" (Shoufu) and "五月雨" (Samidare) for pre-極彩 (Gokusai) singles, and "断絶" (Danzetsu) in 2007 for the WORST OF MUCC compilation; they didn't sound out of place then and they don't sound out of place among the other seven tracks now. For all the changes they could have made, most of them are not alterations to the songs or their structure.  This is more important than I had initially realized. The international scene has felt burned by sub-par re-recordings in the past and this hesitation carries over to MUCC despite their good track record. One thing I desperately hate is for a re-recording to share little similarities with its original - for all of that tweak it some more and sell a new song! I want to have an air of familiarity around what I receive, and in this regard, 新痛絶  exceeds in spades. It's the same album, but it feels new without changing much (or anything) at all. A part of me wonders if this was planned long ago and they finally got some time to do it.
 
The quality difference is night and day. This can prove to be a problem for the handful of 痛絶-era fans used to hearing the album a certain way, and the second disc would be for that crowd. There's even a third disk live performances to sweeten the deal, but only for those who bought the pre-release edition. I find myself in the group that likes both versions, but prefers the clarity of the new version. There's no doubt in my mind that the budget-conscious choices of the original pressing has become a part of the atmosphere and experience, but hearing these songs with new details and increased clarity is more important to me. It's not going to cause a resurgence of angura-kei bands no matter how for it I am, but it does provide a window into what turn of the century visual-kei would sound like with modern recording techniques and that's worth the price of admission alone. I can confidently can state that I gain more than I lose in this exchange, and I would have no problem recommending the new version of the album to anyone interested.
 
 
 
Support the band and pre-order your copy today!
AmazonJP | CDJapan
 
✣新痛絶 (Shin-Tsuuzetsu) is not yet available for general purchase ✣

Greetings, MH! Another month, another batch of recommended tracks from the amazing ORZ team! 
Check them out and let us know what you think!
 
(We apologize if some videos aren't available due to region restrictions!)
 
@plastic_rainbow's Picks
"天上天下" by ARCHEMI.
"Tenjou Tenge" by ARCHEMI.

Using religious themes like Hotokesama - which refers to Buddha - worship and spiritual enlightenment along with a heavy and aggressive sound, ARCHEMI. stands out from most VK bands. They recently gained a new drummer and now continue as a 4 member band once again. Although their new drummer Maya previously performed in a visually brighter band, Aloud, his fast-paced drumming works well with ARCHEMI.'s tumultuous force. Their newest single includes three equally good tracks - the fourth one being an SE - , of which "Tenjou Tenge" is the most refreshing. Instead of rehashing their overdone but brainwashing-in-a-good-way Hotokesama worship, the shouting of 'soiya soiya soiya', the beating of taiko drums, and flute in "Tenjou Tenge" evoke a traditional Japanese spirit. That being said, ARCHEMI. still have their furious bang down with the highly addictive heavy metal riffs and rushed drumming. Listening to ARCHEMI. is like following an underground cult, and the enthralling chants and head bursting screams spewed by Isami will drag you into a dark and calamitous spiritual adventure between heaven and earth. If you've never heard of ARCHEMI., you are totally missing out.
 
"鮮やかな矛盾" by NoGoD
"Azayakana Mujun" by NoGoD

Picking up in quality again, the year so far has been looking good for NoGoD after the blasting release of Missing several months ago. They continue their successful streak by dropping another outstanding track that is "Azayakana Mujun". It brings back the softer and more poignant sound reminiscent of their indie days. Or to be more specific, I'd say that it carries the very essence of their album Mugenkyou, which was when the band peaked. Danchou's vocals become most effective when he exerts his voice in a wistful way, which he has not done in a while until very recently. In "Azayakana Mujun", the intro begins instantly with Danchou's passionate vocals, but later includes calming spoken word as well. One thing that NoGoD always excel at is the ability to contrast the silent and loud moments in a compelling way. You can especially hear this when the powerful guitar solo follows right after Danchou's soft spoken words backed up by tranquil guitar melodies. If you thought NoGoD would never produce anything as good as what they did in their heyday, I recommend that you check out "Azayakana Mujun" and think again.
 
"昏睡" by SCAPEGOAT
"Konsui" by SCAPEGOAT

With their sound growing sharper each time, SCAPEGOAT has put out a killer tune yet again. Unlike their previous songs, however, the intensity and beauty of "Konsui" will surely make you listen to it nonstop. Shifting between a heavy and slow tempo, the track manifests the very feeble moment of being torn between life and death. It opens with heavy guitars and the muttering of Haru's sullen voice, giving it a sinister quality. Then, as if a helping hand reaches out to you, the trickling piano miraculously opens a door of light to illuminate a groovy ballad. The mellow guitars and soft bass lines plucked from a double bass barely border on art-kei, and Haru's compelling vocals breathe out a transient repose until all hell breaks loose again. Continuing as they are, I expect that SCAPEGOAT will keep on delivering stellar tracks such as "Konsui".
 
"青年ナイフ" by ニトロデイ
"Seinen Knife" by Nitro Day

I bring you another great YouTube find, and one that shows a lot of promise! Nitro Day is a very young indie rock band that began activities just last year. Despite being new to the scene they are already growing fast, and with good reason. "Seinen Knife" demonstrates all of the stunning talent from the young 4-piece band. Right from the beginning, the striking high-pitched guitar notes and smooth bass lines lead you to their robust and dynamic sound. The unique and emotive vocals, which might be too nasal for some, are the front wheel that drives the band's gripping momentum, while the more laid-back drummer keeps them in pace. They are one of those bands that can only make you think 'they’re cool' as you listen in awe. If I have to describe their sound though, they are like an alternative noise rock band with an emo and punk edge. Nitro Day are already receiving comparisons with huge J-indie acts like Number Girl and Bloodthirsty Butchers and could be the next band to lead the increasingly stagnant scene. I insist that you give them a listen now.
 
"Sorry, I Am Not" by SHE TALKS SILENCE

SHE TALKS SILENCE is a minimal noise and shoegaze DIY solo project led by Minami Yamaguchi that began way back around 2009. She's had a few supporting members in the past, but has been working completely solo again starting this year after her drummer left to pursue her own music path. In the early days of SHE TALKS SILENCE, Minami was very rough in her music writing, but has improved greatly over the years with better production as well. The newest song she wrote, "Sorry, I Am Not", comes from an album of the same title released this month, which also compiles her older songs from when the drummer was still around. In "Sorry, I Am Not", Minami sings in her whispery style, as she always does, accompanied by eerie guitar melodies, a constant bass drum, and clattering noises, making it one of her more haunting songs. Still, there remains a tangible sweetness from her gentle voice that floats like an angel's feather amidst the dark atmosphere. I admit that the choppy bass lines do need some polishing, but the simple melodies and mellowness of noise as expressed by SHE TALKS SILENCE may be for you if you've never heard of them.
 
@qotka's Pick
"雨” by 游彩
"Ame" by Yusai

While desperately searching, which is what I call mindlessly droning through YouTube these days, for some new decent angura-kei to heal my weaboo heart, I ran into a band called Zin on several occasions. Zin were a sweet yet hardly memorable mixture of that traditional-Japanese-sound infused rock and oshare-kei pop. This fragile bunch disbanded late last year only to reemerge as Yusai a few months later, sporting a more leathery look and slight stage-name changes.  "Ame" is Yusai's second single and it paves their way into a darker, somewhat more sophisticated form of existence. The intro almost sounds like a generic start to a nu-metal anthem, but it breaks down into a solid, mid-tempo ballad that elegantly mixes in a sequence of electric shamisen chords without making it sound forced or artificially glued onto the track. But what made me go back for a ridiculous number of listens this past month was Rui Amane's laid-back vocals. His voice is not exceptional but he knows how and when to use it, keeping it on the low side for most of the track and saving those miserable, characteristically v-kei wails only for when they're really called for to create maximum impact. Another thing to notice about "Ame" is the great bass work, especially after the first chorus. If you like your bass strong and distinct, I recommend listening to this one with headphones on. Only time will tell what will become of Yusai in the long run, but they're definitely off to an interesting (re)start.  
 
@emmny's Pick
"虚言癖" by DAMY
"Kyogenheki" by DAMY

I don't think it's any surprise that the more 'heavy' or 'abare' styled bands are more or less flopping lately, as the songwriting tends to be subpar compared to more melody-loving bands. It's a problem DAMY had suffered from in the past as well, with sloppy song structures and messy playing made up for only by the pure aggression and despair conveyed by the band. They have hinted at their abilities with "Obutsu" from their last album, but never quite hit that peak again. Every once in a while, a bop comes out of the indies scene so damn good that everyone--ghost writers, bandmen, fans of other bands--are left clutching their pearls, permanently shook. Much to everyone's surprise, mine included, "Kyogenheki" is that song. They've definitely got a new ghost writer stepped their game up all the way around and wrote a cohesive, heavy-yet-melodic banger that doesn't sound like a DEZERT song but definitely keeps that influence obvious.  The most notable change here is in the percussion and vocals department, with Ryo taking out the over-the-top zetsubou vocalizations and replacing it with Chiaki's signature sing-talk-whatever while still keeping his whine in there. Miharu, once a roadie for DEZERT is starting to show off his chops, with an incredibly rhythmic drum line and sharp little frills and fills that definitely recall his mentor's drumming style. I don't have enough good things to say about this, DAMY have definitely established themselves as serious contenders.
 
 
@helcchi's Pick
"⚪︎と×" by ザアザア
"Maru to Batsu" by Xaa-Xaa

Xaa-Xaa are exceptionally adept at writing ballads, with Kazuki's soulful voice compellingly conveying emotion and psychological conflict. Their newest release "Maru to Batsu", continues their creative streak. While "Maru to Batsu" might not be as haunting as 2015's "Yukidokei" nor as sorrowful as last year's "Shizuku", those upbeat tunes still hit you with sentimentality, for they are sure to evoke a wave of nostalgia. Working early 00s melodicism into a repeating chorus that's strongly reminiscent of "endless loop" by ROUAGE, and with a sound that's manifesting in Kagerou's influence, "Maru to Batsu" is an injection of all the feels. Let this song transport you back into the past.
 
 @tetsu_sama69's Pick
"burst" by Zill

I have an extreme weakness when it comes to anything Cra gets herself wrapped up in, even if it usually only ends up being something temporary. I am hoping that Zill is something that ends up having a much longer lifetime, as their first release Adam is already overflowing with potential. All three tracks on the single are very strong, but "burst" ended up getting my attention. It's got a catchy rhythm that gives you such a rush of energy it's hard to sit still while listening to it. The breakdowns give "burst" the chance for you to enjoy a fair bit of headbanging fun between the melodic full course meal that Zill delivers. If you find yourself thirsting for a visual band that relies purely on musical prowess instead of synths and metalcore, then Zill will definitely sate your tastes.
@The Reverend's Pick
"Dystopia -Vanishing Point-" by Boris

You know how songs get labeled 'epic' just cause they're kinda longer than normal? Even though Boris often deserve it, I am going to purposefully not levy that trite praise on the penultimate track from their new album Dear (even though it is twelve minutes long!)
 
The first half of "Dystopia" is really just a chance to set the stage for the climactic guitar solo that makes up the last five minutes of the song. Kind of like someone shushing you because the good part of a a movie they've already seen is coming up soon. And what a guitar solo it is! It sounds like a savant who has never actually touched a musical instrument got handed a guitar; the first couple minutes are full of awkward tone and fits and starts while this hypothetical 6-string genius gets comfortable with the instrument prior to unleashing some magic. But as soon as it comes together, boy is this song powerful! Alternatively, I'd compare it to those baby giraffes that stumble around immediately after being born, but before you know it are galloping confidently with their mothers.
 
Not quite the usual doom/noise dirge preferred by Boris when they write such long songs, "Dystopia" is certainly full of melancholy, but is also undeniably beautiful. Check this one out if you've been scared off by how *dense* the band usually is!
 
@CAT5's Pick
"声飛行" by Gutevolk
"koe hikou" by Gutevolk 

It's been seven years since singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Gutevolk (Hirono Nishiyama) released an album, but she's back in full effect with the leading track from her upcoming release titled, Gutevolk no koe hikou -Hello Tiny People!I Will Catch You-. "koe hikou" sports a prominent, pop-style beat, which instantly sets it apart from the subtle instrumental subtlety of Nishiyama's past works. Outside of that, however; this is vintage Gutevolk. Whispery, dreamlike vocals? Check. Whimsical, childlike melodies? Yep. Colorful, beautifully layered instrumentation? Of course! All the charm of Nishiyama's lighthearted indie-pop has remained perfectly intact over nearly a decade of radio-silence. The album sounds set to be a winner!
 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
 
Thanks for checking out our recommendations this month! If you have any thoughts on the list, or if you have any recommendations of your own, we look forward to seeing your comments below!
 

<3333333333333333

Versails vs MatenBRO Slopera

NoGoD will release a new album titled "proof" on 2017/9/20.
 
Limited edition will include 11 tracks and a DVD for "Missing", "Arlequin", and "break out!".
Regular edition will include 12 tracks.

Tracklist:
01. In the cage...(Instrumental)
02. break out!
03. Arlequin
04. 蜃気楼
05. ヘンリエッタ
06. proof
07. 矜持と共に (Instrumental)
08. forever
09. 煽動
10. Missing
11. Tonight!
12. DREAMER *regular edition
 
(already posted this in the other topic cuz i got too excited but here it is again)
 
 

I hate when they make such a good ballad with disastrously short duration, such as Emotive and Senkou.

I hate when they make such a good ballad with disastrously short duration, such as Emotive and Senkou.

Legends
 
Stayin' sharp and consistent since 2010 to this very day. To me they're what Lynch is to others without the perpetual disappointment; they always release sort of the same thing and it's prime top shelf Royzcore that does exactly what I want it to. Imagine that it's like ordering a good drink in a bar where you've done it a thousand times before, but it's high-octane new visual that looks awesome and makes you unwilling to buy any of their singles because the types come with different track lists. Anyway, good stuff and easily the best band on BP atm imo. For an introduction I'd say try their second album, tho I've seen people insist that they jumped some sort of a shark after the first but I don't see it
 
OHP
 
 
 
 
 
 

Fuck this album was trashed by people back in the day, and now it's pretty much entirely forgotten about; all the while I thought it was great pretty much from day one and still spin it on occasion. The aesthetics have this sort of ill-dated charm to them now too.

The ReRecord version of Homura Uta made 2017 great again. 

I can't believe Mashiro is single-handedly reviving art-kei. 

post-visual kei actually

mad 2010 vibes
does he even age?
 

Makes sense. Schoolboy's Q second album, I think, was removed from spotify with no explanation. At the time I didn't give much thought to it, but looking from the consumer viewpoint, that's pretty fucked up. I am not entitled to anything when I subscribe to their service, I'll have to listen to what they want to make available... I admit I'm becoming lazier and lazier, basically all my non japanese music is listened through spotify too, and yeah, we should be aware of that, indeed. Lucky for us, torrents are always there to save the day, I guess. I still buy physical copies of releases I like, but I also think that's a fading trend, pretty soon releasing physical copies of albums will be limited to collection editions and etc. abide to the technology revolution, I guess.
 
About the japanese industry, I think it's a matter of time. Japanese consumer base is the weirdest in the world. They are absolutely open to some technologic innovations, but extremely conservative to some others. They will resist while they can, but will succumb eventually, I think. And that is kind of positive for us in the west, more music will be available to us, when they finally decide to change.
 
 

https://thesmartset.com/why-music-ownership-matters/

A band I follow recently shared the article "Why Music Ownership Matters" and I thought it was an interesting read. Here are a few exemplary quotes, in case you can't read the entire thing:

So, what do you think, does this article have a point?

I must admit, the power streaming companies have over individual pieces of media can be scary and it's something I've thought about before. There was this one older German movie I really liked on Netflix streaming a while back. In physical form, the movie only exists on VHS in the US and region 2 DVDs in crappy quality. Netflix, for whatever reason, had some remastered version in pristine HD quality. But now that the film is no longer available in their online library (to quote the article: this particular movie likely didn't 'justify upkeep anymore'), it's like this HD version never existed. I would gladly pay for a Blu-ray version, but it's simply not offered. Maybe I'll never get to watch it again and that sucks. Sure, that's just one movie, but think about the bigger implications of streaming's role in archiving.

I will say, one aspect that seemed downplayed in the article is the material difference between downloading and streaming. Both are digital, rather than physical, but remember, this article is making the argument that the shift from 'ownership' to 'streaming' is the more significant one. So, I would think downloading technically falls under the category of 'ownership' (you have file ON your computer hard drive), rather than 'streaming.' These days, I would say about 80-90% of my non-Japanese music listening is done via streaming, like Spotify. Is there some difference in that culture of listening via streaming versus listening by downloading?

And since this is a Japanese music forum, what can we make of this article? Do you think the general 'Japanese music industry' or particular Japanese music scenes are still promoting music ownership over streaming?

Discuss!

Had a long drive over the weekend and noticed this album was on Spotify so finally gave it a listen (the tracklist is completely different on Spotify for some reason).
 
 
 
Basically my biggest complaint. Their sound is novel and cool in small doses... but over an entire album almost becomes a gimmick. The vocalist's unrelenting vibrato on some tracks can wear on you. Agreed the production is great though.
 
 
This band would be a great candidate to just eschew the concept of a full album in general. If they released a single a season with a cool video (as they definitely have the capability of making) they'd probably be one of my favorite bands.
I wouldn't even consider just releasing single songs (or maybe singles with a b-side) as 'fleecing' since they put their shit online. A $5 single four times a year probably makes the people who buy physical copies happier in a 'have a bigger collection of *things* for the same price' way and the people who aren't buying their albums anyway don't get tired of the slog through an album and forget about them the rest of the year.
 
These record labels really need to hire me and let me enact my vision for a perfect world

Can I just be 10 again, living at my mom's house, and playing harvest moon all day everyday?

i hope they never fucking come back! good riddance mejibray have long ran their course, there's nothing they can release that will ever be good again bc they've literally done all possible variations on "mejibray"
 
koichi needs to front an oshare band signed on resistar that will shit all over buglug...spiv states style
mia needs to join a power metal/jupiter core band that will use his talents and actually challenge him instead of letting him continue to plateau
meto can become a fulltime harajuku fashion icon bc hes not that good gorl
tsuzuku needs a sukekiyo or dir en grey tier experimental metal project to DESTROY all remnants of visual kei with his perfection
 
CATCH THE MF TEA ON THAT .
i have actual faith in koichi-core like i KNOW he will summon up ex-DIV, souiumono, kameleo, smileberry, the kiddie, ViViD and destroy the world with KAWAII

Tracklist:
Okinotayuu (オキノタユウ) Yukiyo Mai Chire Sochira ni Mukete (雪よ舞い散れ其方に向けて) Valkyrie -Senotome- (Valkyrie-戦乙女-) Kishikaisei (起死回生) Mi・Ra・I (ミ・ラ・イ) Strong Fate Ukiyo heavy life (浮世heavy life) Ryuusei (流星) Hotarubi (蛍火) Sora no Kiwami e (空の極みへ) Tori no You ni (鳥のように) Mochizuki (望月) Watashi Shijou Shugi (ワタシ・至上主義) CLEAN Howling MOON SHINE Children Record (チルドレンレコード) (Bonus Track)  
| Fad fatigue or the overstaying of a shallow, constricting musical direction? You decide.
 
The sophomore slump is a term I've adopted to describe the enormous amount of pressure placed on a musician or band for their second album. The first album is poised as the mountain beyond which lies the valley of greatness, but once an artist reaches the peak what they see is the second album, a mountain in the distance that's just as large. 和楽器バンド (Wagakki-Band) is merely the latest prey to this phenomenon. 四季彩-shikisai- as an album aims to deliver everything 八奏絵巻 (Yasouemaki) did and more, but at some point diminishing returns means the result doesn't scale well.
 
For starters, I don't think going all in helps a band with such a dense sound. Less is more. Listening fatigue is an issue. 四季彩-shikisai- clocks in a hefty 16 tracks and 68 minutes. That is too long for my limited attention span, and at points the album retraces its steps in a way that reeks more of desperation and less at a motif. On top of that, it lacks flow, sounding more like a collection of good tracks than a cohesive concept. "Strong Fate" and "Valkyrie-戦乙女-" are awesome singles, but there is no analogue to "暁ノ糸", and there is no epic track to define the album.
 
The music is still their niche of traditional ethnic themes fused with rock with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the groin. The band holds no punches with opener "起死回生", a four minute summary of their sound that's quickly forgotten as the album hustles forward. This is my primary beef with 四季彩-shikisai-. 和楽器バンド have the capability to completely change their sound from one track to another, but they are unable to differentiate similar sounding tracks. When all tracks go full force with the traditional concept, it feels like one long track with various ideas sprinkled throughout. By the end, I barely remember what I heard. I have to give a shout out to the engineers who produced this album, because it's as good as ever, and is a bright spot on what is otherwise a faceless album to me. For the record, I don't think 四季彩-shikisai- is terrible, but it's definitely too much of one thing at once. If you need a summary, consider this: I've been working on wording my thoughts since this album was released, and not only do I not have any more to add, but I'm not even compelled to return to it! Something is missing from the equation, but it is beyond my capabilities to say what.
 
Despite my initial misgivings, I eventually did warm up to the album. And by that I mean I've changed my opinion from "complete dog shit" to "something listenable". I appreciate them not fleecing wallets the visual kei way, but this could have easily been an eleven track album and a five track mini and both would have been better, more focused cuts for it. Risky propositions like "ワタシ・至上主義", or the infectious digital tune "蛍火" are the tracks I see myself returning to in the future, and maybe with time I'll fall in love with it. But right now, it's just not the type of album I was hoping to experience.
 
 
Support the band!
 
iTunes | cdJapan

At least one positive thing I can say about these guys is that they finally seem to realize encores are fucking pointless :^)

This ties in nicely with a Facebook message I received yesterday. The lurker reading this can consider this my unofficial response, but I will get back to her shortly. Her question revolved around how to get started in the community, because from the outside looking in we can be a little off putting. But our attitudes towards music, especially Japanese music, is unique within the scene and to the Internet. We cater to an older, more seasoned demographic who know what they like and what they don't, and who really appreciate it when people take the time to explain their opinions. Other places centering around J-Rock are content with agreeing to disagree on a much more superficial level, eschewing any type of confrontation because of how easily it can slip into drama. I have a different philosophy regarding standing one's ground in a conversation, and I moderate with that philosophy in mind. I step in when things get too spicy, but overall I'm content to let two or more members plumb the depths of their differences in opinion because that's where the most interesting discussion lies. Conversation dries up quickly at the oasis of agreement, but I've had members sign up here solely to write reviews to disagree with mine. That's something that even five years ago, I would not have seen.
 
There are two extremes of fans, but as was said earlier these extremes are in every scene. We are a much smaller community, so those extremes appear exaggerated. I've witnessed fans who hate everything just to be contrarian, and I've witnessed fans with no concept of music they don't or cannot enjoy. Most members here fall into neither one of those extremes, remaining somewhere in the middle, even if we all gravitate to one extreme. The negative opinions prevail because of three main factors:
 
it's easier to be negative and engaging than positive and engaging (without seeming like a shill)  contrarian reviews are more likely to bring people to the table to argue back those with positive opinions about music just don't share them as often Like what you like, and if someone here writes a review that you disagree with, write a positive one back! It's the best way to keep a good atompshere where everyone feels like they belong, start deep discussion, and promote JRock at the same time.