Original Saku

This video just caused me laugh hysterically for the last half an hour. Skip to 8:04, 11:10, and 17:48 for the best bits.
 
 

All I want to say is... The title track is pretty good and all, they may not sound like they used to, BUT
 
 
WHO CARES ABOUT ANYTHING WHEN THEY'RE RE-RELEASING AZEMICHI DE!!!!
That's only... my favorite song of theirs.
 
 
How can you not love Satou singing "I hate you" with such a soft voice? In such a soft way? HOW CAN YOU NOT?!?
I just hope the new version will be good still. : 3

A few obvious ones, but if you're not too into horror movies you'd want to try 'em out:
 
Good Halloween-themed films:
 
Halloween (1978)
Trick 'r Treat (2007)
Night of the Demons (1988)
Night of the Demons 2 (1994)
Hocus Pocus (1993)
 
In general I'd just recommend some great horror films:
 
The Thing from Another World (1951)
Dracula (1958)
Kwaidan (1964)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
The Exorcist (1973)
Alien (1979)
Friday the 13th (1980)
The Evil Dead  (1981)
The Thing (1982)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Ringu (1988)
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The House of the Devil (2009)
Frankenstein's Army (2013)
The Thing from Another World (2013)
Housebound (2014)
It Follows (2014)
We Are Still Here (2015)
 
 
I guess I'll have to stop now. I decided to leave the pre-50's horror films out since you don't seem to be too much into films in general (sorry if this is wrong), which is a shame consiering some of te best horror films were made in the 20's and 30's. But I tried to limit myself a bit, even though it doesn't seem to have worked too well.
 
Anyway, I've rated all these films either 9 or 10.

| Not quite divine, but a PREACH-worthy effort!
 
Tracklist:
1.Hallelujah
2.黒い虹 (Black Rainbow)
3.1000年 (1000 Years)
4.美しい火 (Beautiful Fire)
5.愛はなけなし (What Little Love)
6.風 (Wind)
7.時間さえも年老いて (Even Time Ages)
8.!!!!!!!!!!!
9.ただ遠くへ (Just Going Far)
10.あなたを愛したい (I Want To Love You)
11.いこうよ (IKOUYO)


 
THE NOVEMBERS hold a special place in the hearts of many Monochronmiums. I would go as far as saying, the majority of us who have at least a toe dipped in the waters of the ‘J-Rock’ and Japanese indie scenes, are fans of the band in some capacity. What makes THE NOVEMBERS a unique case is their wide appeal. Without going into strict alter egos, their sound can be divided into two major halves: namely, the light, jangly, and shoegaze-y sound and their darker, more aggressive, alternative sound. Or, as I term them, ~dream ver.~ and ~scream ver.~. While 2015’s Elegance leaned heavily toward the dreamy sound, this album, Hallelujah, seeks to restore balance.
 
The title track eases us into the album delivering (us from evil) with a euphoric sound, featuring simple, ‘tribal’ style drumming. It’s an epic theme, if a bit one-note. Immediately changing gears, the band hangs a hard U-turn with “Black Rainbow.” As the first single release of the album, we got to preview this angsty number back in July. Can anyone say, ‘shoegrunge’? The band maintains the forceful momentum on “1000 Years,” perhaps the best received heavy track on the album, according to comments here on MH. There’s something vaguely thrashy about the riffs on this one. Kobayashi’s harsh vocals are also noteworthy, invoking a paradoxically restrained rawness.
 
With a pretty strong start to the album, tracks 3 through 6 form a flawless stretch for me, as someone who predominantly gravitates toward THE NOVEMBERS’ lighter sound. “Beautiful Fire" is gorgeous and the polar opposite to the grittiness of the previous two tracks. It has more conviction than the wispy work on last year's Elegance and it also marks a glorious return to those warm horn arrangements, a nod to 2012's stunning GIFT EP (did you really think I could get through a NOVEMBERS review without namedropping it?), which adds a nostalgic touch. “What Little Love” is a track I slept on at first, but if I had to choose now, I’d probably nominate it as my album fave! I know @togz agrees with me! What’s fascinating about this track is its fusion of the band’s two sides. The dark, but tranquil verses are somewhat reminiscent of 2013's zeitgeist-era tracks like “Meursault.” The choruses, however, are where the band’s dreamier side shows through again. The piercing, ethereal synths are a NOVEMBERS signature, but during the chorus, they creep ever so gingerly towards dissonance, adding a striking tension to this song. Bringing up the rear of my album high is “Wind.” I’m not sure the band has ever produced a number quite like this, with bright riffs that would be at home in 90s/early 2000s ‘white kei.’ If you’re wondering what the hell I ever mean with ‘jangly’ guitar, look no further than “Wind.” Plus, Kobayashi hits an unusually high register in this track that is truly music to my earholes.
 
“Even Time Ages” is where Hallelujah starts to falter. Don’t get me wrong, I actually quite enjoy this gloomier track, but it feels like what we’ve heard before on zeitgeist or mid-album on 2014's Rhapsody in beauty. "!!!!!!!!!!!" is arguably the weakest showing on the album, lacking the distortion to back up how aggressive it wants to be. “Just Going Far” seems to directly cite zeitgeist’s “Flower of life” with its contrasting heavy bass and airy synth approach, though I suppose this one has more of a somber mood. “I Want To Love You” is where the band gets back on track, granting us a droning, unabashedly shoegaze ballad, if such a thing exists.  In fact, this track and the closer “IKOUYO” summon the distortion that their last album, Rhapsody in beauty, so selfishly hogged for the ~screamy~ tracks,  proving that the ~dreamy~ side can get down and dirty just as well.
 
Dazzling (and colorful) cover art aside, Hallelujah is unlikely to go down as many people’s favorite NOVEMBERS album. Despite unprecedented tracks like “Wind” and “I Want To Love You,” the album is just a little too derivative of work they’ve already released. Having said that, ‘more of the same’ is not necessarily a bad thing. Overall, Hallelujah is still a kickass record and is commendable for balancing the band’s two primary sounds more effectively than on recent releases. THE NOVEMBERS have been around for eleven years and it's not that they are starting to show their age. Rather, it’s simply getting tougher and tougher for them to outdo themselves. Even so, they remain as solid as ever. Perhaps, we just need to reconceptualize Hallelujah as something to hold us over until their inevitable release in 2017. I, for one, am already looking forward to discovering where the band will take us next. And maybe, just maybe, the band will give us a decent promo photo next year so I don't have to resort to a still from a PV!

What did you think of Hallelujah?
 

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..... or is it the video that played u? ..... damn..........

[tracklist]
1. 愛のゆくえ　（映画 『湯を沸かすほどの熱い愛』 主題歌）
2. LAST DANCE
3. MOON WALK
4. Landscape
5. 夏の影
6. 雨上がり
7. 畦道で
8. 死がふたりをわかつまで
9. クライベイビー
 
 

The order for the tracklist has been finalized as :
幻形テープ／genkeitêpu  
浮融／fuyuu  
魔似事／manegoto  
また、堕月さま／mata,otsukisama
うフふ／ufufu    
猫夢／nekoyume
鍵時計／kagidokei
恋ト幻／rentogen

Spoilers incoming! you've been warned!
 

lol.. so it's okay if the trap is good enough to fool the event staff? but they don't want a bunch of ugly men running around cross dressing and freaking the normies out, so they just ban it altogether? xD
 
this is actually quite funny and ironic... this is Japan were talking about, they pretty much put the trap character archetype on the map, to the point where there is hardly a season that goes by without a series or two with the character type.

lol.. so it's okay if the trap is good enough to fool the event staff? but they don't want a bunch of ugly men running around cross dressing and freaking the normies out, so they just ban it altogether? xD
 
this is actually quite funny and ironic... this is Japan were talking about, they pretty much put the trap character archetype on the map, to the point where there is hardly a season that goes by without a series or two with the character type.

| I couldn't imagine a more amazing return for one of my favorite bands!
 
August was a month of beginnings for our favorite band of Visual Rock Royalty. Hizaki had his solo album come out after being highly anticipated for quite some time and Versailles themselves reunited for a magnificent show on the 7th! This could only be the harbinger of something great to come. 
 
In lieu of coming straight back with an album or EP of new material, the boys decided to do a self-cover album featuring two new songs. This is astounding because most visual rock artists historically have done vaguely remastered versions of their classics and stuck a couple new songs on there as an afterthought. Versailles obviously put a lot of thought and effort into this release and made it quite clear that they had their je ne sais quois back after a 4 year hiatus (and a string of releases that lacked their 'it' factor).
 
In all honesty, the release has left me with a certain level of confusion. First of all, where was this passion on Holy Grail and Versailles? Because honestly I'm not certain I've ever heard such amazing music played as though the artists were just going through the motions as I've heard on those albums. Here, we have the boys playing their old songs gracefully (e.g. Zombie, Aristocrat's Symphony, After Cloudia) and their newer songs played with a passion insurmountable (e.g. Masquerade, Phillia, Destiny). Part of me wants to know what they did in the studio to make these songs sound inexplicably 30x better than the originals, part of me doesn't care because I'm glad I have them back.
 
Even with all of Kamijo's practice writing and pronouncing English words, he still seems to have a hard time. Without Zeus's help, I still would have no idea that he's saying "Raise a living corpse" about halfway through "Zombie." Not to mention "Shout & Bites" has all those growls that seem to have not improved at all. Sure the songs are still bangers either way, but one would think he could've gotten a little more used to the  "mouth feel" of the English language. In any case, none of that is as baffling as how we manage to now have a third unique version of "The Love From A Dead Orchestra." Not as though I'm complaining, however, this song is an unparalleled masterpiece.
 
Finally, after all the confusion, one must admit the new songs are a brilliant example of two sides of the same coin. Versailles' ability to create a head-banging symphonic rock opera like "Melodic Thorn" and a romantic power-ballad that isn't entirely depressing a la "Chandelier." 
 
Opinions may vary on whether they're better together or apart and I think all those opinions have truth to them, but ultimately one must recognize that these musicians are geniuses and really know their way around creating pieces of music that generate discussion.
 
Full marks.
 
 
Support the band!

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mouse on the keys 『Out of Body』
DDCZ-2137 / ￥1,852+税
1. Intro
2. Earache
3. Dark Lights
4. Afterglow
5. Elegie
6. Out of Body
 

 
http://mouseonthekeys.net/?p=1195
https://twitter.com/mouseonthekeys

LOL. PS2 emulation has been in a satisfactory working state for like 5-6 years now.... XD
 
PCSX2 master race <3

So I recently took the plunge into the world of gunpla...  which was something I've been wanting to do for years, and now that I have the income to support the hobby I'm finally getting into building.
 
I figured I'll make a gunpla thread and see who else has taken to the hobby and maybe drum up some interest among people who may not know about gunpla.
 
I just finished my first build myself and I'm really pleased with it.  I chose a HG Shining Gundam 1/144 model as my first kit, one of my favorite gundam frames.
 

 
here's some finished pictures that i snapped with my phone
 
I'm extremely happy with how it turned out, there for a while I didn't know if it was gonna pan out. I probably put around 25 hours into the kit. Approximately 7-9 hours putting it together which includes sanding and other prep. I panel lined as much as I could which is what took the longest at around 12 hours trying to get it just right. And then 3-4 hours prepping the model and spraying for a matte top coat finish. Next time I can see it not taking nearly as long since I'm now more used to these techniques.
 
anyone else on the forum build gunpla or has an interest in gunpla in general? Let me/us know. I plan on looking into how to build a lightbox for pictures soon, I will of course need a better camera than my phone first though xD
 
I already have my next kit planned out... It will be HG 1/144 Gundam Wing Fenice from GBF, I plan on getting started on it sometime next month after a I take a break for a few weeks.
 
 

Following the departure of their original guitarist Machida Kenhito and Nishida Kazuki taking over his spot, Yoru no Honki Dance announced that their new single "Without You/LIBERTY" is gonna be released on December 7th.
 
Release Details:
「Without You / LIBERTY」
CD+DVD | VIZL-1063  | ￥1,600 + tax
CD | VICL-37221 |￥1,000＋tax
 
Tracklist:
M-1. Without You
M-2. LIBERTY
M-3. Only Seventeen (Live at Ebisu Liquidroom)
M-4. 夜に本気ダンス (Live at Ebisu Liquidroom)
 
DVD:
「WONDERFUL! DANCEABLE! ENSEMBLE! TOUR footage
ロシアのビッグマフ、Crazy Dancer、fuckin’ so tired、Only Nineteen、B!tch
You gotta move、夜に本気ダンス、escape with you、戦争
 

 

 
 
HonkiDance songs are certified jams!!! #ChiSealofQuality
 

I don't have a problem with Mono doing more of the same to be honest, and I think the album is fantastic. In most ways they don't bring much new to the genre and you've heard Mono do things like this many times by now, but at the same time I feel like the album does differ from e.g Hymn to the Immortal Wind in that it's a lot darker and way more intense IMO, and therefore reminds me a lot more about their two first full-lenghts than anything after (with the exception of Rays of Darkness of course).
 
But when you do it as well as Mono I see no need to change anything at all, and I am happy they have't changed too much.

Steven Tanaka just wrote a pretty interesting blog post on this "city pop revival" that's going on within Japanese indie. Now personally, I've always thought city pop was used to refer to a subset of Jpop...stuff like HITOMITOI, especia and others, but apparently the Japanese have also been using the term to refer to this new trend of Western sounding indie bands - stuff like the fin., awesome city club, never young beach, mitsume, and others. As such, I thought it might be a topic of interest for some of you and perhaps one worth discussing. @fitear1590, @seurong, @beni, @indigo, @Carmelzors- I'd definitely be interested in hearing what you guys think on the matter.
 
http://www.nextmusicfromtokyo.com/?p=6585
 
And another article on city pop, which Steve links to in his post: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2015/07/05/music/city-pop-revival-literally-trend-name/#.WA5l7i0rKM9
 
Overall, I would have to agree with Steve. At the risk of sounding like some elitist weeb, I've always been more attracted to Japan's indie scene over a good bit of the indie stuff coming out of Europe and North America. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy indie music from all over, but Japan has always had a particular flavor to their musicality, to their rhythms, that you don't always hear replicated elsewhere. So while I do enjoy some of these up-and-coming "city pop" bands, I also can't help but feel that this is a much less exciting direction for Japan's indie scene in general. :/
 
I do disagree on a few of the minor details, though. Like siamese cats - I think those guys have only become better since "crossing over". D.A.N., is fairly enjoyable, and so is mitsume and never young beach. My major issue with these bands, though is that their styles have all gotten tiresome rather quickly for me. For instance, mitsume had some dope stuff on their EPs, but both of their full-lengths have been easily forgettable, and never young beach's new album is already snooze-worthy compared to the last. It's like all of these bands got the idea "let's play this specific style of music", but didn't think about how to expand upon that idea or truly make it their own after they exhausted said idea.
 
Let's not forget the infamous "club club":

awesome city club
and summer club
helsinki lambda club
litchi hikari club
marquee beach club
Healthy Dynamite Club
Ancient Youth Club
 
 
...etc
 
From what I've heard, most of these bands have been pretty boring and haven't really done anything to stand out. I can perfectly understand why people would be into this "city pop" sound, though. In general, it's just easy-going, feel-good music. But with Japanese indie seeming to be in a relative slump in general (at least from my perspective), it's difficult for me not to take issue with this trend.
 

It's pretty funny, because Tanaka's definition "City Pop is Japanese pop music with a pronounced Western indie influence that tends to have a dreamy, chill, carefree, neo-soul aesthetic" summarizes a big part of my music taste, to a tee! Too bad I don't actually like many of the bands he designated as City Pop!

The article was kind of an interesting read and I suppose it's nice to have a label for these types of bands, but if all the bands listed equal "City Pop," then the term is pretty much meaningless. In my opinion, there's very few Japanese bands that truly sound "Western" to me, such as: The fin., Ykiki Beat, Homecomings, (all of which were listed and sing in English, HMMM!), and I would argue Hotel Mexico and early Czecho no Republic. There's probably more, but I'd have to think about it for a minute.

The connection to our "club" band discussion was a cool coincidence, but overall, I fail to see how alleged City Pop bands like Awesome City Club (srsly, their arrangements are so j-poppy) or Yogee New Waves sound especially "Western" unless our definition just means any Japanese indie rock music that's not super frantic/quirky like Midori, ling tosite sigure, or 88kasyo junrei. To which I repeat: the term then becomes kind of useless. Of course not every Japanese rock band is going to sound like them. Simply playing indie pop does not equal "Western". I also think Tanaka downplays how much language and vocals (singing styles, but also melodies that Western artists don't really do) make a difference, even if the guitar riffs might sound like Modest Mouse or something.

And what is the Western band that beachy bands like Mitsume and Siamese Cats are supposedly copying? Cause I need to know. All I can think of is Mac Demarco and that's not quite right.

Also, the comment about "City Pop" music being "emasculating" was pretty silly.

OGRE YOU ASSHOLE will release a new album on November 9th, 2016!
 

 
発売日 : 2016年11月9日(水)
曲目 :
01.ハンドルを放す前に
02.かんたんな自由
03.なくした
04.あの気分でもう一度
05.頭の体操
06.寝つけない
07.はじまりの感じ
08.ムードに
09.移住計画
10.もしあったなら
 

https://twitter.com/oya_band
http://www.ogreyouasshole.com/

ドミコ will release their first full album on November 9th, 2016!
 

 
tax in 2,300　 RED0005
[収録曲]
1.my baby 
2.まどろまない
3.グレープフルーツジュース 
4.Pop,Step,Junk! 
5.Slip In Pool 
6.さなぎのなか 
7.マイララバイ 
8.haii 
9.おーまいがー Album ver.
 
 

https://twitter.com/hikarururururu
http://www.domico-music.com/
 

Great review as always @Zeusbut damn.. i hate your opinion so much right now XD As someone who absolutely loves everything mono has ever done and who's love of the band has only increased with each release throughout the years, I'm so saddened to hear that you don't feel the same. Requiem for Hell is probably one of the most satisfying albums I've heard this year and damn do I feel that 5/10 rating is way too low for something objectively so solid... safe? sure. but solid nonetheless. I can only feel that you let your distaste with your own expectations dictate your final score.
 
I still love your review and writing style though, I wish I could articulate my musical opinion as well as you do

| A case study on the effects of diminishing returns.
 
I don't have hopes for new MONO releases as much as I do expectations. I expect dynamic, instrumental post-rock passages with minimalist beginnings and too much going on at the end. It can be anywhere from six to nine tracks, possibly come with a theme about joy, sorrow, or both, and pack anywhere from zero to two instrumentals which edge the listener for six minutes with no pay off. While this describes the entirety of their output since the band "broadened" their musical tastes with 2004's Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined, this should not eclipse their accomplishments. MONO only does one style well, but their brand of post-rock has influenced countless other bands and has become the face of the genre, so to speak. Unfortunately, unwavering steadfastness is not a quality I admire in music.
 
It's strange to see a band once heralded for their mastery of a genre slowly see the life strangled out of them by those same guidelines. Even bands that "don't ever change" do change in minute ways over the years. MONO is the most extreme example of a band that has not progressed since 2004, content to sail the same seas evermore. Nine albums later, you could be forgiven for asking if they know any other way. But it's a sad fact of life that the emotional crescendos and cathartic blasts of noise that punctuated Hymn to the Immortal Wind are the same ones powering Requiem for Hell; such an unabashed clone that calling them cousins of one another still doesn't cover all the similarities.
 
Knowing when to stick to your guns is different from knowing when to bring in different artillery. A year hiatus designed to help them grow as musicians has only pushed them into a corner where all of their songs are cut from the same cloth and fabric is running low. MONO have regressed far enough to call in veteran producer Steve Albini, who was behind their masterpiece Hymn to the Immortal Wind, and as such they reintroduce the crutch of an orchestra, but even this power play is no substitute for captivating melodies. I can tap my foot and know when the strings will cut in, when the song moves into second gear, and when the emotional catharsis is supposed to strike. What should be an emotional experience translates into crossing requirements off a list.
 
I fooled myself into believing that Requiem for Hell would be different and was angry when presented with more of the same. I bargained with my computer screen for just one track to start loud and heavy, or for a dramatic switch in direction and tone, and was deftly ignored. Cue the strums of the closer "The Last Scene", I've accepted the facade of depth behind the beauty and luster. For all the big talk behind the concept of this album, it fails to communicate this theme in a meaningful capacity. It doesn't even sound particularly dark for MONO; it's just more of the same.
 
When they get moving, the meat of each song is intense as it always has been. The rising action and apex of "Death in Rebirth" and "Requiem for Hell" are truly stunning pieces, interjecting noise and guitar distortion for some much needed contrast. "Requiem for Hell" reaches almost "Com(?)" levels of despair, the most captivating track on the release by far. MONO still has the chops to write engaging music, but they insist on twelve minutes of foreplay first. When I can go to any younger band with tighter songs and more focus, hit the climax and get satisfaction in half the time, MONO has to provide a compelling reason to carve out forty minutes for yet another interchangeable experience.
 
They don't.
 
 
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Yes! awesome release that came out of left field foe me. Totally a ten star album, agree 100% with your review @Zeus Terui and Hasui is such a good combo and I can hardly believe these two genius' are working together on something this great. The biggest surprise to me was that Annabel was involved, I'm so glad she is though because she rocks. 
 
I hope we can get some new music from them soon and that they don't go the way of SFP and get too big for their own good.

Yes! awesome release that came out of left field foe me. Totally a ten star album, agree 100% with your review @Zeus Terui and Hasui is such a good combo and I can hardly believe these two genius' are working together on something this great. The biggest surprise to me was that Annabel was involved, I'm so glad she is though because she rocks. 
 
I hope we can get some new music from them soon and that they don't go the way of SFP and get too big for their own good.

Yes! awesome release that came out of left field foe me. Totally a ten star album, agree 100% with your review @Zeus Terui and Hasui is such a good combo and I can hardly believe these two genius' are working together on something this great. The biggest surprise to me was that Annabel was involved, I'm so glad she is though because she rocks. 
 
I hope we can get some new music from them soon and that they don't go the way of SFP and get too big for their own good.