DeithX252

awesome live video

Artist: ヒトリエ
Album: WONDER and WONDER
Score:
 
Having an incredible musical allergy against all things Vocaloid-related, Hitorie shows that having Vocaloid roots does not always equal terrible taste. In fact, I'm going to be as bold as to say that Hitorie basically dropped the best indie-rock album of 2014.

WONDER and WONDER is the band's debut album, after their incredibly solid first single and mini-album. The bar for this album was thus set incredibly high, yet I was not worried that this album would disappoint me the second they dropped the music video and the previews. If you're not into Ling Toshite Sigure because of TK and the shrill noises, Hitorie is the band for you.

Hitorie's vocalist has a very pleasant voice. He's not the best vocalist but he's incredibly well in synch with the rest of his band. Hitorie's strength lies in their own sound. Despite being a very young band, they have thoroughly established their own sound, a sound that is similar to other bands but still has something quite unique about it that makes you say "this is Hitorie!". Their combination of diverse melodies and catchy hooks makes them one of the best newcomers of the year.

WONDER and WONDER is a showcase of everything Hitorie has to offer. The album is mostly made up of upbeat songs, but they differ a lot from eachother despite all executing the same signature sound. Hitorie found their formula, but isn't afraid to experiment within their formula instead of constantly churning out the same exact song as some other bands tend to do. From the incredibly well done ballad 癖 to the minimal なぜなぜ and the fun upbeat 我楽多遊び, this band shows a lot of different sides of itself. There was not a single song on this album that I did not like or  considered average. The second half of the album is better than the first half in my opinion, but in general the quality is good throughout the entire album.

What also makes this album so good is that it's fun. It makes you want to get out of your chair and dance along to the incredibly catchy tunes.

While this review might not be as in-depth as those of the Review squad, I do hope I've managed to make you at least a tiny bit interested in this album. It's just a fantastic album from start to finish and I can hardly find any flaws. I don't rate albums five starts often, but when I do, it's Hitorie.
 

Final verdict: - It's just that good.

Wagakki-Band is what happens at the intersection of visual kei, doujin, and vocaloid. I can't deny the strong aesthetic presence which weaves itself into their music, which is one of the most defining characteristics of visual kei. The sound of the band itself is another matter entirely. Successfully fusing traditional instruments with modern instruments is a challenge in itself, but for such a young yet large band to get that sound right the first time around is impressive.
That's not to say that they're one of the best arrange bands I've ever heard - although they might get there in time - but the fact that they fused so many uncommon elements into their music makes them deserving of a spot here.
Arukara is a band I've always heard around indie circles but never got around to listening (same with Owarikara). No real reason why either.

I think they are not VK, yes, they are dressed like a VK band, but different, to me they are just a doujin band (because their early album released in doujin event) become major avex band. I admit they are good, but there are lot of better vocaloid cover and rearrangement outside there. To be honest, I like the release, but can't get the hype.
 
girugamesh become my fave also, they are completely change to loud music scene, toured with many similar band that carried out the post hardcore/metalcore genre.
 
ARUKARA's release is great too, remind me of 9mm parabellum bullet

O_O I think my heart just skipped a beat there.
 
I never expected Char's voice to cross paths with Diru. Wow, just wow.

DIR EN GUNDAM

NUAMM
 

2014/12/10 release
2500 ￥
【track list】
01. さっぴー
02. もうみどり
03. 時間の墓場
04. なつばくだんふゆだるま
05. 冷光のまゆ
06. れい
07. 鬼ヶ島
08. 深海の人
09. 真夜中のテレビ
 

 
Interesting!

Depends on the music. A lot of music sounds superior with headphones, while a lot sounds superior with speakers. Some sounds great with both headphones and speakers.
 
 
 
I don't know shit about speakers and all that, but I've got a pair of Dynavoice Magic F-6 EX for my vinyl player... which I have yet to try.
 
I need to get some decent speakers for my laptop as well. But I am a cheap bastard who hates to spend money.

RETURNERS

 
1. ～The First Cry～
2. MEBIUS
3. Silverwalker
4. King Boy & Queen Girl
5. Alice
6. ～The Last Word～
7. Human VS Creature
 
2014.12.03 RELEASE / ¥1,620 (Tax in) / GR-38

7 years ago a buddy told me about a Japanese Post Rock band named downy. I was thoroughly impressed. It got me interested in Japanese music but I didn't yet start exploring. Mostly because I wasn't sure where to start.
 
A few months ago I found a Progressive House producer named Aran by accident. This was the first time I had heard House music come from that side of the world and if Aran was a reflection of House music in Japan then I definitely wanted to hear more.
 
Finally, I was stalking ender-ender's Last.fm the other day when I investigated a band called Told. This is the first time I've heard an Indie Rock band from Japan and they were good enough to make me realize that I couldn't ignore music from this country anymore. Ender-ender invited me to this forum to make some friends and learn about the music that's been eluding me for almost a decade.
 
I also want to mention a band called Muxu from Malaysia that was recommended to me along with downy. They made some the most chill, ambient music I've ever heard.
 
So that's my small history with music from Japan. It's a pleasure to meet you guys and I look forward to settling in here.

Last week, イツエ(itsue) released a youtube video with scenes of recording and at the end, it teased a "new release" soon.

Now the details are finally here!


2nd mini-album「今夜絶対」 
2015.01.21
¥2,037
(cover art done by vocalist mizuki)

1. エピソード
2. 告白
3. ネモフィラ
4. 56番線
5. トランシーバー
6. 螺旋
7. 10番目の月
8. グッドナイト
9. 名前のない花束

Barring a soundcloud demo earlier this year, the band has been a bit inactive with their last official release being in December 2012.

REJOICE!

Last week I went to Java Soundsfair 2014, watched Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. Pretty good live, they were so energetic and fun, especially the guitarist!
 

 

 
Even I don't like ska, but they were cool, lucky me can watch them
 
There were many artists line up tho, including local band and international act
 
 
 
And yesterday there was an event, Japan Festival in Indonesia 2014, participating artists are Hiroaki Kato, Gypsy Queen, Sunplaza Nakano,Ryutaro Makino, and the last, BLU-SWING XD, pic are below:
 
 
Had chance to get BLU-SWING signed cd
 

 
and take pic with them XD
 
 
They promoted japanese jazz club in Japan, looks like very interesting place to drop by. Ugh and I hope I can watch BLU-SWING's live with full member in the future!

Last week I went to Java Soundsfair 2014, watched Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. Pretty good live, they were so energetic and fun, especially the guitarist!
 

 

 
Even I don't like ska, but they were cool, lucky me can watch them
 
There were many artists line up tho, including local band and international act
 
 
 
And yesterday there was an event, Japan Festival in Indonesia 2014, participating artists are Hiroaki Kato, Gypsy Queen, Sunplaza Nakano,Ryutaro Makino, and the last, BLU-SWING XD, pic are below:
 
 
Had chance to get BLU-SWING signed cd
 

 
and take pic with them XD
 
 
They promoted japanese jazz club in Japan, looks like very interesting place to drop by. Ugh and I hope I can watch BLU-SWING's live with full member in the future!

Maybe something of marginal interest to some fans here.
 
イツエ (itsue) vocalist Mizuki has participated in some anime song with "SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]" (not familiar with him):
http://www.jpopsuki.tv/video/SawanoHiroyuki%255BnZk%255D%253Amizuki---AZ/0b768b7fccc66c93f3040db197fbffb5

Imo, it's kind of a basic power ballad... Cool that she's getting more exposure, but on this track, there's not really any traces of her amazing vocal work with イツエ.  

Artist: girugamesh EP: Gravitation Score: After a few years of borderline radio-friendly stagnation, Girugamesh have hit back with quite possibly their best release yet.
After a few years of borderline radio-friendly stagnation, Girugamesh have hit back with quite possibly their best release yet. Last year's Monster symbolised a beacon of hope for both fans and the band. The aggression was back, the heaviness was back, Girugamesh was back. Although steeped in pop-sensibilities at times, the album took a 180 from pop to electronic metalcore, leaving the burning wrecks of Now and Go far behind.

It's been a year since their last full-length Monster, and Gravitation not only keeps this reclaimed heaviness in place but polishes it to perfection. Kicking off with their hardest song to date, 'Go Ahead' lures you in with gentle tones before ripping your head off. Satoshi's transition from gentle crooning to terrifying growls, for example, are nothing short of frisson worthy. Having the rawest vocals, the hardest breakdown, and the most memorable chorus, this song characterises the EP and spearheads their new sound. As a song that can only be described with superlatives, 'Go Ahead' highlights how Gravitation has led the band to a new level of heaviness. This permeates throughout the EP. While 'Reflection' displays a hard metalcore influence, for instance, 'Vortex' goes beyond that, opting for a thrashy deathcore vibe; a massive departure from Go in many respects.

I thought it would let up at some point but the whole EP is like this; every time a lull in the intensity is expected, it continues its bombardment of chunky riffs and pleasantly incessant drumming. This is exemplified best in 'Reflection' where Satoshi tries to do some severe damage to his throat...in the best possible way. They could have included a slower, gentler track to give the listener a breather, but instead they opted for five heavy songs varying in loudness and intensity. The infectious electronic elements and catchy vocals which have characterised their more recent efforts are used to full effect here, modernising their previous sound and making each track as memorable as the last. All of these elements culminate in 'Vortex' which, replete with screams, riff-heavy guitar work and double-bass pedaling, is the best way to end Gravitation: in the same loud and exciting way in which it started, exuding a confidence not found on their older material. This is the Girugamesh we wanted after Music and the band sure as hell knows it.
 
By cramming everything their fans love about them into one neat package, Girugamesh has created their best effort yet. Contrary to more recent releases, the intensity and loudness of their old sound is back and better than ever. While taking a new form reflective of some current "-core" genres, classic Girugamesh permeates to the point where they might win their older fanbase back.

Upon listening to Gravitation it's clear that Girugamesh are back and louder, heavier and better than ever!

First come in my mind: BABYMETAL. OK I tried listen to them and nothing make me impressed. But why metal fans like them, and many metal musician promote them? I think they are just an Idol, with standard idol-type vocal and mixed with metal music. I didn't see the two different thing (metal and idol) fit.
 
Your opinion?

just changed to the new JAM, damn it's perfect!!!
 
@Miasma: If you want a scrollbar, it is easy, just right click to the playlist, and choose settings, go to style tab, and set scrollbar to default
 

 
this is the result:
 

D - 7th Rose [2010]

 



 

fuck why am I doing this to myself

 

Okay so the first installation in this trainwreck series will be the one album I wasn't able to shut up about for approximately 2 years and I hereby want to apologize to all of you. I had to listen to this at nighttime and stay up until 4AM because it's goddamn hot outside and people are actually being hospitalized. I couldn't move a fucking muscle without sweating from all possible locations. FUCKING GLOBAL WARMING KIDS.

 

I'm listening to my own Lossless rip, fully formatted for the best torture listening experience. ANYWAY, HERE WE FUCKING GO. ALSO LOL WHAT IS FORMATTING.

 

1. 7th Rose ~Return to Zero~

Okay so basically just an interlude leading up to the actual title track of this album. Not sure if this is a build up to hype you up or to have the holy spirit protect you from the monstrosity following this interlude. Pope Francis/10

 

2. 7th Rose

Jesus fuck. Asagi's either suffering from sincere bronchitis or the main avex guy was ill and hired Maria Cross to do the retake on the harsh vocals, who probably just was like "well at least it sounds better than whatever I do" and gave it the thumbs up. The harsh vocals are atrocious and I have absolutely no idea why anyone in D thought this was a good idea. This entire fucking song is a mess because literally NOTHING adds up and everyone's just heavily ramming around on their instruments while Asagi sounds like he just shat a lego garage. The good thing about this song is that the chorus is actually good and it isn't poppy, which has been a trend lately. Then again this album was released before MEJIBRAY even formed so idfk. But whatever, I fucking love this song anyway. Holy shit why do I still like this, probably nostalgia/10

 

3. 花摘みの乙女 ～Rozova Dolina～

A wild studio formatted synth string appeared! Always love me some of those. D, you were major at this point in time, couldn't you hire a guy to do the actual recording of these strings I mean holy shit. Apart from that this song is actually pretty fucking cool. Asagi's dramatic vocals are actually placed really well, the accoustic work is perfectly executed and everything just sounds fantastic. If only it weren't for the synth strings/10

 

4. Tightrope

This song somehow relates to some other D or ASAGI solo song but all I remember from this was that PV that included dogs and Asagi being chained to a wall with ropes and singing about freedom.

 



 

Tightrope was actually the song I expected to really hate by now but fuck it's really catchy. Since I'm more of an individual song kind of person I'm sort of glad I gave this one a fair relisten. Everything else that somehow slightly sounds like this sucks. I actually really enjoy something for once/10

 

5. Crimson Fish

This is the song with the most individual plays according to iTunes. Then again, "according to iTunes" my most played track is a song that I haven't even played like 10 times so yeah iTunes fucking sucks. Apart from the fucking horrible synth strings and the misplaced echo-y intro, this song is actually still really good? Holy shit. This song still fucking rules/10

 



 

6. Independent Queen

Obligatory heavier middle song comes in right at the middle point of this album and it's really not that surprising. Welcome to fucking VK, kids. OBLIGATORY GUITAR SOLO RUINS EVERYTHING. Does D have a fucking contract that obliges them to put a fucking guitar solo in every song even if it doesn't need one. Obligatory Engrish as well, lovely. Eh this song is whatever, I can't even be bothered to make semi-decent comments about it. I'M INDEPENDENT QUEEN/10

 

7. 13月の夢見丘

The year doesn't have 13 months, that's fucking silly. What are they teaching kids in schools these days.

 



 

Folky song of the album that I actually really like because it's so overly fucking cheesy. The synth strings don't really sound that horrendous here so who fucking cares. My review, my opinion. Sort of want to skip through a field now/10

 

8. Day by Day

Day by Day is, I don't know what it is. It's an okay poppy song I guess but why the fuck is it on this album. It's placed at the worst fucking place too, right in the middle of where this album is starting to bloom. It's like someone finally being able to buy that car they always wanted and then accidently setting it on fire. This is leaving aside that Toki no Koe is going to fucking kill anything good going on until this part though. Why was this necessary/10

 

9. 絡繰り絵巻

Could've done without the heavy bits. Starts of good, then gets progressively worse. It's like eating a Subway sandwich when halfway through the lettuce starts to get gross and sulky because the fucktard who made your sandwich put three fucking bottles of ranch sauce on your sandwich. That's how this song feels to me. Overall it's still good, I just wish I could take some bits out. Subway needs to use less ranch sauce/10

 

10. 鬨の声

This is where I can unleash all my inner fury because this album was actually going really well up until this monstrosity. I HONESTLY THOUGHT THE ALBUM FLOW WAS GOING TO BE PICKED UP AGAIN AFTER DAY BY DAY AND THEN THIS FUCKING HAPPENS.

 



 

Who the fuck approved this. These 5 guys sat around a table and thought "well this sounds good enough to print on disc". Multiple avex guys could've fucking approved this. The harsh vocals are once again fucking atrocious. The instrumentals are awful, this song is too long for the kind of song it tries to be. The obligatory guitar solo is actually the best part here, for the rest it's as big a train wreck as this current review. Hope burned before my eyes/10

 



 

11. Sleeping Beautiful Beast

Thank fucking god for a decent ballad. This is what I'm talking about. Is there software that deletes certain tracks from discs because that's what I'd like to do to Toki no Koe. Sleeping Beautiful Beast would be even better placed after Karakuri Emaki (or whatever the fuck it's called). This review could've been called "Toki no Koe ruins everything". Pretty fucking good/10

 

12. 三日月揺籃歌

Outro sort of thing? Idk sounds pretty good to me though it would've been better to end with Sleeping Beautiful Beast because this sounds more of an intro than an outro to me. UNLESS IT'S LIKE AN INTRO TO 7TH ROSE. BUT DIDN'T THAT ONE ALREADY HAVE AN INTRO THOUGH.

 



 

Actually sort of yes. Depends on which version of the album you have. If you have type A and B it's pretty neat. If you have type C this one doesn't make any fucking sense. GOOD OLD VK STRIKES AGAIN. Depends on which version you have/10

 

13. 風がめくる頁

BONUS TRACK DESU. Okay this song is nice and it works as an outro but not this sort of outro. It's a goddamn single on an album that's nothing similar to it, why the fuck is it even on here. Like I know this one's at least optional but jesus. Liking it more when it's not a fucking closer/10

 

---------

 

FINAL VERDICT TIME

 

VERDICT OF 16-YEAR OLD ME:

VERDICT OF 21-YEAR OLD ME:

 

For the amount of hate this album gets by fans of the band, it's actually really good. I still consider it their best major album, because it really just is a good record. Toki no Koe is like the only thing that really makes you cringe on here, that's basically it.

 

DO I WANT TO PUNCH MY YOUNGER SELF IN THE THROAT FOR LOVING THIS?

 

NO

 

Alright, that's it I'm fucking done. I'll be keeping how many times i want to punch myself in the throat for liking what I did. So far that score's on zero, HA.

 



 

NEXT TIME ON BLAST FROM THE PAST [PROBABLY, IDK]:

 

NIGHTMARE - majestical parade

First come in my mind: BABYMETAL. OK I tried listen to them and nothing make me impressed. But why metal fans like them, and many metal musician promote them? I think they are just an Idol, with standard idol-type vocal and mixed with metal music. I didn't see the two different thing (metal and idol) fit.
 
Your opinion?

Hello everyone,
 
I'm Rocket. I'm kind of new to these forums. I used to be a lurker under the name shimokita-dreamer back around 2010 but only made a single post and it wasn't an introduction. My friend CAT5 persuaded me to re-join. So without further ado let me introduce myself a little below.
 
I'm a 25 year old male who has recently graduated university and is stuck in a transition period. More importantly, I've been into Japanese music since 2001 via games and anime. However, I hadn't really become acquainted to specific scenes until late 2003 when I discovered the Japanese music communities on Soulseek and the Japanese Music Room forums which have since been shut down. Some of my favourite genres include: Hip Hop, Electronic, Jazz, Post/Mathy-Rock and anything in between. Although I'm open to listening/trying out music in all genres and languages. I'm well aware that this is mainly a VK forum and while VK is not usually in my wheel house I am still open for listening to VK recommendations anyone happens to throw their way. Do know however that it will be very hard to sway me over to the VK side. It is possible though (I'm looking at you Southern Hip Hop). I also have a weakness for sultry female vocals and female drummers. 
 
Anyways, enough about me. It's been a while since I posted on a forum so I may not be too active trying to find my footing and all, but I hope over the coming days, weeks, years, and millenniums! I will be a familiar name. I aspire to be the Rocket in everyones pocket. 
 
EDIT: Thanks everyone for the warm wishes. I'm already starting to feel like I belong here. 
 

 
To see what I've been listening to lately, click here: http://last.fm/user/tombikordek
 
Sometimes I DJ on plug.dj as Under_A_Rocket
 
I used to be a gorilla on TT.FM as Saint Gori-san

Hi Monochrome Heaven, I'm chewi. I've posted here before but I haven't introduced myself. I like music of all types, and honestly don't know much about visual kei and etc. However, I don't consider myself an "expert" on any type of music, so... I found this site through a turntable.fm room (RIP) and joined. I'm CAT5's friend. I'm a 20 year old guy who goes to college. I'm studying Japanese stuff. I'll try to post here more. Thanks for reading. If you wanna know anything, just ask me.
 
Last.fm taste for the past month:
I'm into japanese, pop, female vocalists, electronic and vaporwave, including:
Miley Cyrus, Richard Elliot, Lady Gaga, DREAMS COME TRUE, Iggy Azalea, MILLENNIAL DREAM CORP., Charisma.com, especia, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Macintosh Plus, Britney Spears, Alanis Morissette, Charli XCX, Azealia Banks, チャットモンチー, Lana Del Rey, Ai, Icona Pop, 骨架的, 戴佩妮, 小泉今日子, きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ, Tove Lo, Trina, Serph, 氷川きよし, 人魚, Janet Jackson, Perfume, 少女時代, Pulp Non-Fiction, Capsule, 大森靖子, Beyoncé, 吳克群, 안녕바다, 휴먼레이스, рмнчитто, esc 不在, WTF.FM, cyberspace FANTASIES, Mariah Carey, AOA, Utada, 官恩娜, EMI MARIA, 2NE1, 小南泰葉, Saint Pepsi.
Check out my music taste: http://www.last.fm/user/chewiiii

better than Pandora I think

regarding BABYMETAL
 
besides the main "something new and fresh" i think this is basicly the point. lots of metal-fans are quite a fan of blasphemy and pretty annoyed by the whole religiousness that surround everything metal, so when something as honest and unapologeticly manufactured as this comes around and prooves that this can be pretty kickass too it is quite a pleasant surprise. all that honesty has quite some charme to it (and it probably helps that i sort of like the music too. wouldn't listen to it too much, but i can see that it really is quite creative and well done...)
 
yes i would perhaps classify as some sort of metalhead, "heavy" music is at least the largest portion of my library.

赤い公園 (akai kouen) will release second full album "猛烈リトミック" at 2014.09.24
 
trailer

1. intro
2. bullet bull
3. photograph feat. 中嶋イッキュウ
4. shiori
5. rainy days and mondays
6. march of monkey
7. 真黒 feat. Shing02
8. fauve
9. wind
10. blessing

2,315yen (tax out)
CD
DQC-1329
Release by bud music, inc.
14.8.6 on sale
 

 

 
must be awesome