CAT5

@Champ - do you know Intestine Baalism? I like metal, but it's not something that I'm heavily into. Every once and a while, I get a craving for it (especially stoner stuff), but it's not a large part of my musical diet. As mentioned, Anthem is great (I'm particularly fond of their ETERNAL WARRIOR album). My favorite Japanese metal band would probably be the stoner/doom band, ETERNAL ELYSIUM. (I'm not embedding this cuz I'd rather not clutter the thread with a youtube spam fest)I recently found another awesome Japanese stoner/doom band called 中学生棺桶 (Chugakusei-Kanoke) or (Junior High School Student Coffins???) xD I also like Volcano, a few Galneryus songs are cool, FEEL SO BAD....and I can't remember any more atm xD

When I click your profile, I see your sig. Check the user control panel and see if you have your sig disabled...

Ok. I'm not a reggae-head or anything' date=' so there's a lot of stuff out there that I don't listen to, but here's some of the Japanese reggae/dub stuff that I do have in my collection:

So the end of 2010 is less than 2 weeks away. Is everyone completely satisfied with their top albums list? I still haven't sat down and gave it much thought yet, but hopefully I can make a list in the next few days. Still some 2010 releases that I'd like to hear too =/

yep, I've heard of Iwasaki. Mostly from his work on the Rurouni Kenshin OSTs, which I thought were great. As far as "spy jazz" goes, United Future Organization has some pretty awesome stuff: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Future_Organization

is glad she is still yellow/gold xD

hm...I don't know of any specific sites, but you can try kmc, jpopsuki, and maybe searching on soulseek. But if you're thinking about seriously getting into J-jazz, it's very likely that you'll have to come out of your pocket at some point...

The picture they used is nice, but the font is bothering me for some reason.

^ There's tons of Japanese reggae and dub out there...

^ oh definitely. If you're looking for some, here are a few Japanese Funk bands worth checking out: MOUNTAIN MOCHA KILIMANJARO :OHP: These guys are excellent. They play straight-up, traditional instrumental funk! Osaka Monaurail :OHP: I think these guys were around for much longer than MMK, but they play the same kind of funk, just with a vocalist. Zainichi Funk (在日ファンク) :OHP: Led by a member of sakerock. It's traditional funk at the base, but with some quirky Japanese flavor. Dude's James Brown impersonation is HILARIOUS!!! Zukunashi (ズクナシ) :OHP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt6ViDv3APw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3tUbqpxebA Herpes already mentioned these girls. They play a fusion of funk and soul, and they're bad-ass at it! Their vocalist has such raw, powerful croon. An all-female funk band is not a common site, so It's kinda of a shame that these girls are so unknown. Q.A.S.B. :OHP: Another female-led funk band. They only have one release so far, but they're pretty solid. I'm not a fan of the Engrish vocals, though. EDIT: I'm adding these guys: uni-birth :OHP: These guys released one of my favorite albums of 2007. Unfortunately, that was their only album. Apparently, they're still active, though their vocalist, Nobie, has been involved in several other Jazz-related projects (like alma plus which Aion mentioned earlier). uni-birth plays an awesome, modern mix of funk, soul, smooth jazz, and hip hop. Nobie has to be one of the coolest female vocalist in Japan...the woman is amazing! (xD)

Not feelin' it. On the bright side, the orchestral strings in "PLEDGE" were at least pleasant (despite the fact that they were used several times before on previous ballads). They should try implementing some orchestral arrangements on heavier, non-ballad songs - just to spice things up a bit. To quote will, "THE TRUE MURDEROUS INTENT" had a few redeeming qualities, but VERY few. I was somewhat fond of the first verse (from about 0:24 to about 0:53)...though my hope quickly dissipated as the song digressed into a pile of MEH. As for "VOICELESS FEAR"....wait, wut?...I can't even remember how this song sounds. =/ C'mon, get it together gazette! 8{

Anybody hip to Emi Meyer? I'm usually pretty iffy with vocal Jazz. I find a lot of it to be bland/watered down and/or nothing but poor, Engrish-riddled standards, but Emi is certainly a standout! Both her voice and compositions are irresistible. She's bilingual (born in Japan, raised in America). Her first album, "Curious Creature" was released in 2007 and it was entirely English...reminded me of Norah Jones. She released a new, Japanese-language album early this year titled "Passport" and for me, it's a huge step up from her American release. "Passport" takes a much more soulful and "club-jazzy" approach than "Curious Creature" and easily dispels any Norah Jones comparisons. While she sings entirely in Japanese on "Passport", her delivery is noticeably western. It's a charming combination. Simply put, the girl is dope! Here's the leading track off "Passport" and one of my tracks of 2010: ZZGkiCz-mKo

^ the cover for "school food is good food" is indeed quite nice! Forgot all about that one ;]

dammit, herpes. I always come across album covers I like, but I can never remember any =/ Will post if I do...Roman Porsche is off the chain btw xD EDIT: found one. I'm not even a fan of lacco tower, but this is a pretty cool cover

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EASY! All of the Ghost in the Shell: SAC OSTs are fantastic beyond belief! Yoko Kanno is amazing by default, but she REALLY outdid her self with these!

@Jonno - come to think of it, either Prism or Champ put me on to sugar a while ago and I remember diggin' them. ;] New indigo jam unit is out. I only listened to it once so far, but it was quality as usual! Here's the first track from the new album, "roots" Admittedly, I've been sleepin' on Re-Trick, who surfaced just a few years ago. Never gave any of their albums a proper listen to be honest, but their latest is pretty damn ace! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do-edQyXkaI

^ 385 is like the "new" midori lol. Especially since midori's material is...lacking these days. I'll ask the question again since it may have been overlooked, but are there any Jazz/Jazz-related releases you all have enjoyed this year? Any release you all currently into?

Has uploaded some nice stuff

Just remembered Nilo Koizumi (??泉ニロ). She has some pretty decent stuff: A bit lesser known, but there's also TOYONO: Not bossa nova, but Mio Matsuda (??田美緒) might also be of interest to you. She sings fado, which is also dominated by the Portuguese tongue. Lovely stuff! Are there any Jazz/Jazz related albums that you all have enjoyed this year?

Just put in a order at HMV. Almost a completely blind buy (since there are hardly any samples online), but I've very high hopes for this being a great album! Was pretty intrigued by what I've heard so far...

WUT. THE. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK.

@Evoke.the.world - Tokyo Jihen have their jazzy moments, but I don't think they're considered part of the the jazz scene. They're more of a pop group. A kick-ass pop band, though. Isn't Sugar a VK band? and I already spoke about midori. @Herpes - Zukunashi actually released a new album this year. It was missing some of the oomph from their first EP, but not bad overall. At any rate, I give those girls MAD PROPS for doing what they do. An all-female funk band is not a common sight...let alone an all female funk band from Japan! KCS is fun btw! =p @Aion - Alma Plus's album was petty good. I absolutely love their vocalist, Nobie. I'm just mad that she keeps jumping from project to project instead of working with one solid band. But who knows, maybe they'll be a 2nd Alma Plus album...although personally, I was hoping she'd get back with her previous band, uni-birth. @fitear1590 - Japanese bossa? As Chianti mentioned, there's Lisa Ono. Also check out naomi & goro, Dois Mapas, Saigenji, and Immigrant's Bossa Band. There are more, but those were on the top of my head. Check these out: (I'm not embedding these cuz I don't wanna clog the thread with YT videos...) naomi & goro Immigrant's Bossa Band Dois Mapas Saigenji

^ hey, hey watch it. leave my gazetti-poohs outta this ;p lmao...yeah, Hiromi is THAT CHICK. I haven't been keeping up with her work, though. I'm just now listening to her most recent album, "Place To Be". Have you heard it yet? She has a DVD up on KMC that I spotted yesterday. Will need to DL that soon if the links are still active. The women is a beast!

^ midori definitely has some jazz elements, but they're more a mix of different styles. As for recommendations, wow um...There's tons of stuff out there. You really can't go wrong with Soil&Pimp Sessions. They've been around for a long time and have proven to deliver consistently. Definitely one of the key bands in the J-Jazz scene. 7tuLK6I4lgM Or you could try these newcomers, カゲロウ (kagero). They have more of a punk-jazz approach that may appeal to you since you like midori. mfAP43in8Ug If you're looking for something a bit smoother than Soil&Pimp and Kagero, you could try Jabberloop. These club-jazzers have made a very nice name for themselves within the scene. 1ikSaEfBoG4 I dunno man. Let me know what you think about those so I can better pinpoint your tastes. Are you looking for stuff with vocals?