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Posts posted by CAT5
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The 88kasyo and Diru tracks sound like they're gonna be dooooooooooope!!!!
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How in the bloody hell does a black woman in the U.S. have the unmitigated gall to utter the words "smash the patriarchy", when so many of our children are without fathers / single-motherhood is so rampant? Not to mention, there are over 64k missing black women and girls in the U.S. right now, and sex trafficking is at an all time high. Who's around to protect our women? The state could care less.
Ya know, My dad passed away in early 2010. I was 23 at the time. I had a dream about him a few nights ago...He was in the back yard of what seemed to be one of our old houses, lying in the grass. The sun was just beginning to set, and with the light glimmering in the trees, it was a beautiful sight. I went and sat next to him as he lie there in the grass. We didn't say anything to each other....we just enjoyed the moment. It was very pleasant. There was no anxiety. No worries. It felt safe. It felt secure. There was just a very present joy there.
That's what the presence of a strong, loving father feels like.
And it's so sad that many children don't get to experience this because so many people have bought into the toxic lies of feminism that patriarchy is inherently abusive and men are expendable...so many have drunken the wine of this destructive culture that we're immersed in. I just pray we get to a point where men and women can properly respect one another and cultivate healthy, regenerative relationships....because all of this division is hurting EVERYONE, especially the children. Cuz then they gotta inherit all of our unprocessed trauma, poor decisions, and other bullshit.
blah, this probably isn't coherent, but this is random thoughts.
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Looove the fact that TK produced for them, but not actually sure how I feel about the song yet!
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7 minutes ago, nekkichi said:do i qualify for the senior discount in the 『monochrome heaven official music store』 now
yeah we got dat new DIMLIM album for ya. It's just one long, live track with ads interspersed.
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So i'm confused. I really like these guys, but I don't follow them closely enough to know all of the details about their history. What's the major difference between the release of this new album and "CHE DO A RA"? What changed so drastically that their operation was affected to this extent?
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ah, shit, you know what. I think i might be confusing projectJ with the jmusicignited forums. It was so long ago that I can't remember anymore, but it was likely the latter.
Anyways, how did you stumble upon MH?
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Yoo, welcome to the forum. I used to frequent the project J forums around 2005 - 2007. iirc under the name "one80". I think there was a guy there named Nickblaze (or something like that), and a few other guys that were extreme metal-heads...they introduced me to a lot. What was your name there and around what years did you frequent?
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What are some of your favorite Band/Artist promotional pictures?
At one point in my life, I'd damn near made a career out of sharing and uploading music (in addition to uploading artist photos to last.fm), so I basically have a lot of artist pics and album art saved that I just never got rid of. Here are a few of my favorites!
THE NOVEMBERS
i think i like this pic so much because it reminds me of when THE NOVEMBERS dropped "zeitgeist" and just blew all of our damn minds! Plus Kobayashi is just oozing a kind of dark, cool confidence here...it's like from this point he became an entirely new person...miles away from the average bowl-cut indie rocker he started as, haha.
9GOATS BLACK OUT
Even tho I never got super deep into their music, these guys were CLASS and their aesthetics were always on point!!
D'espairsRay
One of my fav. Despa pics. I was with the mallgoff shitz, ahaha
downy
I love this pic because it speaks to their dark, sophisticated sound, but I also love it simply for the fact they actually bothered to take some nice promo pics for once in their career!
J.A.M
Probably not the kind of pic you'd expect from a Jazz band!
コトリンゴ (Kotoringo)
Suuuper pretty pic, that's as pretty as the music she makes!
赤い公園 (Akai Ko-en)
Chiaki lookin all tall and sexyIt's hard to go wrong with nature-dense photos, but I loove the colors here!EGO-WRAPPIN'
There's a lot going on here, but this pic fit their sound so well for the time. It kinda has a cartoony/animated vibe to it.
TK from 凛として時雨 (ling tosite sigure)
Simple, but effective.
トクマルシューゴ (Shugo Tokumaru)
青葉市子 (Ichiko Aoba)
That's all for now! What are some of your favs???
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^ I don't know any of those songs. The M.I.B song you chose isn't quite for me.
01. MONDO GROSSO - SOLITARY [Vocal:大和田慧]
02. muffin - 夜の絵
03. Battle Of Mice - Bones In The Water
04. mergrim - Miles
05. 平沢進 - Aria
06. THE BACK HORN - 栄華なる幻想
07. 凛として時雨 - JPOP Xfile
08. Kvelertak - Offernatt
09. GoGo Penguin - Bardo
10. Annabel - helical symmetry
Good shuffl, but going based solely on my mood right now, i'm going with MONDO GROSSO.
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Man this is wiillllllld. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't been experiencing and witnessing it for myself, but people are waking up and the truth is coming out. I think times are slowly, but surely changing...and perhaps we'll see how things unfold.
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^ and yet you still got further than me. I may be kidding myself by posting here, but let's see...
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Yooooooooo, welcome to the forum!
Are you familiar with the Japanese Emo/screamo scene at all?
heffalump-eater reacted to this -
I don't necessarily mind if they change their sound to something more akin to ONE OK ROCK or whatever, cuz I can appreciate some of that stuff, and I can live without all the boogeyman vocals and pig squeals. I just hope that they go hard and really knock this shit out of the park, whatever it is.
That said, the promotion for this album thus far has been utterly unappealing.
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3 hours ago, Paraph said:Sho is the main reason i continue to pay attention anymore.
He's the first VK vocalist to give me chills since 2005's Hizumi and Satsuki. So it's like out of all the bands out there, I just HAD to get attached to this one 🤣
It's also funny because as long as I've been on MH, I've always heard about the general turmoil that comes along with following VK...the constant disbandments, member changes, drama, insanity, etc, etc...And I think this may be my first time actually going on the fated "VK rollercoaster" 🤣🤣🤣
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DOUBLE QUOTE INCOMING @colorful人生
On 1/5/2020 at 11:17 PM, colorful人生 said:I love seeing stuff like this! tt.fm was great and I miss our plug/dub sessions too. The last.fm cap you posted was one of my favorite iterations of their layouts...it's a shame the site has essentially been left for dead.
You inspired me to go dig up some of the old last.fm and tt.fm screenshots I had, and this is what I found (my first last.fm account was named "one80" and I made the account I use now, "wesurii", in 2015.):
Spoiler22 hours ago, colorful人生 said:I feel like some of my best moments of exploration (musically) for me are the ones where I get completely thrown out of my element and neurons just fire off trying to hear something familiar. That internet frenzy/journey where you get the "familiar" things piecemeal and have to immerse yourself in new stuff is really stimulating, but that process requires time that I'm constantly having to shift around b/c life. While not trying to sound r/imverysmart here, it's hard to find other people who appreciate the granularity and variability that music has. I'm not just talking about the music theory or "sound quality", but culture and lyricism -which by the way, includes more than just diction (which can be one of those make or break things for some people), but ideas. I find most people paint you as "liberal" (which while accurate by definition, is now packaged with political leftness) or an "oddity" if you show interest at my level. (not saying either term is bad, but it's that snap judgement stuff that is bothersome)
Going from "niche" places like certain video game music and visual kei to finding appreciation in the main "bastions" of hip-hop, jazz, bluegrass, folk, etc. (and explore diff. sub-genres/"flavors" w/in them) was the best thing I ever did. Beyond making things more exciting, it has (as I've mentioned in other posts) helped me build connections easier. I just wish that enthusiasm or interest in exploration was reciprocal, but maybe i'm expecting too much.
broooooooooooooo. I feel you on this. From childhood, I've had an atypical relationship with music, but I think it was when I actually started producing music in my teens that my ears took on a new perspective. For a while, I drew most of my inspiration from southern Hip Hop (back when the south actually had a distinct sound), anison, mainstream Jpop (and slight bits of the oldschool r&B/funk I heard my parents listening to)...this was in the early 00's. And around 06-ish I started diving into extreme metal, noise, free-jazz, idm and whatever other genre/sub-genre I could name to make myself appear "sophisticated" and "elite" at the time. 🤣 🤣 🤣 (yeah, I was hella insecure about music tastes when I was younger - mostly due to being an outcast in both my online and offline environments, but I digress)
Despite the vanity and validation-seeking involved in this pursuit, I developed a genuine love/appreciation for sounds and the way they interact with one another. I learned a lot from this journey, and a lot about myself especially. This process went on for some years (and is still going on, just at a much slower pace), but my tastes have begun to crystallize as I've gotten older and I no longer have the time to really sink into music exploration like i used to. It's actually interesting because in the past few years, I've even started to enjoy stuff that I neglected or avoided in the past due to "hurr durr elitism" and being a hipster in general. So now, I feel like I've come full circle in my music tastes, and that need for validation is looong gone. In fact, when I look back, the elitism that I aspired to is something I'd consider being a "fake elitist"...listening to stuff just because other ppl deemed it cool. foh. I say being truly elite is about being yourself and fully embracing your own individuality and your own subjectivity without remorse.
In regards to reciprocation, I've befriended quite a few enthusiasts over the years, but while I've always dabbled in a little bit of everything, the music friends I'd meet always had one or a few areas where they truly specialized in. This worked for me because I could glean a little bit from everyone in my network while also offering them something in return. I was especially blessed to have amassed this network because even after my own exploration slowed down, I had friends around that were always excited to share their new discoveries or recommend stuff to me. Relationships truly are our greatest wealth!
Kind of a sidebar, cuz i'm kinda rambling at this point, but when I really decided that I liked and wanted to be a part of MH (then called Tainted World) in 08, one of my main goals was to expose ppl to the many layers of J-rock that were beyond VK, mainstream J-rock, and even your surface-level indie stuff. Many of our younger users don't seem to realize this, but MH/TW, despite its overwhelming VK fanbase, has always been billed as a "J-rock" forum, and I made it a personal mission of mine to promote other areas of J-rock (and even J-music as a whole) at one point....and uh...was I successful? eh, to an extent. There WAS a time here when there were more indie, and more generalized J-rock fans here, but could that have been attributed to my effort alone? Nah. But alas, time changes.
tldr: OK BOOMER!!!
a few questions for you tho @colorful人生:
#1. WHERE WERE YOU 10 YEARS AGO!??? I NEEDED YOU!!!
#2. What was it that prompted you to explore music to the extent that you have?
(my answer is embarrassingly simple: i was 17/18 and got shat on by a music elitist on a Jpop forum for trying to defend L'Arc-en-ciel. Dude said I was "an A&R's wet dream". I walked around mad at that for like 2 WEEKS!!! 🤣 🤣 🤣 then decided lemme go educate myself a bit )
#3. Are there any areas/styles of music where you feel more..."grounded" when listening to them than others? Like something that feels like homebase, so to speak?
#4. What does your music network look like now?
colorful人生 and nullmoon reacted to this -
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Yooooooooooooooo, this is great news!!! Hopefully they save Shiina from her wayward solo career.
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Greetings, fellow Monochromians! Yall doing, alright? I certainly hope so!
As we close out the year 2019, some of the Official Reviewers and Staff members thought we'd take a look back at some remarkable (and one or two remarkably bad) J-rock albums that turned 10 this year! So whether you were around 10 years ago or not, let's discuss! What do you think of the entries on our list? What are your favorite J-rock albums that turned 10 this year? Did they age well for you? Let's talk about it!
9GOATS BLACK OUT
Black rain
- @doombox
Devils in Bedside was shrouded in mystery. This melancholic band had literally no space in a scene that was filled with pop rock vibes and colourful looks. Nevertheless, 9GBO continued down their own path and released Black Rain. It’s a blessing that they never followed the trends surrounding the scene, or we might have never gotten one of the most dramatic creations in vk. The band is still a mystery at this point as no PV graced our eyes with this album, all we know now is that these guys are *not* a one hit wonder. I believe that because of the lack of visuals and their mature sound (way ahead of their time) 9GBO never reached the success they deserved. Listening to Black Rain is like opening a fantasy book and losing yourself in a beautiful rainy landscape. The topic of rain has been explored a million times in visual kei, but Black Rain captures the feelings and nuances of its title very effectively. ‘Romeo’ and ‘In the Rain’ are still some of my favourite tracks ever and I remember playing them over and over back in the day (I still do, but I try to limit myself). Whereas Devil in Bedside was drier and raw, Black Rain is simply dripping with emotion. It's escapism at its best. - @platy While most fans of 9GBO fell in love with their debut album Devils in Bedside, it was Black Rain that made me a fan, as this was also my first time listening to them. I was convinced 9GBO were going to be remembered for years to come as this album to me has depths of artistic expression not relative to other acts of this time; they reminded me so much of deadman, they were in a league of their own. It did indeed feel like each track told a story, some clinging on to life, with others full of warmth and energy. “In the Rain” would be my favorite song from them to this day, as the harmony of light and dark, simple chords and the complexity of how they’re interpreted, left a respectable mark on my listening experience of them so many years ago. - @YuyoDrift Listen:SUICIDE ALI
第4のwaltz
Nothing should be taken away from 第4のwaltz because SUICIDE ALI weren't able to recreate its magic however. 第4のwaltz is all over the place in the best possible ways. Songs with goth midi-satyr-flute, acoustic guitar strumming, nu-metal tinged bass guitars and gang shouts behind rushed lead vocals shouldn't work at all but oh my God "笛吹童子" is one of my absolute favorite songs from 2009.
第4のwaltz would get my vote as the best album released by Starwave Records/ Darkest Labyrinth. Often when Kiwamu gets involved I find releases simultaneously over- and under-produced but the combination of studio effects and just letting a band be who they are collided in a magnificent way for this album.
There isn't another album in all of Visual Kei that sounds exactly like 第4のwaltz. Let it stand as a monument to glory for both a band and record label that often disappointed otherwise.
Listen:D’espairsRay
REDEEMER
They were always known to place their music as that symbol of expressive emotions that suited their name and I felt that REDEEMER upheld their ideal while keeping the VK aesthetic close by. While I understand the album underwhelms to some, it still retains that creativity that none can deny was what really mattered during this age, and with Hizumi’s way of singing being otherworldly, their arrangements were an art form itself. “Heaven’s Color”, one of my favorite songs of the album and the last decade, has lyrics portrayed beautifully in Hizumi’s singing along with the instrumental chords that kindle an ethereal feel, eternally associating the colors of heaven to a song that continues to give me an ephemeral rush of emotions today. Listen:凛として時雨
just A moment
Back in the day, long before TK ever whispered on any anime songs or produced for any Jpop artists, when people were still spelling their name "rin toshite shigure", ling tosite sigure were to J-indie fans what DIR EN GREY or the GazettE are to visual kei. The band's musical acumen and trend-setting innovation pretty much guaranteed that each new release would be a spectacle met with critical acclaim.
Naturally, that was the case with just A moment too. ling had just struck a deal with Sony Music Japan, so this was their first major label album. There may have been concern that they'd be plagued with the dreaded major-label curse and fall off like their contemporaries 9mm Parabellum Bullet, but this album quickly put all those worries to rest.
just A moment definitely reigned in ling's sound a bit and established more structure in their songwriting, but the quality of their music did not suffer at all. In fact, ling remained just as intense, emotional, and creative as ever. Plus, this was the first time that we got to hear ling's music with actual state-of-the-art production!...and DAT BASS!!! W000!!!! But I digress.
Including this album was a no-brainer for me. It was bangin' then, and it's bangin' now. ling has always been in their own lane, and in my book, they wouldn't go on to release anything sub-par until after 2013.
- @CAT5
Listen:-OZ-
VERSUS
- @Zeus
Listen:lynch.
SHADOWS
Listen:Crossfaith
The Artificial Theory For The Dramatic Beauty
- @doombox
Listen:Psysalia psysalis psyche
Matin Brun
By 2009, two EPs and a single had placed PPP on the radar of a decent amount of J-rock fans. Up until this point, they'd released a few standout tracks like "SUBWAY KILLER" and "Butch & The Sundance Kid", but the rest of their output was just solid and nothing more. Basically, they were the kind of band that were cool enough to check out, but not one that you'd set your expectations too high for. So when they dropped Matin Brun, their debut full-length, I don't think anyone was ready! This album just completely eclipsed their previous output. It's like they entered into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber from DBZ because their sound matured by leaps and bounds in the one year since their previous EP. Their dark and edgy brand of alt.rock was still in tact, but it was far more refined here. In fact, everything was better - the songwriting, the musicianship, and even the production. Hell, they even threw in some shoegaze for good measure! Sadly, the band's flame flickered out just a few years later and they disbanded in 2012. Their 2nd and final album felt more like a rushed and shoddily put together parting gift in comparison. However, Matin Brun remains standing tall in its own splendor. It's a testament to a band that was, perhaps, not done exploring their potential. - @CAT5
Listen:Plastic Tree
ドナドナ
Listen:vistlip
PATRIOT
The members of vistlip said in an interview with JAME just before the release of PATRIOT that they don't have a band concept because, in part, "we might be trapped in it, so we do whatever we think is good... we are quite flexible." It's exactly this kind of attitude that makes PATRIOT a VK classic. There's a diversity in the eight songs of PATRIOT even though they all would fall under the wide umbrella of 'bright Visual Kei'. The vocalist Tomo takes some chances and screams a bit, but mostly understands what his range is and maxes what he *can* do (which is write some incredibly catchy refrains) rather than try to make his voice do things it wasn't designed to. The band isn't afraid of a crunchy riff but also want to write songs that are accessible and fun.
PATRIOT deserves a spot in your collection a decade after its release because it's a crowd-pleaser that isn't pandering. Love fun Oshare Kei but want something a little less squeaky and cute? This mini-album fits the bill. You're into heavier music but want something you could play for your mom to introduce her to VK that isn't scary but also isn't milquetoast? vistlip have been doing that for more than a decade now.
Listen:exist†trace
VANGUARD -of the muses-
Listen:exist†trace
Ambivalent Symphony
- @doombox
You thought they were done for this year with just one EP? Try a second one! exist†trace continued to blow the doors off the male-dominated scene by releasing Ambivalent Symphony only a few months later. Just as in the previous EP, Jyou decided to tone down the screams and growls, as I recall that at the time she was straining her throat at a very fast rate, but what we discovered was that she was an even more amazing singer once she focused her longer notes, bringing more life and contrast to their arrangements. I still herald Jyou as one of the best female singers of the vk scene and this album is a benchmark of what she contributed to the archives of old. Tracks I still play to this day are “Wrath” and “「終わりのない世界」”, and they are so synonymous to my memories of them. exist†trace may have also been the only band that still retained a gothic appearance in the visual kei scene, carrying over the heavy and dark basslines one last time in an era for them that would be short-lived, as the sound of exist†trace would soon change. - @YuyoDrift Listen:MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS
ワールドイズユアーズ
- @CAT5
Listen:Megaromania
Prophetic Faction - the Universe -
Listen:kamomekamome / DEEPSLAUTER / FUCK YOU HEROES
放送事故現場 split
ahaha, in general, I think split releases are a cool idea, but it's often the case that one band out-shines the other(s) and the split just isn't enjoyable as a whole. Thankfully, that's not the case here. All three bands brought their a-game, although they all represent different shades of hardcore. kamomekamome offered two tracks that are more on the post-hardcore side of things, with killer riffs and frantic, spoken word-ish vocals. DEEPSLAUTER is pegged as "power-violence" with a much more chaotic and progressive sound, and FUCK YOU HEROES is more or less your traditional hardcore punk. Splits are an especially common thing in the punk world, but this one is essential for Japanese H/C fans! - @CAT5
Listen:the studs
alansmithee
Listen:FACT
FACT
- @doombox
Listen:百蚊
花園
I think the band had finally found their sound on this album - noisey and spastic post-punk with angular riffs and warped distortion. If I remember correctly, I think Steve once described the guitar tone in one of their songs as 'sounding like broken glass'. This album is a blast from start to finish! Fans of melt-banana and limited express (has gone ) would love this! - @CAT5
Listen:DEATHGAZE
THE CONTINUATION
Listen:アルカラ
BOY NEXT DOOR
BOY NEXT DOOR definitely showcased some of the indie-rock explosiveness that 9mm was known for, but it also proved that Arukara were very much their own band. Much like cinema staff's Mizuki Iida, vocalist Taisuke Inamura also has a strong singing voice which stands out in the J-indie world (where high-pitched and effeminate male voices are common and there really are no singing standards ). Taisuke's voice, the band's technical ability, memorable melodies, and compelling songwriting all make BOY NEXT DOOR a fantastic record. One of the best of 2009, with some of my all-time favorite Arukara songs! - @CAT5
Listen:ClearVeil
RE:BORN
Listen:Far France
AHYARANKE
- @CAT5
Listen:VAMPS
VAMPS
Listen:Z
新今日
They formed from the remains of legendary hardcore punk band There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (whose members also formed bands like As Meias and Hununhum) I've seen them described as "Pharoah Sanders meets late-period Black Flag" and "post-avant-jazzcore" - WHATEVER THAT MEANS. They're definitely experimental, and they definitely have elements of jazz and hardcore. Their sound is also sinister and unsettling, often striving between free-form chaos and menacing grooves. I definitely wouldn't call this album accessible, but Z incorporates all of these different traits in the most sprawling and immersive, yet captivating fashion. Almost all of their tracks take time to really build up, but the payoff is always worth it and the journey is a fulfilling one, especially with frontman Jun Nemoto's frantically animated vocals in tow. A truly noteworthy effort from vets of the Japanese underground. - @CAT5
Listen:圭
silk tree.
Listen:LIGHT BRINGER
Tales of Almanac
Listen:cinema staff
Symmetoronica
- @CAT5
Listen:Unlucky Morpheus
Jealousy
Listen:Sadie
MASTER OF ROMANCE
Listen:SCREW
X-RAYS
Hailing sometime from the awkward era where the instrumentals were good but vocalist Byou still couldn't sing, X-RAYS is one of the black sheep of visual kei albums for sure. I never thought that I'd catch myself recommending anything from this era ten years from now, but things change. Dodge anything that sounds like a bad attempt at metal - which includes songs like "DRASTIC SLAVER", "VII CARDINAL SINS", and "void box" - and you'll find a more than competent rock band yearning to be set free. Go back any further than this and I find the vocals unbearable. Go any further than this and I find the instrumentals dull. "FIREFLY" is my jam and "RUIN AND DREAD" is a surprise carrying a tone completely unfitting for the name, and "answer" has one hell of a kick ass riff that almost makes you forget people liked to clown on SCREW ten years ago. As with most of the things I review, this would have been better off as a mini-album. - @Zeus Listen:alice nine.
VANDALIZE
Listen:ViViD
The ViViD Color
- @doombox
Listen:ハイスイノナサ
街について
Haisuinonasa falls into that category. I remember hearing a demo version of "happy end" (the song featured below), and thinking that these guys would be something special. A few months later, they debuted with this EP (through the formerly esteemed Zankyo Records), and my premonitions proved correct. You could say they played a form of dreamy, math-rock with female vocals, but that would be denigrating at best. I've even seen some describe them as "piano-driven breakbeat" with elements of post rock, prog, minimal, and electronica, but whatever you wanna call it, machi nitsuite offered an entirely new sound that is just as singular now as it was then. I can honestly say that this was a flawless debut. - @CAT5
Listen:toe
For Long Tomorrow
I dare say, they exceeded expectations. This album is not only an evolution of toe's sound, but it's an evolution of math-rock in general. Unlike most bands of this genre, they're not content to just aimlessly noodle your face off with meandering riffs. Not at all. toe actually plays with intent, and their songwriting is full of character. Mino and Yamazaki aren't simply playing guitar - no, they're waltzing together on the fret board. Seamlessly. Gracefully. Kashikura isn't just an excellent drummer. nah, dude is narrating percussive epics in dis bih!!! 🤣 Basically, the band's chemistry is so stellar that anything they do is guaranteed to be high quality. And with their soundscape expanded to include keyboards, kalimbas, horns, and guest vocalists, this album truly put toe in a league of their own. They pretty much set the bar for math-rock. (btw, the song featured below has been my ringtone FOR YEARS!!! ) - @CAT5
Listen:miscorner/c+llooqtortion
view for voices
I can honestly say that this is one of the most unique records I've ever heard out of the vast world of J-indie. miscorner themselves were a pretty unique band, though. Essentially, they were two drummers playing to pre-recorded loops, and while their usual output was instrumental, they took a different approach on this EP by featuring a host of guest vocalists. To my knowledge, miscorner were a pretty obscure band, both in Japan and abroad. (I can actually count on one hand the amount of J-music fans I knew who actually knew this band as well.) Yet somehow, the vocalists featured on this EP are all J-indie O.G.'s like Takahisa Gomi from LOSTAGE, and Seiki from NAHT. Hell, they even managed to feature a J-pop vet like Misako Odani! Easily one of the best things about 2009, and one of J-indie's hidden gems. - @CAT5
Listen:12012
mar maroon
- @Zeus
Listen:the GazettE
DIM
DIM is an album defined more by what it isn't than what it is. When examining the release of all the GazettE albums in chronological order, DIM rises head and shoulders above album neighbors Toxic and the eponymous Stacked Rubbish. It's almost impossible not to do this comparison. This is viewed by many as one of the GazettE's best albums, but time has not been kind to this album. With the initial wow factor out of the way, one can clearly see how the progressive leanings of Dir en grey's 2008 masterpiece Uroboros heavily influenced DIM. The album is very disjointed and features a lot of SE's to try and fix that - which it doesn't. When it's good, it's good. When it's not good, it's blase. Some tracks like "Shiroki Yuuutsu" and "IN THE MIDDLE OF CHAOS" are very forgettable experiences. One of the best songs "HEADACHE MAN" is a recycled B-side. "OGRE" is a bad Slipknot cover. "A MOTH UNDER THE SKIN" feels unfinished. Some pruning is required to bring the best out of this period, but it's there waiting to be found. This is an ambitious attempt by the band to outdo themselves and they really nailed this darkness concept the first time around. The lead singles are catchy without resorting to pop hooks and banal visual kei tropes. Good album, bit overrated, better than most of their full lengths, but I think that DOGMA and NINTH are better, more enriching overall experiences.
- @Zeus
Also known as “the first time I noticed the GazettE had a drummer”. DIM has arguably left the biggest mark on the band’s career, not only had Ruki improved as a vocalist, Kai also seemed to level up enough to finally bring life to their music. Before, sure, he kept the rhythm in check and played his role in the band, but from DIM onwards Kai’s own style started to shine. This album was the draft for what would later culminate in DOGMA, that is to say, Gazette’s style took a turn into darker corners with a heavy, tangible concept that was not only musical but visual. "13stairs[-]1" is a slow burner that I still find myself going back to and it pairs perfectly with "HEADACHE MAN" and "OGRE" — great songs to headbang to in a live setting. And yet, despite the heaviness of DIM, we were given one of the GazettE’s best ballads, “nakigahara”. It'd been several years since they had released a long, emotional trip like this (old fans will know) and they did not disappoint, despite its simplicity and instrumental minimalism, the heartache of "nakigahara" leaves you hanging to every note. Although DIM does feel like a slog to get through despite these great gems, its legacy is undeniable.
- @platy
Wait...DIM is on this list????
ahaha. I'm sure absolutely no one is surprised to see this album here. But there is good reason for it!
Most people here know that I'm a casual VK fan, but a lover of J-rock and Japanese music in general. During my beginning phases of exploring J-rock, I dabbled in a bit of VK from like late 2004 - 2006, and then started getting into J-indie in 2007 and focusing my attention there. Basically, i'd heard and enjoyed NIL, but skipped STACKED RUBBISH. By the time 2009 rolled around, I was neck-deep in J-indie and only getting deeper, but DIM and all of the singles leading up to it were the only things that made me stop and pay attention to the VK world again.
People can say what they want now, but almost everything about DIM was magical, during and prior to its release. The videos, the music, the general aesthetics...clearly, the GazettE had tapped into something special!
Now in retrospect, DIM has definitely started to show some rust in areas. Certain tracks like "THE INVISIBLE WALL" and "A MOTH UNDER THE SKIN" just don't hit like they used to, and I think their whole 'dark/heavy' sound was later refined and employed waaaay better on DOGMA and NINTH. But with that said, I think all of the single/PV tracks are still particularly strong to this day. But I think what sets this album apart more than anything is the vision they had for it. It feels more like a complete experience than a cohesive collection of songs. DIM actually has character to it.
- @CAT5
Listen:......
What are you listening to 2?
in Games / Spam
Posted
This shit still hard