CAT5

Welcome to the forum! Enjoy!

Another new song. Typical toe, but still nice: http://www.avclub.com/article/toe-offers-look-its-universe-world-according-222187

Artist: 雨のパレード (Ame no Parade) Album: new place 1. new place 2. encore 3. bam 4. inst/□ 5. 僕≠僕 6. 夜の匂い 7. YES 8. AM4:29 Rating: | WAIT WUT? NON-VISUAL VISUAL ROCK?!?! If you thought Visual Kei was the only musical paradigm in Japan where you could find bands with a strong emphasis on, well, visuals, then you're wrong! Up-and-coming indie outfit Ame no Parade offer an entirely immersive "art-rock" experience. The quartet consists of Kohei Fukunaga (vocals), Mineho Osawa (drums), Kosuke Yamasaki (guitar), and Ryosuke Korenaga (bass). Additionally, they have their very own in-house creative staff - a painter, a fashion designer, and a jewelry artist. With this inventive ensemble, the band has a firm foot in the music arena as well as the art world, which lands them atypical gigs at places like fashion shows and art galleries. But for a band with such a dynamic focus, how do they hold up on a strictly musical basis? new place, Ame no Parade's third and latest mini album, is the perfect place to explore this question. It's their second release under the highly esteemed indie label Zankyo Records, and for most indie-heads, that's an automatic sign of quality. As musicians, they're as competent as any other bands on the roster. Drummer Mineho is especially ingenious. Having previously played in jazz bands, she brings a certain eccentric grace that perfectly accentuates their post-rock leanings. Kohei's singing is also a pleasant draw for the band. He has that typical, effeminate vocal tone that you can find in any number of radio-ready Japanese indie-rock bands (think plenty, people in the box, dry as dust, etc), but his delivery is pristine and soulful enough to distinguish him from his peers. Kosuke and Ryosuke are no slouches either, as the former makes clever use of effects pedals to create different guitar tones and variations without straying from the band's sound, and the latter's buttery basslines are the icing on the cake. When these four coalesce, they're easily capable of making magic, but that's not always a guarantee. Title track and album opener "new place" is an excellent example of when they get it right, though. As soon as the song starts, the melody of the opening riffs and Kohei's catchy "ooh"s and "woo"s are enough to make you think that you're about to hear the latest EDM hit, but as soon as Mineho's drums kick in, you realize that you're in for something a bit different. Whether it's the subtle, yet deviceful drumming, the minimalistic and calculated guitar, or Kohei's piercing vocal lines - Ame no Parade's strength lies in taking the familiar and repainting it from different musical palettes. The result is usually atmospheric pop with the combined ingenuity of indie-rock, post-rock, and math-rock. In addition to "new place", "encore" and "僕≠僕 (boku≠boku)" are the tracks where this style of songwriting works best. But even with such a potent formula, the band doesn't always replicate the same results. The 'sparse-verse-to-explosive-chorus' structure that was established in the opening track is recycled throughout the first leg of the album and wears especially thin by the third track "bam" - a song with much less impact than its title insinuates. "YES" and "夜の匂い (Yoru no Nioi)" are more amorphous in design, but the melodies are demure at best, and neither Mineho's intricate percussion nor Kohei's crooning is enough to sustain interest. With these tracks, it feels like the band was more interested in establishing atmosphere rather than engaging the listener. Furthermore, the instrumental interlude "inst/□" seems like an unnecessary prelude to the song that follows, and the final track "AM4:29" is five minutes of ambience with no intrinsic value other than sounding like 'a good way to close the album'. All in all, new place is a decent release from a promising young band. It's got some good songs and a few potential growers, but your experience with it depends on just how much you'll be able to tap into and appreciate the band's aesthetic. They've certainly got the chops to make compelling music, but for now, it seems like they're more focused on curating than creating. Support the band! Purchase new place @ CDJapan Purchase new place @ HMV Purchase new place @ iTunes JP

You're super talented!

NOHARA 2015年9月16日発売 1.Ginger 2.NOHARA 3.さらば街よ 4.autumn beach 5.海を見たいと思う 価格:¥1,500 (税別) PECF-3154 http://agefactory.biz/ https://twitter.com/agefactory_

Checked out the PV song, and I can definitely dig the music, even if the vocal style isn't my cup of tea. (also typing this while listening, with your SiM gif in plain sight, it kinda goes with the music at times, haha) What are your favorite tracks from the album?

I'm not a huge gamer, but back when I got my ps3, I just gave my ps2 to my nephew, heh. I do still have the original xbox. It can no longer read CDs, but it's modded, so I can still play emulators on it if I wish to do so.

2015 just keeps getting better ; )

A trend being popular in the west doesn't necessarily equate to being "worldwide". And where did I say EDM originated in America? If we're speaking strictly about the music, then "Electronic dance music" is a pretty broad, umbrella term that could refer to a variety of different styles. But if we're talking about EDM in reference to the American Mainstream, then yeah, the term itself was coined by the American media/industry, and is often used to describe a more narrow field of sounds.

I'd argue that there are some distinct differences between Jpop and, say, American pop. Granted, it's all pop music at the end of the day, so I can definitely see where you're coming from.I think what beni was referring to with this particular release was the use of musical trends (like EDM) that have been much more prevalent in America's mainstream than in Japan. That's not to say that EDM is strictly a western thing, but simply that it's not as widespread in Japanese pop. The same could be said for the whole trap craze which has burgeoned from a local/esoteric rap scene into something that's heard regularly in American mainstream pop. While there are Japanese hip hop artists that have taken on the trap sound, it's still something that hasn't caught on in the Japanese mainstream. Major acts like Namie Amuro, Ayumi Hamasaki, and even capsule are just now capitalizing on the EDM craze which is already old hat in America.

If I'm seeing things correctly, looks like THE NOVEMBERS are releasing something new this fall ; ) http://the-novembers.com/

"Mi Amor" is extremely well done, especially for mainstream Japanese pop. That song alone is more compelling than any of the EDM stuff on Namie's latest album. I also agree that the ghost-guitarist in the video brings to mind Miyavi! Also seconding your thoughts on "Dayum". It's a cool track but also pretty amusing in that I'd more readily associate that sound with America or Korea. The production on it reminds of Timbaland for some reason.

Shoegaze is fine, but I'm hoping for something a bit more interesting. Although I think Kobayashi's involvement has pushed my expectations far higher than they need to be.

new DOTAMA out on August 8th. I'm sure it'll be dope, especially the tracks produced by Quviokal and Fragment. Also curious to hear what he's done with the mornings. DOTAMA 「ニューアルバム」 2015 8/12 発売 型番 sube-043 販売価格 2,160円(税込) レーベル 術ノ穴 [Tracklist] 01, HEAD　(pro.Quviokal) 02, 音楽ワルキューレ2　(pro.Fragment) 03, 名曲の作り方　(pro.Kuma the Sureshot) 04, イオンモール feat.カクマクシャカ　(pro.クロダセイイチ) 05, カリカチュア　(pro.SUNNOVA) 06, 誰も知らない　(pro.食品まつり) 07, 自宅ユニバース　(pro.the mornings) 08, 要求　(pro.munnrai) 09, リクルート　(pro.DOTAMA) 10, 栃木のラッパー　(pro.Fragment) 11, こんなぶっ壊れた国で　(pro.Jr,TEA from エンヤサン)

I'm definitely excited to hear this.

Sounds like a tolerable seiko oomori sound. That's not necessarily a good thing, though.

go to "rooms", click on any room, and then click "create room" at the top. then enter "monochrome heaven" and it should take you to the room

Since a few people were having issues joining the private room, I made the room public: The room is called "monochrome heaven" Please feel free to stop by

About time! The latter half of 2015 is shaping up to be great!

Please shoot me a message when you guys are online so that I can add you to the room. Just go to users and add me from there.

Whenever two identical threads are made, they are merged into one. I didn't merge the topics myself, but that seems to have been the case here.

Great to see some ppl joining up. I just want to note that you have to be online for me to add you to the group ofc. Also, my name there is CAT5

Made a new last.fm a few months ago: http://www.last.fm/user/wesurii