*littlelamb

It said in the notice that the tickets would be reimbursable within three weeks. I interpreted that to mean that they aren't yet, but will be sometime in the next three weeks, so I'm just gonna wait and see. They can't expect to get away with stealing people's money, not if they plan to continue their business anyway.

So people were waiting to buy tickets, because they figured the tour might get cancelled due to the incompetence of the organizers, so the organizers figured not enough people were coming and decided to cancel? Well that's just great. And they still haven't even bothered to take the tour off their website, you can still buy tickets. How hard can it be to have some semblance of professionalism?

Had a sneaking suspicion this would happen after the terror attacks and Kamijo's gigs being cancelled. Luckily I only had tickets for one gig and no travel plans, so I won't lose too much, even if they fail to reimburse. I'm definitely not expecting Merry to come back next year unless hell freezes over and they suddenly become massively popular. The whole tour and especially the number of tour dates was a bit of a WTF considering their lack of popularity, so clearly they didn't sell many tickets and figured it wasn't worth the trouble right now considering everything. Can't see it being any more worth it next year. The organizers are a bunch of amateurs indeed.

That was a lot to take in at first listen, but I was sold on the second. Just lovely! Thanks for another nice Xmas present, Merry! Can't wait to hear the other version/song/whatever. Love the covers too. Old school.

Go on. You won't regret seeing Merry live! You will regret not seeing them.

Both tracks will have the same lyrics, but different music. Should be interesting.

Here's a rare Merry (well Gara) interview in English for anyone interested: http://mandah.media/merry/ Seems like the tour came about pretty fast since Gara was still saying it's unlikely they'll come back to Europe.

Why do most good bands become so repetitive after a few releases? I used to adore Ling, but I don't need to hear 10 different versions of what's essentially the same song.

Kenichi needs to make more songs, since they're always gold!

Lovely song!

Oh hey, a little Merry live! They play Happy life starting 13:24. So good! It's supposed to have a straightforward 80s punk rock feel (think The Blue Hearts etc.) and it totally does. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJPHEnym13I

It's not offensive, just kind of boring and repetitive. But I was always bored by The Novembers too despite liking other similar stuff, so maybe we're just not meant to be. Glad Die has something to channel his pop-rock sensibilities into though. What's with the nonsensical lyrics?

Who's gonna clean that mess? Haha.

Well that was corny.

I really don't know. I can remember times it hasn't worked for me on Youtube either, but it did today just fine and I didn't do anything special. I always have it turned off when I don't need it so hopefully no one's using my connection. The song's pretty nice, but I still prefer their early stuff.

I recommend Hola unblocker, makes internet life so much easier.

I hear it in parts, but it's not obvious. More 9mm kind. Love it already! Nice melodies and lyrics.

According to the description on the official site, it'll be a classic Merry retro song with a catchy melody, but the lyrics are about the sense of well-being in present day Japan. That's a nice change, since the last album was all about what's wrong in Japanese society. Can't wait!

This is the best vid ever! I could watch smiley Gara all day long. And those pigeons eating noodles.

Their live today was broadcasted on nicovideo. Wish I'd thought to check if it had been mentioned here. I guess if anyone happens to be a premium member, you can still watch it using timeshift at http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv211092481 It was amazing! The new songs sound great live and very much like Merry. I mean I didn't even realise they played all the songs from the new album until I started really thinking about it, because they didn't sound out of place at all. The live actually reminded me of the BURST EP DVD, which is my favourite ever. They even played stupid×cupid. And Tetsu made an appearance for Gunjou. BTW the accordion on the album is played by Tomo from THE CHERRY COKE$. (The flyer reminded me)

Yes, there hasn't been a single Kenichi song since under-world, unless I'm totally forgetting something. Not sure why, lack of inspiration I guess. He used to make the most out of the box original songs IMO, so it's a shame. BTW, were there always English subtitles for NOnsenSe MARkeT on Youtube? Because I only just discovered them myself by accidentally clicking the subtitle button. Now that's a first!

He suffered a spinal cord injury to his neck thanks to a stage diver in late 2013, so he hasn't been able to perform. Still going through rehabilitation, but he has been a part of their studio activities and plays the bass for all the songs on the album. I would definitely give it a few listens and some time. It may just be me, but their best songs have always been a bit slow to reveal themselves. Honestly, I was disappointed when I heard the previews, but as crazy as it may sound that just gave me a good feeling about this album. As for the credits... iNtO the mARkeT --- Yuu NOnsenSe MARkeT --- Merry (started with the lyrics) 「東京」 --- Yuu 自意識過剰型木偶人間 --- Yuu, Tetsu ZERO -ゼロ- --- Nero 暗闇にピンク --- Kenichi Hide-and-seek --- Yuu Zombie Paradise ～地獄の舞踏曲～ --- Tetsu Carnival --- Nero Station 07 --- Nero 千代田線デモクラシー --- Nero 梟 --- Tetsu Unreachable Voice --- Yuu 群青 --- Merry

I think they probably put 群青 as the final track, because they wanted to end the album on a positive note. The lyrics of that song carry a lot of meaning. It's about staying hopeful through bad times, and even though it was written 2.5 years ago, it definitely applies to Merry right now as well. Tetsu made a comeback to play one song in their Jan 2nd live and that was the song they decided to play. So I think it's exactly where it should be on the album, because it's essentially a positive song unlike all the others. As for the album, I love it. It's not perfect, but that's kind of what I love about Merry. They're best when they don't try too hard and just do what they want without any pressure. They've never been about making some fine art, since they're a punk band at heart. They just make catchy songs with original melodies that are fun to perform live and that you can listen to 1000 times without getting bored. Even though I enjoyed Beautiful Freaks as well (this is my favourite band for a reason) it did feel a bit "airbrushed" and muddled with too much distortion. It was missing that edge that really makes it interesting and now it's back! And even though I love Yuu, BF was almost all him and I was really missing songs by the other members. This time it's 4.5 tracks by Yuu, 4 by Nero, 2.5 by Tetsu, 1 by Kenichi and 2 by Merry as a whole. And that adds so much to the variety of styles! Favourite songs: 暗闇にピンク - I can't tell you how much I've missed listening to Kenichi play his own cool melodies in my left ear, so I was positively ecstatic hearing this song. Truth be told, if I had to pick my 10 favourite Merry songs ever, then most of them would probably be by Kenichi and this might even make the list. One of their best songs in while. The vocals are great too. Unreachable Voice - This song doesn't really sound like Merry, but I mean that in a good way. It shows their versatility. It's very calming, yet not boring at all. It's all in the details. Just sounds classy and really highlights how beautiful Gara's voice is. Zombie Paradise ～地獄の舞踏曲～ - Listening to the previews I thought I was gonna hate this song, but it turned out to be one of my favourites. It's just super cool somehow and sounds so very Tetsu. Hide-and-seek - Can't say no to surf rock Merry! I mean 哀しみブルートレイン is the song that got me hooked on this band in the first place, so yes, I love it. 千代田線デモクラシー - It's punky, it's retro and it's silly. Just like Merry. I always approve of the accordion. Carnival - Might have been higher on the list if I hadn't already listened to it a thousand times when it first came out. One of their best songs recently. Nero's been quite prolific lately and I like it. NOnsenSe MARkeT - Not my favourite on the album, but a good song nonetheless. I like the lyrics and the PV is amazing. And yes, you are supposed to read NO SMART in the title and NO ART in the intro track title, in case anyone's wondering. I don't do stars, but all in all I really enjoy this album and feel it was worth the wait. Feels like we got what one might call the old Merry back. I also like the album art, which is flowers made out of dead mice and rats (snake food from the pet shop that is). It goes together with the whole zombie theme of Merry coming back from the dead. I also love the bonus CD, because I love acoustic Merry and have been hoping to have some on a CD since forever. I think acoustic arrangements really highlight how good Merry's songwriting is. It's not reliant on special effects. The melodies can stand on their own, which is something that is sorely lacking in modern rock music IMHO. The fluttering guitars on Kanaria are just genius. I also thought all the live tracks sound great and I prefer the one of 群青 to the one on the album. Screams of the Dark is also a nice bonus. What a fun song! Oh and I've read the comparison to 9mm Parabellum Bullet in several threads now and I don't get where it's come from all of a sudden. The only thing these bands have in common is that they both derive from old retro styles and combine that with modern punkrock (which is actually why I used to be a fan of 9mm too). However, Merry had already branded "retrock" before 9mm even existed and still manage to churn out original songs 13 years later, whereas 9mm has been making the same song over and over again since about their second album. I actually own Termination, but have lost interest in them a long time ago now, since they keep repeating themselves and that's my pet peeve when it comes to bands. Not that this matters anyway, since I never thought these bands sound alike. Just had to get that off my chest.

I think the PV is perfect! I'm sure it's supposed to remind you of Violet Harenchi, and I find that PV absolutely hilarious, so can't complain. Can't wait for the album!