LIDL

My copy of Ningen arrived today. 
 
It came with a button that says “Fucking Rock Star Bitch!?”

I think it's hilarious how every time they release something there's a line of doomsayers prepared to prophesize the end the of the band and how it's inevitably only going to go downhill from here. Disbandment imminent. 
 
People have been saying this for the past fifteen years that I have personal experience with, and I'm sure before that people in Japan complained how Gauze and their major debut was inevitably going to lead to them blowing up and crashing. And before that people most likely complained that MISSA didn't sound like La:Sadie's. 
 
It's almost as if people confuse their subjective opinion of a single song/release with how the band is doing at large. 

You can find the lyrics and English translations of both songs here:
 
Ningen wo Kaburu: https://rocklyric.jp/lyric.php?sid=174990
Ash: https://rocklyric.jp/lyric.php?sid=174991

It will be on US iTunes anyway, even if come a little bit later.

It’ll probably be on there this Friday, but given how they handled Utafumi it’ll just be the radio edit version. No additional tracks. 

Without a doubt it is Yoshiki, man. C'mon. Manson never do shit that Yoshiki did. You'll never see Manson milking Twiggy in a hologram or actually made a festival to commemorate him or anything, matter of fact he can straight out fired her after known he was doing those sex assault against Jack Of Jill member, or delaying an album for eternity.
 
That's BS elitist metal fan talk right there. Just because someone is in Top 40, that doesn't strip them away of anything that is "edgy" or fundamental. She just did it different way, she don't have to act like a tool in music videos and live shows that lots of metal band members does to be heard, but the goal is the same. Everyone have their own gimmicks.

Did you see her show? 
 
2 hours of unashamed pride. A full size brass marching band, skits during song breaks and an all black female orchestra. Beyoncé is pushing the boundary of musicality politically, sociologically, in every fucking aspect. Show some damn respect. 

I love what I hear so far. And that MV is looking interesting. A little WtD vibe for me so it is good. Can’t wait!

ya he's passing the meatball line for his own stans

I don't think Sadie ever did something so good

Slay a bit, sis! 

That is quite obvious, I mean, she wore vintage Versace turtle neck for her confessional look. 

I enjoy discovering new artists, new genres.
Sometimes I'd listen to it many times, til I get used to it. If I cannot get into it, then I will drop it for awhile.
Sometimes, some music just needed the right mood and timing to be enjoyed.
 
For example, I am a fan of Marilyn Manson. And when he released Golden Age of Grotesque, I cannot get into it easily cos it is so different with what the band has done in the past. It frustrates me. And I leave it alone until 3 years later, suddenly I wanna hear it and so I did. During this time, the album speak to me. It was a great experience. I had this same thing with some of other albums too, MIA's MAYA for example, and more. Now I come to appreciate those albums much more.
 
But sometimes, things just really not for me. Even after awhile and I tried to listen to it/them again. And I felt I have given a fair chance, and just didn't work. So I usually will drop it altogether.
 
 

I was also looking for something from them, I found only this on youtube:
 
 

Wow, I wasnt even aware that Shun was part of that project. 
 
Someone said they sat down and spoke with Satsuki, and he claimed that interband fighting is what caused the band to collapse. Like two of the guys would have regular physical altercations. For some reason I just assume it was Shun and Ryo. 

cat heaving sounds are technically better than LOOПA too, we stan

it's foundation makeup and a strong light source, sis

Confirmed, Kaya is generating new gender: Kayasexual

^ it’s probably about the suicidal culture in JP

No one said the most important information
 

 
title of the new album is finalized as "NINTH" and it will be released at 2018/06/13 ( 4 types)
 
Limited edition Box A (13000yen) will include CD (12 new songs), Blu-Ray including "Falling" PV and Making and complete scene of their live [暴動区 愚鈍の桜] (Boudouku Gudon no Sakura) at 2017.03.10 at Yoyogi National Stadium, a special boklet and will be in a special metalli box
 
Limited edition Box B (12000yen) will include CD (12 new songs), 2DVD including "Falling" PV and Making and complete scene of their live [暴動区 愚鈍の桜] (Boudouku Gudon no Sakura) at 2017.03.10 at Yoyogi National Stadium
 
Limited editionn (4500yen) will include CD (12 new songs) and DVD including "Falling" PV and Making
 
Regular edition (3300yen) will include Cd (12 songs) only
 
they will hold their oneman live tour [LIVE TOUR 18 THE NINTH PHASE#01 -PHENOMENON-] since 2018/07/19 to 2018/09/04
 

According to Koichi's Instagram, it's pronounced like in English.
 

I want to start out with two key points.
 
Firstly, I don't 'support' piracy, but without it there is no doubt that I wouldn't be this involved in the visual kei scene (and possibly probably not even where I am in my life right now, since listening to Japanese music back in JHS is what eventually led to me formally studying the language and now living and working in Japan, but that's a long story for another thread).
 
Secondly, I voted that piracy is instrumental in keeping the scene alive, but I only believe that to be the case in the international fandom. I would argue that it has little to no impact whatsoever on the actual living scene here in Japan, at least in my experience so far.
 
With that said, I'd like to go into a little more detail. Obviously piracy has been existent since the early days of home media - my uncle used to buy pirated VHS tapes of new movies when I was a kid, for example. With the arrival of the internet, and subsequent developments that have drastically improved our capacity to both upload and download data, it has increased the ability and reach of piracy to a global scale. And despite the cherry-picking of various studies to pin the blame for unsuccessful media on the illegal file-sharing community, the evidence shows that for the most part there is little to no impact whatsoever on sales as a result of piracy.
 
The reason that I think piracy is essential for the international visual kei community is simply a matter of exposure. With communities like MH which share the latest news the moment it leaves the artist's mouth at a concert, or the second it's posted on social media or their official website, even the newest and smallest indie visual bands instantly get tens, hundreds, maybe even thousands more people's attention than they expected. But even with that awareness of band activity, there's no promise that the international community will put their money where their ears are and pick up their releases. With inflation increasing the sales price of CDs over the last few years in Japan, and the fact that many small VK bands release music only in independent record stores or even exclusively at concerts, simply buying the music you're interested in from half way around the world becomes a tall order. This is only compounded by the fact that on top of the costs of buying and shipping the item to you, it's likely that you have no prior way of determining whether you will really enjoy a release or get your money's worth. Hence, piracy becomes a method for fans who are willing to shell out for their favourite artists to sample and sift through the latest music to choose exactly what they put their hard-earned money towards.
 
However, this is speaking from a purely international standpoint. The truth of the matter is, domestic artists in Japan are not expecting to rely on international sales to any extent, regardless of the genre. This is particularly true for indies visual kei, which is far more concerned with gathering a dedicated fan base on their home turf who will repeatedly spend money on tickets and goods, where they make a lot more money than the pitiful cut they get on CD sales. Even bands that are aware of their popularity overseas will very rarely have the opportunity or financial security to consider promoting or performing there, especially on an indie label. For anyone short of a major record deal, purchases from abroad are probably like an unexpected bonus, and nothing more.
 
But the main reason I think piracy has little to no effect on the visual kei scene within Japan is simply that I don't think it's as common. In theory Japan has quite strict laws on illegal file-sharing, and the truth of the matter is that VK is not very big even in its home country. The scene was at its peak years ago when the philosophy of the frontrunners was more relevant, and media exposure was higher. Even if someone were to upload a new release, I just don't think there would be that many people to download it. The hardcore gya will jump on the latest release from their favourite artist, and anyone else is probably just not interested.
 
That's not to say that the scene is necessarily dying out though; if anything, the spread of the pre-owned market to online sales and auction sites (looking at you in particular, Mercari and Yahoo, with simple transactions and free accounts) provides a mecca for domestic and international fans alike. In particular rare items like live-distributed singles and signed goods can sell for tens of thousands of yen if the right buyer is on the lookout. It's easier than ever to get hold of VK music, and while the artists themselves don't see any financial benefit from second-hand sales, they do see an increase in exposure. In addition, devoted fans shell out time and again for not only multiple versions of releases, but also goods from clothing and towels to cheki, which are virtually like trading cards to the hardcore bangya. I would argue that the live scene and sale of goods is what really keeps the VK scene afloat, especially at the indie level. If no-one attends a new band's lives, it's far more damaging for them both financially and in terms of reputation than not selling out a 500-copy press of their first single (ignoring recording and production costs, of course).
 
I realise that this post has gone on for far too long now, but in summary: piracy is a necessary evil for the international community, but largely irrelevant to the success of the artists themselves and the scene in Japan.