doombox

Those metalcore bands I enjoyed a few years ago. I haven't exactly been keeping track of them recently so I wouldn't know what releases they've put out or how they progressed in sound, but I always loved Memphis May Fire. I should actually purchase an external HD so I can enjoy other music again besides just the Visual Kei that hogs my drive right now.
Madeth gray'll - 「マリア」ガ眠ル懺悔ノ「枢」 Cu[be] - Twilight ST★R DELACROIX - パラサイト SOFT BALLET - NEEDLE chariots - Bane SOFT BALLET - PILED HIGHER DEEPER LAREINE - レッスン NéiL - Re:Call ダウト - 思ひ出港町 12012 - calf love Only track I really love from this list is the LAREINE one, so that's an easy call.

How is this faiiiirrrr. It hurts me to vote like this. *sobs* Why you do this to us, CAT5? Why?   (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

I never knew Nos-kun was so popular! That's fantastic! [2]
 

Everyone except that Cat person ofc. He's very very shifty.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention!
 
I personally would not advice to use a full template, because I appreciate users who try to make their posts as pretty as possible and we should just let them. I do think however that a few more things should be mandatory, being:
The name of the release and the band name in both kanji and romaji for easier searching purposes. The release date The tracklist (already mandatory) A cover image of the CD (except for cases of old rips where it's near impossible to find a cover image) I'll discuss this with the other staff members and I'll get back to you about this, but I think that yes, the posts should be a bit more elaborate and informative.

why not create a pinned template? I know some posters have really good looking posts. They would make good templates
 
 
 
 
Only saw that now, I am assuming that is missing an "a" ? I will make sure to include a picture of a panda next time I post a link. pce

Thanks so much for reviewing this album, fitear! It's a great review and while I may feel differently about certain tracks, I think our overall sentiment about this album and THE NOVEMBERS in general is similar. Like zeitgeist, this one was love at first listen and is probably my fav. release by THE NOVEMBERS so far.
I really appreciate how they deliberately made the production on the first few tracks distorted, harsh, and abrasive. To me, that's a symbol of their DIY attitude and a big "fuck you" to the major music industry. I mean, here's a band that could have EASILY took the safe route and tried to appeal to the mainstream, jpop, or anime crowd, and yet they've never sacrificed their sound for fame. They just keep growing and experimenting and the results have all been wonderful so far. I don't know what these guys have tapped into, but they've become something really special and I hope they continue to deliver. I have a feeling that THE NOVEMBERS will be revered by future generations and that their work won't simply fade off into obscuity.

you come onto my forum
 
you disrespect my Buck-Tick
 
dishonor on your family, dishonor on your mother, dishonor on your cow
 
Malice Mizer
RENTRER EN SOI
Deadman
D'espairsRay
MUCC
THE NOVEMBERS
Fixer
NéiL
heidi. 
Lycaon
Charisma.com

Agree on this. Both BTS and EH put out solid albums this year. I'm a happy fan.
 
Also, I know these guys aren't very big and all, but I saw them on a fanevent today and they are the nicest and most adorable group I have seen in my entire life. Saw them last year as well and one of them just straight out asked me "How old are you?" in English. This year he seems to have remembered me and asked my friend how long I'd been here for before, trying to make sure I wouldn't notice. Not sure what he's up to.
 

Artist: THE NOVEMBERS         Album: Rhapsody in beauty         Score:         Fifth time's a charm, right?
With five albums and a number of EPs under their belt, THE NOVEMBERS have had a hand in the Japanese indie scene for years. Their first EP was released in 2007, but I didn't take the time to listen to them until their third EP, GIFT, in 2012. With no disrespect to their beginnings, they started off as a better-than-average band playing good ol' angular indie rock. They've since evolved into so much more, adopting heavy shoegaze influences. Their most recent releases exhibit a louder, darker sound. So what does their fifth album Rhapsody in beauty have in store?

The album kicks off with the noisy intro 救世なき巣 (or Xenakis as it's known on the English version of the tracklist). The instrumental features a dense concoction of airy synths and layers of atmospheric distortion. It begins in a chaotic and foreboding manner, but then slowly develops into something blissful. I find myself zoning out to the second half with its euphoric heaviness. It clocks in at almost six minutes, so impatient listeners might find themselves reaching for the skip button. Next up, Sturm und Drang opens with a bang, or rather a shriek. The title, a reference to the German literary period characterized by passion and an outpouring of emotion, is spot-on. The energetic punk riffs, screams, and distortion-filled outbursts conjure up the notion of "Storm and Stress." Due to the repetitive notes in the first half of the track and Yusuke's extremely distant, unintelligible vocals, this track reads like an interlude. Considering it just followed a lengthy instrumental opener, the structure of the album is off to a perplexing start.

You could say the album gets underway with Xeno and Blood Music.1985. Both songs continue the darker, alternative sound the band began to explore on their previous two releases, Fourth wall and zeitgeist. Expect hi-octane riffs, crashing drums, and powerful, fuzzy bass. Without being predictable, these two choruses have a signature flow that instantly let you know "This is a NOVEMBERS" track. But the best vocal work is yet to come. tu m'(Parallel Ver,) slows things down for a ballad with a hypnotic guitar loop. If you're wondering what "Parallel Ver," refers to, this song is a rerecording from the band's second album Misstopia. This version is noticeably slower than the 2010 one, which in retrospect sounds rushed. This new rendition sounds the way the song was meant to be. The following title track is a rockier approach to the calmer sound just presented. Built around the siren-like guitar riff that repeats throughout the track, Rhapsody in beauty is a dreamy romp into sublime shoegaze territory. Yusuke's vocals simultaneously tread the line between effortless ennui and ecstasy. 236745981 guides you back to the gloomy dark side. About two-thirds through the song, all the distortion is lifted and the song begins to sound like a classic Strokes song! The change is abrupt, but both sections are enjoyable. It's up to you to decide whether the track was patched together convincingly enough. dumb provides one final helping of brooding NOVEMBERS goodness. A deliberate beat and mysterious synths establish a melancholy mood and to top it off, Yusuke shows off a selection of vocal styles: chanting, soaring falsettos, and his gruff scream.

Romancé begins the last leg of the album. A short percussive intro leads into a section of feathery soft synths and jangly guitar riffs. So begins my favorite album track and one of my favorite NOVEMBERS tracks, period; I'm not sure anything will top Reunion with Marr from GIFT, but this is a damn good attempt. The intro reminds me of something defunct dream pop band Hotel Mexico might have done. But it would be unfair to compare Yusuke to Hotel Mexico's vocalist. Beyond the rich vocals and beautiful harmonies in the second half of the song, everything is in place on Romancé from the breathy synths to the tight basslines and, dare I say, perfect guitar. Sit back, close your eyes, and relax. Heaven must sound something like this. This gentle beast of an album closes with 僕らはなんだったんだろう (Bokurawa Nandattan Darou), a gorgeous acoustic ballad. Despite its length, the song never overstays its welcome. Slowly, the song unfolds in front you. Yusuke delivers an emotional and delicate performance. Matching that, the sole guitar doesn't hide behind any production tricks. You can hear every single strum and twang of the guitar strings. Track two might represent the more violent, visceral side of Sturm und Drang, but this track represents the counterpoint; it's equally as emotional, albeit in a different way.

Although the best NOVEMBERS release remains GIFT for me, I do tend to prefer their softer, dreamier side. Having said that, Rhapsody in beauty is my favorite album of theirs. It's more memorable and varied than zeitgeist and more consistent than any of their pre-2011 material. I could listen to Yusuke's vocals all day long and this album is further confirmation that he is one of the freshest and most versatile voices in the Japanese indie scene right now. While not without its minor structural flaws, this is a hell of an album, sure to make appearances on many a Monochromium's Album of the Year list. Whether you'd rather float aimlessly through the clouds with Romancé or fuck shit up to the tune of Blood Music.1985, THE NOVEMBERS have you covered. Anyone with even a marginal interest in Japanese indie rock/alternative/shoegaze owes it to themself to check out THE NOVEMBERS' Rhapsody of beauty. You'll be glad you did!

What did you think about the album?

Maybe my point didn't come across as clearly as I would like.
Yes, of course there's the entire cluster of issues with subjectivity/taste/personal preferences. I'm quite the relativist with respect to that (you can read my previous exchange with relentless on "progress" on pg.18), and unlike some others I don't think there's objectively good music. So you can rest assured that I will never try to impose my own opinions on others - I'd rather spend my time focusing on what I enjoy instead of trying to change other people's mind lol.
Anyway I was trying to make 2 other points:
1) To say that x is bad because x sounds the same as everything else is an incredibly lazy way of dismissing something. Firstly it's almost always grossly inaccurate (like what Biopanda has said), so there's that. What irks me more is that people who say that pretend they don't have a kind of sound they like and return to, which they usually have. So that's a strange assertion at best and pure hypocrisy at worst; because as much as genres are exceedingly slippery, people do tend to identify with them. I haven't met anyone who, when asked what they listen to, responds by answering "Oh, I only listen to music that is different". And if being different is not so important after all, why say that x cannot be good music because it is not different? In short: I'm not saying that original music cannot be good (which is a broad-brush sweeping generalization); I'm saying music need not be original to be good (which is an opinion that gives people the autonomy to identify what is good for them).
2) My other beef was that the phrase "pop rock" (and other variants e.g. oshare, neo-vk, what have you) is an empty concept usually mobilized and abused by people who don't listen to - and cannot specify - what this elusive genre is supposed to mean. I'm reminded of how the term "otaku" is used by the larger part of the Japanese society to "label" and derogatorily stereotype certain groups of people as social rejects, when the fact of the matter is these people whom they call otaku are mostly well-adjusted individuals who happen to have an "unfashionable" hobby and who don't identify with the term itself in the first place. It's the same problem with pop rock. Whenever a term like this is stretched from wall to wall to mean everything you want it to mean, then it becomes a useless concept to say anything meaningful with. Except as a shorthand for "all these are stuff I don't like and so why is it that others like them?!".

I think it's less about people seeking something different than it is about them dismissing things they don't like as "sounding the same". There was a recent example of this which I think might have helped spur the post which handwaved away a band as "sounding the same just like..." and listing three wildly different sounding bands, or something to that effect.

Sounding different and original doesn't necessary mean you sound good, but sounding like someone else doesn't necessary mean you sound good either. It mostly comes down to if you manage to write good songs or not. But I'll add this, as this is how I see it:
 
If you're aiming for a very familiar sound, a sound that a shitload of other bands does, in most cases you will need not only to sound good, but also manage to add some character and identity to it. You simply need to stand out a bit. You'll need to be able to add that little extra that makes people wanna listen to you instead of the 50 other bands similar to you. And out of the 50 similar bands, rarely are there any reason to listen to more than 4-5 of those. A couple of those will stand out because of great songwriting that's above the rest, and a couple of them will stand out because they've managed to add a bit of character and identity to the sound, as well as writing just as good songs as the 45-46 other bands.
 
But as you probably know I am the one who made a thread about copycats and posted a lot of clones that I simply love, so I obviously don't mind bands with a similar sound to othes. But at the end of the day in most cases one will need some kind of a character to make you stand out, unless you manage to write way better songs than the rest of the bunch, which in most cases you simply don't. Only a few out of the lot can write songs that's above the rest.

Some ten years ago people really had to struggle to get a release. I remember wanting this rare rammstein single collection box for 200€, but eventually I never got it.
 
 
 
..Nowadays people are crying about not getting immediately what they want. And no, the "ignoring" part isn't much of a difference. No one is obliged to share anything, so if people ignore you, guess what. Shit happens.
 
..What has this world come to...

or even ONE mp3, lol

Whoa. That's taking this whole thing to an extreme level. This is talking about people who you don't know requesting music from you that you aren't obligated to share in the first place. This is not ignoring that kid in school who needs friends. This is the internet, and people need to back off of it half the time. Seek help, don't blame people on the internet for ignoring you if you're to some kind of mental breaking point. How is that some stranger on the internet's responsibility???? No one is attacking you.
 
And just because you think you're asking politely... the whole act of asking without knowing a person is just as rude in my book. Seriously, if that same person wrote me in the beginning like "Oh hey, I noticed we like the same band, can I add you?" And then we exchanged a few messages. Guess what? I'd be like 90% more inclined to fulfill their request. But these people are coming up as entitled strangers with "Upload this album for me, please?". That is barely polite in my book. Barely. I'm sorry but I don't owe them anything. Not even a reply. They don't care about me, I'm not wasting my time. Like I already mentioned, I do this because too many people have been rude to me and bullying me for turning them down but you don't seem to understand that. I have a similar history as stylelover. I used to reply to everyone but I got too many nasty comments when I didn't want to share. Even some who harassed me for months and found me on other media sites. It was really awful. So I stopped sharing anywhere outside of these kind of places. Equating ignoring upload requests on the internet to bullying is such a load of crap, because it's not even close. You're asking people to be kind out of respect to you're unknown past but you're not giving anyone else the same treatment. 
 
I  upload on places like MH and jps because when I do feel like uploading something; I will make it easy to find. I am not your personal music vending machine. If I don't share something I probably have my reasons and It'd be nice if people respected that. 

1.people are entitled shits
 
2.they weren't around when getting even ONE release from stupid obscure indie vk band was your lucky freaking day

Whoa. That's taking this whole thing to an extreme level. This is talking about people who you don't know requesting music from you that you aren't obligated to share in the first place. This is not ignoring that kid in school who needs friends. This is the internet, and people need to back off of it half the time. Seek help, don't blame people on the internet for ignoring you if you're to some kind of mental breaking point. How is that some stranger on the internet's responsibility???? No one is attacking you.
 
And just because you think you're asking politely... the whole act of asking without knowing a person is just as rude in my book. Seriously, if that same person wrote me in the beginning like "Oh hey, I noticed we like the same band, can I add you?" And then we exchanged a few messages. Guess what? I'd be like 90% more inclined to fulfill their request. But these people are coming up as entitled strangers with "Upload this album for me, please?". That is barely polite in my book. Barely. I'm sorry but I don't owe them anything. Not even a reply. They don't care about me, I'm not wasting my time. Like I already mentioned, I do this because too many people have been rude to me and bullying me for turning them down but you don't seem to understand that. I have a similar history as stylelover. I used to reply to everyone but I got too many nasty comments when I didn't want to share. Even some who harassed me for months and found me on other media sites. It was really awful. So I stopped sharing anywhere outside of these kind of places. Equating ignoring upload requests on the internet to bullying is such a load of crap, because it's not even close. You're asking people to be kind out of respect to you're unknown past but you're not giving anyone else the same treatment. 
 
I  upload on places like MH and jps because when I do feel like uploading something; I will make it easy to find. I am not your personal music vending machine. If I don't share something I probably have my reasons and It'd be nice if people respected that. 

Whoa. That's taking this whole thing to an extreme level. This is talking about people who you don't know requesting music from you that you aren't obligated to share in the first place. This is not ignoring that kid in school who needs friends. This is the internet, and people need to back off of it half the time. Seek help, don't blame people on the internet for ignoring you if you're to some kind of mental breaking point. How is that some stranger on the internet's responsibility???? No one is attacking you.
 
And just because you think you're asking politely... the whole act of asking without knowing a person is just as rude in my book. Seriously, if that same person wrote me in the beginning like "Oh hey, I noticed we like the same band, can I add you?" And then we exchanged a few messages. Guess what? I'd be like 90% more inclined to fulfill their request. But these people are coming up as entitled strangers with "Upload this album for me, please?". That is barely polite in my book. Barely. I'm sorry but I don't owe them anything. Not even a reply. They don't care about me, I'm not wasting my time. Like I already mentioned, I do this because too many people have been rude to me and bullying me for turning them down but you don't seem to understand that. I have a similar history as stylelover. I used to reply to everyone but I got too many nasty comments when I didn't want to share. Even some who harassed me for months and found me on other media sites. It was really awful. So I stopped sharing anywhere outside of these kind of places. Equating ignoring upload requests on the internet to bullying is such a load of crap, because it's not even close. You're asking people to be kind out of respect to you're unknown past but you're not giving anyone else the same treatment. 
 
I  upload on places like MH and jps because when I do feel like uploading something; I will make it easy to find. I am not your personal music vending machine. If I don't share something I probably have my reasons and It'd be nice if people respected that. 

MH POLL OF THE WEEK #5: Do you like to cook?
If you have any suggestions for the poll of the week, feel free to pm me!

I'm also one of those that typically ignores share requests from random people I don't know. I frankly think it's rude to put someone on the spot like that so they have to come up with something other than "I don't want to". And it's also on my Last FM profile, so if you can't read and ask me anyway, I'm definitely not going to feel obligated to respond.
 
If I'm hoping someone might share something, I might post a general ask in the band's shoutbox or an artist thread (if it's a forum) or something like that. But I'm not going to put people on the spot to respond.

I see your point but you cannot put something like that on just random strangers shoulders. No one can, and shouldn't have to, live their life that considerate. If you think like that you must question every single one of your actions (you're on a forum that shares music, what if one of those musicians, from a small, unknown band, gets fed up with piracy and not having actual CD sales, starts to doubt his dreams and becomes depressed?) but to live a life worth living you have to be confident in your decisions. I'm not a therapist, all I can say is that I don't go out to offend and bully people but I'm also living my life for myself and not for someone else.
On another note; in reference to DogManX and blackdoll: I like Dir en Grey's Marrow of a Bone and all that came after it, don't know why people dislike it. I feel like their music massively improved from their vk days. Of course, there are classics like 'Obscure' and 'The Final'. But generally speaking I feel like they now actually know how to play their instruments.

I also apologize if this thread isnt open to discussion on these topics. I wasn't aware that we couldnt debate opinions in here. I'll take those discussions elsewhere in the future.
Edit: I just read the new replies Now I'm not sure how much was directed at me. But, either way, I'll cool my jets in here if it helps.

Whoa. That's taking this whole thing to an extreme level. This is talking about people who you don't know requesting music from you that you aren't obligated to share in the first place. This is not ignoring that kid in school who needs friends. This is the internet, and people need to back off of it half the time. Seek help, don't blame people on the internet for ignoring you if you're to some kind of mental breaking point. How is that some stranger on the internet's responsibility???? No one is attacking you.
 
And just because you think you're asking politely... the whole act of asking without knowing a person is just as rude in my book. Seriously, if that same person wrote me in the beginning like "Oh hey, I noticed we like the same band, can I add you?" And then we exchanged a few messages. Guess what? I'd be like 90% more inclined to fulfill their request. But these people are coming up as entitled strangers with "Upload this album for me, please?". That is barely polite in my book. Barely. I'm sorry but I don't owe them anything. Not even a reply. They don't care about me, I'm not wasting my time. Like I already mentioned, I do this because too many people have been rude to me and bullying me for turning them down but you don't seem to understand that. I have a similar history as stylelover. I used to reply to everyone but I got too many nasty comments when I didn't want to share. Even some who harassed me for months and found me on other media sites. It was really awful. So I stopped sharing anywhere outside of these kind of places. Equating ignoring upload requests on the internet to bullying is such a load of crap, because it's not even close. You're asking people to be kind out of respect to you're unknown past but you're not giving anyone else the same treatment. 
 
I  upload on places like MH and jps because when I do feel like uploading something; I will make it easy to find. I am not your personal music vending machine. If I don't share something I probably have my reasons and It'd be nice if people respected that. 

Whoa. That's taking this whole thing to an extreme level. This is talking about people who you don't know requesting music from you that you aren't obligated to share in the first place. This is not ignoring that kid in school who needs friends. This is the internet, and people need to back off of it half the time. Seek help, don't blame people on the internet for ignoring you if you're to some kind of mental breaking point. How is that some stranger on the internet's responsibility???? No one is attacking you.
 
And just because you think you're asking politely... the whole act of asking without knowing a person is just as rude in my book. Seriously, if that same person wrote me in the beginning like "Oh hey, I noticed we like the same band, can I add you?" And then we exchanged a few messages. Guess what? I'd be like 90% more inclined to fulfill their request. But these people are coming up as entitled strangers with "Upload this album for me, please?". That is barely polite in my book. Barely. I'm sorry but I don't owe them anything. Not even a reply. They don't care about me, I'm not wasting my time. Like I already mentioned, I do this because too many people have been rude to me and bullying me for turning them down but you don't seem to understand that. I have a similar history as stylelover. I used to reply to everyone but I got too many nasty comments when I didn't want to share. Even some who harassed me for months and found me on other media sites. It was really awful. So I stopped sharing anywhere outside of these kind of places. Equating ignoring upload requests on the internet to bullying is such a load of crap, because it's not even close. You're asking people to be kind out of respect to you're unknown past but you're not giving anyone else the same treatment. 
 
I  upload on places like MH and jps because when I do feel like uploading something; I will make it easy to find. I am not your personal music vending machine. If I don't share something I probably have my reasons and It'd be nice if people respected that.