saltofstones

Kalimero these days. I don't miss them per se, wasn't even around back then, but I wish they would have released more music before their untimely dissolution. heidi. really doesn't cut it (anymore). I'm mostly ok with prolific bands ending activities whenever they feel they're done, but it's always the short-lived but ultra-talented bands that sting a bit; of course, there are no guarantees of quality if they were to last past their demise, but you know, I wish I had more of their stuff to binge on.

That's a downer, they've been at it together since their previous band. They're a favorite obscure-ish project of mine, so I hope new material is on the horizon at some point maybe.

[tracklist] 1.『beginning』 2.『パラドクス』 3.『薄紅は舞い散り寂光に消える』 4.『sign…』 5.『undelete』 6.『躁狂の踊り子～山紫水明の宴～』 7.『刹那を駆ける命の一行に』

That live collage of Wrist Cutter was my introduction to VK as a 15yo. I wish I could have seen my face then. I do vividly remember this pervading feeling of cognitive dissonance born from the pairing of this bizarre and manic alt-metal concoction with an aesthetic I could only describe at the time as a gothed-up version of a local middle-aged dads' showband. I couldn't get into them back then & soon after I got dissuaded by the discovery of DEG and D'espa and never got to properly sink my teeth into Kagerou's discography. Somehow they've slipped through the cracks till today - I've only heard Rakushu and selected cuts from the rest of their discography, and ended up listening to ''the studs'' more. This impassioned essay makes me feel like I've missed out on the Holy Grail of Visual Kei. Time to do my long overdue homework.

Corny start, but builds into something quite ear pleasing. Nice to get a breather from all the metalcore/"insert token random growls" this scene tends to regurgitate.

Their music has always been hit-or-miss for me, especially as of late, but sibilebatshitcrazy were always uncompromising in their wild and oddball antics (more so Izumi), which is smth I've come to respect. It's a pity their music couldn't always match up in quality(imo) and I was never completely sold on them.

if you can't organize your life, at least organize your music

Damn, I haven't heard any of their music post-2014, so I don't know what to expect (other than this most likely not being shared anywhere). Not so much to catch up to either since I could only dig up their mini from last year.

Probably still a lot of the stuff I'm into now outside the j-music spectrum. Definitely more electro-industrial, EBM, synthpop, synthrock than I currently do (time constraints and all), since I got into those scenes and VK roughly at the same time. And most likely I would have explored more Western rock bands. J-bands were my gateway into general shoegaze and post-punk, but I like to think I would have found my way to those regardless. I can't say the same about Korean/Chinese rock and electronica, where the interest was clearly a byproduct of my developing appreciation for the J-music scene. One thing is for sure, VK and J-indie have completely redesigned my rather rigid old perspective on what types of vocals I considered palatable. Now I understand the appeal of nasally, whiny, strained, husky, cracking-all-over-the-place and even slightly out-of-tune singing and I can enjoy a lot more music than before. But I reckon the real influence of j-music on my tastes is even greater than this exercise in imagination could ever suggest.

nüe - 憂鬱な悪魔 I need professional help to stop replaying this. No Youtube because Starwave Records.

I think my general approach to music listening has enabled my interest in VK to never wane completely. Whatever I do, I am unable to stop scouring the Internet for new artists to listen to, even as my downloads folder is bursting at the seams. I suppose I am trying to make sure I'm not missing out on good music, which obviously will always be a work in progress. That's not to say I never experience fatigue with VK. But when that happens, I simply listen to whatever other styles of music I'm into, or go give a listen to something from the myriad of old school VK acts I haven't heard yet. The spectrum of VK is pretty wide and it helps that I enjoy a great deal of it. This forum makes it rather easy for me to select the newer bands that are worth a shot. I don't feel like I have a duty to listen to VK all the time and it's perfectly fine, like in every other music scene, if sometimes there's nothing much to catch my attention or I happen to not be in the mood for it. All the years in the scene have desensitized me to the whirlwind of disbandments, so I can no longer despair over a band calling it quits. Something else will come along eventually. Welp this has turned into a "why I haven't gotten over VK" argument, sorry for digressing. I concur with others that there's value in discussing this topic , more so since I've always wanted to know where the fuck my fellow Romanian VK fans have all disappeared to and a more introspective and elaborate reason why.

A lot of my early major musical discoveries are tied to this site, so it holds great sentimental value for me. I'll probably use it for as long as it exists, as it's the sole witness so to say of my musical interests over the years. It's too bad it's missing all the nu metal/ alternative rock of my early teens and the app won't scrobble from my phone so all of those plays sadly get lost. Other than stats, I play my library or write bios when I'm bored at work. I don't really use it to discover new artists anymore. The new design is the pits tho, so sterile and lifeless.

Too bad. There was always something to like on each of their releases. Especially "Shinshoku Sareta Tsuki etc." was the best, I hope they'll live to see another day and maybe top that.

Some years ago, I used to go on Sparkplugged and Jrockexplosion and discover a nauseating amount of bands I liked, now that seldom happens anymore, not to mention I lost interest in many of the bands I used to enjoy. I can't tell if I've become more selective after the initial overindulgent excitement of discovering something new or it's the scene failing to produce any refreshing sounds. It's probably a bit of both. I haven't checked out a lot of new bands lately and I hope for that to change. I guess I should share some recent-ish discoveries to keep up with the theme of the topic. This new track by Yorunitokeru heavily reminds me of the unknown forecast's awesome second mini (they have since gone downhill for me). I really dig the plaintive melody and hauntingly pained vocals and of course the song wouldn't be complete without some visceral screaming to dispel all the pent-up tension. phyxmoment are a shoegazey indie rock band. They don't do anything too extraordinary or interesting & the vocals need work, but it's pleasant enough for what it is. They make me miss sugardrop (what are they doing these days...). Also what feels like Kankaku Piero's millionth video is for a pretty solid rock tune. That Emerald track that was posted was super cute, I need to check them out. Also antihoney, they sound a lot like a female version of Danish one-man-band Sleep Party People.