saltofstones

Artist: グリーヴァ (Grieva) Album: 妄想主義者ノ背徳。(Mousou shugisha no haitoku.) 1. Type[艶] (Tsuya) (SE) 2. 自己精神殺害推進會 (Jiko seishin satsugai suishin) 3. 妄想主義者ノ背徳 (Mousou shugisha no haitoku) 4. Art play 5. 夢デ逢ウ貴女ガ削除デキマセン。(Yume de au kijo ga sakujo dekimasen.) 6. 密室104号室～暗イ部屋二僕ト君～ (Misshitsu 104-goushitsu～kurai heya ni boku to kimi～) 7. 腐『furan』乱
Rating: | No need for grievin', visual kei is not dead!
 
Grieva sure came into their own over their few years of activity. Starting out as a glaringly obvious exercise in old-school DIR EN GREY fanboyism (pretty much producing a blueprint replica of the Gauze album), they raised lots of eyebrows but also gained an ever-growing fanbase. They've been churning out release after release like clockwork, a practice that few can pull off successfully while maintaining quality. These guys, however, not only manage to put out consistent tunes, but also seem to be slightly evolving every year. While there's no drastic change in sound (thank god for that!), they're constantly tweaking their formula and instrumentation to achieve a greater effect. Their latest mini album, Mousou shugisha no haitoku demonstrates this tendency excellently.

From the kick-in-the-teeth industrial beats of the intro to the impressive sonic diversity of the closing track, Grieva presents a fine-tuned version of their vision: building upon the legacy of the old-school with youthful vigor, and a tad more than a pinch of craziness. On the one hand, compositions like the title track or "Yume de au kijo ga sakujo dekimasen" burst forth from the speakers with a mixture of yesteryears' melodic sense coupled with a truly modern (or post-modern?) approach. On the other hand, we're inevitably treated to a small number of songs where Grieva wear their hearts on their sleeves a bit too obviously. It's hard not to recall exact moments from DIR EN GREY's back catalog when you hear the intricate lead guitars of "Art play" or the jackhammering bass in "Misshitsu 104-goushitsu～kurai heya ni boku to kimi～". The difference this time (compared to, say, their debut album) is that they were able to fully integrate these parts into their songs, not sticking out like a sore thumb throbbing with plagiarism. "Misshitsu 104-goushitsu..." even has a music box interlude reminiscent of a certain DEG classic – it's hard not to crack a smile of appreciation at the homage.

The arrangement and delivery of the songs deserve praise too, where it's due. Even though the mini album starts off in a rather repetitive fashion (after a surprisingly bangin' intro SE) with "Jiko seishin satsugai suishinkai", they more than make up for that later on. Tracks like "Art play" employ a wide array of styles, from metal chugging to upbeat ska-influenced guitars, resulting in nice changes of pace and dynamics. As soon as you're beginning to feel you're listening to 'just another typical Grieva tune', they change it up ever so slightly, introducing an interesting guitar tone or effect. In short, it's hard to get bored while listening to Mousou shugisha no haitoku. This statement is ultimately solidified by the closing track "furan", an ambitious composition that goes from a punky, all-out shoutfest (props to those pipes, Kyouki!) to an unexpectedly sweet melodic guitar solo, short bass and piano interludes and a driving chorus. It is a thrilling, dare I say progressive, finish to an already cool release.

A year ago, with the release of their 2nd full-length album Shuuen, I couldn't imagine Grieva going any further in terms of quality, but along came this release and blew me away. Granted, Kyouki and co are still far from being the most original bunch of visual kei musicians, but who needs that when you have a reliable, constant supply of kickass tunes to rock out to? I could hardly ask for more.


Support the band! Buy the mini album @ CDJapan
Buy the mini album @ Yesasia

Artist: sukekiyo Album: VITIUM Score: The essence of sukekiyo, molded into perfection. sukekiyo has managed to slowly convert me from being a mildly disinterested bystander to a casual listener who's always on the lookout whenever something new pops up concerning the band. Their first full-length IMMORTALIS proved to be a slow-burning behemoth of many faces (and facets), and their latest offering VITIUM isn't too far off from that impression either. Kyo and co. don't seem to be in a hurry, as evidenced by the size of this new 'mini' album which is still longer than most bands' albums. Throughout these 37 minutes, they present their compositions in typical sukekiyo fashion: sprawling, mysterious, unpredictable. This time around, however, it seems they were able to craft a more unified sound for themselves (as if they weren't already unique enough), with a concentrated approach to boot. Each song sounds more coherent in and of itself, while still retaining the "expect the unexpected" avant-garde quality they've come to be known for.
VITIUM starts off powerfully and majestically with "leather field" – a dark flower blooming and branching out in sukekiyo's aural grotto. Hints of manic aggression and weirdness also rear their heads, prefiguring what's to come in the second track "dunes." This song introduces a demented vibe with its jittery guitars and drums, the band's interpretation of violent jazz-metal. Surprisingly, we are treated to an interlude next ("dot") that doesn't do much in itself but it serves as a fitting ambient intro to the following "foster mother." Kyo's deep croons drift onto a hypnotic beat complemented by beautiful guitar flourishes and keyboards that evoke an ambiguous atmosphere, on the edge of tranquility and uneasiness. One of the standout tracks for sure!
As VITIUM's centerpiece, "雨上がりの優詩 (Ameagari no yuushi)" pales in comparison to "foster mother," although it is a decent slower number complete with some fantastic textures and a soothing, airy outro. The atmosphere continues through "maniera," but it quickly turns into a quirky explosion of psychedelic metal tinged with calmer acoustic noodling. If DIR EN GREY drove out to the desert high on mescaline, this is what they would jam out. If "maniera" was the hallucinatory freak-out, the second interlude "白露 (Hakuro)" serves as a soundtrack to expulsion – not as fun but still necessary. All the more so, it heightens the magnificence of the follow-up, "celeste." Switching between tumbling piano sludge and schizophrenic episodes, it's a strong indicator of what sukekiyo is capable of. Naturally, after all of this there's no other way to go but softer, as "focus" closes the record with ethereal floaty melodies... or so it seems until the flamenco bit kicks in, segueing into one last creepy look into the abyss.
As you can tell, this mini album is quite a trip from start to finish. Whereas IMMORTALIS seemed overly long and drawn-out at times, VITIUM manages to capture the band's perfected essence, more powerful and twisted than ever. It is clear that sukekiyo has finally found its own voice. Let's just hope we'll get to hear that voice more in the future as well!

Monochrome Heaven's Top 25 Tracks of 2014

Presenting The Top 25 Tracks of 2014 as voted by our Official Reviewers and staff members. Any Japanese song released in 2014 was eligible, although our primary focus was on J-rock.

25.
TAMTAM - "シューゲイズ"

24.

宇宙コンビニ (uchu conbini) - ­ 光の加減で話した (Hikari no Kagen de Hanashita)

23.

シナリオアート (Scenarioart) ­- "アオイコドク" (Aoi Kodoku)

22.

DIR EN GREY -­ "懐春 (kaishun)"

21.

LLLL -­ "Oddness"

20.

BACK­-ON -­ "セルリアン (cerulean)"

19.

101A ­- "Forbidden Sky"

18.

DIV ­- "漂流彼女 (hyouryuu kanojo)"

17.

PLASTICZOOMS ­- "Sleepwalker"

16.

ねごと (NEGOTO) -­ "黄昏のラプソディ (tasogare no rhapsody)"

15.

sow ­- "to growth, for growth"

14.

TK from 凛として時雨 (ling tosite sigure) -­ "unravel"

13.

DIR EN GREY -­ "輪郭 (rinkaku)"

12.

tayuta ­- "夢見た 蒼 (yumemita ao)"

11.

八十八ヶ所巡礼 (88kasyo junrei) -­ "攻撃的国民的音楽 (kougeki teki kokumin teki ongaku)"

10.

Mono -­ "Recoil, Ignite"

9.

和楽器バンド (Wagakki Band) -­ "千本桜 (Senbonzakura)"

8.

DIR EN GREY ­- "phenomenon"

7.

la la larks -­ "end of refrain"

6.

黒百合と影 (Kuroyuri to Kage) - "「浴槽」 (yokusou)"

5.

アルルカン (arlequin) ­- "墓穴 (hakaana)"

4.

mothercoat - "trickster"

3.

Boris -­ "雨 (ame)"

2.

THE NOVEMBERS -­ "Rhapsody in beauty"

1.

sukekiyo ­- "Aftermath"

2014 has yielded yet another year of wonderful music, and here's my usual self-indulgent run-down of the albums and EPs I enjoyed most.
My tone this year is a bit more personal and subjective than I tried to be in 2013, and my list isn't as long either.
Thanks for checking it out nonetheless.






CAT5's Favorite Japanese Releases of 2014






clepsydra by chouchou merged syrups.
 
Sample: 橙鳴る

    clepsydra took me by complete surprise after last year's thoroughly disappointing
debut "since". chouchou merged syrups. aren't just following cinema staff's
blueprint on how to play emo rooted indie-rock/pop anymore,
they're actually making it their own this time.


Passage of Time by Cloud nine(9)
 
Sample: Passage of Time

 lop abuse on somebody was, for me, one of the most promising young
post/math-rock bands out of Japan. But since they've disbanded their
guitarist has gone on to join Cloud nine(9), which has, again, become
 one of the most promising young Japanese post/math-rock bands.
Surely this is fate. Oh, and it's completely free over @ bandcamp


HEADACHE AND HEARTBURN by CONCERT
 
Sample: 曖昧さ回避

This release took me completely off guard and would have completely slipped 
 under my radar if not for a good friend of mine. CONCERT's sound seems to
draw heavily off of 70's soft-rock and psychedelia while employing quirky and
forward-thinking production. I imagine this is what a collaboration between 
lamp and cornelius might sound like.


BRIGHT TIME by EGO-WRAPPIN'
 
Sample: 太陽哀歌

 EGO-WRAPPIN's last full-length album Steal a Person's Heart was an underwhelming
effort, fraught with various musical style except the one they do best. So it's great
to hear them return to their jazzy roots on the BRIGHT TIME EP. But with only
4 tracks and the entire thing recorded in mono, it's such a tease.


JariBu by JariBu Afrobeat Arkestra
 
Sample: Wild Pansy

   I'm only aware of three different Afrobeat bands from Japan, and each year it
   seems like these bands take turns outdoing each other - 2012 was the year
  of KINGDOM☆AFROCKS, 2013 was REGGAELATION INDEPENDANCE,
  and so 2014 inevitably falls back to the JariBu Afrobeat Arkestra. They've locked
the grooves down this year and delivered their finest album yet.


homephone TE by macaroom
 
Sample: Kingdom

Another obscure recommendation from a friend that would have surely slipped my
radar. macaroom creates dreamy ambient-pop and homephone TE is an
intoxicatingly immersive album from start to finish. There are, however, 2 tracks 
sung entirely in Croatian that might raise an eyebrow at first.


5 - 1 + 1 = by mothercoat
 
Sample: trickster

mothercoat....consistently creative, and yet consistently underrated. They've
been around for over a decade and yet somehow their music seems to
get lost amongst international Japanese-indie fans - old and new. 5 - 1 + 1 =
is a reference to the changes in their band lineup, and each track is a
distinct reflection of those changes (track 1 - with old guitarist, track 2
without guitarist, track 3 with new guitarist). But three tracks simply 
isn't enough, so I can't wait to hear what else they've got in store.


my letter by my letter
 
Sample: ルーザー！

A friend of mine shared this band's demo with me back in 2011, and while
I remember diggin' it, I'd completely forgotten they existed by this year. I'm
glad they were finally able to get around to releasing an album, though.
Bands like シャムキャッツ and ミツメ released solid records this year, but
my letter takes the cake as my easy-going indie-rock album of the year. 
Lots of great guitar interplay and you can't beat the combo of male/female vocals.


Elephant by orcaorca
 
Sample: Clockwork Lovers

orcaorca is the instrumental outing of 2 members from the electronic
group ChouChou (no, not chouchou merged syrups. ha) Glitchy, electro-acoustic
bliss that weaves itself seamlessly in and out of ambient soundscapes 
and minimal-tehcno pulsation.


Koko by Satomimagae
 
Sample: Mikkai

I don't often hear music like this out of the modern J-folk world, so
Satomimagae was an instant love for me. Her music has an exceedingly
dense melancholic atmosphere and conjures up images of both
depression and desolation. Fantastic album recorded with the perfect 
amount of intimate rawness.


Rhapsody in beauty by THE NOVEMBERS
 
Sample: Blood Music.1985

Rhapsody in beauty is yet another testament to THE NOVEMBER's continued
growth and further accentuates their artistic proclivities. It's a dynamic album-
from abrasive shoegaze, dark grunge, to angelic acoustic numbers and more.
THE NOVEMBERS are clearly inspired and HAVE been for the past few
years. Even if it's taken them about 6 years, they've completely won me 
over as a fan and are now one of my all-time favorites.


CAO by アルカラ
 
Sample: 愚痴ばっかりのローレロレロ

arukara have been on fire since 2009, but this is by far my favorite album
from them yet. The band's sound, which combines all of the hookiness and
buoyancy of pop music with the multifaceted indie-rock ingenuity of an 
early 9mm parabellum bullet, has been refined to perfection.


IMAGINARY MONO-FICTION by ヒトリエ
 
Sample: 生きたがりの娘

I've long thought that some vocaloids had cool backing music, but being
that I can't stand vocaloids, it was always an unfortunate arrangement for me.
Thankfully, vocaloid producer wowaka took his colorful ideas and translated
them into an actual band. The results have been splendid thus far. For me, 
the jury is still out on their first full-length, but this mini definitely delivers.


ふつうのしあわせ by ふつうのしあわせ
 
Sample: キャプテンにはなれない

I saw this band described somewhere as bloodthirsty butchers meets
PANICSMILE and thought that was an apt description. Especially the
comparison to the latter. ふつうのしあわせ or "Ordinary Happy" play
wonderfully spastic, disharmonic post-punk with a trumpet thrown in 
for good measure, cuz why the hell not?


攻撃的国民的音楽 by 八十八ヶ所巡礼
 
Sample: -超感覚的宇宙-

 If you've been following my "best-Of" lists over the past few years, then
you've probably noticed that 88kasyo junrei's albums have made an appearance
every time. I'm biased as fuck and I can't help it. Their formula is like a
nonstop barrage of endorphins on my musical pleasure zones - heaps of
melody, quirky and eccentric songwriting, unhinged yet groovy
instrumentation, just the right amount of excessive noodling...so, yeah. There ya go.

(not) NUCLEAR LOVE (or affection) by 印象派
 
Sample: ライ! ライ! ライ!

There's nothing particularly outstanding about inshowha, but they make 
extremely well produced and catchy jpop. It also helps that their image/gimmick
neither overshadows nor detracts from their actual music, so the duo exudes
a kind of earnest charm. I was also pretty surprised at how well crafted this
mini album was. It flows perfectly from one track to the next and you can
tell actual thought was put into the songwriting. This isn't a release of 
sloppily glued together singles or filler tracks. Quality Jpop right here.

NO UNDERGROUND by 撃鉄
 
Sample: やっちゃおう

Gekitetsu's first full album expands on the sound they became known for on
their first 2 EPs - vivacious post-punk chock full of singy-shouty vocals,
discordant, angular guitar riffs, heady basslines, and nu-wave-y drumming.
These guys are always a blast to listen to and definitely worth a try if you're
into the coarser side of Japanese indie.

CAT5's Favorite International Releases of 2014






Hours Were The Birds by Adrianne Lenker
 
Sample: Lighthouse

 This was a pretty random bandcamp discovery iirc. I've always been a sucker for
  sweet female vocals in folk/singer-songwriter music, and this is the album that most
thoroughly fulfilled that need for me this year. Obscure, but good.


Totem by Bâton Rouge
 
Sample: Train De Nuit

French emo band Baton Rouge's first album Fragments D'eux Mêmes was
 one of my favorites back in 2011 - it was intense, melodic, and straight to
the point. Train De Nuit is an entirely different beast, though. It's more
fleshed-out, and the melodies take their time to build, but when
everything finally clicks, it's a rewarding listen


Earthbeat by Be Forest
 
Sample: Airwaves

One of my more fortuitous discoveries from hanging out on plug.dj.
Forest plays a brand of dream-pop that often floats off into a brume of shoegaze,
yet is constantly anchored by earthy, commanding drums. One of those
albums that I can turn on and just be swept away by the atmosphere 
without having to listen too intently.


Black Messiah by D'Angelo
 
Sample: Ain't That Easy

It's been 14 year's since D'Angelo's last album, and although I was
probably a bit too young to appreciate his music at that time (age 13),
the "Black Messiah" is a more than welcome addition to my playlist now.
Gritty, organic soul music that easily reminds me of classics like
Al Green and even Prince.


Hard Believer by Fink
 
Sample: Pilgrim

Fink's style of soulful/bluesy folk tunes were originally pretty friendly and
easily digestible, but over the years his sound has become progressively darker
and experimental around the edges. Hard Believer continues this trend,
and while some of the songs get a bit too self-indulgent, repeat listens have
revealed to me that almost each track works well on it's own instead of 
in the convoluted context of the album.


LP1 by FKA twigs
 
Sample: Two Weeks

I actually didn't expect to like FKA twigs. I thought she'd be another kelela -
nice vocals over crappy, sparse beats - and then pegged as some glorious
"experimental r&b" goddess. I'm glad I was wrong. The production on LP1 
is actually the most interesting thing about it. It's got all of the minimalistic
qualities of trap-influenced r&b, but there's an idm-like ingenuity
behind it all. Definitely an album better appreciated in headphones 
or with a good set of speakers.


Chiaroscuro by I Break Horses
 
Sample: Faith

I haven't gotten around to hearing this duo's first album yet, and I often see
them described as "electrogaze" (electronic shoegaze), but I'd describe
this album a bit differently. It sounds more to me like dark, hazy electrpop with
an affinity for the 80's. Whatever you wanna call it, it's a sound that I've 
found myself more drawn towards this year.


You Can Do Better by Johnny Foreigner
 
Sample: In Capitals

Hailing from England, Johnny Foreigner play raw, energetic, and straightfoward 
  indie-rock with punk spirit. It's an album I like to throw on when I want to hear
something bright and uplifting, but that also rocks at the same time.


Moving On by Kan Wakan
 
Sample: Sawdust

 Cinematic pop music with smoky female vocals and an emphasis on live
instrumentation? Always a good recipe in my book, and Kan Wakan
   made wonderful use of those ingredients. Unfortunately (or fortunately?),
this album is a one-off, as vocalist Kristianne Bautista is no longer in the band.


My Little Ghost by Kidkanevil
 
Sample: All Is Not Lost (feat. Cuushe & Cokiyu)

If everything about this release seems very "Japanese" to you - from 
 the album cover to the featured artists - then you're not far off the mark.
My Little Ghost was released through the Japanese music label flau, although
some ppl might associate Kidkanevil more easily with his role in the UK
electronic/trip-hop band Stateless. Interestingly, My Little Ghost is more in 
 the realm of ambient, IDM, and glitch than it is Kidkanevil's favored
genre of hip hop. He absolutely excels at these other styles, though.


Across by Kilo Kish
 
Sample: Curious

If I had to offer an American equivalent to Japanese artists like daoko
or Izumi Macra, then Kilo Kish would be the first to come to mind. She
creates the same kind of innocent-sounding alternative hip hop and employs
a similarly careless and unassuming flow. She also "sings" without really
having a singing voice (just like the Japanese artists i just mentioned), 
but it's all done very charmingly. The production is super chill too.


The Golden Echo by Kimbra
 
Sample: Madouse

 When the The Golden Echo came out, I was fortunate enough to listen to
it along with , and since we were both already fans, our
hype was over 9000. The Golden Echo completely surpassed all of my
expectations. Kimbra's ability to hop from style to style (with style) -
whether it's trap, disco, or psychedelic soul-influenced - is on par with 
her contemporary Janelle Monáe.


Nabuma Rubberband by Little Dragon
 
Sample: Let Go

I've been stalking following Yukimi Nagano ever since I first heard her soulful
croon back in 2006 via her various jazz/nu-jazz collaborations. When I
discovered she had a band called Little Dragon in 2007, I was pretty excited.
Although that quickly devolved into utter disappointment upon hearing 
Little Dragon's debut album - sparse and awkward electronic music that just
made you uncomfortable listening to it. Fast-forward 7 years and 4
albums later - LITTLE DRAGON FINALLY HAS FINALLY GOTTEN IT RIGHT.
Yukimi's vocals are still the highlight, but this time the music and 
songwriting are equally excellent.


The Sky as Well as Space by Memory Map
 
Sample: Superhuman Child

  Memory Map is actually associated with Japan's Zankyo records, so it should
  come as no surprise that these guys play the kind of technical and inventive
 indie-rock that would be welcome there. I'm actually pretty surprised at how
obscure this band seems to be and the fact that I've never seen any 
of my indie buddies mention 'em before.


Composite by Monogrenade
 
Sample: L'aimant

Gorgeous orchestral indie-rock/pop from the French-Canadian ensemble
Monogrenade. This is their 2nd album after 2011's Tantale, 
and it's even better. Super lush soundscapes and impossibly chill.


Graveyard Whistling EP by Nothing But Thieves
 
Sample: Itch

I'm pretty shocked this band isn't bigger. They're signed to a major label (RCA),
but it doesn't look like they've made any significant waves yet. Whatever the
case, their songwriting is top-notch when it comes to pop-rock and their
vocalist has a uniquely piercing croon. Not sure how they're received 
in the UK, but I can imagine this boding well in the American mainstream.


OOM VELT by Salt Cathedral
 
Sample: Holy Soul

Just last year Salt Cathedral were a whimsical, math-rock band, but they've
since lost 3 members and have continued as an electronic duo. Their
sound has translated extremely well, mostly thanks to the ethereal vocals 
of Juliana Ronderos; which really carries the band.


Maui Tears by Sleepy Sun
 
Sample: The Lane

Spaced-out and voluminous psychedelic-rock from California. Maui Tears is
the band's 4th album and is hands down my favorite thus far. What I enjoy
the most here is how immersive the music is while still remaining accessible 
and not getting lost within itself.


Early Riser by Taylor McFerrin
 
Sample: Already There (feat. Robert Glasper & Thundercat)

First album from producer/multi-instrumentalist Taylor McFerrin out on
Brainfeeder - the same label as beatsmiths like Flying Lotus, Tokimonsta,
Teebs, etc. Super chill electronic/broken beat with jazzy overtones; featuring
a handful of guest vocalists and musicians. Early Riser is ridiculously 
smooth and might be one of the most flawlessly flowing albums I've ever heard.


Sun Structures by Temples
 
Sample: Colours To Life

Temples are a 60's psychedelic-rock revivalist band that play the style
to the letter. They don't offer a refreshing take on the genre and they don't
attempt to redefine the rules, but nonetheless, Sun Structures has 
thoroughly sated my ears this year.


Follow the Path by The Shaolin Afronauts
 
Sample: To the Water

 To the water is a behemoth double album with the first disc full of awesome
afrobeat grooves and the 2nd disc a more subdued venture into eastern
flavored funk that wouldn't be out of place in a 70's kung-fu flick. With 21 
tracks in total, I wouldn't recommend listening to both discs in one sitting.


Foreign Languages by tide/edit
 
Sample: Odd & Even

Ironically, some of the best post/math-rock bands have been coming out
of almost every other Asian country but Japan lately - yet most of
these newcomers have been inspired by Japan's scene. Such is the 
case with tide/edit from the Philippines who site toe as a major influence.


Manipulator by Ty Segall
 
Sample: The Crawler

I've always been attracted to rock music that draws from the psychedelic
and stoner sounds of the 60's and 70's, and Ty Segall's Manipulator
is like an aural smorgasbord of those eras. At 17 tracks long, the album
might appear to blend together during protracted listens, but I've found 
myself constantly discovering new jams upon revisits.


Warpaint by Warpaint
 
Sample: Biggy

Warpaint caught my attention back in 2010 on their first album The Fool,
but they weren't able to sustain it through an entire album. And while
their sound still manages to avoid being easily pigeonholed, the band's
songwriting has become somewhat less elusive and more viable than 
before. Not a challenging listen at all, but a definite grower.


Deep Fantasy by White Lung
 
Sample: Face Down

@Jigsaw9 first introduced me to White Lung with their album
back in 2012 and they've returned bigger and better than ever on 
Deep Fantasy. Still the intense female-fronted punk band with 
razor-wire riffage that I fell in love with.

Here's my end of the year list. I quickly realized I only listen to cross-dresser crap and don't follow many western bands closely enough to pay attention to new releases. Oh well~~~. 
 
Now with working mp3s

Albums:


 
Kamijo : Heart
 
Kamijo graced us this year with not one, but two albums. As this was his only full release, I’ve included it in my list here (although Symphony of the Vampire was equally as good, just for different reasons). As many other reviewers have said before me, this album truly showcased what aspects of Versailles Kamijo really had contributed. Ripe with a mix of classic tropes from his past bands, Heart brings the best of several worlds together in a one gilded soundscape. In it, he has some Versailles-esque neoclassical tracks (“(闇夜のライオン”),  some Lareine-ish melodic songs (“Romantique” and “抱きしめられながら”), and even an epic-length track (“Heart”).  In spite of the many critiques his previous band received about becoming stagnant after exhausting their classical influences, Kamijo has managed to keep his signature style while revitalizing it just enough to keep things fresh and interesting.  If this year is any indication of how things will go for Kamijo, it looks like the King of Rose-kei will keep his throne for years to come.
 
闇夜のライオン:



 
己龍 :  暁歌水月
 
One more first album of their career!! Just kidding: if there’s one thing the Kiryu is good at, it is releasing an absurd amount of CDs with very little time to breathe. 暁歌水月 is their 4th full-length in their discography and is one of their stronger albums to me. While their crazy take on Japanese folk-metal may get tiresome to some, their formula works exceptionally well for them and clearly stick to the motto “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Here you’ll find a good mix of their dark and chaotic songs, as well as their melodic and softer ones, all held together by their signature use of traditional Japanese instruments. As this album showcases more than ever, The Kiryu have some of the best riffage in the scene and do not let stereotypical visual-kei earmarks get in the way of their progressive individuality. 
 
愛怨忌焔:



 
Azealia Banks : Broke with Expensive Taste
 
Another year of firsts for this artist—Azealia Banks dropped her long awaited full length album late this year. After originally announcing to come out in the spring of this year, the release date kept getting pushed further and further back. Thankfully, the wait was well worth it. Filled with her typical poignant disposition and clever lyrics, Broke With Expensive Taste offers a smattering of musical styles all over the spectrum that work well together and do not fall victim to tokenism. Her claim-to-fame track “212” made yet another appearance, as well as other singles “Yung Rapunxel,” “Heavy Metal And Reflective,” and “Chasing Time.” If you’re looking to try out an album that goes from playfully singing in Spanish, to a song called “BBD” (which stands for “Bad Bitches Do It”), and a surf rock song about a rebellious teen that goes to a nudist beach, this album is a must-try. 
 
https://soundcloud.com/azealiabanksweb/azealia-banks-heavy-metal-and-reflective-explicit



 
Lana Del Ray : Ultraviolence
 
Lana Del Ray once again leads the sadcore pop scene with her second album, Ultraviolence. Lana is an artist I tended to shy away from for a while, but this album seems to have won me over. It’s disposition is much more melancholic than what I’ve heard from her first album, and its lyrical content are more about coming out of tight spots in her life, such as abusive relationships. The musicianship here is top-notch, and her voice, hell, her whole persona, fits the album’s 70’s revival vibe so well. If you’re in the mood to watch the rain with flowers in your hair while Facetiming with a sepia filter, this is the perfect album to do that to. Definitely recommend checking out “Cruel World,” “Shades of Cool,” and “West Coast.”
 
West Coast:




 
Sukekiyo : Immortalis
 
Already wrote a bit about this on the Christmas list, but basically this is what Arche is derived from and I like this better. While I don’t necessarily like most of their members, when they put their heads together they really do come up with some wonderful ideas.
 
斑人間:



 
ギャロ : NERO
 
Completely out of left-field for me this year, I tried their split single with AvelCain and had to have more. Kind of quirky, but doesn’t use that as a crutch to base their musical decisions on, The Gallow are truly a band to keep an eye on. In a way, they kind of remind me of Cali Gari but more aggressive. Do not let this band stay under your radar!
 
帝都四号魔水路:



 
DEZERT : 「タイトルなし」
 
Another branch of the homage-kei trinity, DEZERT finally managed to put out a full-length album this year after releasing quite a large discography before doing so. Miraculously, nothing on here was from their previous singles (which is unheard of in visual-kei????) .  Hard-hitting and fast paced, 「タイトルなし」 serves up some cool nü-metal influenced tracks as well as some metal-core ones. Compared to their earlier discography, this was probably their most accessible release to me and a strong step in the right direct for this band. My favorite tracks include “Doze,” “「擬死」,” and “胃潰瘍とルソーの錯覚.” While they’re not exactly similar, per say, if you’ve enjoyed AvelCain’s album odds are you will also enjoy this one. Cake, anyone?
 
胃潰瘍とルソーの錯覚:

 


 
AvelCain : AvelCain-アベルカイン-
 
AvelCain released their first full-length as this year, self-titled “AvelCain.” This album falls under the homage-kei umbrella, giving praise to many different acts from the late 90’s and turn-of-the-century visual-kei. Here we find a return to motifs about psychosis, darkness, and ball-jointed dolls in a more modernized fashion. From hard hitting singles like “Psycho” and “ID,” to equally as powerful (and slightly deranged) tracks like “操り人形,” this album brings back all of those feelings of not quite fitting in and teen angst right back. The band does show their softer side with songs like “千羽鶴.” There’s even a Puppet Mammy cover song, as most likely suggested by their drummer and producer who was a part of that band. This is a great album to start with when trying to get into AvelCain. My only complaint with it is that they used quite a lot of rereleased material here and it could have benefitted from a larger repertoire of new songs.
 
PSYCHO-サイコ-:



 
Buck-Tick : 或いはアナーキー
 
Visual-kei legends Buck-Tick released their millionth album this year. While I haven’t really followed them for too long, it seems as though their sound has evolved at every step in their career from all different genres. According to Wikipedia, they are currently in their “straight rock” phase, although I’m not sure how true that holds when descripting 或いはアナーキー. This album has many different influences in it, spanning different genres they’ve already covered at some point in their career like post-punk, new wave, gothic rock, and quirky punk. Even with the massive genre shifts from the start to the end of the album, it all somehow works. A surprising favorite of mine is “Survival Dance,” which is one of the most fun songs released this whole year. Even if you’re afraid of Buck-Tick’s gigantic discography, this album is a good place to dive in (it’s actually the first full album of theirs that I tried out, myself). Oyaji rock has never sounded so fresh. So what?! So What?!
 
Survival Dance:



 
UNDEAD CORPORATION : 神速
 
This album is actually my first time listening to Undead Corporation. As you could probably tell by the album art, they’re a Touhou group. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect on my first listen, but what I got was a donkey kick in the stomach because this album goes hard real fast. As much I hate to use “brvtal” to describe something, even ironically, that’s basically the most succinct way to describe what this album has to offer. However, there is enough craftsmanship to this album’s music that it isn’t heavy for heavy’s sake—each song seems deliberate and thought out, even if those fleshed out ideas are pants-on-your-head crazy. This album spans a few genres, mostly hovering around metal-core + death-core, dabbling a bit into technical death metal and even pop, and it makes use of beauty and the beast vocals without being grating or trite. Another interesting point about this album is that there are really only 8 songs and then the rest are reinterpretations or remixes. Off the top of my head, I know that there is at least one song that was redone without any harsh vocals, for example. Even if you aren’t really a follower of the touhou scene, or don’t quite “get it” (trust me, I do not fall under either of those), this album is great ear bleach to cleanse all of those no-name bands trying to do the same thing and failing. 
 




八十八ヶ所巡礼 : 攻撃的国民的音楽
 
This band is bizarre in one of the best ways possible. They’re like looking at a modern art gallery and instead of being like “uggghh this is sO DUMb” you feel “wait…I actually…get this?” Maybe there really is some deeper meaning behind the unsettling egg men, only found when meditating to the cascades of arpeggios and bends oozing out of 88’s 4th mini-album. Keeping their spot as one of Cat5’s most favorite indie bands, this album still retains all of the technical goodness and androgynous multitasking that all of their previous works had to offer, but this time around it is presented in a way that is somehow more accessible. While I do love crazy key changes and time signatures, there was always this layer to 88’s music that I found somewhat draining, with the exception of a few songs. Don’t get me wrong, I think they’re fantastic, but I could never listen to them for extended periods of time.  攻撃的国民的音楽 fixed this issue and has allowed me to sink into their vibrant world again and again. “赤い衝動-R.I.P-“ is like a religious experience for me, and “都会の魔界” some of the coolest bass walks ever.
 
赤い衝動-R.I.P-:

 
Singles:



 
アルルカン : 墓穴
 
Arlequin started off as what I thought would just be a guilty pleasure for me. Now they’ve grown into a legitimate pleasure and one of the best vkei bands currently active (even if their full-length was a bit lackluster). This single here is their best release to date, imo. The chorus of the title track is phenomenal and I love how the guitar solo mimics the main melody of the song, then transitions into a rehash of the same theme seamlessly. We all have classics that we will love for forever, and I feel that this single will be one of those classics for me. A+ beep-boop-core clown music.
 
墓穴:



 
Scapegoat : 赤いバスルーム
 
Scapegoat are like the D’espairsRay of today: a lot of people like them, but we just keep forgetting they’re around. I discovered this single by watching their music video and was total blown away. While they are beep-boop core as well, they put more emphasis on the –core than the bloops (I’m so good at writing, omg). The title track is dark and moody in the best way possible, and the rest of the single has better wubs than whatever the fuck the gazette have been trying to do since 2010. Hell, even Cat5 liked this single. This is a band I have to keep reminding myself to check out because they are tight.
 
赤いバスルーム:



 
少年記 : Bang Me
 
Hyped to kingdom come, the title track of this single was actually really good. I love the 90s boyband harmonization going on here, and the vocalist can actually sing well. While the musicianship isn’t anything ground breaking, it is good at what it needs to do and “Bang Me” is so catchy that it really doesn’t matter if the guitars are bland or not. I don’t consider myself to be a fan of this band, but I’ll be there for them if they keep releasing catchy pop rock songs like this and their previous single. Originally I tried this out to see what all the hype was, expecting to roll my eyes. Then I ended up really liking it, hue. Para + Mi’hen: 1, Me: 0.
 
Bang Me:



 
Ru:Natic : 「M」/ foggy night
 
The OG homage-kei band that never quite made it. This is their first single that was released since they decided to become self-produced (and quite frankly, much better. Good move on their part) and it takes a break from the La:Sadie’s worship to experiment in some more melodic aspects of late 90’s vkei hallmarks. Unfortunately, and fortunately all at once, they’ve traded in the dolphin noises to channel the ghost of Mana’s past. Truly a fantastic single, and hopefully not their last.
 

 

 
Penicillin : SOL
 
Penicillin are one of the oldest vkei bands ever, and technically have been active for longer than both Kuroyume and Luna Sea (as they didn’t take a break for 10 years and then decide they ran out of money). This year marked the release of their 200522nd album, which was more or less super bland, as well as their 3004000101st and 3004000102nd singles. While the previous single of this year, “幻想カタルシス”, was also great, the b-sides weren’t strong enough to place it above SOL. Not sure what “SOL” is supposed to mean (“Shit outta Luck??”), but the title track is a great post-Ultimate Velocity pop rock song, and the songs they chose to cover as b-sides were superb. Their covers also didn’t smother the original integrity of the songs and actually sounded like Penicillin trying to cover them, not butcher them. Awful album art though, jfc
 
北ウィング -PENICILLIN ver.- :

Honorable Mentions:


 
Kylie Minogue : Kiss Me Once
 
Kylie is an artist that I didn’t know I knew, but after listening to more of her stuff I realized I knew who she was (lmao). This album here is a good mix of different flavors of pop, like the dub-steppy “Sexercise,” the catchy “Les Sex,” and the softer “I was gonna cancel.” To be honest, this sounds more like Madonna than anything Gaga has ever done, but internet stan wars are for the mentally ill. My favorite track is actually the weird-ass b-side “Mr. President.” Apparently I’m the only person who likes it, so I’m just going to consider it written specifically for me.
 
Mr. President:



 
D機関  : 羅刹國
 
羅刹國 is the first album by D機関 , which is like the same thing as 黒夜葬 but different enough to warrant making a different band for. Idk, all I know is that is the same kind of gawfy Moi Dix Mois Castlevania nonsense that people here dig, but ignore because they don’t wear dresses. Good album nonetheless, just didn’t make my top list because nothing stood out enough on it to really floor: it’s merely a solid album. Definitely an improvement over his first mini-album under this name as well, which showcased some good ideas with very poor execution. 
 
Variant Cell→Apotosis (索敵機、発艦始め！):



 
グリーヴァ :  黒イ百合ノ花ト×××
 
グリーヴァreleased their first mini-album this year. To my dismay, it was only 1.75 new songs and the rest were all rerecordings. Thankfully, those rerecordings are great and were not just “remastered” (read: copied and pasted onto this album). It contains a great smattering of their early tunes, as well as early-like tunes, that are more aggressive than what can be found on their 2nd album. Thankfully the left off that god awful song “無常成ル世界ノ解答.” The unplugged and acoustic versions of their songs are surprisingly good as well. This didn’t make my top list because it could have used more unreleased material, although it was good for what it was.
 
相剋ノ[baiser] -黒イ百合ノ花ト×××version-:



 
Gwen Stefani : Baby Don't Lie
 
I’ve always liked Gwen, even when No Doubt were first starting to become popular in the early 90s when I was a little kid. Always dug her solo work too, even if I didn’t like the hyper exposed song “Sweet Escape” which still plays all the time on mom radio stations. This is her comeback single, and honestly I liked it a lot. It has enough catchy aspects and oomph to both make me remember it and want to listen to it again. The reason this is on the “honorable mentions” instead of the real list, however, is because of the embarrassing part in the middle. The music video is super vapor-wavy too, which is awesome.
 

Just gonna confess upfront that the title of this thread is legit and I literally have no clue what on earth I am doing here in this list. I am horrible at explaining why I like things beyond "THIS IS GREAT YOU SHOULD LISTEN" so if you can get through all of my nonsense and come out of it with some new tunes to jam to, awesome. If not, please don't mind me. c: I swear next year I'll have a better looking list with better blurbs. ;;  Bless Cat and Zeus for putting up with all of my stupid questions as I worked on this. They da real MVPs.
 
Fave tracks samples are in order as listed above mp3 bars.
 
 
NAINE - THE WALL and NEW ANSWER IS NEW ENDING

Fave tracks: THE WALL; NIGHTMARE; BEAUTIFUL CRIME
   

 
 
 
 
Schwarz Stein - GEBET, COCOON -Fallen- and Sleeping Madness

Fave tracks: Rise to Heaven -2014-; COCOON -Fallen-; Lilith
   

 
 
 
Favorite Weapon - Sixty Saragossa

Fave tracks: Hollow; Let's Shake On It
 

 
 
 
The Amity Affliction - Let The Ocean Take Me

Fave tracks: Pittsburgh; Don't Lean On Me
 

 
 
和楽器バンド - ボカロ三昧

Fave tracks: セツナトリップ; いろは唄; 脳漿炸裂ガール
   

 
 
倖田來未 - Bon Voyage

Fave tracks: SHOW ME YOUR HOLLA; Dreaming Now!
 

 
 
浜崎あゆみ - Colours

Fave tracks: Terminal; Merry-go-round; Lelio
   

 
 
HORA - DESOLATION BEAUTY

Fave tracks: DESOLATION BEAUTY; MOONRISE; CARPE DIEM
   

 
 
ＭＵ - Discovery of the AVALON

Fave tracks: 神世界; 幸せの代償
 

 
 
Black Gene For The Next Scene - 廃憶のdanceパレード

Fave tracks: Light is there; 空から零れ落ちる100億の光
 

 
 
exist†trace - WORLD MAKER

Fave tracks: Imagination; スパイラル大作戦; 長い夢の終わりに
   

Artist: Boris Single: NOISE Score: NOISE? Don't take that as a negative on this one.
Experimental band Boris released their nineteenth album, fittingly entitled NOISE, earlier this year. Inspired by punk music at the start of their formation, they covered punk songs in early demos and were influenced by bands such as 'The Melvins,' but Boris have shown they excel in more than just this one genre. They certainly haven’t failed in showcasing their various musical approaches in NOISE. What’s brilliant about the album is that it includes many different styles and genres in one tiny package to showcase their progressive sound. While the album has only eight tracks, it's an appropriate fifty eight minutes long album, with the standout track being "Angel," the lengthy eighteen minutes song! Anyone can easily dive headfirst into this album even if it’s your first time listening to them. This is because of the experimental approach they took to widen their musical feats even more so to entice a much larger audience. There’s the expected rock elements, a healthy slice of hardcore and some sparkling shoegaze to name only a few most noticeable styles.

The opening, “黒猫メロディ” (kuroneko melody), welcomes the listener in for an exciting ride. It’s a smooth and easy listening track, yet upbeat and energetic. The sporadic inclusion of aggressive guitars, playful drum hits and quick piano taps creates a wild tune. And when the chorus hits, we hear all these sounds mixed beautifully into a juicy head banging mess. This is just the opening track!
All tracks utilise the rock genre Boris favours, while also including psychedelic melodies. Track two, “Vanilla” has a smooth sound to it. Like a grand opening, it’s got high energy right from the start, opening with different, heavy guitar playing from the left ear to the right, suddenly colliding together with powerful vocals. The next tracks “あの人たち” (Ano Hitotachi) and “雨” (Ame) makes effective usage of the shoegaze genre, both being my favourite tracks of the album. They’re atmospheric, dramatic and haunting, slowing down the pace of the album in preparation for the quicker and lengthier album pieces. “雨” is absolutely delightful in the way Waka’s weaker and breathier vocals are used instead of Atsuo or Takeshi’s stronger voices, making the tracks atmosphere even more intense. How Waka's gentler vocals contrast so well with the overall heavy sound of the piece makes this truly captivating.
With a neatly contrasting title next, the cheesy sounding jazz influenced “太陽のバカ” (Taiyō no baka) is a fun break from the heavy tunes beforehand. It’ll encourage you not to head bang, but to dance like we’re back in a 90’s party. Its sound is very reminiscent to such a time, with a repetition of beats and vocals. The layering effect of Atsuo and Takeshi’s voices create echoes and a very enjoyable break from their darker side we just heard.
This cheerful number leads into the album track masterpiece that is “Angel.” Don’t let it's length put you off - you’re missing out on a journey if you do! The song starts with a lone piano, then slowly building up alongside tribal percussion instruments. It’s varied and takes on many sounds, from black metal to psychedelic and shoegaze. As Atsuo’s voice is introduced into the track, guitars begin to become louder and choppier until we hit seven minutes when things finally explode. Shrieks from the guitar wails and drums thrash for minutes as Atsuo sings, all musical ingredients now bellowing out. The final few minutes is a lengthy, shoegaze finale, ending on a massive high. The gradual escalation makes this a dramatic and memorable piece. The only down side to this, as many might be expecting, is the length of the track. While beautifully created, those who already have to hover over the skip button for ballads may be quickly put off by this one.
Another favourite, “Quicksilver,” is exactly what you think when you read the track title. It’s extremely fast paced yet melodious at the same time, making it a very enjoyable and unforgettable piece of the album even after the magical “Angel.” The song has a harder sound overall and nicely contrasts with the journey we just experienced beforehand. And finally, "Siesta" (シエスタ) is a calm, instrumental track which waves us a mournful goodbye. It’s awfully haunting and melancholic sounding, making this end even more emotional.
As a whole, the album just keeps on giving, never slowing down and turning many corners when it comes to musical direction. And yet, it never disappoints. Not one track drags the album down, even if the track lengths all vary and it can appear daunting at first. You just can’t go wrong with Boris.

Day 21 - HOLLOWGRAM - Qualia

Release Date: 2014-01-17
Genre: Visual Kei
Impressions by @Zeus:

Impressions by @fitear1590:

Sample song:

Buy the album:
CDJapan | Amazon

Artist: Dir en grey Album: ARCHE Score: Diru's ARCHE has two of everything.
It's not at Uroboros levels of good, but ARCHE can go toe to toe with Withering to death. for third best Dir en grey album.

Dir en grey learned a very important lesson with Dum Spiro Spero, which is that sometimes less is more. Nuance and Dum Spiro Spero went together like an axe to the face. Dir en grey have been a constantly evolving band ever since their formation in 1997, but 2011's Dum Spiro Spero was an almost clean break from everything they've done up to that point. While it was an interesting experiment, listening to the band buckle under the weight of their own creative ambitions was an overbearing, unrelenting, suffocating experience. It's a positive sign that Dir en grey have stopped trying so hard to mix progressive metal with deathcore while retaining an ethereal atmosphere and complementing it with well-thought out melodies (for the most part), because the result is pretty damn pleasant to listen to.

ARCHE is their most focused effort in years. It may not be as unrestrained as Dum Spiro Spero, but it is an infinitely more listenable experience. By not trying as hard to replicate the progressive atmosphere they farted out with Uroboros in 2008, they nailed it again and perpetuated their cycle of good album/bad album. ARCHE has hints of the atmosphere explored by Kyo's side project sukekiyo with nods to styles from previous albums now and again. It's no easier to take in all at once, but I can see how Diru's interpretation goes down better with some than the abstract and sometimes plain strange vibes of sukekiyo. Songs like "phenomenon", "懐春"(kaishun) and "禍夜想" (magayasou) are great examples of when the band excels at this sound, being amongst the top tracks on the album.

It wouldn't be a Dir en grey opening without an engaging opener, and "un deux" is exactly that. It's not the tribal acoustic source field intros of previous albums but I find the more direct approach refreshing. With ARCHE clocking in at 68 minutes, unnecessary pretentious intros are not needed. The first four tracks are pretty damn good, remaining consistent in quality and mood while watching Dir en grey alternate between experimentation and straightforward melodies. It's a sound we always knew they were capable of, but only surfaced once in a blue moon with songs like "腐海" (fukai) and "蜷局" (toguro). If the album stayed this course, it would have been one killer record.

But it isn't a true Dir en grey album without some tracks that should have never made it onto the album. The first is "cause of fickleness", which tried to combine the 90's visual kei mental instability antics with the nu-sukekiyo atmosphere and failed. The result is a lame chorus, uninteresting guitar melody and a total departure from the atmosphere that was built up by the first four tracks. To make it worse, the song that follows, "濤声"(tousei), picks up right where "phenomenon" left off, which makes me question why "cause of fickleness" is here. It's the kind of basic error that should not be made after eighteen years of making music. They repeat this mistake later with "The inferno" sandwiched between promotional ballad "空谷の跫音" (kuukoku no kyouon) and album ender "Revelation of Mankind". "The inferno" is junk not worthy of further elaboration but the ballad is a nice melodic break after all the metal. It wasn't the best choice to get people excited for the album though - "Un deux", "咀嚼" (soshaku), or "鱗" (uroko) would have been better choices. "Revelation of mankind" feels like a re-interpration of Dum Spiro Spero's "流転の塔" (ruten no tou). It doesn't get quite as good as "流転の塔", but it's a solid song and ends the album on a high note.

ARCHE's biggest issue is that after two years "輪郭" (rinkaku) is still the best song, even though several contend for second place. "Sustain the untruth" slides unnoticed into the latter half of the album, remaining the most straightforward metal song on the album. It also doesn't fit in all that well but the second half of ARCHE is an identity crisis anyway. All consistency goes out the window as Diru can't decide if they want to be mysterious, straightforward, reserved, or aggressive. It hurts more than it helps and with long albums consistency is important. The silver lining in all of this is that there is no progressive behemoth like Vinushka or Diabolos to inflate the running time further and make ARCHE unbearable to sit through.

The ideas don't work as well if the execution isn't top notch, and with the removal of some tracks and rearrangement of the rest ARCHE could have been in the same league as magnum opuses Uroboros or Macabre. But for a band that's been continuously reinventing themselves for the better part of a decade to be taken as a legitimate metal band, seeing them finally embrace melody and compose without pressure to conform to "metal ideals" is great. All aspects of Dir en grey that fans adore are still here, just devoid of the sprawling, unfocused attempts of albums past.

In the future, I could see ARCHE mentioned in the same breath as VULGAR and Withering to death. as generally good Dir en grey albums, and it is definitely an album I will find myself revisiting again and again. It's just something that could have been a legendary release with a bit more time and care.

Day 17 - ミソッカス - 統一された混沌(カオス) (misokkasu - touitsu sareta chaos)

Release Date: 2014-07-02
Label: No Big Deal Records
Genre: Rock/Indie
Impressions by @Original Saku:

Impressions by @fitear1590:

Sample song:

Buy the album:
CDJapan | YesAsia | iTunes (Japan)

Day 16 - 撃鉄 - NO UNDERGROUND (Gekitetsu - NO UNDERGROUND)

Release Date: 2014-04-23
Label: SPACE SHOWER MUSIC
Genre: Post-Punk
Impressions by @Original Saku

Impressions by @CAT5

Sample song:

Buy the album:
CDJapan | Amazon | YesAsia

Day 14 - 夜の本気ダンス  - DANCE STEP (honki dance - DANCE STEP)



Release Date: 2014-03-05
Label: actwise/Streetwise
Genre: Rock/Indie


Impressions from
 
Impressions from @Original Saku
 
 


 
CDJapan | HMV | iTunes (Japan)

Artist: ヒトリエ
Album: WONDER and WONDER
Score:
 
Having an incredible musical allergy against all things Vocaloid-related, Hitorie shows that having Vocaloid roots does not always equal terrible taste. In fact, I'm going to be as bold as to say that Hitorie basically dropped the best indie-rock album of 2014.

WONDER and WONDER is the band's debut album, after their incredibly solid first single and mini-album. The bar for this album was thus set incredibly high, yet I was not worried that this album would disappoint me the second they dropped the music video and the previews. If you're not into Ling Toshite Sigure because of TK and the shrill noises, Hitorie is the band for you.

Hitorie's vocalist has a very pleasant voice. He's not the best vocalist but he's incredibly well in synch with the rest of his band. Hitorie's strength lies in their own sound. Despite being a very young band, they have thoroughly established their own sound, a sound that is similar to other bands but still has something quite unique about it that makes you say "this is Hitorie!". Their combination of diverse melodies and catchy hooks makes them one of the best newcomers of the year.

WONDER and WONDER is a showcase of everything Hitorie has to offer. The album is mostly made up of upbeat songs, but they differ a lot from eachother despite all executing the same signature sound. Hitorie found their formula, but isn't afraid to experiment within their formula instead of constantly churning out the same exact song as some other bands tend to do. From the incredibly well done ballad 癖 to the minimal なぜなぜ and the fun upbeat 我楽多遊び, this band shows a lot of different sides of itself. There was not a single song on this album that I did not like or  considered average. The second half of the album is better than the first half in my opinion, but in general the quality is good throughout the entire album.

What also makes this album so good is that it's fun. It makes you want to get out of your chair and dance along to the incredibly catchy tunes.

While this review might not be as in-depth as those of the Review squad, I do hope I've managed to make you at least a tiny bit interested in this album. It's just a fantastic album from start to finish and I can hardly find any flaws. I don't rate albums five starts often, but when I do, it's Hitorie.
 

Final verdict: - It's just that good.

I am really glad to see this album has brought the greatness of DEZERT to light for some people, their stuff can be hard to digest. It's just best not to "expect" to know what you are going to hear from them next lol. There has always been something special about them, handling their debut album well will hopefully make them more memorable !!

Day 6 - TK from 凛として時雨 - Fantastic Magic (TK from Ling Tosite Sigure - Fantastic Magic)



Release Date: 2014-08-27
Label: Sony Music Entertainment
Genre: Rock/Indie


Impressions from @Original Saku:
 
 
Impressions from @Zeus: 
 
 
Impressions from
 

Sample song:



Buy the album:
CDJapan | YesASia | iTunes Japan

Day 7 - テスラは泣かない。- TESLA doesn't know how to cry



Release Date: 2014-06-25
Label: Virgin Music
Genre: Rock/Indie


Impressions from @fitear1590:


Impressions from @Original Saku

Sample song:



Buy the album:
CDJapan | YesAsia

Artist: DEZERT Album: 「タイトルなし」 Score: Sometimes, you just want some DEZERT before dinner.  
 
DEZERT fall under the umbrella of “up-and-coming” visual-kei bands influenced by earlier acts— “homage-kei,” if you will—with “friend bands” Grieva and AvelCain. Grieva is on the far left of the spectrum, providing the most old-school-meets-modern-day sound; DEZERT is on the far right, as they are the heaviest of the three and mix later influences, such as Merry, Lynch., and D’espairsRay with nü-metal; AvelCain is in the middle, drawing on influences from turn of the century~mid 2000’s bands while remaining as a happy medium between the two styles of the other groups in question. All three have similarities, such as dark themed music and resounding feelings of angst, which provide a modern twist on the visual stylings of days past. In addition, these bands appear to tour with each other quite often and have even participated in some beautiful photo collaborations. Of this trinity, DEZERT is actually the least discussed aspect on MH, even though they are actually the oldest (and last to release a full LP). So, how does 「タイトルなし」 hold up to other visual-kei releases of this year?
Originally, titled “嘔吐ニ関スル勅語(outo ni kansuru chokugo)”, an abrupt name change to「タイトルなし」 ("Untitled"), generated a bit of anxiety amongst fans. As this band has released a handful of singles and 2 mini-albums before now, I was fairly concerned that an uninspired album title would pave the way for an album taking a page out of 朱’s (Suzaku) book—in case you’ve gotten, they had a whole album with only 4 new songs, 1 of which was a short intro. Thankfully, this album did not fall for the enticing, lowly hung, fruit and pulled a lynch. by releasing an album made of entirely new material out of nowhere. From the get-go, it dishes out hard-hitting tunes in their Sunday best nü-metal style, presented in a way that is 3~4 steps above the quality of their previous releases. As someone who didn’t care for their two previous works, 精神科医(拒食症)のスナッフフィルム集 (Seishinkai(Kyoshokushou)no SNUFF FILM Shuu) and 特製・脳味噌絶倫スープ〜生クリーム仕立て〜 (Tokusei・Noumiso Zetsurin SOUP～Nama CREAM Shitate～), and somehow always found something preventing me from really digging these guys, I went into this album rather aloof. With the start of “----,“ I immediately lost my jaded / faded disposition. Finally, this had done it for me.
One of my immediate thoughts while listening to this album was that fans of early Mucc will probably dig this. The first two songs, “----“ and “「嘔吐」“ (Outo) are both short, but heavy, numbers with a ton of emphasis on bass. It’s nice to hear a visual-kei song, let alone two songs, with this dynamic—usually there is a lot of guitar wankery and soloing for the sake of soloing. Here, SaZ steals the show, while キラ-Kira- supports this bass-driven melody with brooding guitar harmonies. In terms of vocals, those lovely aesthetical vocals from “「眩暈」” (Memai) are back, but quickly turn turbulent at the start of “「嘔吐」,” which I suppose is where 千秋-Chiaki- vomits his feelings, aptly happening in song who’s name translates to “vomiting.” What works really well here is that after guttural part, the melody of the song returns to the original theme, showing that these songs are of the same idea.
A good chunk of this album is in the band’s typical style—still in the realm of nü-metal, mixed with a bit of –core and angsty “ZETSuBOu!!!” delirium we’ve all come to know and love from the early 2000’s. If bands like Mucc, Kagerou, and Vidoll—groups that often used heavy verses and a poppy chorus, sometimes paired with mumbling or frantic breathing—spark some feelings of nostalgia, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. “「殺意」,” (Satsui) the promo track for this album, falls into aforementioned category, is typical DEZERT in a slightly more disjointed form. One strength here is that “「殺意」” has quotable lyrics. However, the flow of how he says "satsui" eight consecutive times is awkward: with a 4/4 time signature over a chorus in a different tempo and key, it sounds disjointed. Since the pv showed up, I was not into this song for whatever reason. Listening to it in the context of the album, I do like it a bit better, but it is far from the best track on here.
“Infection”, “「教育」,” (Kyouiku) “脳姦少年,” (Noukan Shounen) “doze.,” fall into this category as well, ordered from least preferred to most. “Infection” felt like a filler track to me; “「教育」” is more of the same heavy verses with poppy chorus –core song that I’ve heard before that is almost redeemed with some neat riffage; “脳姦少年” has some interesting Merry-like guitar work going on, albeit the chorus is really weak; and “doze.” sounded like something off of –OZ-‘s Versus, which was cool. I would also like to note that “doze.” has the frantic mumbling motif going on during one of the breakdowns. Nothing like a breakdown in your breakdown |D
DEZERT also threw in some lighter songs here as well, which is fairly new for them. I personally did not care for them myself, but, if those are your cup of tea, be sure to check out “さぁミルクを飲みましょう。” (Saa MILK wo Nomiamshou) (a more melancholy ballad about drinking milk), “「軽蔑」” (Keibetsu) (fairly straightforward indie / ojisan rock song), and “-26時の冷凍庫-” (26ji no Reitouko) (which is a decent piano outro). Without these tracks to break up the flow, this album would have undoubtedly been exhausting to listen to.
In addition to the first two songs, there were a few songs that I did really enjoy. The first is “胃潰瘍とルソーの錯覚” (Ikaiyou to ROUSSEAU no Sakkaku) : where did this Matina-styled riffage come from? From the get-go, this song has a mesmerizing draw. What’s interesting here is that this isn’t just an old-school revival song, it actually mixes a few different genres around in a way that I haven’t often come across before, especially in visual indie bands. Somehow “胃潰瘍とルソーの錯覚” sounds like a mix of Madeth Gray’ll and 鴉 (Karasu) and it works, gawddamit. I enjoyed the airy and wistful chorus, as well as how this song played on some new ideas that are not just dissident chugging. “「擬死」” (Gishi) is another powerful track. This song is one of their slower ~ mid-tempo’d numbers that brings back what DEZERT does best: creepy atmospheres that build into an angry mash-up of rage and smeared eye shadow. My favorite part is the guitar riff paired with a vocal melody that gently progresses upward in pitch as the tension in the song swells – phrasing like this is something visual-kei is in dire need of. Every so often, “「擬死」” gets quiet and then explodes into a break down with千秋-Chiaki- freaking the fuck out. Not to be shady, but Kaya could not.
Overall, this album is a decent debut for DEZERT, especially as a band who isn’t actually new and has quite a few releases prior to this. On the plus side, none of their earlier material is featured on here. On the down side, there isn’t enough of a change in style amongst the songs presented here that I never felt like “yeah, I’ve heard something like this before.” In comparison to the rest of their discography, the maturity they’ve shown here is enough to not feel like this was more of the same, but I would have been far more impressed had I not heard their earlier works before. With that being said, this is one of the best visual-kei albums I’ve heard this year. If you’re in the mood to feel your angst-kei oats, give this one a spin.

See, this is where you lose me. At no point should someone have to make a tradeoff between depth and breadth of musical inclinations. As long as you continue to like music, they go hand in hand. The more music that you discover, the more you know where your tastes lie, what you like and what you don't. This is important.
I'll use @paradoxal as an example. para is the biggest visual kei indie head I'm familiar with on this forum. She follows all of the new bands and knows who is trending and who isn't, and is extremely comfortable with listening to a fraction of all the music visual kei has to offer. Yet she found something to love in Charisma.com, which is an artist she would have never exposed herself to on her own. She only realized she enjoyed their music when she took a leap of faith and decided to try something new, even if it came with the risk of not enjoying it. And in turn, I would have never discovered Charisma.com if CAT5 didn't put us all on one day. Sitting in the chat box for a day is one of the most mind blowing things you can do on MH. Everybody in the chat is always recommending music to everyone else and all of our tastes rub shoulders. As a matter of fact, most of the bands that I have in my library now are bands that have been recommended to me by other people from the chat. I don't actually seek out any new music, but my musical collection grows in new and unexpected ways due to people like @CAT5, @Champ213, @sai, @Jigsaw9, , @Bear, @leafwork, @Peace Heavy mk II, and @paradoxal, among other people. Right now I'm downloading something @sai recommended to me yesterday for no other reason than she thought I would like it. As long as someone is willing to try new things, their music collection will only grow.
I would even wager that most of us showed up here because someone else put us on to visual kei first - whether that be a mysterious YouTube uploader or a friend that really, really likes the GazettE - and we all decided to try something new. But a lot of fans don't even try new things within the confines of just visual kei. They're fine with being familiar only with the new band of the week - and I would know because I was there once too. From LIPHLICH to DISH, from Wagakki-Band to Kagrra, from Hollowgram to the god and death stars, there are plenty of different types of visual kei bands that all have different aesthetics and styles and approach music differently, yet there's as much of a schism between -core visual kei bands and other visual kei bands as there is between visual kei and not visual kei music. You can chalk it up to "musical differences" but I think there's more at play.
And at the end of the day, we all showed up here because we decided to try something new, so when does that change and why? It's the elephant in the room nobody wants to address because it requires taking a good, hard look at our own biases.

GENESIS Full PV 
 

What I like the most in this band is probably the way they manage to stay creative and at the same time they prevent their sound to go generic, which is not something easy when you're a deathcore/metalcore band. After their debut I've been a bit worried because they started to suffer of a lack of inspiration but thankfully they fixed that problem. Because yeah, usually, a deathcore band's originality doesn't tend to last long enough... That said, I just hope that GENESIS won't be the only good song coming from the album.

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?

Arlequin are pretty listenable, I gotta give them that. They sound rather professional and polished even for being a fairly newbie band. With that said, this release isn't anything special. It lacks any kind of 'flavor' for me to associate them with - rather it sounds like some whatever-band who are competent in what they do but no more.
 
Track-1's trying-to-be-heavy parts annoy me but other than that it's a pretty okay song (even if I swear I heard that chorus melody a few times in the past). Track-2 has a nice chunky riff that I could get into but it's way too similar to their previous superior song Zou - I'm afraid it's kinda like how GazettE always has one HEADACHE MAN-like track in their releases after DIM, lolol (hopefully it won't become a pattern here). Otherwise it's decent too and the chorus is a nice redeeming touch. The last track is pretty forgettable albeit well-put-together - this seems to be somewhat of a theme of this band. Not annoying or abrasive but nothing I'd remember for more than the runtime of the song.
 
Compared to the rest of the indies-vk scene and their peers this is pretty cool. In itself, it's just painfully average.
 
| not bad, it's worth at least a listen