fitear1590

Eat your heart out, zeitgeist fans! Live vid for "鉄の夢 (The Iron Dream)"

Thanks for sharing your comments, guys! It's cool that we all appreciated different songs/aspects on the single. I hope we get a little more Yui-composed material on the new album. We haven't heard his stuff in a while! PS: For the people in the poll (or anyone) who aren't totally feeling the new layout, let us know! Maybe it's something we can incorporate. But we can't improve if we don't get any real feedback.

Srsly. I don't think ANY of his solo/DIMMDIVISION./StrangerSaid./etc. stuff has ever been available for regular purchase. The best we've gotten in the past is an extremely short window of time where it's on his webstore and he doesn't even do that anymore... Just take my money, dammit!

Honestly, I didn't even realize that Merpeoples was still around, but it looks like they're releasing one last album and disbanding on April 5.

Artist: ユナイト (UNiTE.) Single: マーブル (marble) 1. マーブル (marble) 2. ステアーズ ステアーズ(stairs stairs) [Type S limited edition] 2. 汚染 (osen) [regular edition] 3. WONDER f∞l PEOPLE [regular edition] Rating: | Another solid single to whet your appetite before the summer album マーブル (marble) is the 7th single from your favorite VK experimenters in excessive, flowing fabric, UNiTE. Sana, the band’s fresh meat drummer, makes his compositional debut, penning both the title track and one of the b-sides. This is all just in time for the band’s 4th anniversary on March 29th! So, how does Sana stack up? Well, he definitely sounds like he belongs! In fact, I wouldn't have a hard time believing that guitarist Shiina Mio had actually written “marble.” If there’s one difference, it’s that Sana blends the heaviness and signature twinkly pop-rock more seamlessly than Mio tends to do (who often deliberately writes songs in a softer or heavier style). Yui's vocals are as agile as ever, effortlessly gliding through gentle verses and powerful choruses. Meanwhile, chirpy guitar chords in the beginning of the verse later morph into the layered guitar wankery we’ve come to love from Mio and LiN. The background arrangements alternate between a balanced mix of piano, airy synths, and a distorted “wub-wub” here and there. All in all, a pretty damn good first effort! “ステアーズ ステアーズ(stairs stairs)” is the second track from Sana. From the laid-back beachy sound, I initially thought it was by guitarist LiN, channeling his former band, LeMpicka?. The beat makes it like a toned down version of “アンテリナム(antirrhinum)” from their third album. The song has an enjoyable melody and a nice little guitar solo. Yui maintains his sweet vocals for the majority of the track, but occasionally hits some funky notes – another usual trademark of LiN compositions. While this is a pleasant little ditty, Sana doesn’t touch on much that LiN hasn’t done before. Next up, we have Mio’s “汚染 (osen).” For a title meaning “contamination,” it might seem strange that the song begins with a music box lullaby. This soothing tune quickly disintegrates into atonal disarray, making way for some sinister chiptune bloops. A short dose of chuggy, albeit generic riffs, get a lot more creative around the :43 mark, before leading into the first verse. The best thing about this track is that melody was not sacrificed in the heaviness. Yui delivers an impressive, heartfelt performance, particularly in the final, extended chorus. The riffs throughout sound full-bodied, so it all makes for a satisfying listen. My main complaint is that the drums during the bridge sound a bit weak. While I don’t think this song reaches the top-tier likes of "失望エミュレイター (shitsubou emulator)” or “退廃レトリック (taihai rhetoric)," it’s one of their better “heavy” songs. “WONDER f∞l PEOPLE” opens with a pumping, in-your-face beat, as Yui talk-raps his way through some bizarre Engrish (“POWER K LOOKS”) and does a roll call of the band members. I was preparing myself for a Kameleo-esque song where they all sing along. Thirty seconds in, the chorus sneaks up on you and it’s clean, poppy, and ecstatic. The whimsical synths give it a shibuya-kei flair. LiN’s lyrics continue to graces us with phrases like “YA SMELL ME? LACK OF ABILITY!” After the second chorus, the song pumps the brakes and gives a short taste of bossa nova relaxation, before quickly returning to the song’s almost gratingly hyper form. Like LiN’s other goofball tracks (“Cocky-discuS”), this might take 2 or 3 listens, before the humorous style sinks in. Nonetheless, I seem to be in the minority of MH’s UNiTE.-posse, because this is my least favorite on the single. It needed at least one more element (some kind of bridge or outro, for instance) to be more balanced. As it stands, it’s the single’s shortest track, but also the most repetitive. Sana's joining the band last year has somehow ushered in higher production values (look at that shiny PV!) and generally more mature songwriting; while I still think the band sometimes plays it too safe in their “heavier” compositions (I’m looking at you “marble” and “osen” breakdowns), there is always enough variety on their releases to keep you interested. None of the four songs here sound remotely alike! I look forward to hearing Sana’s songwriting develop into his own, discernible style. Lucky for us, their 4th album UNiVERSE comes out this summer, so we don’t have long to wait for him to show us what else he’s got! What did you think of the single? Support the band! Type S Limited Edition CD+DVD Limited Edition CD (1 track) Regular Edition CD

At least he put God Palace and Metamorphose on there.

I like both, but I would say I'm a bit pickier when it comes to male vocals.

The third album is still taking some time to sink in (seems like a grower, like their second), but more NEGOTO is always good!

Some great song titles

Does anyone know where Chaos is originally from?

^^You weren't kidding about that lip-synching Really nice song though!

Goddamn, SHINee. Those were the most intricately awkward dance moves I've ever seen. So goofy. It didn't register in my brain that the song was in Japanese till the chorus, haha. The verses are kinda nice.

I encountered one of these at the store today and was straight-up flabbergasted: It seems like a peanut butter filled chocolate bar. Anyone ever tried one before?

Wasn't expecting this, but YESSS!!!

C'mon, we're all thinking it:

Happy birthday to @pinkmakona!

Damn! I didn't expect people to be so anti-crowd-funding. Pretty much this. If it's a band I already know, then what's the problem of "fronting" them the money and getting cool bonus items? I've done this with quite a few Western bands and have had nothing but positive experiences. I also helped contribute to the Lacroix Despheres (supposedly the first VK attempt at crowdfunding?), but the release isn't slated until this summer. Hopefully, it'll also be a smooth experience!

Where are the Fast Break lovers?! Dat nougat is a game changer. Never tried that one! Sad to say I haven't had the dark chocolate one yet, but I tend to prefer darker chocolate, so I'm sure I'd love it! Yes, zombie. Yes. I need to start a Reese's Cup shopping service, clearly.

MONOchromE HEAVEN is trash! Posers! #BringbackSpaRkLiEs2015

Type A Type B 1. UN-DEADHOUSE 2. PHOTOGRAPHER 3. LITTLE BELIEVER The samples were actually mixed up on their website (for instance, the one with the file name "photographer" was under UN-DEADHOUSE), so I re-ordered them.