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fitear1590

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Posts posted by fitear1590

  3. Posted

    Hey DanSar48, I'm also half-Filipino :D

    Glad you found some stuff you enjoyed in this thread!  Definitely check out the Vandals on the Wall site and I'm sure you'll find even more stuff to your liking!  And thanks for linking Freddie Aguilar.  The name sounded familiar, but I'd never heard anything by him.  The song you linked is awesome!

    Bear, I don't have much to offer metal-wise, but I do recall my brother coming across a Filipino "slam death" band at one point. I remember this only because the phrase "slam death" is so funny to me, haha.  I wonder what the band's name was though...

    colorful人生 reacted to this

  5. Posted

    I'm not well-versed enough in horror movies to contribute much, but I absolutely love Scream and Misery.

    The opening scene of Scream remains legendary.  The movies that followed weren't so great.  The Scream series had kinda fallen into the same cliches/formulaic plots it was making fun of, but they had just enough wit/twists that it still made for a fun viewing.  I know Scream 4 was pretty much just made to appease longtime fans, but I loved it, haha.  I think it could have addressed more aspects of the "modern" horror genre (well, one character did mention that it's all just "torture porn"), but I suppose it did a decent job of upping the gore factor compared to its predecessors.

    And Misery... awesome performances from both leads.  Great, chilling story!

    Also fast foward to the 2000s, I love/hate House of Wax, haha.  I think the story is pretty cool.  Granted, I haven't seen the original, so I don't know how much it desecrates it.  I may just be an Elisha Cuthbert fanboy, but I think the movie is a bit underrated overall.  Yes, there are some shitty aspects (wtF is Paris Hilton doing there?!) that make you think it's just another teen slasher, but still, enjoyed it nonetheless.

    Also, would I be crucified instantly for thinking Suspiria sucks?  I don't know, but I was expecting something amazing with all the Dario Argento hype.  I guess the movie hasn't aged well, because it mostly just came off as cheesy and obnoxious, imo.  I also did not appreciate the soundtrack.  And it has the worst tagline ever, haha: "The only thing more terrifying than the last 12 minutes of this film are the first 80".

    Please be gentle with my awful taste in horror, Bear. ;)

  10. Posted

    If you don't like lazy reposting, then I suggest attaching a password to you file like "fuck_yo_blogspot".

    That would AT LEAST ensure that the people would reupload it (which would at least be semi-helpful in the long run, in case something happens with your upload), but other than that, I don't have any constructive suggestions...

     

  13. Posted

    ^Magatsu is right.

    Something marked "gift" in a commercial-looking box is a red flag.  

    While in Germany, my uncle sent me a care package marked gift.  Because he sent it in a box with a Nut-Thins design for some reason (lol), the customs people snatched it up.  I had to go to the local customs office to open it in front of them so they could inspect the contents.  I think only because it was under 45 euros in value (or whatever the limit is), I avoided paying a fee.

  14. Posted

    So today I’m posting an update of only artists that perform in English.

    Slow Hello

    slowhellobandpic_zps383f2de0.jpg

    Slow Hello started as the solo-project of singer-songwriter Selena Salang.  Now with a full band, the group delivers mellow 80’s-inspired indie pop, perfect for hazy summer days.  While some bands in this genre go way too “cutesy” with the lyrics, I think Salang keeps it fairly interesting and introspective.  The music video for “You Know It’s You” (my fave song) is also adorable by the way.  You can check out the band’s 2013 album “Audio Baby” on Bandcamp or Spotify.

     

    June Marieezy

    junemarieezy_zpsae697a4b.jpg

    June Marieezy does sleek, sexy r&b stuff that just makes you chill out.  She has a kind of unorthodox voice, but it’s still soulful nonetheless.  You can check out some of her releases on Spotify.


    Bandcamp: https://junemarieezy.bandcamp.com/track/purple-tree


    CONCLΔVE (CONCLAVE)
    CONCLAVEpic_zps919b9351.jpg
    CONCLΔVE  is the moniker of an up-and-coming electronic producer.  This song features slow, pulsing space synths and minimalist beats. Broody, Lana del Rey-esque vocals are provided by a Filipina named Luxe Calip.  The lyrics are apparently referencing the recent death of mother.

     

    Loop
    loopbandpic_zpsd90fc6f6.jpg

    Loop does a lite-shoegaze style of power pop.  Kim Trinidad’s voice is gentle, but also packs a punch.  They have an album coming out later in 2014 and I'm very much looking forward to it!

     

    Spazzkid
    spazzkidpic_zpsbb983ebc.jpg

    Despite his name, Spazzkid produces some really relaxing chillwave.  His album Desire (願う) is available on Spotify.


    Hana ACBD
    HanaACBDpic_zps765c4dc1.jpg

    Hana ACBD is a one-woman electronic/singer-songwriter project.  Her music centers on her innocent vocals and catchy background music.  Some are quirky like “Like Butter,” while other tracks are more down-tempo.  I believe she is putting up her album Metanoia for download soon.

    Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/hanacbd/like-butter-full
    Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/hanacbd/holden

    ------------------------

    For more promising independent Filipino artists performing in English, be sure to check out this new mixtape from Vandals on the Wall: LOVE FOOL.  Out of 22 tracks, I like/love/need at least 20 of them.

  17. Posted

    That's a shame that the live had some issues (I can't believe SACCI's spinning antics were severe enough to need a bandage!), but it sounds like you had a good time overall!

    I'm always down to see your written reports, so I'd be interested in links!

  20. Posted

    The 真夜中のアンセム PV from the upcoming "Z"OOM mini-album has finally been uploaded on Jpopsuki.tv (since their youtube channel is useless to anyone outside of Japan).

    Enjoy the lusciousness:
    http://www.jpopsuki.tv/video/Negoto---Mayonaka-no-Anthem/5aea4b799e887fecc17bf36c160a4f4a

    What do you guys think of it?  

    It takes a while to build up, but I think overall, this might be one of their most creative compositions yet.  They definitely haven't done a song like this before.  The synth work is really beautiful, especially during the chorus.  Anxiously awaiting the mini-album!

  22. Posted

    Strange, indeed!  Cool song too.

    Here's some 2 really strange PVs off the top of my head:
    ぐしゃ人間 (Gusya Ningen) - ババアの祈り
    There's some very disturbing nose/nostril play in this one. Nose bleeds/boogers included.


     
    宇宙人 (uchu-jin) - 惡の華
    Outlandish costumes, freakout dancing, traipsing in the fields and rotoscopy = winning formula

    Visutox, whitegrey and digi reacted to this

  25. Posted

    “BUTTERFLY DREAMER” opens up with some galactic synths and Chisa doing a soft version of the song’s chorus before exploding into chuggy riffs that lead us into the first verse.  One of the things I particularly enjoy in this track are Chisa’s distant “ahhh” background vocals during the chorus; I can’t put my finger on why that adds to my enjoyment, but it just makes the chorus more epic.  Throughout the song, crackles, bleeps, and other electronic elements add to the song’s arrangement.  Towards the end of the song, the band has a cool little breakdown, before proceeding back to a bridge with blissful synths.   I think Shaneth mentioned at some point that BUTTERFLY DREAMER was solid, but that the band has already done this type of song before.  While that’s true, I think this song has much more interesting composition than, say, previous singles “ANSWER” or “夏の行方.”  DIV is steadily improving and I’m loving it.  My very small complaint with the song is Chisa’s weak harsh vocals.  His “acapella” growl at the end of the song consistently puts a slight cringe on my face, haha.
     

    “rainy,rainy,smiles.” begins with some ambient electronics and “piano synth” (reminiscent of something UNiTE would use).  The whole song is generally quite dainty and pleasant, but the verses introduce the occasional heavy-ish part and even the synths become more “aggressive” to match these parts.  The main issue with this song is that it doesn’t really deviate from the twinkly, light sound enough to make much of an impression; the chorus kind of blends in with the rest of the song.  Now don’t get me wrong, I think b-sides are often underappreciated and I can definitely see myself still listening to this song months down the road, but “rainy,rainy,smiles.” is never going to be “the” song that gets people into DIV or that seasoned DIV fans pick as their favorite.

    “you” is a good example of DIV’s more ballad-oriented pop-rock style.  It’s happy and lighthearted, but it also packs a punch, musically.  The chorus is very sweet and is also followed up by some impressive guitar riffs/ a mini-solo on Shogo’s part.  In the middle of the song, things calm down with some chilled out synths and a ~gentle~ version of the chorus.  The song is very much in the vein of “I swear” from the ZERO ONE album, which probably somewhat explains why I enjoy this one too.  One tiny thing I don’t really enjoy about the song are the repeated riffs which open and end the track; they just don’t seem to fit that well.  Interestingly enough, I preferred this when I first saw the PVs for “you” and “BUTTERFLY DREAMER,” but I’m starting to rethink that.  I mean no offense to “you,” because it’s a lovely track, but I think “BUTTERFLY DREAMER” has proven to be slightly more interesting with closer listening.

     

    “Cinderella” features a funky beat that’s quite different from DIV’s usual style.  The closest thing would probably be “赤裸々ララ” from the album.  Bassist Chobi gets to shine a little bit on this track.  This is probably the kind of song that is super fun to hear live.  Unfortunately, similar to “rainy,rainy,smiles.” the song has kind of one note the whole time, besides a freakout guitar solo in the middle.   Plus, the chorus isn’t that good.  Weirdly enough, he’s singing about “Venus” (at least as far as I can hear) and he does this in “赤裸々ララ” as well.  Not my favorite song, but a cool addition to their discography I suppose.

    Overall, we have two solid singles, with "BUTTERFLY DREAMER" arguably being the stronger one.  Aside from my minor gripes, there's nothing "bad" about any of the songs.  "Cinderella" and "rainy,rainy,smiles." might be forgettable in the long run, but they're still enjoyable nonetheless.  In fact, the only real tragedy is the absolutely awful and random cover art for "BUTTERFLY DREAMER" (the limited edition, at least).  The PV for the song is actually quite visually stunning and I can think of a ton of stills from that that would've been better for the cover.  ANYWAY, I think "BUTTERFLY DREAMER" and "you" (the songs) would have been more than fitting on the ZERO ONE album, which for me is the new bar the band has set for itself.  Here's hoping their next single will continue this trend.

    :4.0:

    Raburr7, hiroki, Spectralion and 1 other reacted to this
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