fitear1590

"Zeroth"?? Anyway, that's pretty cool. Too bad I probably can't make it to this one...

^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.

So today I’m posting an update of only artists that perform in English. Slow Hello 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 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. CONCLΔVE (CONCLAVE) 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 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 Despite his name, Spazzkid produces some really relaxing chillwave. His album Desire (願う) is available on Spotify. Hana ACBD 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.

Trombe listed the support members on the first page: Gt.Anzi (摩天楼オペラ(matenrou opera)) Ba.Ju-ken Dr.山崎慶(yamazaki kei) (Venomstrip) The real question is who is the keyboardist...

If so, that would make this the first band I actually care about that does this conditional disbandment bullshit. Please let it be false!

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!

Did I miss something?! The only version I know is this one: What is the second version?

Speaking of Sherow, I was sad nothing ever happened with -The- UnForGiveness. Anyone remember them? Their usage of the Exorcist melody was pretty epic, haha. Not familiar with [MU:], but I have faith in this label. Looking forward to this!

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!

UHNELLYS and 空きっ腹に酒 (sukippara ni sake) are doing a collaboration release! "Give me collaborate" 2014.04.02 1000 yen 01. of the world (UHNELLYS) 02. ストレスです (空きっ腹に酒) 03. mix juice (Sound by 空きっ腹に酒 Vocal by UHNELLYS) 04. move (Sound by UHNELLYS vocal by 空きっ腹に酒) 05. 応 (collabo)

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

Hmm, I thought there was bad blood between Yumehito and the others, but maybe I'm just making that up.

I suppose these are the respective looks for the "black" and "white" sides of this concept release:

“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.

Does anyone have any simple, but surefire (or at least, somewhat reliable) solutions for those pesky Japan-only youtube videos? My two chrome extensions ProxMate (which I use for Germany's GEMA-blocked videos) and Hola Better Internet (even when I set the proxy for Japan) don't work... Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

When I heard it live, the song it reminded me most of was "Heaven's Atlas".

Looks like their first major release will be "クライマクス&REMIXES", a Tower Records exclusive single. It comes out on March 5th and is going for ￥315. 1. クライマクス 2. クライマクス 池永正二（あらかじめ決められた恋人たちへ）REMIX 3. クライマクス Junet Kobayashi REMIX

Announced in a banner on their website: Looking forward to it!

On their website, you can see the 6th member (not pictured in the video):

Lol, when you guys were talking about the motorcycle helmet, at first I thought it was some kind of terminology for the girl's puffy hair or something. Anyway, sad that this is what Serra is doing now. GRiST and Vior gloire were so awesome.

Absolutely agree. I was officially converted to a DIV-fan after their album and this single is just confirming that. Really enjoyed both songs. I like "you" a little more, but "Butterfly Dreamer" is also pretty solid (minus the cringe-worthy "acapella" growl at the end, but I've always said Chisa needs to work on his harsh vox). Plus, the PV is visually stunning. Keep it up, DIV!

Thanks for posting everyone! I've never checked out yazzmad or umbrella and I've never even heard of SRASH NOTES GARDEN, so I have some catching up to do I agree that some of the videos people posted are more generally "alternative". I was more referring to the current sound that seems to dominate the Japanese indie rock scene (I'm terrible at describing music, but fast-paced, melodic and riff-oriented, with scratchy distortion, and some mathy influence, etc). Haven't heard Scarlett before, but LIPHLICH and Viru's aren't exactly what I was thinking of. Maybe "atypical" for VK (LIPHLICH absolutely falls under that category), but not specifically this indie sound, imo. I've been looping Chanty this past week and the vocalist has grown on me, haha. I liked him back in Administrator, but I had to readjust to his voice, since this band has a totally new style. I'm keeping an eye on them as well! I also hope it becomes a trend. Lawd knows the VK scene could use any fresh influences it can find.