fitear1590

Not really sure if this exists, but does anyone know of any Japanese classic soul or girl group-inspired artists? For instance, I can think of quite a few recent American and European artists that are strongly inspired by classic soul and/or 60s doo-woppy "girl group" artists. Here's a few examples of what I mean: Just to be clear, "girl group" does not indicate something like Perfume or AKB48! But if those groups do perform a song or two in this style heard in the videos above, then by all means, share it! So, can you think of anyone?

Either she had a totally off-performance or her music just isn't your type at all. IMO, Janelle Monae is one of the FEW artists that deserves the hype. Although she seems to have gained a bit more popularity with this album, I still think she's a bit underrated (or "rated" for the wrong songs, at least). She's one of the only American musicians I can think of right now that combines grandiose eccentricity with mainstream accessibility. Even though their musical styles are totally different, I think her approach is comparable to Shiina Ringo. PS: Zess, how did you like this album compared to The Archandroid? Overall, I still prefer that one I think. Dance or Die -> Faster -> Locked Inside is such a great way to start an album!

All the downy hype and they didn't make the list??! Or am I blind? (I still have yet to listen to the album myself, haha. I will on my long train ride tomorrow!) I'm definitely planning to check out a few of these that I otherwise would never have gotten around to listening to.

I think they've been a bit hit-and-miss since the まだ来ないANGEL single, but I'm glad they stopped dicking around with singles. I hope they show what they really have to offer with this album.

Welcome, welcome! Thanks again for downloading that Moscow Club album! I hope you like it! Enjoy the forum!

I just saw "※iTunesでも配信予定！ 詳細は後日！" on the page for パープルレシオ. So that means details for an iTunes release are coming soon? The voting for the 5 album tracks was so volatile, haha. I thought for sure パープルレシオ would make it on there! Oh well, I guess this means we /might/ get to hear it sooner than the album if the iTunes release is also on January 1st. Anyway, obviously very excited for this! I'll have to order both the L & M types!

^ LOVE that song. Great release!

I actually haven't listened to paraphilia, but you're the second person I've seen list that as a favorite, so I'll check it out. My personal favorite is the GIFT EP, but (two) into holy is also just lovely! I am enjoying the zeitgeist album, but I definitely prefer the band's "dreamier" stuff.

Besides bolded/italicized (favorites) and the not-so-bold/italicized (honorable mentions), there's no particular order. Click on each release for a sample! Japanese: ねごと (NEGOTO) - 5 Fun synth/keyboard-led indie pop-rock. This group of girls shows how to be a major-label band, while not sacrificing their identity/sound. The Acid House. - The Acid House Wonky, psychedelic and acoustic guitar songs sung by the weird genius behind 踊ってばかりの国 (odotte bakari no kuni). Jupiter - CLASSICAL ELEMENT The best thing from the Versailles crew since Jubilee. Tam Tam - Polarize Reggae/dub not your thing? Doesn't matter. You still might enjoy Tam Tam, because they put such a new spin on it! DIV - ZERO ONE Shocked at how good this album is, considering their singles are very hit/miss for me! A really solid alternative/pop-rock album. THE NOVEMBERS - zeitgeist They experiment with a darker sound that is a major departure for them. They pull it off quite well, though I still find myself preferring their "dreamier" sound, such as the one in the sample. ドレスコーズ (the dresscodes) - bande dessinée This band seems like the brother of THE BOHEMIANS, though I think the dresscodes have slightly more interesting compositions! Nostalgic, fun rock! カルペディエム (Carpe diem) - Carpe diem Another surprise release for me. This band seemed to come from nowhere and they delivered a solid debut! The vocalist is exaggerated in a good way (imo). Hotel Mexico - Her Decorated Post Love Second and final (mini-)album from the now-defunct indie pop/chillwave-y group. Massive improvement shown on this release... They will be missed! 宇宙コンビニ (uchuu konbini) - 染まる音を確認したら If something like Haisuinonasa is TOO mathtastic for your brain, give this band a try. They have almost a perfect balance of mathy tendencies with beautifully catchy pop melodies, all topped with some serene female vocals. Moran - jen:ga I don't know if they'll ever return to the awesome shoegaze-y sound that their former guitarist Velo provided, but Moran's first full-album is a very solid effort nonetheless. Not many VK bands have a sound like this. __________________________________________________ Non-Japanese: Sister Crystals - Sister Crystals LP A great shoegaze/dream pop release from a fairly unknown band. Lush music and beautiful vocals! Camera Obscura - Desire Lines 5th album from the veterans of indie pop. It doesn't tread much new ground, but they sound just as lovely and longing as ever. Rose Elinor Dougall - Future Vanishes EP Rose's follow-up to her great debut album. In just a few years, her sound has matured and gotten so much more interesting. If this is any indication of what's in store for her second album (hopefully slated for 2014), then I'm psyched. Department M - Department M Department M is the solo project of former GRAMMATICS frontman Owen Brinley. While his angelic vocals still shine here, the music takes a completely new direction. This time, he's traded in the intricate guitar work for gloomy, yet punchy, retro electronic sounds. The atmosphere of the music video in the link is spot on with the music. 네미시스 (Nemesis) - Dream My go-to Korean band releases "part 2" of their third album, which also happens to be their most diverse-sounding release. Well done! Lanterns on the Lake - Until the Colours Run Shamelessly lifted from Cat's AOTY list, haha. This is a GORGEOUS release. Very cinematic, orchestral dream pop. A fantastic album! Lorde - Pure Heroine Forget the hype about "Royals" (honestly, my least favorite track of the album). Here is an amazingly confident debut album from the now famous 16 year old from New Zealand. Purson - The Circle and the Blue Door Psychedelic "occult rock" fronted by vocalist/guitarist Rosalie Cunningham, formerly of Ipso Facto. Her deep voice commands our attention. A fantastic debut album from a band that will hopefully be around for a while. Janelle Monae - The Electric Lady Is it as good as The Archandroid? Sadly, no... But it's still a fantastic album. Besides the cheesy "radio interludes," we have another large collection of songs further expanding on Monae's unique and grandiose brand of sleek sci-fi-tastic pop music. The Internet - Feel Good Introduced to me by greeeeen, this is SO relaxing. It has the similar kind of retro, chill atmosphere (with great vocals) as the group "The Bird and the Bee," though the former is more pop-inspired, while The Internet is more r&b/funk. Just ignore the fact that this duo has anything to do with the Odd Future gang and chilllllll the fuck out with these smooth tunes! Wampire - Curiosity Some great new blood in the American indie pop scene with some psychedelic and other unique influences. The song provided in the link has a great "lo-fi" organ intro that would be at home with any "gothic" VK band from the 90s, haha. Kacey Johansing - Grand Ghosts I found out about this singer/songwriter via CAT5 and was pleasantly surprised by her album. Atypical female vox over beautiful chamber pop-type stuff. Heavy Hawaii - Goosebumps I still stand by how I initially described this band: "Think hazy, surf music interpreted through the lens of a nightmare carnival. From vocal pitch shifts and a generally creepy, yet engrossing atmosphere, this album exhibits all kinds of fuckery." Slow Hello - Audio Baby A Filipino band I discovered this year. 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. This style of guitar is perfucktion. 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.

Welcome! Do you have a favorite release by THE NOVEMBERS? And what did you think of their latest album, zeitgeist? Enjoy the forum!

Lamp is releasing their 7th album "ゆめ" (yume) on February 5th 2014. This marks their first release since the 2011 album "東京ユウトピア通信" (tokyo utopia tsushin). The album will retail for ¥3,000. Tracklist: 1.シンフォニー 2.A都市の秋 3.ため息の行方 4.6号室 5.空はグレー 6.渚アラモード 7.残像のスケッチ 8.二人のいた風景 9.静かに朝は 10.さち子 ____________________________ HOLY FUCK, I'M EXCITED! I've been waiting for them to release something! If this album is consistent as their other fantastic albums, then I'm sure this will be a good 2014 AOTY contender. My ears are ready to be soothed!

LOL, waiting for this.

PV spot for 夢想咏花.

Unfortunately never really got into them. I really admired Rookie Fiddler's skills, but he basically made the band. That really sucks, haha. Weren't those CDs really expensive?

Yes! Glad to see this on here. DIV's debut album is an extremely solid effort from a fairly new band. I wrote an in-depth review but long story short, one of the best VK releases of the year, imo. Some bands flourish with singles and then when they release that long-awaited album, they fail miserably. Not with DIV. I personally prefer this album to any of their previous stuff. If you're looking for a mature, and well-executed pop-rock/alternative album from the VK scene, look no further! 9/10 (Also Linh, I actually love the song "interlude"! The way it leads into ASTERIOS is brilliant, )

Any Filipino music listeners here besides "ronluna"? Introduce some of your favorite songs/bands/artists here! Any genres go! Please put youtube videos in a "spoiler" to help with loading times. Join the Club "Balewalang Pag-ibig" is a beautifully melancholic acoustic track with some supreme high-pitched male vocals. Honestly, one of my absolute favorite songs this year; love it! The video is also intriguing and apparently comes from a short film called "catnip," which I'd be interested in viewing. I really want to hear Join the Club's new album "Gera ng Bararila" to see if it is as awesome as this. Kaapin An electronic, chillwave-type duo. This is a relaxing track with beautiful spacey synthwork. Some Gorgeous Accident Some dreamy indie pop with female vox (though all the "band pics" seem to only show this one guy). This song is actually in English. Lovely stuff! Anj Florendo Jaunty indie pop with soulful vocals. It reminds me a little bit of Indonesian band White Shoes & The Couples Company, but as I said, with a different style of vocals. Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/anjflorendo/ito-na-naman-original Regine Velasquez Often dubbed "Asia's Songbird," Regine has some killer vocals. I saw her perform one time on the otherwise awful Filipino Channel offered in the US and I immediately fell in love with her. 90s-tastic, in the best way. Encounters with a Yeti Instrumental post-rock group. Check them out on Spotify.

Extremely mysterious...

Yes'm. It's written like that on their website, as well as on the CD I have.

Samples for the single are available on their discography page: http://souiumono.com/pc/cms/discography/

Piano-infused indie rock band テスラは泣かない。(Tesla wa nakanai / TESLA doesn't know how to cry.) is going major in 2014, joining EMI Records Japan. The band released their first album "High noble march" last year, followed by mini-album "Anderson" in September 2013. ________________ I didn't get a chance to hear their mini-album yet, but their album definitely showed some potential! Looking forward to whatever future releases they have planned.

Thanks for the heads up. I hadn't checked my youtube yet. Very excited by the samples! They make the songs sound completely different/new. And thanks for the notice, Trombe! I need to hop on this immediately. Early Christmas present to myself!

Hmm, the preview makes it sound like he's using a drum machine or something... Or is that just me? Hopefully he'll make some really cool compositions. I thoroughly enjoyed the arrangement on "Sound in Gate" from Jubilee.

I'm voting for all of them, except "At traction S"!