fitear1590

7 songs? That's gotta be a mini-album, haha. Anyway, here's a video for track 1.

At least the songs seem to have different tempos this time around. All I remember about the last album (which I deleted after 2 listens, haha) was that every song seemed to have the same beat.

Release dates, bitrates, and moods are interesting concepts for tagging! Never considered those, but I think that'd be a cool idea. And this is more of a question than a suggestion, since you oversee the tags. Do you notice a problem with hyphenation when it comes to tagging? For instance, "post-rock" or "post rock"? I assume that would appear as two "different" tags. Are people consistent enough that this isn't an issue?

His screeching in the "GRIEVA" track is very Blood Brothers-y. I approve!

Isn't this the 3rd or 4th guitarist they've lost? Interesting that a] such a guitar-heavy band continues to lose their GUITARISTS and b] that this band hasn't just disbanded yet, considering this is VK. They're resilient, I'll give them that.

Signed up for the newsletter, Thanks for all your hard work, mang! This is glorious!

Preview for 失愛カレンデュラ

Jupiter TOUR 2014 「Classical Element」-EUROPE- Feb 05 @ Progresja in Warsaw Poland (TICKETS) Feb 07 @Die Werkstatt in Köln, Germany (TICKETS) Feb 08 @Covent Garden Studio in Paris , France (SOLD OUT) [TICKET PRICE] Regular : 33€ Premium : 60€ VIP : 80€ [ENQUIRY] [email protected] [iNFO] 33 Degrees : http://facebook.com/33degreesfrance http://twitter.com/33Degrees Source: http://www.universal-music.co.jp/jupiter/news/2013/10/27 ---------------------------------------------------------- Can you really consider 3 shows a "tour"? Anyhoo, since I'm currently in Germany, I'm strongly considering attending! Do tickets generally sell out for these European shows quickly? EDIT: one show added in Warsaw, Poland. Thanks to Linh-san for the heads up! EDIT AGAIN: Updated ticket links for German and Polish shows.

Hey Sai, hopefully this album makes your second round of "Mystify Sai!" I know we don't often "hear ear to ear" when it comes to music, but I'd like you to check out ねごと's (NEGOTO) debut album "ex Negoto". ねごと is a major-label, all-female, keyboard-led pop-rock group. The thing that fascinates me about ねごと is their ability to tread the line perfectly between mainstream "accessibility" and quirky/creative indie-rock influences. They fit in well in the indie pop/rock world, just as well as they do performing on Japan's most popular music TV shows. The songs are catchy and feature great composition, all the while taking you through a number of different, yet cohesive moods and styles. When you really listen, all of the girls are able to shine and it's apparent they are VERY talented musicians; I must say, the drumming in particular comes off particularly strong! I hope you'll enjoy! PM incoming!

Really enjoyed their first album! The samples for this one don't have me as excited, but I know short samples can often be deceiving, haha. Looking forward to it!

Congratulations to DIV! Having just formed last year, this is HIGHLY impressive for a debut album. In fact, it’s just a good rock album, period! And this is coming from someone who started off with a very lukewarm impression of the band; I didn’t care for their debut mini-album much. The following singles showed progress, even if it was a bit inconsistent. But this album is a totally different story. Early on in their career, I remember thinking DIV had some composition issues (夏の行方 and its B-side had almost identical choruses; unacceptable, especially on a three song single!) and that their electronic arrangements were uninspired and lacking (especially when compared to labelmates, UNiTE). Both of these problems seem to have been addressed over time and I can say that the band is in top form on this album. From start to finish, it’s a pretty cohesive listen. There’s plenty of variety with well-composed, bright pop-rock tunes like “ZERO ONE” and “Place,” as well as heavier, more melancholic tracks like “ASTERIOS” and “VANISH.” Unlike many other VK bands that make it to the full album stage, DIV didn’t feel the need to pad their tracklist with the obligatory “experimental” mainstays we all know like out of place “jazzy” track or “heavy-repetitive-track-with-growling/screaming-throughout.” I honestly congratulate that restraint, haha. Regarding the electronic arrangements, they’ve shown some massive progress! Whereas their mini-album featured a totally pointless “SE” track with aimless chiptune bleeps, there’s a lovely “galactic” synth sound that permeates most of this album. Sometimes, it lends an “epic” quality to the music, while other times, it creates a fun, light atmosphere like in “Chocolate Prayer”. As Shanethvarosa mentioned, the way “interlude” leads into “ASTERIOS” is beautiful and the subsequent chaotic screeching and “wub wub” dubsteppy sounds are actually quite nice, mainly because it's used very sparingly. That and the autotuning (another thing I generally find obnoxious) in “Teddy” are tastefully done. One of the things that really sets DIV apart from most of the VK world is Chisa’s voice. He’s not your typical, nasally, whiny, over-exaggerated VK singer. He has a very “normal” (yet capable) voice and somehow that works for the band and keeps them grounded. He’s able to serenade us with dramatic ballads like “I swear,” get us moving to catchy tunes like “Chocolate Prayer,” and bring some emotion out in heavy tracks like “VANISH.” If there’s one thing that could still use work, it’s his growling. He sounds like he’s straining himself a little bit, sometimes like he’s “barfing” out his words, haha. But once again, the band doesn’t overuse these screaming/growling parts, so it’s hardly a problem. If I have any real complaints about this album, it’s the choice of old singles to include. 夏の行方 is a solid enough choice (though as unrealistic as it is, I would’ve absolutely preferred B-side 蛍火 [hotarubi]), but I find SEASONS and ANSWER to be the band’s two weakest single tracks. “SEASONS” has so much that I should love (the twinkly, soft piano throughout), but the “hooo-oooh” background voice annoys me and I find the bouncy guitar riff that leads us into the verse (starting at about :38) to be so meh. As Shaneth said, “TASTE OF LIFE” might’ve been a better fit, since there were some other poppy songs on the album and they worked just fine. “ANSWER” is a track I find decent at best. It could’ve benefited from an arrangement overhaul, considering the band’s newfound mastery of the synths, but alas… This rerecording doesn’t sound much different. In fact, none of them really do… The only major difference I could detect was the background arrangement of "SEASONS" sounded (unfortunately) more subdued in certain parts. But if the album’s biggest weakness is its old songs, that’s probably a good sign of the pure progress the band is making! Review Breakdown: +Great compositions; restraint shown when necessary +Almost all of the new songs are better than the three old songs +Cohesive sound throughout album, but with enough variety +Chisa is a highly capable vocalist +Wonderful improvements in the synth/electronic arrangement department -Chisa could work on his growls -Old singles are the weakest tracks; shame that two of these songs end the album An extremely solid debut! Certain to make an appearance on my my Album of the Year list!

Thoroughly enjoyed their latest mini-album. Hope their major work will keep the quality tunes intact! Thanks for posting!

We'll see if they actually make some progress with their sound on this one... Somehow, I'm not very hopeful.

Yay, thank you so much for translating! I've always loved this song. Beautiful lyrics!

Virginia, USA but currently living in the land of Milka and no youtube, ie GERMANY!

美空結び (misora musubi) 2013.10.09 美空結び (misora musubi) is UNiTE's latest release, compiling the three songs from this summer's "serial story CDs" and adding one new track. On to the review! 1. small world order (composer: guitarist Shiina Mio) The CD opens up with some "mysterious" riffs and then leads into the bright pop-rock mode that UNiTE is known for. The tempo of the song is dynamic, with slow chuggy-riffed verses and a catchy, upbeat chorus. After a quick, simple solo, it's back to a final chorus and Yui sings a soft outro, as the main guitar riffs play. This is a very "nice" track with solid songwriting, but nothing about it particularly grabs the listener's attention and it doesn't bring much new to the table for long-time UNiTE listeners. 7/10 2. 色即是空 -イロスナワチコレソラナリ- (composer: guitarist LiN) This song brings a fairly oldschool VK energy and a dark, yet playful atmosphere that's completely different for UNiTE, no doubt thanks to UNiTE's less productive, but (dare I say) more creative guitarist/composer, LiN. The whimsical/wacky lead guitar riffs lead into a verse featuring some distorted vocals. Meanwhile, the guitar screeches along with some occasional pinch harmonic action. After a catchy chorus, we're treated to some good ol' gang vocals/growls, before proceeding to the solo. During the second part of said solo, there's some muffled "fast talking" by Yui (something I strongly associate with oldschool VK). Afterwards, the song takes a very different turn, slowing down the pace; this shake up in composition is exactly what "small world order" was lacking, imo. After building back up to the second/final chorus, the song begins to fade out and a "countdown"-like synth beeps along, until a fuzzy bass lick closes out the track. 9/10 3. ハートレス クラシックメモリー (composers: vocalist Yui, guitarist Mio) This song also marks the treading of some pretty uncharted territory for UNiTE: super mellow (synthless) ballady rock. The extremely "natural" (okay, natural for VK!) look is mirrored in the music; for this song, it's a very welcome change. The song begins with Yui singing softly over some riffs, before exploding into delicious mellow-dic riffs. On the chorus, Yui sings his heart out and I love it! Afterwards, an all-too-short dreamy guitar interlude brings us to drum-tastic bridge, leading us into a slightly more amped up verse. We get one more awesome extended chorus (I love that extra melody from 2:43 to 2:50), before the beautiful outro. I really enjoy this track and UNiTE performs quite well in the "stripped down" quality (if you can call it that) of the song. Plus, this is Yui's best vocal performance on the release. 9.25/10 4. 美空結び (composer: guitarist Shiina Mio) The new song 美空結び begins very delicately with Yui singing a slow/soft version of the chorus. Afterwards, some plucky synth piano plays some very Mio chords, haha. Yui starts the verse off with a slightly awkward holding of a note (the "NAAAA-nimo" etc), but the speedy stacatto-y rhythm of this verse is fun. The distorted vocals of the "pray for you" part are also interesting. The following chorus is bombastic with a semi "Japanese" synth arrangement propelling it along (not as obviously "Japanese" as Kiryu or Kagraa, though). The only thing I dislike is the synth ends the chorus (1:37-1:39 and its repeats 2:35-2:37, etc). I don't know why, but something about this little section sounds very "generic anime theme song." After that second chorus, there's a simple, but powerful guitar solo. It follows with a slow, slightly more "Japanese" synth section. With a final chorus, the song finishes by reintroducing the piano and a few strums of the acoustic guitar; shame this guitar wasn't a bit more audible throughout the song (though that's what the "off vocal" version is for)! 8/10 __________________________________________________ Overall, 美空結び is a catchy compilation that lets listeners hear four fairly diverse sides of UNiTE's "single" songs. The fact that all four are singles of a pop band is reflected in the structure, I think (which may be to its detriment). The songs are all about the same length (right at about 4 minutes) and besides guitarist LiN's track 色即是空 -イロスナワチコレソラナリ-, there's not much of a departure from standard song structure; everything is pretty "single-ready". So why do I still enjoy it so much? Because Yui is a killer vocalist (imo) and guitarists Shiina Mio/LiN are extremely talented. I don't think I've heard so much technical "riffing" from a pop-rock group before. They take great melodies and enhance them! Constantly, they're layering sound onto the melody, rather than simple playing power chords or something. I'm very much looking forward to the band's third full album, which will feature rerecordings of the first three tracks of this release. OVERALL:

I nominate this for "Biggest WTF of 2013." SO goofy. I can't believe how cheap that PV looked. And like Danao said, it sounds like a carbon copy of the original song. I'm absolutely dumbfounded right now.

Cool, so we'll be getting "all" the songs in some way or another. I wonder how you vote on "new" songs though... I guess it's more relevant for fans that can attend the lives (where they'd presumably be playing the new tracks).

Yikes, this is a lot to keep up with, but exciting nonetheless. It doesn't seem like too much brand new material, but I like the idea of rerecorded songs (and getting fan input on the tracklist). Also, regarding the extra "L" and "M" type songs: -Excited to hear the Yui version of Invit'! -I believe "scenes" might have also been a track planned for the Canzel's canceled "Invit SP" album. -"ポロメオノワ" is actually an old "LeMpicka?" song (LiN's old band, where he was the bassist "aki"). Once again, it'll be really cool to hear Yui's interpretation of it.

Hmm...

New songs + Race Wish, nice!

I also highly recommend DOPPEL. Their mini-album is one of the highlights of the VK world this year. Very chill, refreshing sound.

gekijou, when you get some time, can you give some feedback on what you like/dislike from the stuff that's been suggested? Otherwise, people will just be listing any "non visual jrock" band they can think of.

Happy birthday, Godtrombe!

Yay! Always down for more Scarlet Valse. The new version of "No.6" sounds better.