fitear1590

Moscow Club and new Age Factory sound totes cool (well, very familiar and good acts as you might guess!).
 
Also: shame on those who missed this nice J-pop gem of Autumn!
 

 
Latest Passepied album is fun!
 
Also, latest I Love You Orchestra ain't bad either
 

Yellowcard-meets-math rock-meets-classical elements? (except if Yellowcard were good actually, oops)

@fitear1590 — "CELINE" by möscow çlub: This reminds me of 80's synth-pop and new-wave music, closely related to Duran Duran and Tears For Fears, and anything else of the sort. Very enjoyable and impressive as this is a sound that is difficult to reproduce in more modern times. If their other releases sound like this, I might actually develop an interest for this.

Well, hot damn. This band is making waves already.

It irked me that the vocalist didn't seem well "lip synced" at all though.

On first listen, I'm not too keen on the chorus, but the rest of the song has some promise. They've definitely evolved into one of the better VK bands, in terms of electronic elements.

Not a huge fan of the cheesy video though. I wish they brought in some of that cool Klimt-esque imagery (like on the limited edition cover) instead.

黒ユナイト new look

Jesus H. Christ, BPR has really outdone itself in multi-type shenanigans.

Oh no you did not.

If I can continue to download them there... xD

First thing I noticed too.

*saves a spot on my EOTY list*
 
"alright"?

When I first saw this poll, I immediately thought of you, Jiggy.

Preview for "Dollyに紅":

Artist: 凛として時雨 (ling tosite sigure) Album: es or s 1. SOSOS 2. Mirror Frustration 3. Karma Siren 4. Tornado Mystery 5. end roll fiction
Rating: | SOSOS send ling some help!
 
Ling tosite sigure (凛として時雨) albums have always been a spectacle. Rewind back to 2007 - their second full album Inspiration is DEAD was just released and for me, listening to it was like being unwittingly thrust into a pool of chilly water. I hated it at first, but the longer I immersed myself in it, the more comfortable I became and I eventually began enjoying it. There was something irresistibly charming about an indie-rock band that sounded like angsty chipmunks, yet brandished the kind of instrumental prowess found in extreme metal. As much as I wanted to shun it, I kept coming back.

The following year, they dropped their first single and I was completely sold. Every release after that was a complete thrill to sink your teeth into; you never knew what crazy riff TK would come up with, if Miyoko would sing more, or how the band would push their sound to new heights. The only thing certain was that Ling's new material would end up somewhere on your list at the end of the year.

Fast-forward to the present - the band has just released their latest EP es or s, and the endless wonder promised by the Ling's previous efforts is all but gone. From start to finish, the EP sounds like one big trip deja vu trip. The refrain in "mirror frustration" literally mirrors the chorus of "Beautiful Circus”, "end roll fiction" borrows moments from “secret cm”, and “Karma Siren” sounds like a limp combination of “Can you kill a secret?” and “Telecastic fake show”. It’s almost as if TK has taken Ling’s discography and thrown it into a blender, as you can almost dissect every moment on “es or s” and trace it back to an earlier creation. The problem isn’t that it’s derivative, though. Ling has always been adept at maintaining their sound while moving forward, but the band hasn’t broken any significant ground since 2010’s “still a Sigure virgin?”. Even their last full length, 2013's i’mperfect, generally considered as a creative brick wall for Ling, managed to deliver the band’s core strengths in an effective manner. On the other hand, this EP doesn’t even manage to refine their sound, let alone innovate. At most, there’s a cool, but exceedingly brief solo in “Mirror Frustration” and a pretty snazzy riff in “Tornado Mystery”, but those are hardly worth a mention when the rest of the EP is drowning in overused Ling tropes and suffering from some of TK's most drab songwriting yet.

On the bright side, the band is still as instrumentally proficient as they've always been, TK's vocals are at their most tolerant, and the production is sound. If you've just gotten into Ling or just haven't heard much of their back catalog, then there's a better chance that you'll receive this EP well and my criticism won't hold up. After all, there's nothing here that would constitute as 'bad' or unlistenable - it's all very well done. But if you're a long-time fan and have had a chance to live with their older works, then "es or s" might be a more difficult pill to swallow. You might even wonder what brought the band to this point. Each member now has their own side-projects; TK has released two solo albums, Miyoko has also released two with geek sleep sheep, and Pierre has his Chaotic Vibes Orchestra. One could easily assume that Ling is no longer their primary focus. Not to mention the anime themes that the band has been pumping out since 2012. "abnormalize" is their highest grossing single, so perhaps they've found a formula that sells and are sticking to it? It's hard to tell, and even more difficult to believe, but es or s truly legitimizes the notions that either TK's been hoarding all of his 'Fantastic Magic' for solo endeavors, or it's true that his 'Inspiration is DEAD'.


Support the band! "es or s" on Amazon
"es or s" on iTunes US
"es or s" on CDjapan

TK 'bout to be TKO'd when he reads that last line

TK 'bout to be TKO'd when he reads that last line

TK 'bout to be TKO'd when he reads that last line

Voted on the ones I liked! Here are some thoughts as well:
 
  @@Zeus - "OMINOUS" was certainly the standout of DOGMA too, but I also enjoyed "Deracine".  That lynch. song is solid. I actually prefer it to the newer one.   @@beni - I've known about Antic Cafe since the time I first got into J-music, but never actually tried them. It's a decent track, not for me personally, but I certainly don't understand the stigma surrounding them. A9 is solid too. The Aqua Timez song reminds me of the first hitman reborn OP for some reason. Surprised at your pick for LAST CALIX, going with K-sancore? ヨモギ|イ|チヨウ sounds like a Japanese Royal Blood, except those vocals are uhh...different. ^^; 浮遊スル猫's vocalist is really nice, so good pick on that one. CHiCO sounds like a standard anime pop-rock song, but it's well done. Menoz still reminds me of SebX   @@doombox - JILUKA. This is cool. Don't think I ever tried this band (or even heard of em before o.o). The Kuroyuri song you picked was def the best on the record. Have coldrain always sung in English? MY FIRST STORY is definitely very ONE OK ROCK-ish, but I can dig it. Aren't these bands related somehow? WANIMA sound like if arukara went punk, haha. I vaguely remember coming across Language some years ago. I thought they were an electronic group. Good song either way. SHIHASMO is cute.   @@fitear1590 - Pity about the picture lol. The romance has been ruined! jk jk. Dat violin doe. Can dig. I stopped following androp a while back, but this is pleasant. I can see why you like PELICAN FANCLUB. They really remind of THE NOVEMBERS' lighter stuff. Some really cool sounds in the Yumiko Ohno song, although I'd probably enjoy it more in a specific context.

If we're only talking Japanese releases, here are 10 records I loved / somewhat enjoyed so far:
 
Pretty great stuff
sukekiyo – VITIUM THE HAKKIN – Joucho cali-gari – 12 Grieva – Mousou shugisha no haitoku. PELICAN FANCLUB – PELICAN FANCLUB   Kinda neat stuff ZIZ – NEIGHBORING CHAOSMOS Koochewsen – Compact D’ERLANGER – Spectacular Nite -Kuruoshii yoru ni tsuite- Towa Tei – Cute KEEL – Cthulhu

Damn, I just realized we have quite a few big name bands this month:
lynch., Gazette, A9, coldrain, Crossfaith, サカナクション, et al.
I'm with you, @doombox. I rarely delete stuff after one listen, but I guess I need to go back and give them another try. I'm all about that @emmny-core
 
Happy to provide you with your least fave track, as well as one that broke your system

But srsly, glad you're digging the list overall!

Will be back later with my picks from the list!

Damn, I just realized we have quite a few big name bands this month:
lynch., Gazette, A9, coldrain, Crossfaith, サカナクション, et al.
I'm with you, @doombox. I rarely delete stuff after one listen, but I guess I need to go back and give them another try. I'm all about that @emmny-core
 
Happy to provide you with your least fave track, as well as one that broke your system

But srsly, glad you're digging the list overall!

Will be back later with my picks from the list!

Damn, I just realized we have quite a few big name bands this month:
lynch., Gazette, A9, coldrain, Crossfaith, サカナクション, et al.
I'm with you, @doombox. I rarely delete stuff after one listen, but I guess I need to go back and give them another try. I'm all about that @emmny-core
 
Happy to provide you with your least fave track, as well as one that broke your system

But srsly, glad you're digging the list overall!

Will be back later with my picks from the list!

Damn, I just realized we have quite a few big name bands this month:
lynch., Gazette, A9, coldrain, Crossfaith, サカナクション, et al.
I'm with you, @doombox. I rarely delete stuff after one listen, but I guess I need to go back and give them another try. I'm all about that @emmny-core
 
Happy to provide you with your least fave track, as well as one that broke your system

But srsly, glad you're digging the list overall!

Will be back later with my picks from the list!

*saves a spot on my EOTY list*
 
"alright"?

*saves a spot on my EOTY list*
 
"alright"?

I wasn't crazy about that More single, but everyone talking about it makes me think I should give it another chance. :/
 
 
Happy to see you liked the coldrain song too. I am really hoping that Vena will be better than The Revelation now from this song. I loved it! And agree about the new A9 album. If they keep putting out albums like that, I'll be really happy. You could really hear their passion for music again. <3
 
Another WANIMA fan? :DDD *high fives* I think it's been smart of them to keep putting out solid minis instead of trying too hard on a full album if they aren't ready yet. I think the last 2 releases are awesome.
 
@@beni
Yay A9! I feel like that entire release is pretty solid, it was cool to see one of the non-pv songs up here. I'm also really surprised how much I liked that An Cafe song. o.O I haven't enjoyed their music in a really long time. I would have never have pegged you to be a person into a band like LAST CALIX, but thanks for including them. They're really fun, I want to look into them. They remind me a bit of a crowd of rebellion/hysteric panic with that vocalist. Also, 浮遊スル猫 were new to me. Good stuff! They might be able to fill a little of the hole in my heart from イツエ.
 
@@fitear1590
I didn't like that KEEL song in the context of the release, but hearing it stand alone, I like it way more now. And PELICAN FANCLUB sound better every time you recc them. I have the mini but I haven't had a chance to check it out yet. I need to do that!!!
 
@@Zeus
Ominous was my favorite song on that album. Really good pick, imo. 
 
@@CAT5
Downloading Bird In A Cage as I type this! Wow, they are really nice. ;w; I'm also diggin' that Ropes song a lot. Seems like a lot of your picks are pretty laid back this month. I found myself wanting to make a playlist out of the songs you chose because they feel like they kind of go together?