fitear1590

New ハイスイノナサ (haisuinonasa) video

Many of my favorites are also listed on this months release list, but the biggest surprises for me were:
 
fitear1590 - I had never heard Xenon until today - and that entire single was amazing (A and B sides).  The DIV characterization was right on, and I rushed into sampling their other offerings throughout the day and really wondered why I never gave them a shot!  They are able to meld melody and heavy very well, and their guitarist(s) can solo much better than DIV ever has.
 
Also - I adore the Sokoninaru!  As a huge fan of bands like HaKU, Androp, and Ling Toshite Sigure, they are in the same vein and are great!
 
Thanks for this - the format and content are both spot on.

Nice topic, Cat!

I remember when you introduced Lianne La Havas a few years back. I checked her out and enjoyed her guitar stuff, but it didn't really stick with me. This new song, however... Hot damn. GORGEOUS! It's got such a great vibe to it. Musically, it kind of reminds me of something Kimbra might do, with that spacey funk feel. Lianne's vocals are a lot different though (much richer! Sorry, Kimbra bb!) You got me looking forward to her new album, bruh!

Speaking of Kimbra, I see you there Bilal. "Shrieking like an R&B Thom Yorke" is not that far off, hehe.

Actually, all three of these are really cool! Thanks for sharing!
___________________________________________________
Here's a few that I've been into lately.
 
Moodoïd is a French psychedelic band, led by guitarist/vocalist Pablo Padovani. If anyone is familiar with Melody's Echo Chamber, Pablo apparently plays guitar for that project as well. Their album Le monde möö was on my 2014 AOTY list. They've only released that, their 2013 self-titled EP, and a new single this year, so if you haven't been following them, you can easily catch up. Their compositions are really interesting and their imagery/videos are very... creative? If you're ready to get weird, give Moodoïd a try!
 



Tele Novella is a new discovery for me, but their style probably isn't a surprise for those that know my music taste--I love me some 60s-inspired indie pop. This band, from the Austin indie scene, keeps it interesting with a sllightly mysterious/psychedelic tinge. To complete the package, charismatic guitarist/vocalist Natalie Ribbons, whose ex-band

Have some music you'd like to talk about, but not quite sure where to post about it? Then this thread is for you! This topic will be used for the discussion of all of the genres and artists that don't have enough fans here to warrant threads of their own. Feel free to use this thread to talk about any music that you feel wouldn't fit into existing topics or probably don't have enough fans to deserve it's own topic. Old or new, it doesn't matter.
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I guess I'll kick things off.
I'm really excited for some of the modern/"neo"-soul releases coming out. The new Hiatus Kaiyote album "Choose Your Weapon" just dropped this month and it's brilliant, though a bit lengthy @ 18 tracks. Still among the best records I've heard this year so far.

Some great tracks from the album:
Lianne la Havas just released the music video for "unstoppable" - from her upcoming 2nd album "Blood", set to be released on July 31st. It's sounding super lovely so far. I hope she hasn't ditched the guitar entirely - either way, I have extremely high hopes for this record.


Bilal is dropping a new album called "In Another Life" in June, and a new track from it is now streamable via NPR:

 

http://www.npr.org/2015/05/12/406162374/songs-we-love-bilal-satellites?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nprmusic&utm_term=music&utm_content=20150512
It sounds dope so far, but knowing Bilal, the album will likely veer off into the left field somewhere. Looking forward to it, though!

Okay.... finally got around to my super long reply after listening to everything because these posts basically make my entire week! *~* BNT days are best days.
 
@beni - 
Hearing this MBHI song outside of the context of the rest of the single sounds a lot better than I remember it. I still don't particularly like Tenten's vocals on these songs for some reason, probably the higher melody behind the main vocal is not meshing for me. But this song does sound WAY better than I remembered it, so thanks for making me give it a second chance.  I'm also really happy you included BUMP OF CHICKEN and THE TURTLES JAPAN. I loved these releases too. Both of them were so beautiful and just solid song writing. I can't get enough of them! Seeing you write up uchuu, was a surprise. I was on the fence about listening to this album from the video they released. But this song changed my mind.  Definitely make sure you catch up with THE ORAL CIGARETTES, you won't be sorry. I promise! and LMAO at that Yuuki/Spitz comment. He does look a bit like him hahaha. But Spitz is classic. I feel like, if you like Jpop you need to at least know that name or you're really missing out on great tunes. You had a few others I need to hear more of, but enjoyed them. miwa and Makura were both adorable, as I've come to expect. XD   @fitear1590 -  I'm not a huge MM fan, but they were one of my "introduction to vk" bands. I'm not really familiar with more than one or two A songs, either. But that cover of "au revoir" is nice. Nimo's version really feels updated and he was able to put his own style into it without totally changing the song. This is also my first time hearing XENON. I'll definitely look for their future releases. I checked Danger Crue's website and I don't see mention of them anywhere. So if they are connected it's not in an official way that I know of. They have the right sound though, I could easily see them fitting in well there. Right between DIV and SID.  そこに鳴る! Yes! I saw a lot of bad reactions to this mini but I liked it a lot. Maybe I'm not as harsh on it since it's not my main genre but I think this band's got a really bright future.   @CAT5 - 
I got around to that cinema staff album so late! I would have certainly added something and I'm glad you did. That song is great. Actually you picking it made me get off my butt and finally listen to it. I wasn't crazy about the opening or the closing, but the chunk of songs in the middle of this album kept me pretty happy. I hope they don't soften their sound too much more, though. It could start getting boring... You picked my favorite song from that ゲスの極み乙女。 release as well. The rest I'm not sure how I feel about them. I think I still like indigo la End a bit more than this project so far, but you're giving me some hope. lol. ATLANTIS FRIKKIN AIRPORT. Holy crap. I was not ready for this perfection. I directly proceeded to grab that mini album. I did not pass go and did not collect $200.    @Zeus -  Man, I have been seeing this Sigh's name everywhere. And I still thought I was gonna hate them just because I don't normally do the really dark metal stuff (I like my -core) but this song is surprisingly fun! It's not at all the chug-chug doom and gloom I was expecting. Well okay, maybe just a little doom and gloom. But in a good way. lol. I can totally hear why this is gonna be on a lot of AOTY lists.   @fictioninhope -  I'm digging the FED song, you're absolutely right that it's not DELUHI at all and it people shouldn't be comparing the projects. I will say I was expecting heavier vocals due to the samples I heard from CodeRebirth in the past, and in LOCUS he doesn't seem to get past a growl in some of the parts he could have really pushed it farther. Saved it all for the b-side I suppose. But the song is still really cool and I'm excited about future material from these guys! Calling wasn't my favorite on the Miyavi album, but he had a lot of good songs to choose from. You came back at the perfect time. He's finally moving on from his "world music" phase and just doing some cool modern rock again. Miyavi fits in well with this current bluesy garage rock revival, maybe he can help keep it going.

I know it's tough to pull off a different accent and sound natural, but lawd, did Radcliffe even try? I saw it months ago, but I recall him saying "anything" the super British way ("eh-NA-thing") throughout the movie, despite his "American" accent. (You can hear him say it in the trailer two times.) I don't know why they didn't at least attempt to fix the accent in post-production. Such a goofy-ass movie.

This popped up in my feed today and I immediately knew I had to come back to this thread. XD
 

The Worst
ミサルカ (Misaruka) - Rosary
This song was made for this thread. As if watching what's-his-face's over-acting (yes, even for VK) weren't enough, the vocals on this new track are even worse: so confusingly terrible. Here's a summary of some of the most egregious parts:
-Pathetic growl that goes on for waaaaaay too long
-"Having a seizure" vocals at :54
-Forced deep vocals at 1:02
-Awful VK vibrato at 1:50
-The sneeze (??) at 3:10

The fact that the production simply plops the vocals on top of everything just makes it worse.

Nice song, indeed! Keep up the good work.

If it were an instrumental version of Classical Element, I'd consider buying that.

Anything's better than "NO ESCAPE" Yohio,
 

I'm happy to report that my package arrived in less than 2 days! (I live in the US though.)

The CDs themselves were practically mint condition, which surprised me! My LAREINE CD even came with an extra photo booklet I wasn't expecting.

Basically, this was an extremely pleasant experience. Looking forward to more Rarezhut Unboxing adventures!

I'm happy to report that my package arrived in less than 2 days! (I live in the US though.)

The CDs themselves were practically mint condition, which surprised me! My LAREINE CD even came with an extra photo booklet I wasn't expecting.

Basically, this was an extremely pleasant experience. Looking forward to more Rarezhut Unboxing adventures!

I also enjoy the Gesu no Kiwami Otome song! The video is fun/quirky as usual. The only thing that irks me about this band is Enon and actually, not vocally speaking. You know how some people have punchable faces? Well, he has a punchable mouth, lol.

I LOVED Backdrop Cinderella's シンデレラはウンザウンザを踊る album back in the day. I don't recall enjoying the follow-up album, Jackson, nearly as much and haven't heard their stuff after that. Am I missing much?

Artist: FIXER Single: PARADOX 1. White and Black (Prologue) 2. Paradox 3. Libido [Type A] 3. Verity [Type B]
Rating: | Familiar faces, fresh sound
 
I wasn't sure what to expect from Fixer as PARADOX was my first foray into their short discography. But a band that houses ex ReivieЯ and Signal members has a lot of potential in my book. I'm happy to say PARADOX didn't fall too short of my expectations, either.

The single opens with a somewhat generic and predictable electronic instrumental. Even for an SE, it's rather long. It's not really that the track is bad, per se. There just isn't much to evoke the rest of the tracks that follow it. The SE feels placed there because it's expected to be there, which is never the best idea. Things like this are better left to hype up the audience in a live setting. I've never found them to work the same way on a recording. But the rest of the single makes up for it. By the time the title track begins, you forget that there was an SE in the first place.

"Paradox", the title track, has great energy that kicks in with a machine gun drum beat and a scream. Jey's voice is powerful and even when he turns to his falsetto it carves out its own place among the dueling chugs of downtuned guitars. The song has great dynamics and bounces back and forth between heavy and quieter melodic segments in the verses. The more traditional visual kei chorus maintains its melodious aspects but in a much fuller arrangement between all of the instruments. As for the second track, "Libido" has a super catchy chorus, and more contrast of melody over thrash-y drums. Even at its heaviest parts, harmonies are layered over screams and the song never loses any intensity for it. In a short single Fixer is showing a lot of complexity and fresh approaches to a genre that desperately needs it.

The alternate song on the Type B version of the single, "Verity" sounds just like it was treated. B-side (or in this case, C-side?) filler. Not horrible "delete-this-and-pretend-it-doesn't-exist filler", but something that didn't quite fit with the other two songs and takes a few more spins before it grows on you. The verses are arguably more generic and the song even sounds like it didn't get the same production treatment as the Type A songs did. But if given a little bit of TLC in a re-recording with the right tracklist beside it, "Verity" could make for decent album material. This is only Fixer's 3rd single, after all. They get a little bit of forgiveness from me for having to skimp on what can be expensive studio time.

All in all, PARADOX is a strong showing that makes me want to continue watching this band as they grow. I will hold out hope that they pursue new and interesting ways to keep visual kei fresh and relevant. I'd love to see them branch even further from some of the vk mainstays it seems they are trying to cater to, as it may end up holding them back. However, Fixer are on the right track to a strong following and promising career as they are, and I'll be cheering for them.

Check out "Paradox"

Support the band! PARADOX @ CDJapan
PARADOX @ HMV
Fixer OHP

Honestly, I didn't even realize that Merpeoples was still around, but it looks like they're releasing one last album and disbanding on April 5.

Gonna PM you, bruh.

ハイスイノナサ - 変身
 

 
01. 変身
02. 地図にない街
03. ブラインド
 
The Japanese indie scene is a treasure trove of interesting, quality music; particularly in the genres of math and post-rock. Of all of the quality bands to have surfaced within these scenes in the last ten years, perhaps none are as entrancing to me as ハイスイノナサ. Their utterly brilliant soundscape is comprised of guitar, bass, piano, synth, drums, soft female vocals, and occasional electronic aspects. These elements combined with phenomenal compositional ability, atypical song structures and odd time signatures all come together to form a sound like nothing else out there. It’s hard to adequately describe ハイスイノナサ to somebody that hasn’t heard them before, but if you’re into technical, rhythmical brilliance and also happen to have a love for ostinatos, then this band has you covered. For all of their merits, however, one aspect of this band does leave something to be desired: the rate at which they release new music. Their last single, reflection, came out in the middle of 2013, and since then only one new song has managed to creep out of the woodwork as a part of last year’s Zankyo record Compilation vol.4. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that 変身 was one of my most anticipated releases of the year so far, but how did it stack up?
 
The single kicks off with the title track. Initially I was somewhat underwhelmed by this song. It bears all the hallmarks of a typical ハイスイノナサ track; complex rhythms, a constantly repeating phrase that persists throughout the majority of the song, and increasing instrumental layering as the song progresses. Where 変身 disappointed me, however, was not in its compositional qualities but in its apparent stylistic regression. ハイスイノナサ have always had a habit for changing their formula in subtle but effective ways over the years, but 変身 doesn’t feel all that different from what has come before. Despite that initial disappointment, however, I’ve slowly warmed up to the song over the last month, and I have to admit that, due to its iterative nature, it’s actually quite a good track to introduce somebody to the band with. It may not be the most experimental or unique song in their discography, but it has all of the core elements of a quality ハイスイノナサ song.
 

 
We then move on to 地図にない街, which so far is my favourite track from the single and probably one of my favourite songs by the band as a whole. Whereas the title track opted to utilise Ai Kamano’s vocals as more of an additional texture than as a method of lyrical delivery, 地図にない街 brings her to the forefront. Kamano has always been one of my favourite vocalists despite her somewhat limited range as her understated delivery is often an effective contrast to the rhythmical chaos that tends to lie beneath it. 地図にない街 is an interesting case in the sense that the song gives off a very chilled, relaxed vibe despite clearly still possessing a considerable degree of instrumental complexity (which is particularly noticeable between 1:47 and 2:17). It is this juxtaposition between these two elements that makes this song so enamouring to me, and I can comfortably say that this is one of my personal favourite songs of the year so far.
 
Finally, ブラインド (blind) constitutes the final song on the single. Anybody that’s been paying attention to the review team’s Best New Tracks of March 2015 thread will have already seen CAT5’s own impressions of this track, and in many ways I concur with his general sentiment.  ブラインド is one of the most catchy, accessible songs in the band’s discography. Yet despite somewhat streamlining their sound in order to achieve this, the song doesn’t feel lacking in its finesse. Quite the opposite, in fact, as it’s this change in sound that helps the song to stand out from the rest of their discography in a way that the title track struggles to do. Kamano’s subtle changes to her vocal delivery, singing in a lower register than usual, also helps to give the song its own distinctive flavour.
 
It’s been a long wait for ハイスイノナサ’s  変身, and though it may only have been a three track release, I think that the wait was worth it. This is a band that simply doesn’t release material unless they have something worth releasing, and it is for that reason that I get much more mileage out of their music than I do out of most other bands’. Though the single as a whole may be a bit of a stylistic regression for the band (noticeably, the IDM elements introduced on reflection have pretty much disappeared from this release), it’s still very much a worthwhile release that currently stands tall as one of my favourites of the year thus far. ハイスイノナサ, esoteric as they are, may not be for everyone, but to put it simply: no other band does what they do as well as they do it.

I love best tracks days. I just sit here and play through each song and have a blast. I almost wish I could make these into some kind of playlist but that's hard when I don't have all the songs on hand yet hehe.
 
@fitear1590
acor and UNiTE.! <3 So happy you're on the acor train!
I've never heard of Cuushe before this. I'll be keeping an eye out for that upcoming release now.
 
@CAT5
Daoko~ yay! I've really enjoyed the last 2 albums. Nice to see her on the list.
You and Beni got me sold on Chara. I'm gonna be looking up her discog soon. I am working through a lot of pop/dance music at the moment though so it might be a little while... 
And that Sundays & Cybele! This is perfect.... Is it posted around anywhere? I have a mighty need.
I really should get to checking out Yamaji's solo stuff since I love dip, but damn so much music, so little time! That song sounds great, though. 
 
@beni
Like I said above, you guys are doing a good job selling me on Chara. I'm looking forward to listening to more from her.
I was really close to adding that The Black Swan song. It's great! I'm glad I'm not the only one who enjoyed a lot of music coming out this month.
The Koda Kumi album is on my list to check out soon. Like that song! 
I'm happy you liked so much of my list this month too. \o/

@fitear1590, Ziyoou-vachi look real interesting, and that sample is pretty awesome. I'll get to them too. XD And it's really nice to see something like a live sample up there, another great listen. You're really selling UNiTE.! CROSS VEIN has always been a band I feel more should get into. It's something not usually seen and quite different. Much love to you and Cuushe for that track!
 
That single you and ender-chan included of a crowd of rebellion's I'm gonna have to get my hands on. 
 
, I saw waterweed as a recommendation to look out for this year. Looks like I would've turned a blind eye if it wasn't for you. Very strong song selection, I'm going to have to check them out. OZROSAURUS' track is my favourite of your selections. It is so super catchy, I wasn't expecting such a hard yet melodious sound. ALSDEAD has always been a VK band I haven't bothered looking into after their albums, but this sounds quite nice and promising. I'll check out another album if this is featured on it. Plastic Tree's single was great overall, I couldn't decide on one track, I kept changing my mind so took it out but I love your selection and blurb of it. It's great to see a Jpop selection which isn't on mine. <3 I didn't think WHITE ASH sounds like that, I'm going to have to dig into their discography more. Loving the repeated lyrics in that sample. And FACT sound as promising as always, a very great instant choice on your end, once again.
 
@CAT5, double exposure for chara, hella yeah. That daoko album was pretty cool from start to finish but nothing jumped out at me that much. You've changed that for me though. Great to see an upload from here get another mention. Sundays & Cybele sounds nice, too much has gone over my head this month. X'D siamese cats sounds even more lovely, I've always wanted to hear them after I found them a while back. Glorious. I do have an image of 'The Lady and The Tramp''s siamese cats dancing when I hear that sample for some reason though. xD That haisuinonasa single I liked 2/3 tracks of, and the one you've included is my favourite on it. x3 

I have to say I really loved this single. I can't pick a favorite song but I love them all. This is why I think they're the best band around currently.

Artist: ユナイト (UNiTE.) Single: マーブル (marble) 1. マーブル (marble) 2. ステアーズ ステアーズ(stairs stairs) [Type S limited edition] 2. 汚染 (osen) [regular edition] 3. WONDER f∞l PEOPLE [regular edition]
Rating: | Another solid single to whet your appetite before the summer album

 
マーブル (marble) is the 7th single from your favorite VK experimenters in excessive, flowing fabric, UNiTE. Sana, the band’s fresh meat drummer, makes his compositional debut, penning both the title track and one of the b-sides. This is all just in time for the band’s 4th anniversary on March 29th!

So, how does Sana stack up? Well, he definitely sounds like he belongs! In fact, I wouldn't have a hard time believing that guitarist Shiina Mio had actually written “marble.” If there’s one difference, it’s that Sana blends the heaviness and signature twinkly pop-rock more seamlessly than Mio tends to do (who often deliberately writes songs in a softer or heavier style). Yui's vocals are as agile as ever, effortlessly gliding through gentle verses and powerful choruses. Meanwhile, chirpy guitar chords in the beginning of the verse later morph into the layered guitar wankery we’ve come to love from Mio and LiN. The background arrangements alternate between a balanced mix of piano, airy synths, and a distorted “wub-wub” here and there. All in all, a pretty damn good first effort!
“ステアーズ ステアーズ(stairs stairs)” is the second track from Sana. From the laid-back beachy sound, I initially thought it was by guitarist LiN, channeling his former band, LeMpicka?. The beat makes it like a toned down version of “アンテリナム(antirrhinum)” from their third album. The song has an enjoyable melody and a nice little guitar solo. Yui maintains his sweet vocals for the majority of the track, but occasionally hits some funky notes – another usual trademark of LiN compositions. While this is a pleasant little ditty, Sana doesn’t touch on much that LiN hasn’t done before.

Next up, we have Mio’s “汚染 (osen).” For a title meaning “contamination,” it might seem strange that the song begins with a music box lullaby. This soothing tune quickly disintegrates into atonal disarray, making way for some sinister chiptune bloops. A short dose of chuggy, albeit generic riffs, get a lot more creative around the :43 mark, before leading into the first verse. The best thing about this track is that melody was not sacrificed in the heaviness. Yui delivers an impressive, heartfelt performance, particularly in the final, extended chorus. The riffs throughout sound full-bodied, so it all makes for a satisfying listen. My main complaint is that the drums during the bridge sound a bit weak. While I don’t think this song reaches the top-tier likes of "失望エミュレイター (shitsubou emulator)” or “退廃レトリック (taihai rhetoric)," it’s one of their better “heavy” songs.

“WONDER f∞l PEOPLE” opens with a pumping, in-your-face beat, as Yui talk-raps his way through some bizarre Engrish (“POWER K LOOKS”) and does a roll call of the band members. I was preparing myself for a Kameleo-esque song where they all sing along. Thirty seconds in, the chorus sneaks up on you and it’s clean, poppy, and ecstatic. The whimsical synths give it a shibuya-kei flair. LiN’s lyrics continue to graces us with phrases like “YA SMELL ME? LACK OF ABILITY!” After the second chorus, the song pumps the brakes and gives a short taste of bossa nova relaxation, before quickly returning to the song’s almost gratingly hyper form. Like LiN’s other goofball tracks (“Cocky-discuS”), this might take 2 or 3 listens, before the humorous style sinks in. Nonetheless, I seem to be in the minority of MH’s UNiTE.-posse, because this is my least favorite on the single. It needed at least one more element (some kind of bridge or outro, for instance) to be more balanced. As it stands, it’s the single’s shortest track, but also the most repetitive.

Sana's joining the band last year has somehow ushered in higher production values (look at that shiny PV!) and generally more mature songwriting; while I still think the band sometimes plays it too safe in their “heavier” compositions (I’m looking at you “marble” and “osen” breakdowns), there is always enough variety on their releases to keep you interested. None of the four songs here sound remotely alike! I look forward to hearing Sana’s songwriting develop into his own, discernible style. Lucky for us, their 4th album UNiVERSE comes out this summer, so we don’t have long to wait for him to show us what else he’s got!

What did you think of the single?

Support the band!
Type S Limited Edition CD+DVD
Limited Edition CD (1 track)
Regular Edition CD

Interesting to read that about kuu. I might check this song...Bon Voyage was a complete let down, so so so bad that I didn't even wanted to listen to WOML. But I'm curious now about this song in peculiar.
150% agree for INAZUMA!
 
I like how y'all have differents musical tastes, from every horizons. <3