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Jigsaw9

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Everything posted by Jigsaw9

  1. Jigsaw9

    Dead Snow Pretty badass movie. Good thing that it doesn't take itself too seriously.
  2. Jigsaw9

    ^ Good luck.
  3. I'm probably way behind but I just discovered this guy, he is amazing! 90yxiRBY8vA IeVsHYVoFxY 9K6FJVYA14g He has tons of more covers (and a few originals) on his channel.
  4. Jigsaw9

    2NE1 releases their concert album 2NE1 1st Live Concert [Nolza] today, 11/23! Here's a preview of all tracks: dJU9dTDzgxA Personally I'm not too excited. It would be seriously awesome if they released a live DVD sometime though.
  5. ^ LOL I was actually kinda looking forward to this band, but...this...just... I liked the vocalist in his old band SectMa (it was more of a typical VK band).
  6. Jigsaw9

    Yeah, my fave stuff came out too when John5 was in the band (or the early stuff with Daisy). Well good luck to Vrenna, I'm looking forward to hearing him play (?) on the new album.
  7. Jigsaw9

    ^ Honestly, 4 dates from some random indie-VK band is pretty good actually. I remember the times when a Europe tour meant a gig in Germany and another one in France, and that was that. [/feels old]
  8. ^ I'm not sure but from what I experienced so far in VK it might mean something like they will not have concerts or releases, but dedicate their time only to making new music, coming up with new ideas, demos, songs, and stuff for later. For example when cocklobin announced a year ago (?) that they will not have concerts for a while because they want to concentrate on writing new stuff, or when Imai of BUCK-TICK says in his blog that he's "in the basement" a lot (where he composes new music) - actually I'm only basing my assumption on this basement thing, so I might not even be correct. But this is my interpretation. I guess the other band members wanna use this time of hiatus for making new songs while Eros/Ice is in his new band? Or something like that, I don't know (I'm not familiar with these bands too much).
  9. Jigsaw9

    ^ Nice! So hopefully that means the album will be out by then for sure, or by end of February (since he has some festival gig at the end of Feb).
  10. Good question! If the song is in a foreign language that I don't know, then I don't care about lyrics at all. If the music is good it's good enough for me. Sometimes I look up translations but if the lyrics turn out to be pretty stupid/simplistic I don't really mind, since I won't remember much of it anyway next time when listening. xD However, if the song is in a language I do understand, then it's a bit more complicated. xD Stupid lyrics tend to put me off only in rock/metal music, but in pop I'm usually totally okay with them (sometimes it adds to the mood/style of the song). As for my world view, I'm okay with almost everything if it's not too political (like extreme Rightist for example, ugh), like I can blast some Slipknot even without agreeing that "people equal shit."
  11. Jigsaw9

    ^ You posted it in the News, lol. Anyway, glad that you found the info you needed.
  12. Jigsaw9

    If the total price of all the items you wanna buy is at least 40$, then yes, you'll get free shipping. But be warned, I had some frustrating experiences with them: as I observed if it's written next to an item "usually available in 7-14 days" (or something like that), then in 80% of the cases that means it'll be out-of-print most likely. So I only use them to order K-pop stuff, they're pretty reliable in that department. By the way, there's already a thread for these kinds of questions.
  13. Jigsaw9

    - Hangmás - Ragadozó (CD) - Rabid (DVD) - Dead Snow (DVD) ...all for cheap-cheap-cheap. xD
  14. Jigsaw9

    New music video: Tragedy's A' Comin' ...weird as always.
  15. Hehe, total-metal week, I already like it! I actually know the Suffocation album too, but will be good to listen to it again.
  16. Jigsaw9

    Triangle Very interesting and thought-inspiring thriller/horror/drama! I recommend it but please don't watch the trailer beforehand, it spoils/ruins half the fun.
  17. Jigsaw9

    Wow, unexpected! They were pretty good; I hope they'll make new songs and stuff when they return.
  18. Jigsaw9

    Young Thugs: Innocent Blood ...for the 3rd time. Such a nice (but totally underrated) Takashi Miike movie.
  19. The Q4 album was pretty good too. When I read the description on Last.fm this was basically something I could imagine, I like this kind of moody-jazzy atmospheric hip-hop music at times. For example, it was perfect now, at late night sitting at the PC. I expected it to be an instrumental album yet again, but the rapping was a nice addition here and there. I like the mellow feeling the album delivers, it's good to have either as background music or just chilling out and letting your mind wander at the end of the day. There were some dark-ish parts as well as parts where I just cracked a smile; it's a good feeling. Overall it left me with a pretty uplifting mood. Nice one! Can't wait for next week's selection.
  20. Listened to the Tenhi album. I had no idea what to expect when I read the term 'neofolk' but it was quite pleasant. It seems to be a kinda introverted album, and I like that atmosphere - plus, it's pretty gloomy outside now, so the music matched nicely. Some really good melodies and instrumentation in there. Admittedly, I felt it was a little long though, I'm not used to this kind of music I guess. The vocals irritated me a bit in the beginning, but grew to like them as the songs went by. Actually I somehow thought that this would be an instrumental album in the beginning, it had that kind of mood. It's not something I can listen to every day, but it was interesting, and an overall positive experience (despite the dark tone). Next up, The Q4!
  21. ^ Cool, I hope so too! Nice to see them returning.
  22. Jigsaw9

    ^ Agreed about the Madeth Gray'll and the NEGA album. Really cool indie-VK releases! Also I totally have a thing for those "bad singer, great vocalist" type of bands, lol.
  23. Jigsaw9

    ^ I think it just means that there are two types of commercial for the same PV. (at least I didn't read anywhere there's gonna be two vids) Lookin' cool by the way.
  24. Jigsaw9

    Wanted to write this earlier but it took a long time just to think about it and write it all up. xD So here it goes: here's 10 of my fave VK albums, in alphabetical order. BUCK-TICK - Kurutta taiyou (1991) One of my fave B-T albums, it catches the band towards the end of a transitory period: their light-hearted/poppy sound is transforming into something darker and more serious. There is a fresh experimental edge to the music, employing harder and more varied guitars then the previous albums, plus Atsushi begins to sing in a lower 'manlier' voice as well on most tracks. The music is still catchy, but presented in a more mature, colourful way, much owing to Imai's creative use of guitar effects, from fuzzy noise-distortion to ethereal chimes and melody lines that sound more like ambient synth-playing. A very solid piece of music with a unified vision. cali≠gari - Dai 5 jikkenshitsu (1999) One of their classic albums with "Shuuji-1", Dai 5 really showcases the highlights of that incarnation of the band: while the instrumentation isn't anything heavy, the music carries a weird atmosphere which is sometimes menacing, sometimes bitter and nostalgic, but all the while a bit not right in the head. It has a kind of core, stripped-down style with mainly Ao's catchy/demented guitar lines and Kenjirou's exceptional bass playing at the forefront, with added vocal insanity by the old Shuuji. Everytime I hear this album, I wish they had made more stuff with this vocalist (not that I don't like the "new Shuuji", it's just that the old one had something extra IMO). deadman - SiteOfScafFold (2001) While I do love deadman's two full-length albums, I'm most fond of this mini album. A very nice essence of early deadman: dark tones that rapidly shift between depressive melancholy and nihilistic aggressivity. Every song is crafted beautifully, and Mako's beautiful voice really ties it all together with a kind of fluidity that is pretty amazing. Probably this releases is their most honest sounding, due to the raw sound/production. Each deadman release evokes in me a sense of space; this one is more like a sudden fall into some sort of formless nightmare, having its violent and tranquil moments as well. All in all, I think they were a pretty exceptional band (props to aie for composing those awesome songs!). GUNIW TOOLS - OTHER GOOSE (1997) GT were a pretty weird bunch, even in the realm of visual kei. Unlike their popular contemporaries, their sound was influenced by an array of genres, from folk to alternative rock and beyond. This, to me, is their magnum opus, a refinement on the style of their first album, and introducing new elements as well. Jake's and Asaki's guitar play is noteworthy, also mastermind Full's vocals evoke a quirky mood throughout the album. The music is very colorful and picturesque (if this means anything in a musical context), full of great poppy hooks and rockin' riffs, as well as interesting textures. I like that they were a band that totally went their own way, overseeing everything from their music videos to their live stage, and this strong controlled vision really shows on this album: it is a concentrated, fresh and inspiring effort. LUNA SEA - IMAGE (1992) It was really hard to choose a favorite LS album, it would be either this or STYLE. I chose this one in the end because it was my first album of theirs that I bought in physical form, so the music along with the booklet has a special feeling for me. While their first album had some great standout tracks and some unremarkable ones (for me, at least), this is where they really come into form. The crisp and tight guitars, the fantastically driving bass, powerful yet elegant drumming, and Ryuichi's vocals that are still like an unpolished diamond but not lacking in gentle beauty. Some of my first few fave LS tracks come from this album, so I guess that's another thing why I'm partial to it. It has a nice feeling, that otherwordly beyond-everyday world that characterizes the first few of their albums. An early VK gem this is! MALICE MIZER - Voyage ~sans retour~ (1996) A favorite of mine partly for similar reasons I mentioned above, great music and an elegant booklet/design makes for a nice experience. This album was a drastic change for the band: not only was this Gackt's first full-length with the band but their style previously characterized by overflowing guitarwork evolved into a much colorful affair. In fact, coming from a rock/metal background I was (and sometimes still am) fascinated by the scarcity of explicit/dominant guitarwork on this CD. They make up for that with delightfully catchy and, let's admit, cheesy synthwork - courtesy of Mana and Közi. Gackt adds a nice touch to the sound with his occasional piano playing (see the beautiful outro track), and fantastic voice, kind similar to Ryuichi of LS on IMAGE with that 'unpolished' notion.A very unusual and beautiful album, with some great diversity, from classical-inspired guitar-rock to even bossa nova-like sections. Merry - Modern Garde (2004) This band is an old love of mine, almost dating back to the times I discovered Japanese rock (same with BUCK-TICK), and this album represents their essence the best, I think. It has a number of staple songs that are still relevant in their live repertoire, and overall very fun to listen to. This album really shines in the catchiness department! So much creative guitarwork, and amazingly energetic drumming. I think this album was the first one where I paid attention more to the drums, and probably this is the source of my fanboying towards Nero, lol. xD The guy is amazing! Anyway, the album has a very good mix of light and heavier music, and that 'retrock' nostalgic feel that made me fall in love with Merry in the first place. The whole structure, beginning and ending, and album length (it goes by so fast!) makes for an excitement-packed rollercoaster ride of a listen. MUCC - Gokusai (2006) This album stays true to its name: "richly colored". It has all aspects that I've come to love MUCC's music for: great songs with catchy parts, well-placed and -played instruments and awesome vocals, plus lots of variety within their sound. I think this is a perfected form of perhaps what they were trying to do on Houyoku, achieving that mature more laid-back style, but this time they do it while audibly having a blast! The tracks are very memorable, each has something worthwhile, be it heaviness or beautiful gentle melodies, and even an air of playfulness that is, in my opinion, essential to the MUCC sound. They played a very 'human' form of rock on this album, I can't describe it better. MUNIMUNI - MAGICAL MOONIES (2010) Their only full-length so far, and completely mesmerizing. What I like about MUNIMUNI is that they are not ashamed to deliberately flaunt their influences or make smart musical references here and there, all the while remaining original in their own brand of psychedelic-tinged dreamy post-punk wanderings. I love everything about this release, from the jangly-jarring guitars to Kanon's fragile (slightly demented) vocals, and the overall looming atmosphere that oozes from the speakers. All this unified mood would mean nothing, of course, without memorable songs, but thankfully they're more than competent in that area. They have an air of mystery, as the band itself (actually, I don't think there's any official video footage of them at all, and I haven't seen them except for a handful of photos either, lol). This album is really a godsend from the indies-scene, solidifying my belief that good music is still around, as it will be. Plastic Tree - Dona dona (2009) I could've chosen other more classic PT albums, but truthfully this is the most closest to my heart, because this was the first of their albums that I've waited for being already something of a fan or admirer of the band. I like the dreamy, kinda rainy atmosphere this album evokes. It's a release that can be very quiet at one time, and powerfully loud the next; great dramatic contrasts in there. I like how it is pretty much straight to the point, no aimless lengthy songs for the sake of length, even the closer monumental piece is amazing (I usually don't like this post-rock-like style of music by the way). I think this is a pretty modest album, and I appreciate this. No flashy gimmicks, no "hey this and this is the hit song, guys!" syndrome, just honest sounding down-to-earth good songs. I especially like the presence Kenken brought to the band, it's a totally different drumming style than Bucchi's. I like both of them equally but you can really feel that fresh different atmosphere here caused by the drums - maybe a fresh fragrance after rain? Well, that would be it. I have many more favorites but these were the ones that came to mind first.
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