enyx

Best New Tracks: February 2015

Best New Tracks is a new series brought to you by MH's review crew! Every month we'll be highlighting brand-new Japanese songs worth checking out, so stay tuned! Feel free to comment or discuss any of this month's picks and even offer your own as well!

@Zeus's picks:
"戦-ikusa-" by 和楽器バンド (Wagakki Band)

"marionette" by Lycaon

@fitear1590's picks:
"For You" by Czecho No Republic

"ツキナミ (tsukinami)" by 分島花音 (Kanon Wakeshima)

"endless" by ねごと (NEGOTO)
Watch the PV
"マーブル (marble)" by ユナイト (UNiTE.)

's picks:
"Paper Planes" by ONE OK ROCK

"Seven Deadly Sins" by MAN WITH A MISSION

"実験前" (Jikkenmae) by indigo la End

"Kawareru" by theCharmPark

"アカペラ" (A capella) by ペンタゴン (Pentagon)

"なくならない" (Nakunaranai) by 左右 (Sayuu)

@beni's picks:
"marionette" by Lycaon

"夜明けの街 (Yoake no Machi)" by CICADA

"そつぎょう (Sotsugyou)" by daoko

"へその緒 (Hesonoo)" by 黒百合と影 (Kuroyuri to Kage)

"Future,Super Duper,Nova" by X4

"TWO HEARTS" by 家入レオ (Leo Ieiri)

"さんすくみ (Sansukumi)" by 分島花音 (Kanon Wakeshima)

"至上の人生 (Shijou no Jinsei)" by 椎名林檎 (Sheena Ringo)

"WING to HEAVEN" by DIV

@CAT5's picks:
"all is white" by Anoice

"Ground" by CARD

"街の底" by eastern youth

"ンスターペアレンツ (Monster Parents)" - Jin-Machine

"Rep(110)%4" by loqto

"君を壊すガラスの衝動 (Kimi o kowasu garasu no shoudou)" by Lycaon

"Gengar" by Sel'm

"Foster Mother" by sukekiyo

"game over" by 大橋トリオ (Ohashi Trio)

"Setting Sun" by 疋田哲也(Tetsuya Hikita)+NIL

Phoenix has its moments where it dips a bit too much into 'typical repetitive Alice Nine song' territory for me, most notably in the chorus, but on the whole there's a lot more interesting songwriting going on here than in any of the stuff they released with PSC post-Gemini. I've always had a love-hate relationship with A9; I think, without a doubt, that they're talented enough to write fantastic music and they've proven that in flashes in the past, but at the same time they've repeatedly under-delivered by producing repetitive, dull and generic drivel for large portions of their career. Nevertheless, they seem to have some sort of fire lit under them since this whole PSC split happened and I respect their decision as well as their potential songwriting ability enough that I'm going to keep an eye on them for the immediate future.
 
As for DIAWOLF, it doesn't sound too far removed from the A9 track, but it's nice enough for what it is. I feel like I need to hear more before I can say how I feel about the project as a whole, though. Also, I can't be the only person who thought "What the hell is kenji03 doing in this PV?" at 0:21 xD

A9(Alice Nine) SHOW OHARA & TORA AMANO new project "DIAWOLF" will hold their first live at Shibuya SOUND MUSEUM VISION at 2015/03/15, and their new one-coin single "Rebellion" will be released at 2015/04/12 (500yen)
 

 

 
http://diawolf.com/
 
 
A9 Crowd Funding Project has formed with target funding amount 5,000,000yen, and their START-UP EP "銀河ノヲト(ginga no oto)" will be released in 2015/08
 

 
http://a9-project.com/

more of freshly bald Touru:
 
 
off here:
http://kimi5569.tumblr.com/post/112003050207

The second track totally reminded me of their first two EPs (in a good way). The third track in particular sounds really interesting. 
 
The video description also contains the full DVD tracklist. It's cool to see the zanyko record compilation track was included.
1. reflection 2. 都市の記憶 3. in motion 4. 変声期 5. ハッピーエンド

I highly doubt that CM Punk will return to professional wrestlingentertainment anytime soon. He seems very confident and serious about going into UFC as long as they don't throw him into the deep end like they did with Brock Lesnar. As far as the tag team division? I'm glad to see that the Prime Time Players are coming back. After all, there needs to be more teams that isn't THE ILLUMINATI and the Uso Brothers. I like what they are doing with Bray Wyatt with the promos, but there's still room for improvement if they are planning on having him take over the occult side of WWE. The Undertaker isn't going to last very long as we seen from last years Wrestlemania and there are a lot of parallels with Undertaker and Bray Wyatt. I had my doubts when people started to chant Husky Harris at the early days of his run as Bray Wyatt, but those chants are long gone.
 

Here's hoping that the sudden change of look is a reflection of some new found stylistic inspiration. Their sound has barely changed for the last 5 years so it's about time we got something different from them.

NEW LOOK: I LOVE IT!!

It has been decided that this Sunday (Fed. 22nd), the theme for our plug session will be "chill music". The term "chill" is being used rather loosely, and would basically extend to anything that's not too upbeat or overly intense/dramatic.
 
time starts at the usual 8pm UTC/GMT

^ I currently cannot choose a favorite out of their last 3 albums. I think each probably get an even amount of play from me.
 
 
I couldn't agree more. 
 
Kobayashi seems to have an undergone a metamorphosis over the years, and it all feels really authentic and sincere - as if the evolution of his image was simply the byproduct of some kind of inner revelation he's had. I'd dare say that he's reached (or is approaching) a kind of sacred level in his artistry...It's a bit difficult to explain, but it's something that you can see and feel - like his artistry is radiating from within...as if he's the embodiment of his very creations. This might be coming off as a bit fanboyish on my behalf (even moreso with the pic-spam below), but...I'd like to think that it's a very tangible and objectively observable "it" factor that makes artists like Kobayashi stand out. I'd also like to think that other artists like TK...and even those that I'm not overly fond of like Kyo from DIR EN GREY also possess that same "it" factor. That natural allure. That artistic gravity.
 
On a side note, a friend of mine had an interesting hypothesis that Sho Asakawa (of plasticzooms) was the catalyst that invoked Kobayashi's evolution. I'm not sure how true that is, but I know the two are good friends, so it's pretty likely that's he's been some sort of influence.
 
 









 
[/sPAM]

http://i59.tinypic.com/2cz7zpx.jpg" width="200" /> Artist: ONE OK ROCK Album: 35xxxv Score: With a little help from their friends, this album is more than just OK.
The "3xxxv5" intro SE isn't anything particularly special. The only thing remarkable about it is the slight notes of electronics sprinkled in. This is a new addition in ONE OK ROCK's repertoire for 35xxxv and important if you're not fond of the bleep bloop trend in mainstream music, because it's sprinkled all throughout this album. As the hype train rolls into the station, "Take me to the top" welcomes you with a punch to the face. It slams into your eardrums abruptly and screams this isn't going to be like any ONE OK ROCK album you've heard before.

If you're already a fan of ONE OK ROCK, the first thing to catch your attention will be the giant jump up in English skills. Working with producer and album co-writer John Feldmann - whose voice can be heard seconds before the song starts as he chimes in, "...hold on, that's exactly what I'm talking about," - has done wonders for vocalist Taka and taken him well out of 'Engrish' territory where he's unfortunately been treading water for the last handful of albums. Their dream of attaining the sound of their American and European music idols has come to pass with the catchiness and content of "Take me to the top", along with the rest of the record, which is as good as anything you'd hear on American rock radio today. The band has thrown down the gauntlet with this high octane album opener. It houses just the right amounts of guitar phaser, tasteful autotune, and gang vocals to get your fist pumping mightily in the air.

The album has its fill of heavy hitters. This includes not one, but two, Rurouni Kenshin movie themes: A main theme in "Mighty Long Fall", and endroll theme "Heartache", respectively. "Mighty Long Fall" works well as the all encompassing flagship song for 35xxxv. The EDM influence is heavy in drummer Tomoya's stuttering hi-hat during the verses and a spacey synth heavy bridge. "Heartache" sits against it back to back in the tracklist, which I'm sure is gut wrenching for the movie fans as it's quite a beautiful song. While it's stripped down to acoustics for the first half it's not a typical ONE OK ROCK ballad, it branches out bigger and grander towards the end than their previous works with orchestral and electronic accompaniment. It's easy to imagine it bringing the theater audience to tears. The thirds single from the album, "Cry Out," rounds out the promotional tracks that carry the brunt of this album stylistically. It's a nice mid-tempo number, but that is also a double edged sword that aids it in remaining the least memorable of the three.

After this, it feels as if the tracks ping pong back and forth between the more classic ONE OK ROCK feeling and the songs that have John Feldmann's stronger influence in them. And it doesn't always sit 100% within the bands musical abilities, unfortunately. Feldmann is famous for being the vocalist/guitarist for the band Goldfinger, producer and co-writer for albums by: Sleeping With Sirens, Papa Roach, Hilary Duff, Panic at the Disco, Ashlee Simpson, and Good Charlotte, among a long list of others. "Cry Out" and "Mighty Long Fall" sandwich the less dynamic and more straight forward "Suddenly", which is one of the weaker songs on the album and justifiably needed the stronger songs to help keep things moving. The rebellious punk inspired "Memories" is situated directly between two down-tempo tracks, "Heartache" and the dismal Cool Fool Rock theme "Decision". The latter felt as if it also was written with the intention to have a punk flavor, judging by some of the guitar transitions in the chorus, but were toned down to almost a Nickelback "Someday" vibe... which makes every fiber of my being cringe in unison. It's already horribly overdone and too trite for a band as young as ONE OK ROCK. I know the boys wanted North American mainstream appeal, but this is not the way.

However, for every boring and stale decision made in the previous song, they absolutely make up for with the Kellin Quinn (vocalist for Sleeping With Sirens) feature track, "Paper Planes". Kellin, being the only guest vocalist I can remember in ONE OK ROCK history, helps this song stand out. But it's such a huge departure from the signature ONE OK ROCK sound that it demands an intense fan reaction of immediate love or vehement despise. "Paper Planes" is a party starter with loads of electronic drums. The guitars get pushed back in the mix as to not compete with the dual vocalists, but the riffs are still bouncy and just as catchy as anything the vocals have going on. One major complaint is Kellin's voice is higher than Taka's, and thusly cuts across more in the mix. It's hard to tell if this was intentional or not, but Taka joins Toru with the guitars in the back seat of this song. In spite of that, the song is so out of left field that it's hard pressed not to be the most memorable earworm on 35xxxv and possibly ONE OK ROCK's entire discography so far. It's just a pity Taka's voice isn't the one that's going to be stuck in my head for weeks with this track.

The tail end of this album brings back more of that old ONE OK ROCK feeling. The upbeat songs are reminiscent of Nicheシンドローム, and slower ballads bring to mind the more recent 人生×僕＝ which ONE OK ROCKers should enjoy, though, with upgraded language pronunciation and more straight forward lyrics. I believe it was smart on the bands part not to alienate their core fanbase entirely with this album. But it was certainly a blast to hear all the new elements that they included, giving Feldmann so much free reign and making a lot of these new elements feel like their natural progression. It may be hard hearing that this is the album the band has always intended to create once they gained the ability to do so, but I think the band is on the right path to making a footprint in the global market. And with the new friends made on recent tours, they have the right connections to take them wherever they want to go next. It's clear they aren't letting anything stop them now. This is the new and improved ONE OK ROCK and they're holding nothing back.

Brilliant band. They're one of the very few artists that I can say that I genuinely think get 'better' with everything that they release. I don't mean that in the sense that I always prefer whatever stylistic or thematic direction they choose take over those in their previous efforts, but that I feel as though they seem to be continually getting better at expressing whatever themes they choose to explore. They've progressed from a band playing decent but rather generic indie rock, to a band that seems to constantly develop fresh new ideas for exploring whatever type of sound(s) they're going for despite the fact that they release new music at a ridiculous rate; and, perhaps more importantly, it always comes across in an organic, natural way, rather than feeling forced for the sake of doing something different. Their output last year was fantastic and I have no reason to expect that they wont deliver on whatever they release next.

THE NOVEMBERS

http://the-novembers.com/
https://www.facebook.com/THENOVEMBERS
https://twitter.com/the_novembers
 

Discography Albums
2008年06月04日 picnic
2010年03月10日 Misstopia
2011年08月03日 To (melt into)
2013年11月30日 zeitgeist
2014年10月15日 Rhapsody in beauty
EP
2007年11月07日 THE NOVEMBERS
2009年03月18日 paraphilia
2012年11月07日 GIFT
2013年05月15日 Fourth wall
Singles
2011年08月03日 (Two) into holy
2014年05月14日 今日も生きたね
Videos:




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This thread is necessary. Any other fans? ;3

I hate plug! I can't believe how people there dare to play music that I don't listen to! It's MH's room so it should be 99% visual kei, but no, instead it's indie rock and k-pop and whatnot. And what's even worse... PLUG IS KILLIN' THE CHAT!

Best news this year so far!

ハイスイノナサ (haisuinonasa) have announced that their second single 「変身」("Makeover") will be released on 2015.3.11. The single will also come with a DVD containing live recordings of 5 previous songs.

CD
1. 変身 ("Makeover")
2. 地図に無い街 ("The town with no map")
3. ブラインド ("Blind")
DVD
AFTER FLAT TOKYO Live Recording (5 tracks)

Artwork


This is one of my absolute favourite bands so I'm really happy about this. I'd have preferred a new album over a single, but beggars can't be choosers

Plug is love, plug is life. 

Cutting the last poll a bit short to get things back on track.

How do you feel about plug.dj? Feel free to elaborate on your responses!
 
To submit a poll for the MH POLL OF THE WEEK, P.M. @CAT5 with your poll question, choices, and state whether it's multiple choice or not.

plug is love, plug is life

MUTHAFUCKIN' SEIKO OOMORI, no doubt
I'd be depressed if that talentless, goat-voiced hack came along and stole my thunder too

It depends on whether her depressive issues are long-standing or whether it's a more recent thing. If it's something she's been dealing with for a long time then I'd say that there's a good chance that that this decision is something that could become permanent. If it's a more recent thing, then it's entirely possible that she could change her mind after a year or two. 
 
Regardless of whether it's permanent or not, her work with midori is something that I really appreciate and, whilst her solo work is something I personally don't care too much for, I think she's definitely a loss to the Japanese music scene. Hopefully she reconsiders.

You don't speak for all of us. This isn't only a vk forum. It's a Japanese music forum and there are users here who don't listen to or like vk. 
That's not to say that anyone is telling you not to discuss vk, but people who listen to more than just vk are welcome here just as much as anyone else.

I have mixed feelings towards this list personally. I feel some tracks definitely deserve their places (perhaps not in the same order, but at least within the top 25 itself), such as Rhapsody in beauty, 懐春, and 光の加減で話した, but at the same time there are some tracks on here that I feel are rather overrated; particularly unravel (which I personally consider to be one of TK's weakest compositions) and phenomenon. Then again, such is the nature of subjectivity, I doubt anyone will completely agree with everything on the list. Still, I appreciate the work that you guys put into it.