Yadora

This one is my all time favorite.

Since I can't stand the Mejibray/GazettE-stanning that's taken over this topic and has gotten away from the original intent, I'm bringing it back. I'm also giving you all something new to talk about since new unpopular opinions have ceased to surface over the last page or so.

Visual kei is not a genre or an aesthetic movement. It's a paradoxical manifestation of an anomaly against the negatives of Japanese culture.

This is closely related to the problem of "what is visual kei?".

Stolen shamelessly from Wikipedia, a genre is defined as
 
 
We can stop right here. Before you start processing the definition, ask yourself "what is visual kei"? We can have a ten page discussion about that in this topic right now and still not come to a consensus. Visual kei is an open-ended, ill-defined term exploited by both us and the bands in the scene to refer to whatever we please. We agree to disagree on what the term is supposed to mean and take it at face value when someone tells us that a band is or isn't visual kei anymore.

By definition, visual kei can't be a genre because we can only define it by what it is not, and very conservatively at that. The difference between newbies and veterans in the scene mostly comes down to context sensitivity determining band classification. What do I mean by this? Well, we can all look at a band or an idol group and very clearly say "this is not visual kei". But if we look at a visual kei band next to a band that uses theatrical make-up and aesthetic elements, we get into murky territory. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. Newbies lack the knowledge to make this distinction, and utilize only the looks to say whether or not a band is visual. Then, they get lashed upon by fans of that band who "don't want to associate this band with those bands" for getting it wrong, and they learn. Eventually they learn only to label a band as visual kei if they describe themselves as such or if someone else before them says it first. [1]

The thing is, the newbies have the right approach at first. They get into the scene, they hear that it's a genre, and seek to classify it. But before long they realize that over the span of twenty years, visual kei has birthed bands that sound very, very different. Going off of sound alone, all bands that were ever considered visual kei can't be connected short of a definition so vague it's useless. So then we turn to the costumes and theatrics and claim that as a large component of what makes a band visual. But even there, we can piece together different bands that don't look anything alike - some bands which don't look remotely visual at all - and claim they are all visual kei. Hell, lynch. has looked like a normal band for quite some time and there's still a heated debate to whether or not they're visual kei. On the first page of this very topic, one of the unpopular opinions was that "Dir en grey is still visual". Once again, you now have bands that have very little in common aesthetic wise and short of a very vague, useless definition we have nothing to go off of.

So I've basically run through this problem, haven't given a solution and haven't explained my point (or have I?). What gives?

Well as a fandom we tend to separate visual kei bands based on decades, so let's do that:

- The mysterious late 80's, which most of us like to pretend doesn't exist, full of bands that play some form of rock or metal.
- The music of the 90's, which is usually thought of as bands inspired by Victorian and goth costumes playing...well, whatever they want.
- The 00's, which was populated by lots of flashy costumes, usually subdivided into subkeis to better be able to classify and understand bands but still full of bands playing whatever they want.
- The 10's, which seems to have a preponderance of electronic elements in the music but for the most part still full of plenty of different bands playing whatever they please.

And even here we tend to simplify this as to "80s HAIR METAL, 90'S GOFF MUZIK, 00'S KEI ON KEI ACTION/RAWRCORE, 10'S WUB-WUBCORE", which illustrates the points I made above. As a fan, you get to a point where you realize that the term can't be defined and thus you stop. The working definition is "If a band wants to be visual kei, they'll be visual kei. When they don't, they're no longer visual kei". [2]  So doesn't this describe a movement, which brings together people just as different for a common cause? Let's go through all of the things that should make a movement and see if it lines up.

Well let's see:

- Coordinated group action. Well, visual kei isn't very rebellious or subversive, outside of the low barrier to entry being offensive to some people's ears and the costumes being offensive to some people's eyes. Unless there is this entire "point" they all share that we've missed for forever and a day, I believe that most bands focus on staying functional over staying Stallman-esque in their beliefs. [3] And frankly, I can't blame them. Pragmatism rules. [4]

- A common cause. But what is that cause and do all bands share it? As I said above, we really don't think of visual kei as something as much as we do as an entity against something. But even that "entity" changes over time, reflected by the different forms of visual kei. So do the bands of the late 80's and the bands of today share the same goal? Yes and no. [5]

- People from different walks of life. We can't say too much because we don't know the details of most musicians. Note however that on a macro scale most visual kei bands are Japanese and many tend to gravitate around a few cities on the mainland. We also can surmise that a lot of these musicians are poor or struggling. We also haven't seen the scene take root in any other countries with similar situations. In this sense, it represents a truly Japanese problem - disillusioned youth versus "The System". If it's a movement here, it's on a small scale.

Visual kei is too anti-classification to be a genre and too inconclusive to be a movement. So what is it?

My admittedly semantic description of visual kei is that of a paradoxical anomaly. It exists, full of people perpetuating it unaware of it's purpose, fighting against an issue that plagues the Japanese society whilst embodying almost every characteristic of that society. What is that issue? Well, I believe the issue lies in the extreme conformity and deference to authority found in the society, coupled with high expectations placed upon every member of that society, along with a thirty year recession that has stagnated the Japanese economy and makes it hard to achieve the life every Japanese person feels it is their duty to obtain.

A strictly Japanese problem. [6]

Visual kei exists as an antagonist to everything in that society, even definition, because it refuses to conform. It's piloted by people who know full they may never see success but toil anyway as a gigantic "FUCK YOU" to their society. It's also mostly populated by young people with the drive and ambition to change their surroundings but no means to achieve that change (and older people who exploit these young people for the cash they'll never see, bringing the entire scene into territory so meta it hurts). When those kids grow up and lose their drive, as after years of fighting against this nebulous problem they watch it shift into something new but no less harmful, they give up, slip into the routine, and become working salary men that can't be identified. It's an anomaly that just is, and that anomaly happens to make noise that we like to listen to.

To pigeonhole visual kei into anything else misses the political and cultural significance that caused it's birth.

tl;dr - Visual kei is the Japanese "hippie culture" of the 60's, with no Vietnam War in sight to bring it to an end. [7]

Notes:

Here I extrapolate on points that I wanted to make above and didn't because I didn't want to go on a tangent and not come back.

[1] This is my personal belief behind why revival bands like Grieva and Ru:natic will never see a resurgence. The forms that visual kei took in the 90's was in resistance to the culture and expectations of the 90's. The world is an irreversibly different place and thus visual kei must change along with it. This is also why I believe that visual kei is not an aesthetic - the fashion world moves in cycles much shorter than 30 years. Visual kei hasn't repeated a phase to date. That's why I believe it supersedes such a definition.

[2] Not only does this loose definition work but it reflects a lot of what I get into later in my argument. Most importantly, that it gives an element of control back to the band. I've read in multiple places that the Japanese populace don't feel like they have much choice - they must succeed in school, get into better schools, succeed there, get a good job, start a family, etc. - and then must face a wall of depression when they realize that most can't get to the head of the pack and they didn't. By sticking to this definition, bands can have a say in a core element which defines them.

[3] Richard Stallman, founder of the GNU Project. Read up on him to see what ideals unbounded by pragmatism really is. Hint: it sounds like crazy.

[4] When bands have no motivation or have run out of reasons to continue they sometimes disband for no reason. On the other side of that coin, some bands are so tight knit that they feel as if they can't function if a member leaves. But at the heart of it all, many bands don't put ideals and beliefs over success. Those that have them use them alongside the visuals and their music - and even then if it becomes too hard they quit or if they become successful they tone it down or cut it out completely. See, NoGoD.

[5] Even more interestingly, visual kei itself tends to conform in ways, which subverts the point of the whole thing. It's like a military group led by a dictator attacking a dictatorial government for its evils. This is why I refrain from calling it a movement, because it itself embodies the very principles it seeks to combat.

[6] Which is why "overseas visual kei" will never take off. The societal conditions are not right for it to spawn. YOHIO and Seremedy are second-order simulacra.

[7] After WWII, Japan isn't allowed to have a real standing army so it isn't in it's best interest to get into conflicts. I meant it literally. In another sense, you could say that the counterculture of the 60's was against "The System" but manifested itself through the War. Once the War ended, the culture had little reason to exist. Since visual kei doesn't have such a clear cut enemy, it will continue on for much longer. This is also why visual kei can't "die".

Haha, we should!
 
I've been into Kagrra, for a couple of years now, it was pretty hard for me to accept their disbandment back in the day. Love their work, though I prefer most of their indie stuff to their major releases.

Nice to meet you!
I'm new on this forum. I was surprised to find an active Jrock forum, since most places seem to be deserted... So I hope I'll be able to talk about music with many people here!
 
I live in Belgium, and I'm currently a university student.
 
The bands I like the most are Kagrra,; Nightmare, Kra, Bergerac and Plastic Tree. But I listen to many other bands, and I'm always looking for new bands to try out.
 
I'm mostly active on tumblr as ponyindreamland.
I translate Nightmare's tweets (sporadically) and I've also done some interviews and lyrics.

I also have a fast.fm account but I haven't been using it for very long.

Um, yeah, that's it I guess, if you have any questions, ask away! ^^
 
Please be nice to me~

This is Kra's latest album, and personally I absolutely adore it. I
wrote a review for it right after I got the album, so I'll just paste
that one here.
 
1. Clown's parade This is just an instrumental intro song, but it's extremely catchy and
pulls you into the album right away. It starts with marching drums, and
then a very circus-like melody kicks in. Kra really seems to have a
talent for making intro songs, GURICO's intro was also amazing. Even
though it's just an intro song, I consider still consider it an
extremely good, worthy song.  
2. Alice This was sort of the main song, the one that was previewed all the time
to promote the album. So I'd heard it a few times already in varying
qualities before hearing it on the album. It's honestly a great, typical
Kra song. It's cheerful but a little bit melancholic, and has a
memorable chorus. The piano parts and the part near the end where Keiyuu
talks instead of singing make it unique.  
3. Bastard Okay, so I have a weakness for cool bass lines, therefore this song
automatically wins. It's not just that though, this is a great upbeat
rock song. It's not unique, Kra has done this many times before, but
it's done well and... you know... that bass line... I also love the
guitar solo in this song, and I don't usually like guitar solos.  
4. Kakusei Distortion This was a single, released September last year if I remember correctly.
At that time I really loved this song and I still do. It's hard to
review because I've listened to it so many times now, but basically it's
an awesome upbeat song with a great message. It makes me want to jump
around, and that's exactly the intention of the song. I'm also impressed
at how Keiyuu is kind of yelling half of the time, but he still seems
to have good control over his voice.   
5. Tokoyo no Kimi Okay, I freaked out (in a good way) when this song started. It starts
with a jazzy piano solo, I almost thought it was going to be a really
slow dramatic jazz song or something, but then the bass and drums kick
in and it becomes, well, a Kra song. There's still some prominent piano
parts though. While it's upbeat, there is a dramatic-kind of feeling in
the way the chorus is sung ... Keiyuu's voice in the chorus is
absolutely beautiful in the chorus.  
ALSO THAT BASS SOLO OMG  
6. Resistance
Okay I just want to start out by saying this song reminds me so much of
Muse. I never expected to think a Kra song sounds like Muse, but it's
just... the mood is exactly the same. Keiyuu uses his 'rough voice' in
this song, and while I can't say he sounds sexy (I'm sorry Keiyuu is
adorable no matter what he does), it really fits the song. Besides that,
it's a real rock song, loads of heavy guitar riffs and yelling and so
on. Oh, and matching the title, it really has a feeling of revolution/
protest.  
7. Regret After Resistance this song is a bit calmer, and Keiyuu's normal voice is
back. The most memorable thing about this song is the guitar during the
intro and outro, even thought it's a bit repetitive. The guitar also
makes some interesting sounds during the chorus, but for some reason
its volume is very low and you can hardly hear it over Keiyuu's voice.
This is a good song, but I don't have much more to say about it.  
8. Honne This is the second single song on this album (by the way, this is the
regular version I'm listening to, the limited edition doesn't have
Kakusei Distortion or Honne). So once again, it's hard to review because
it was released a while ago and I've heard it so many times now.
Basically, I find the first part of this song a bit boring, but after
the BASS SOLO and guitar solo and the bridge there's a piano a capella
part and it breaks my heart a little bit every time, and the chorus
after that is so empowering for some reason.   
9. Joker Yeah! This song is very jazzy and danceable, exactly how I like my Kra
songs. The bass in this song is sexy (even more than usual), and for
once the guitar is not all over the place but actually pretty plain
(besides the solo of course). The vocals are really cool too, but the
'Baaaka' part at the end of the first chorus always makes me laugh for
some reason.  I adore this song, maybe it should have been the main song
used for promotion instead of Alice. Out of the entire album, I think
this is the song I'm going to listen to the most. I can already imagine
myself thinking ' Oh, I want to listen to that Joker song now'.  
10. Hoshi no Sakyuu A bit like Regret, this is a good song, but it's a pretty typical Kra song and there
isn't much to say about it. It's a bit sad and dramatic but still very upbeat.
The verses are a bit plain (musically, that is, lyrically is another story)
but the chorus is quite memorable.
 
11. SMLT Okay this song is all over the place, but the best way the describe it
would be 'playful'. Both the verses and chorus are great, and then
there's that weird chipmunk voice near the end... really creepy when
you're blasting the song through your headphones. There's also the sound
of bells chiming throughout the song, which is unusual but pretty
cool.  I'm not going to start about the lyrics...  
12. Utopia This is a great ending song, with harmonica parts and acoustic guitar
and this kind of starry night, campfire feeling. I think this is the
only song that could be considered calm, but the drums are a bit too
loud for that probably. Anyway, it's a good song to end the album.  
---  
This album is very typically Kra, but it brings enough variety and
exciting songs. Kra has existed for 11 years now,
and they're a PSC band, so I keep expecting them to become boring and
make generic pop-rock-visual kei-whatever, but they didn't!    
I'd give this album a 9/10.

So has anyone else listened to it? What are your thoughts?

Nice to meet you!
I'm new on this forum. I was surprised to find an active Jrock forum, since most places seem to be deserted... So I hope I'll be able to talk about music with many people here!
 
I live in Belgium, and I'm currently a university student.
 
The bands I like the most are Kagrra,; Nightmare, Kra, Bergerac and Plastic Tree. But I listen to many other bands, and I'm always looking for new bands to try out.
 
I'm mostly active on tumblr as ponyindreamland.
I translate Nightmare's tweets (sporadically) and I've also done some interviews and lyrics.

I also have a fast.fm account but I haven't been using it for very long.

Um, yeah, that's it I guess, if you have any questions, ask away! ^^
 
Please be nice to me~