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Shmilly

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Posts posted by Shmilly

  1. Posted · Edited by Shmilly

    So anyone who picked up a copy of DADAROMA's latest will know that Yoshiatsu kindly wrote out the lyrics for KIDS WAR entirely in hiragana. This means that before a real translation can happen we need to figure out the actual words. I've done my best to transcribe what I believe it says, but I want some other opinions from Japanese speakers.

     

     

    ORIGINAL JAPANESE

     

    からっぽなまちしんだめをしたぐんたいありのこうしん

     

    あいせいふぁっくふぁっくふぁっくふぁっくふぁっくふぁっく
    おーいえーい

     

    ゆめをすてればこころはかるくまじめなきりぎりす

     

    ゆうせいうぉーくうぉーくうぉーくうぉーくうぉーくうぉーく

     

    うぃーうぉーんたーぎあーふぉーざわーるど

     

    あいどんうぉんとぅびあだるとらいくゆー
    あいどんうぉんとぅびあだるとらいくゆー
    あいどんうぉんとぅびあだるとらいくゆー
    あいどんうぉんとぅびあだるとらいくゆー

     

    あぁだーてぃ すたでぃー うぃー あらいぶ

     

     

    TRANSLITERATED JAPANESE

     

    空っぽな街 死んだ目をした軍隊蟻の行進

     

    アイセイファックファックファックファックファックファック
    オーイエーイ

     

    夢を捨てれば心は軽く 真面目なキリギリス

     

    ユウセイウォークウォークウォークウォークウォークウォーク

     

    ウィーウォンターギアーフォーザワールド

     

    アイドンウォントゥビアダルトライクユー
    アイドンウォントゥビアダルトライクユー
    アイドンウォントゥビアダルトライクユー
    アイドンウォントゥビアダルトライクユー

     

    あぁ ダーティ スタディー ウィー アライブ

     

     

    ROMANIZATION (based on above interpretation)

     

    karappona machi shinda me wo shita guntaiari no koushin

     

    I SAY FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK

    OH YEAH

     

    yume wo sutereba kokoro wa karuku majimena kirigirisu

     

    YOU SAY WALK WALK WALK WALK WALK WALK*

     

    WE WANT A GEAR FOR THE WORLD

     

    I DON'T WANT TO BE ADULT LIKE YOU

    I DON'T WANT TO BE ADULT LIKE YOU

    I DON'T WANT TO BE ADULT LIKE YOU

    I DON'T WANT TO BE ADULT LIKE YOU

     

    aa DIRTY STEADY WE ALIVE

     

    *could also be read as WORK, but sounds more like WALK from live footage

     

     

    ENGLISH (based on above interpretation)

     

    Dead-eyed army ants march down the empty streets

     

    I say fuck

    Oh yeah

     

    If you abandon your dreams your heart will be light, like a diligent grasshopper

     

    You say walk*

     

    We want a gear for the world

     

    I don't want to be an adult like you

    I don't want to be an adult like you

    I don't want to be an adult like you

    I don't want to be an adult like you

     

    Ah dirty, steady, we're alive

  2. Posted · Edited by Shmilly

    On 3/22/2018 at 11:16 PM, The Reverend said:

     

    L’Arc~en~Ciel

     

    See also: a million song and album titles with tildes in them, E’m ~grief~

     

     

    For the record, tildes are an incorrect Westernization of the Japanese 'wave dash' 〜, which is like a lengthened tilde. Laruku's actual name uses that, not the Western tilde. And the use of the wave dash in various song titles is legitimate and not a result of bands like Laruku becoming popular - in Japanese, it denotes subtitles. So for example, Gackt's 絵夢〜for my dear〜 could be romanized as M: For My Dear rather than using tildes.

    The Reverend reacted to this

  3. Posted

    40 minutes ago, Yukami said:

     

     

    Tour final setlist:

     

    1. Phantom Pain

    2. MONEY

    3. watashi, bangya janai wa

    4. MASTURBATION.

    5. THE KINKY

    6. Innocent Holic

    7. Trend Identity

    8. Romance Grey

    9. aishiteru to itte yo

    10. saishuu densha

    11. Morphine #2

    12. warui kusuri

    13. oboreru sakana

    14. ame no Waltz

    15. tsuki no uta

    16. tokekomenai zarazarana geijutsu wo kimi ga koroshitekurenai ka

    17. shiroi Geranium

    18. Velka & Strelka

    19. yume tarareba

    20. Risley Circus

    21. Quiet Red

    22. Pornograph

    23. KIDS WAR

    24. aruhi, sekai wa utsukushii to omotta.

  5. Posted

    I think the difference comes down to genre. Because DEG have been around on the non-VK metal circuit both domestically and overseas, they're easily the most well-known of the three. Despite being a big name in the VK scene, the GazettE haven't really achieved widespread appeal; outside of their core audience, I don't think many people really listen to them. At this point I would say MUCC has outgrown the GazettE, since their music has expanded beyond their origins and onto the more mainstream music scene domestically.

  6. Posted

    1 hour ago, nekkichi said:

    with that being said, if Anna fucking Varney out of all people could somehow crowdsource €100k to record an album with a crew of classically trained musicians within a single year (which didn't even provide access to the final music, it was sold separately), VK could learn something from ha as well if they wanted.

    Funnily enough, AllS (fka ALSDEAD) recently crowdfunded 2 music videos, so I guess if the demand is there and the fans are willing to pay, it could be a viable option for some.

  7. Posted

    I want to start out with two key points.

     

    Firstly, I don't 'support' piracy, but without it there is no doubt that I wouldn't be this involved in the visual kei scene (and possibly probably not even where I am in my life right now, since listening to Japanese music back in JHS is what eventually led to me formally studying the language and now living and working in Japan, but that's a long story for another thread).

     

    Secondly, I voted that piracy is instrumental in keeping the scene alive, but I only believe that to be the case in the international fandom. I would argue that it has little to no impact whatsoever on the actual living scene here in Japan, at least in my experience so far.

     

    With that said, I'd like to go into a little more detail. Obviously piracy has been existent since the early days of home media - my uncle used to buy pirated VHS tapes of new movies when I was a kid, for example. With the arrival of the internet, and subsequent developments that have drastically improved our capacity to both upload and download data, it has increased the ability and reach of piracy to a global scale. And despite the cherry-picking of various studies to pin the blame for unsuccessful media on the illegal file-sharing community, the evidence shows that for the most part there is little to no impact whatsoever on sales as a result of piracy.

     

    The reason that I think piracy is essential for the international visual kei community is simply a matter of exposure. With communities like MH which share the latest news the moment it leaves the artist's mouth at a concert, or the second it's posted on social media or their official website, even the newest and smallest indie visual bands instantly get tens, hundreds, maybe even thousands more people's attention than they expected. But even with that awareness of band activity, there's no promise that the international community will put their money where their ears are and pick up their releases. With inflation increasing the sales price of CDs over the last few years in Japan, and the fact that many small VK bands release music only in independent record stores or even exclusively at concerts, simply buying the music you're interested in from half way around the world becomes a tall order. This is only compounded by the fact that on top of the costs of buying and shipping the item to you, it's likely that you have no prior way of determining whether you will really enjoy a release or get your money's worth. Hence, piracy becomes a method for fans who are willing to shell out for their favourite artists to sample and sift through the latest music to choose exactly what they put their hard-earned money towards.

     

    However, this is speaking from a purely international standpoint. The truth of the matter is, domestic artists in Japan are not expecting to rely on international sales to any extent, regardless of the genre. This is particularly true for indies visual kei, which is far more concerned with gathering a dedicated fan base on their home turf who will repeatedly spend money on tickets and goods, where they make a lot more money than the pitiful cut they get on CD sales. Even bands that are aware of their popularity overseas will very rarely have the opportunity or financial security to consider promoting or performing there, especially on an indie label. For anyone short of a major record deal, purchases from abroad are probably like an unexpected bonus, and nothing more.

     

    But the main reason I think piracy has little to no effect on the visual kei scene within Japan is simply that I don't think it's as common. In theory Japan has quite strict laws on illegal file-sharing, and the truth of the matter is that VK is not very big even in its home country. The scene was at its peak years ago when the philosophy of the frontrunners was more relevant, and media exposure was higher. Even if someone were to upload a new release, I just don't think there would be that many people to download it. The hardcore gya will jump on the latest release from their favourite artist, and anyone else is probably just not interested.

     

    That's not to say that the scene is necessarily dying out though; if anything, the spread of the pre-owned market to online sales and auction sites (looking at you in particular, Mercari and Yahoo, with simple transactions and free accounts) provides a mecca for domestic and international fans alike. In particular rare items like live-distributed singles and signed goods can sell for tens of thousands of yen if the right buyer is on the lookout. It's easier than ever to get hold of VK music, and while the artists themselves don't see any financial benefit from second-hand sales, they do see an increase in exposure. In addition, devoted fans shell out time and again for not only multiple versions of releases, but also goods from clothing and towels to cheki, which are virtually like trading cards to the hardcore bangya. I would argue that the live scene and sale of goods is what really keeps the VK scene afloat, especially at the indie level. If no-one attends a new band's lives, it's far more damaging for them both financially and in terms of reputation than not selling out a 500-copy press of their first single (ignoring recording and production costs, of course).

     

    I realise that this post has gone on for far too long now, but in summary: piracy is a necessary evil for the international community, but largely irrelevant to the success of the artists themselves and the scene in Japan.

    Zeus, LIDL, Komorebi and 5 others reacted to this

  14. Posted · Edited by Shmilly

    Great news for them, I just wish I could understand what all the hype is for. Guess I'll give their album a second listen since I don't remember much about it.

     

    Edit: Oh now I remember, I didn't like their mini-album so I never checked out the album in the first place. But since they have a new guitarist and Ryo the trackmakermaster was in on it, maybe I'll give it a spin.

  17. Posted

    Aw well. There goes another promising one.

     

    On 1/8/2018 at 11:34 PM, BrenGun said:

    (also bands earn a shitload from Cheki)

    Do they? Maybe bands with attractive members, or ones that already have some level of popularity. Cost of polaroid slides/potential cameraman aside, it's also a big time investment. From experience I've had back stage at some indie VK gigs, they sure spend a lot of time making the same tired poses for countless cheki shots, and often after that even longer signing or writing on them. 

  19. Posted

    On 12/30/2017 at 12:32 AM, Ito said:

    Abingdon Boys School - Self Titled

    I played the shit out of this release. I was always a fan of Takanori Nishikawa, but never really got in to TM's style. But in catchy alt rock with lots of electronics...oh man.

    Commenting just to +1 this. It is one of few albums that I can still say with confidence that I enjoy every track enough to listen to the entire thing without hitting the skip button (well, at least up to the final lengthy instrumental track). In addition a.b.s was the very first band that I ever saw live, so it's fair to say that they had a big impression on high school me. Still hoping for a comeback...

    CAT5 and Ito reacted to this

  23. Posted

    - the GazettE's new album will divide the fan base, as usual.

    - RAZOR will release a full album at last, or at least record all the songs they've been playing for months already.

    - MEIDARA will find a new bassist and continue to make awesome music, or disband, which would suck.

    - L from T3B/BALALAIKA will make another unsuccessful band.

    - ex-Grieva members will return to the scene in some form or other.

    - dadaism#4.

    - Kizu will continue to release singles with split tracks rather than just making an EP/album.

    - DELUHI will have a one-off revival live. (Juri and Aggy's project vanished without any releases, and FED's new single B-side is called 'farewell'...?)

    - GACKT will release one single to remind everyone that he still does music.

    - ex-CodeRebirth Katsuya will find a vocalist and his new band will slay.

    - llll-Ligro- will quietly release a phenomenal album that no-one listens to.

    - ONE OK ROCK will release another album all in English. (Or surprise hiatus since two of their members got married this year/are starting families).

    - LOVEBITES will tour Europe. (They already played two shows in London last month).

    Wakarimashita, helcchi and zaa_zaa reacted to this

  25. Posted

    The creepy thing is her Twitter profile that states 'I wish to be reborn and marry Keisuke in my next life'. I wonder if that has implications. It seems from some of the pictures on Twitter that they were in a relationship of some kind, there's Disney pictures and all. Maybe she wanted a more serious relationship but he wasn't ready for it, so she decided to kill herself?

    suji, zaa_zaa and IGM_Oficial reacted to this
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