hiroki

I agree with Mi'ihen about how the Japanese language is more elegant than English. Maybe I'm just a massive weeaboo but idk, Japanese just sounds nicer compared to English, unless the vocalist can somehow bring it in a really beautiful way (I'm taking Florence Welch as an example). I feel the same about the post-rock genre, to be quite honest. I love my post-rock in French, because French is just such an elegant language and it fits the sort of music perfectly, as where English lyrics with this sort of music sort of...puts me off? I don't know, it just doesn't feel right.

I don't know Japanese at all, but there are some words I hear often and know what they mean. (like "zutto" for example) 
I was actually just talking to a friend about this. If it sounds good, I'll listen to it, regardless of what the lyrics are. Part of me never wants to understand what they're saying because I feel as if I wouldn't like it anymore. This is the main reason I can't listen to music in English. Like i honestly can't even do it. It baffles me greatly that people listen to music solely for the lyrics (speaking about english music) which is funny because even if I'm listening to a song in my own language, I'm not paying attention to what they're saying. It's just words to me, if that makes any sense.
 
I think I like Japanese music so much because the language is just really flowery and beautiful and idk I'm fucking weird. With Japanese music, I really feel/connect with the music without knowing what they're saying based on the emphasis on words and the tone of the song and you can just sorta tell what the overall meaning of the song is. Ew, I remember when vistlip released Order Made and I was getting emotional watching the PV without knowing what the lyrics were. I was like "wow im fucking gross but ugh its so beautiful". 
 
The JRock/Visual Kei scene is perfect to me. I can't picture my life without it LOL.

^ I'm actually happy that I can't. If I understood a song and found out the lyrics were ridiculous I wouldn't enjoy it as much as I normally do, lol. I don't understand Japanese by ear, so when I look for lyrics it's always online. I'm pretty sure most of the indie bands I listen to have horrible lyrics as well. As long as I don't understand horrible lyrics, I'm fine with listening to it. I've had plenty of English songs that were instrumentally really rad, but the lyrics were just so plain bad that I immediately deleted it, lol.

How good or how horrible lyrics can be I tend to think it is very subjective...
 
In the meantime I envy those of you who are able to understand japanese lyrics by ear!

Try bands like bis, porori, old Irokui, Tokyo Shitei... Even LM.C does that. That's why I don't really see any difference in xTRiPx. Same for DIV. I do agree they are way better than most bands nowadays, but they are not innovative, avant-garde or aything like that to me. They're just generic. Good, but generic.Not that it's a bad thing, you know ? I think it's better to be generic than trying to be extremely different and doing a bad job.

WINDING ROAD is a very good song. Definitely not their best, but it still eclipses (in a good way) most of what they've been doing since 「夢」～ムゲンノカナタ～.
 
For me, THE ViViD COLOR is still the album to beat. Every single song on that was simply amazing (and 69-II mind blowing). I don't know whether this album will come close to that (I don't think it will), but from what I'm hearing I suspect it's going to be a much better album than INFINITY was. That's good enough for now!
 
Just my 2c
 
P.S.: I also miss their "visual" look ;_;

WINDING ROAD is a very good song. Definitely not their best, but it still eclipses (in a good way) most of what they've been doing since 「夢」～ムゲンノカナタ～.
 
For me, THE ViViD COLOR is still the album to beat. Every single song on that was simply amazing (and 69-II mind blowing). I don't know whether this album will come close to that (I don't think it will), but from what I'm hearing I suspect it's going to be a much better album than INFINITY was. That's good enough for now!
 
Just my 2c
 
P.S.: I also miss their "visual" look ;_;

WINDING ROAD is a very good song. Definitely not their best, but it still eclipses (in a good way) most of what they've been doing since 「夢」～ムゲンノカナタ～.
 
For me, THE ViViD COLOR is still the album to beat. Every single song on that was simply amazing (and 69-II mind blowing). I don't know whether this album will come close to that (I don't think it will), but from what I'm hearing I suspect it's going to be a much better album than INFINITY was. That's good enough for now!
 
Just my 2c
 
P.S.: I also miss their "visual" look ;_;

I love/hate this band. I wish they were still "visual" but everything changes at some point. Low key, I like the reg edition artwork because it's a pendulum...and that's the album name....
Winding Road has been on repeat for about an hour now and I'm really digging it. I have a good feeling that this is obviously going to shit on their first album. I kinda think this is what I've been waiting for from them.
 
Either way, I'm really excited for them to release something that's not jam packed with previously released singles...

New look!

 
also a teaser of 10+1:

sometimes you listen to a song and you really love the melody. (for example GACK'T new song)
But if you look up the lyric then you kinda HATE the song because the lyric totally doesn't never fit your feelings.
I have that with lyrics who are about death people. that they miss someone who is death so much.
I didn't lost my lover because of Death.
So then it's kinda odd to love such song...
At least for me. so that's better to not be able to understand spoken/sung Japanese/English that well. XD
 
and sometimes it's pretty hard to get what the writing want to say... or to tell you. so then you can write down a totally wrong translation. Or you can't find the right words.
But most artist are like.
I don't care if it's get wrong translated.. people should feel the music in their own way.

Don't really mind bad lyrics. Sometimes if they're really bad it actually makes me like the song more. 
 
"Her body's smokin'; bet she'd die from cancer." 
 
"Y'all B-string like a broke guitar; And I still put it down like the family dog."
 
"All of my bitches bougie; Designer vagina coochie"
 
Bonus points when Japanese song lyrics are word plays for fucked up things!!! Like 37564 by cali=/=gari

Most bands have terrible lyrics anyways, so I think if I actually understood all of it, it might even lessen my enjoyment of certain bands. For example, I think D's lyrics are extremely cheesy, but musically they can be pretty on point at times. However, if a band's lyrics are good, or at least interesting in some way (as is the case with 9goats blackout and Plastic Tree for example) then it just makes me enjoy listening to their music even more. (Bonus points if their lyrics unexpectedly turn out to be royally fucked up while their music sounds sort of bouncy.. Looking at you, every Eiji project ever)

Lyrics aren't important at all to me. I sure do apprectiate goodlyrics, or just fitting lyrics for that matter, but it's not important at all. After all, 80% of all music I have ever heard has got shitty lyrics and that doesn't bother me at all.

Someone once said that every translation is a different work altogether. That's why it's incredibly difficult to translate poetry for instance: the differences across languages make it impossible to preserve both content and form.
 
But your point is well-taken. I agree that sometimes "bad" translations can be a consequence of the translator misunderstanding the original lyrics, and it's not as detectable to the unsuspecting fan as some might think.
 
 
 
Haha, Plastic Tree lyrics are the kind of things you either love or hate
 
I can totally understand the point about classical Japanese. Heck, I have some training in reading 9th century Japanese texts and I still struggle with some of these lyrics =/ Although to be honest, I kind of miss Kagrra, and unfortunately Kiryu's music doesn't really work for me (irrespective of how "similar" their lyrics may be). I believe classical Japanese can work amazingly well with the right kind of songwriting/instrumentation - EVE's 朧月 being an example of that.

They can make or break a band for me. 
 
I really don't like Plastic Tree lyrics, for example, so I don't listen to them much. I have a pretty average Japanese ability, so bands like Kiryu are totally beyond me when it comes to their lyrics, so I end up avoiding them too. Classical (is that what they're using?) Japanese is kind of a nightmare. On the other hand, I don't think I'd love amber gris as much as I do if anyone but Temari was writing their stuff. He's an amazing writer. 
 
I'm always a little bummed when I get into a band and can't find their lyrics anywhere. 

I understand Japanese, but I know many who love Japanese or Korean music etc... without understanding, same as English artists reach Japanese or others who cannot understand.
To me, the music has a value that stands alone without understanding the words. I can still appreciate HK or Chinese music for example.
I find that for me and others, you often get the feeling of the song and kind of the emotion without understanding words. It is already there , but actually understanding lyrics does add the writers perspective and individuality to it more.
I also find translations or subs I run across to be different.
Either the words and meaning are intentionally changed or unintentionally by the translator. The translators interpretation comes into effect no matter what and I find not many do it justice, but that is nature of communication.
Sometimes you even find that you liked your own misinterpretation more. Like even in your own languages you hear a song, and missing a lyric without knowing and you really like that line that you are singing, but then you read the lyric book or listen again and you find out the vocalist actually used a different word or two which resonate with you less.

For the purposes of this discussion, I guess we're mainly interested in visual kei and j-rock, but feel free to bring in other kinds of music if you like. 
 
So, the main topic here is: How important are lyrics to you? 
  Do you feel that lyrics are essential to your appreciation of a song? Or are they completely peripheral and you can fully "connect" with the music despite not understanding its lyrics? Have you ever felt that the language barrier interferes with your experience?
 
And if you're someone who understands Japanese, do you find that lyrics add another dimension to your experience, or is it at best ornamental?
 
The above are simply some clusters of sub-questions that might be of interest (of course you don't have to respond to everything). I really look forward to everyone's opinions!

Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! <3

LUCHe. new maxi single "Heartless" will be released at 2014/06/25 (3 TYPE)
 
TYPE A (1,944yen) will include CD (2 songs)+DVD (including "Heartless" PV), and TYPE B & C (1,620yen each) will include CD (3 songs) only
 
 
btw they will hold their one-man live tour at Shinsaibashi CLAPPER at 2014/07/25, at Fukuoka DRUM SON at 2014/07/28, at NAGOYA HOLIDAY NEXT at 2014/08/02 and at Sendai HooK at 2014/08/04

These are all relatively old...
 
I collect Sailor Moon stuff so there's a bunch of that all over. Photos are of my home office, it's pretty haphazard and looks like a 12yr old exploded atm, when I move I plan on actually making it look more presentable haha
 
 
Desk, some VK and Rozen Maiden posters, Half Life poster, Sailor Moon backpack and tote set.

 
 
Kozi Memento promo poster, bootleg Syndrome poster, rozen maiden poster, 2 phantasmagoria posters from Cure

 
Another Syndrome poster that you couldn't see in the above photo, D and Undercode posters from Cure

 
 
Sailor Moon posters and assorted collectibles. ( <3 my Sabu action figure )

 
More collectibles and posters (I'm missing bubbles, have had these PPG plushies for years and mother's dog got a hold of her many years ago and I never replaced her :x )

 
 
 
 
 
 

I think lyrics are important as well although my weak understanding of Japanese don't allow me to understand all the lyrics an it's for this that i reinforce my Japanese !  

Why do you say that "visual kei in and of itself is very conformist"? I'm genuinely intrigued by this and not trying to be an ass
 
The reason I asked is because you've been saying that visual kei resists definition (which I agree). My own take is quite similar to yours actually - that visual kei is kind of a negative definition, that can only be defined over and against the "other". But in saying that visual kei is conformist - does that not suggest that there's some kind of essential "core" (presumably some basic principles to which every or at least most bands conform) that can be incontestably pinned down and labelled "visual kei"?