violetchain

Mixed feelings about the new Frederic. Doesn't really stand out much compared to their other leading tracks, but I'm hoping it'll grow on me. Those girls are cute together though.

I think a collaboration between Pocky from NOA and Shohei Iohara from SHANK would be cool. They were labelmates for a long time, and I've seen a lot of pictures of the members of NOA wearing SHANK merch, so I guess it's not surprising that I see similarities between them, but I feel like the contrast between Pocky's softer/more emo vibe and Iohara's more upbeat and aggressive style would be interesting. Iohara Pocky

Spoken/voiceover lines in [] NOBUYA’s lines in {} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSN3dJIl5L8 Life Is Beautiful Lyrics: KAZUOMI, NOBUYA, NAOKI Music: KAZUOMI [HAVE YOU LOST THE IMPORTANT THINGS AND FEELINGS IN YOUR LIFE?] [THERE ARE UPS AND DOWNS THIS IS THE SPICE OF IT ALL LOVE IS BLIND AND YOU JUST CAN’T SEE THIS IS A FACT FOR MAN THAT’S REAL] {HA, LET ME SEE YA HANDS IN THE AIR LET ME SEE YA LET ME SEE YA HANDS IN THE AIR Rekishi wa EVERYTHING ima Ai no te ni Rekishi wa EVERYTHING ima Ai no te ni} ETOSETERA no bureikou na PLAYBALL {FREEFALL} Hoshikuzu no STAGE TOKIMEKI no IMAGINE Totsuzen araware kokoro ubaware utagau yochi nashi Chokkan no BURN DOWN {Muragaru doyou no nettaiya Nurete odoru kami tamaran wa} Nidomi sandomi de shoujiki na asoko {Dounimo kounimo doushitemo Sono sugata ga zutto hanaren wa} Mitai kikitai hanashitai {HA, LET ME SEE YA LET ME SEE YA HANDS IN THE AIR LET ME SEE YA LET ME SEE YA HANDS IN THE AIR Rekishi wa EVERYTHING ima Ai no te ni Rekishi wa EVERYTHING ima Ai no te ni } {ICCH!} Utai na (YEAH!) Odori na (HUU!) Ukarete itai daro? {NII!!} Mogaitemo (YEAH!) Mogaitemo (HUU!) Mawaru LOOP LOOP LOOP LOOP SAN! {Ato sukoshi (YEAH!) Mou sukoshi (HUU!) Oborete itai ze sayonara NEBAA ENDINGU SUTOORII} {Omae no koe nante kikoenee yo Kangaeteru koto mo wakannee yo} Egao no taiou kimagure na taido [Ano hito saikin dou na no?] [uun. Nanka yoku wakannai da yo nee] [fuun) OH OH {Tama ni wa ii yo ne Konna hi KIZA na kutsu mo SERIFU mo HATTARI mo Karuku ashiraware LONELY HEART Ki no nuketa GURASU Nomihoshita} HA, LET ME SEE YA LET ME SEE YA HANDS IN THE AIR LET ME SEE YA LET ME SEE YA HANDS IN THE AIR Rekishi wa EVERYTHING ima Ai no te ni Rekishi wa EVERYTHING ima Ai no te ni ICCH! {Sono koe o (YEAH!) Omoi o (HUU!) Todoketai n daro?} NII!! {Nageitemo (YEAH!) Nageitemo (HUU!) Mawaru LOOP LOOP LOOP LOOP} SAN! Kimi no me ga (YEAH!) Sono koe ga (HUU!) Boku o kuruwasu buzama na NEBAA ENDINGU SUTOORII [YOU HAVE DONE WHAT YOU BEST KNOW HOW LEARN TO FORGIVE YOURSELF AND REMEMBER IT’S A PART OF LIFE] Rekishi wa EVERYTHING ima Ai no te ni ICCH! {Utai na (YEAH!) Odori na (HUU!) Ukaretemo ii ze} NII!! {Yorokobi mo (YEAH!) Zetsubou mo (HUU!) Meguru LOOP LOOP LOOP LOOP} SAN! {Korondemo (YEAH!) Tachiagare (HUU!) Nante koto wa nai sa mukan no NEBAA ENDINGU SUTOORII} SAN! {Kimi no me ga (YEAH!) Sono koe ga (HUU!) Boku o uruosu sayonara NEBAA ENDINGU SUTOORII} [HAVE YOU LOST THE IMPORTANT THINGS AND FEELINGS IN YOUR LIFE?] Kanji: http://rocklyric.jp/lyric.php?sid=161086/Life+Is+Beautiful/ROTTENGRAFFTY

Surprised by the amount of people mentioning Kuroyume. I always see people posting about how great their early VK stuff is, but if you're not really a hardcore VK fan, their "feminism" album is definitely the best place to start, IMO. I've never really been able to get into their first few releases. BEAMS is also essential.

I remember reading news about Souhei from andymori using synthetic weed and freaking out in a hotel lobby. He had to talk to the cops or something afterwards, but since it wasn't technically illegal it didn't seem like it was a big deal to their fans or anything.

Kind of refreshing to see so much focus on Pegi in the new GMA video.

Recently, I find new artists through a mix of music blogs and scanning through the Twitter accounts of news sites or artists I like. I like a lot of variety in my music, so I try not to stick to one scene or artist too closely. I also listen to music mainly on shuffle, so I'm always randomly coming across things I forgot I downloaded years ago.

Again, not my interview. I just translated it from Japanese. Here's the original article: http://2youmag.com/2youmag_old/interview/2014/no38/ever.html -- A three-piece band with a unique point of view located squarely in the middle of Nagoya’s melodic punk scene, EVERLONG will release their first full-length album “Plant Worm”. Calling their music “poppy, simple and catchy”, they’re experiencing a big surge in popularity nationwide. We hope that you can see how they have progressed since their previous release “Lovers”. Q: So you’re finally releasing a full album. Mituhiro: Yeah, we were finally able to do it. This time composing songs was really hard. “Lovers” was a song we just came up with while we were having fun, but this is the first time we actually had to think about making an album while we were writing. But we really honed the core of our sound with this album, so I have confidence in it. Q: “Lovers” was released only a year after you formed the band, but what were the reactions like? Mituhiro: People we didn’t know started coming to our lives. I was really shocked by that at first. Yuta: I’d be sitting at the merch table, and a variety of audience members would come up and say “I listened to your CD” or “I watched your PV”. For people to say that they were listening to our music , and that they liked it, that was a huge change after the CD was released. Mituhiro: So I’m really happy that now we can release a full album like this. Q: Do you have a concept for the album? Mituhiro: It’s “memories”. We made the album thinking of our single “Orange” as its centre, and we were trying to make a release packed with various memories and overflowing with vitality. Q: What does the title “Plant Worm” mean? Yuta: The name is a reference to “caterpillar fungus” (Ophiocordyceps sinensis), a fungus that parasitizes bugs. Mituhiro: I read a lot of books, and one mentioned the “caterpillar fungus”. In the winter, it parasitizes a bug, then the bug dies and it absorbs its life force and becomes a mushroom, and it almost seems like it can grow into a plant or person too. I thought, “Wow, this thing is just full of vitality”, and I wanted to name the album “touchuukasou” (“caterpillar fungus”). Yuta: I thought the part about changing from a bug to a plant with the seasons was a good link to how we’ve changed. That’s what the title means. Q: Yes, I felt the change you’ve undergone in the song “Orange”. In particular, I felt like the way you wrote the lyrics was a little different. Mituhiro: I want to be able to say things without being afraid of misunderstandings, but otherwise I don’t really know whether we’re a band that writes English lyrics, or if we’re a type “A” band or type “B”. I want to establish our originality, so people can say “This is like EVERLONG”. I think that came to fruition with “Orange”. With this album, coming up with “Orange” was really important. Q: Speaking of originality, I think it really came out with a bang in the sense your Japanese lyrics have. Mituhiro: I’m happy to hear that. Q: I’ve also never heard a melodic punk band use the word “shiyashanse” in their lyrics. (laughs) Mituhiro: Ahahaha. Yuta: That’s because we actually started writing the song “Gunjou tansan” by thinking that we wanted to use the word “shiyashanse”. (laughs) Mituhiro: I think that word has a good feeling to it. When I had “shiyashanse”, the hook and melody just suddenly came to me. I also played around with a lot of other words in that song, so it’s a really special song for me. I think it’s kind of like what would happen if we made “Orange” more fun. On this album, I guess maybe what we’ve done is take different approaches to the world view we had in “Orange”. Q: Is there a song you’re particularly attached to in terms of guitar playing? Yuta: “MAYOICOM” started from a guitar riff, but since I was able to do what I wanted with it, I’m happy with that song. Mituhiro: "Venus" is good too. Yuta: Yeah. With this album, I think I was able to achieve what I wanted to with each song. Mituhiro: Well, in any case, the guitar on this album is cool. Q: In track 8, “K.I.M”, are you singing about Kimu-kun*? (Note: *Their drummer’s name is Kimu) Yuta: It’s totally about Kimu. (laughs) Mituhiro: I wonder if it’s okay to talk about this? (laughs) Kimu: It’s fine. (laughs) Mituhiro: We’re all classmates, but this time, only Kimu had to repeat a year. (they all roar with laughter) Yuta: It’s a “Please give me one more chance” song. Kimu: It’s “One more time, one more chance”.**(they all roar with laughter) (Note: **This is a line from the song, and it’s in English in the lyrics. Yuta paraphrases it in Japanese, and Kimu quotes it directly in English) Yuta: It’s a message song to his family. (they all roar with laughter) Mituhiro: Yeah, this became the most real song on the album. (laughs) Q: So emo. (laughs) This new album also has “Smile” on it, so it seems like a bit of a summary of the band’s history so far. Yuta: Yeah. “Smile” has some of the very first music we made in it, and since it was released on a limited CD I’m happy we were able to put it on the album. After all, I definitely want people outside of that area to be able to listen to it. Q: I’m sure that after listening to this album people will be surprised by how much you’ve grown in such a short period of time. Mituhiro: Thank you. I talked to the members about this as well, but I really feel like our sound has been refined because there are so many other bands from the same generation around us. Q: How do you see the rise of the Nagoya melodic punk scene? Mituhiro: I never really wanted to become a “Nagoya melocore band”, but because I wanted EVERLONG to get established, we joined TRUST RECORDS, but I don’t really pay any special attention to the scene. Q: I see. Maybe that comes out in your music as well. Like it doesn’t really seem to belong to anywhere. Mituhiro: I want to make a band that’s unique. For example, we recently played a live with MINAMI NiNE, and they’re really one of a kind. I want us to become a band like that. Q: When I heard you play a song with “shiyashanse” in the lyrics, I started to feel that way about EVERLONG. Mituhiro: Ahahaha. Yuta: That’s because when we put it in the we were saying “There probably aren’t that many bands that will write ‘shiyashanse’ in their lyrics” to each other. (laughs) Mituhiro: On our previous mini-album when I wrote the line “hamigaki shi-nagara MOONIN MOONIN”*** for the song “Tomorrow”, people told me it was lame. But since that sort of thing leaves an impression on people, I decided to look at it as a positive. (Note: ***Something like “While I’m brushing my teeth, moaning moaning”) Q: Once again, what kind of album would you say “Plant Worm” is? Kimu: I think it’s album unlike anything we’ve done before and one where we’ve taken on new challenges. I think we’ll be able to take a new step forward. Yuta: I think in our previous work we had collected a lot of influences from other bands and they came out a lot, but this time I think little by little we’re beginning to move away from that and EVERLONG’s true essence is starting to present itself. Mituhiro: Yeah, EVERLONG is finally becoming EVERLONG. This is an album where we really put a lot of effort into honing the essence of the band, and I’m confident that when people hold it in their hands they’ll be able to say “They’ve finally become EVERLONG”. Yuta: You’re really set on that, aren’t you? (laughs) Q: That sounded a little too cool, so to finish up, Kimu-kun, why don’t you leave a message for your parents? (laughs) Mituhiro: Wahahaha. Kimu: Dad, mom, thanks for always being so kind. I’m going to keep doing my best at college for a little longer, so please give me a chance. (they all roar with laughter) EVERLONG: Mituhiro (vocal and bass), Kimu (drums and chorus), Yuta (vocal and guitar) Website: http://everlong-nagoya.com/

Honestly, the main reason I've never listened to them is I don't usually go for the darker/heavier VK bands, but I'll give it a shot at some point since every now and then I find one I like. Thanks!

Same. I don't really get the hype. The idea sounds like it should be cool and their look is great, but their music just does nothing for me.

I used to have Aqua's "Aquarium" album on cassette when I was a kid. I listened to it like crazy on my Walkman since it was one of the only tapes I had that I actually liked all the way through and it was such a pain rewinding and fast-forwarding between songs. The videos haven't aged well, but I still think the songs are so much fun.

Something about Takanori Nishikawa has always kind of been off-putting for me, but I love abingdon boys school's "Innocent Sorrow".

Sad to see Mr.Children coming up so many times in this thread. They have so many classic songs. Plus Sakurai Kazutoshi is an absurdly charming frontman. I've never listened to: D'espairsRay Janne da Arc Moi dix Mois Kagerou lynch. ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION D'erlanger Sigh

I'd recommend the album "Beautiful World"

I could have sworn that ROTTENGRAFFTY's "This World" was the ending theme to something

Good for him. He'll make some $$, and that song seems like a really nice fit for SMAP, IMO. I actually really like the video too. They all look pretty suave running on those treadmills.

So cute.

Apparently there is a band called "Oh!Puberty", which definitely belongs in the stupid category.

anyway thanks for your effort! that must have taken a long time to translate ^^; i love xtripx too, especially their post-hiatus stuff Thanks hiroki! It really helps to see someone else's take on it. The first line and the word "image" were both really throwing me off, and the way you're reading them makes a lot of sense.

I wonder why they offer rectangular glasses for boys and not girls? Had to draw mine on.

Honestly, I'd never listened to any xTRiPx songs before this one. I was checking out some of their other stuff yesterday though, and I really liked the 2013-2015 releases, so maybe I'll do more at some point. The problem is that my Japanese is really bad, so I can only do songs that are relatively direct and simple. This one is pretty straightforward and I still feel like I butchered some of it. ^^; Oh, thanks for letting me know about the kanji link. It's fixed now. Yeah, I really got the impression that he was getting himself mentally prepared to move on from xTRiPx when this was written after looking at the lyrics. It's such a sweet, optimistic song, though.

It's great that someone always seems to record the full concert in decent quality when one of Iron-Chino's bands performs in Europe. So much Yuuma <3

I made an attempt at translating this into English, but there's one verse that I really don't get and it's probably very wrong. If you have any corrections don't hesitate to let me know. 10+1 10+1 365 days* ago I recklessly turned my escalating emotions into sound At that time, I didn’t know That that song would allow me to meet so many new friends Signs of the beginning Nobody ever knows when the end will come But even if it comes tomorrow, I’ll probably have no regrets The morning this began, I had no idea what the future held I got into the car and the sunlight shone on my rearview mirror Now, I’ve piled up tons of dreams and equipment And it’s a tool that links me to the friends reflected in it And go against the flow Somewhere for yourself Life is what is changing What can be seen with closed eyes I’ll get to that future waiting up ahead someday As long as I keep on believing Even if my wish doesn’t come true My life will glow Somehow, we managed to raise up a big revolution What’s left after that storm of passion? Even if the answer is “zero”, that’s fine Because life is addition And go against the flow Somewhere for yourself Life is what is changing What can be seen with closed eyes I’ll get to that future waiting up ahead someday As long as I keep on believing Even if my wish doesn’t come true My life will glow -my life is glowing- Does whether or not I was victorious factor into my value system? How?** It depends on each individual’s life Whether that victory is fake or a sure thing isn’t something someone else can decide The image is free in the circling flow of time, uncertain of whether it’s moving quickly or slowly*** It seems like an answer is emerging, but it’s time to start again and lock up**** I can’t stop 10+1 365 days ago, I never could have guessed how much strength you would give me Life is what is changing What can be seen with closed eyes I’ll get to that future waiting up ahead someday As long as I keep on believing Even if my wish doesn’t come true My life will glow Someday, somewhere Never give up on your dream It will come true if you keep on believing And you’ll shine too Notes: *I assume this means 10 years + 1x365 days, which would be 11 years, which makes sense since xTRiPx was apparently formed in 2003 and this single was released in 2014. **, ***, **** I'm fairly sure these lines are wrong, but these are the best guesses I could come up with 10+1 Juu tasu WAN sanbyaku-rokujuu-go-nichi mae wa gamushara ni tsunoru omoi o oto ni shita Ano toki no jibun wa shiranai Sono uta ga takusan no nakama to deai o kureru SIGNS OF THE BEGINNING Itsu owari ga kuru ka wa NOBODY KNOWS Sore ga ashita demo tabun NO REGRETS Hajimari no asa mirai shirazu ni Norikonda BAKKUMIRAA ni sasu hi Ima ja yamazumi no yume to kizai Utsuru nakama tsunagari no TOOL AND GO AGAINST THE FLOW SOMEWHERE BECAUSE YOURSELF THE LIFE IS, WHAT IS CHANGING WHAT CAN BE SEEN WITH CLOSED EYES Sono saki ni matsu mirai DO GET SOMEDAY AS LONG AS KEEPING ON BELIEVING EVEN IF NOT COME TRUE MY LIFE WILL GLOW Nanka DEKAI kakumei okoshite yan da Ikimaite kekka nani ga nokotta? Kotae ga ZERO demo ii Jinsei wa tashizan dakara AND GO AGAINST THE FLOW SOMEWHERE BECAUSE YOURSELF THE LIFE IS, WHAT IS CHANGING WHAT CAN BE SEEN WITH CLOSED EYES Sono saki ni matsu mirai DO GET SOMEDAY AS LONG AS KEEPING ON BELIEVING EVEN IF NOT COME TRUE MY LIFE WILL GLOW -MY LIFE IS GLOWING- Kachi ga douka kachikan dou ka dou da? Sorezore no LIFE shidai Sore ga FEIKU darou ga tashika na MONO darou ga Kimeru no wa OUTSIDE ja nee Hayakarou ga osokarou ga mawaru jidai nagare no naka IMAGE jizai de sa Kotae desou ga mata furidashi de LOCK UP Tomaru nakare Juu tasu WAN sanbyaku-rokujuu-go-nichi mae ja kizukenai tsuyosa o kimi ga kureta THE LIFE IS, WHAT IS CHANGING WHAT CAN BE SEEN WITH CLOSED EYES Sono saki ni matsu mirai DO GET SOMEDAY AS LONG AS KEEPING ON BELIEVING EVEN IF NOT COME TRUE MY LIFE WILL GLOW SOMEDAY, SOMEWHERE NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAM IT WOULD COME TRUE IF YOU KEEP ON BELIEVING AND YOU’LL ALSO SHINING Kanji: http://ameblo.jp/honeytrap-xxxx/entry-12013366206.html