violetchain

Honestly, those are all bands I don't listen to but have heard mentioned on various sites, so they look familiar but I have no idea what any of them sound like. The only one I know is the LIPHLICH song, and I like that one a lot. GLAY - JUNK ART GLAY - Be With You IRON ATTACK! - Judgement Day THE BEATMOTORS - Koi suru futari The Birthday - KIKI The Pixy SNAKE ON THE BEACH - Rain Sings (Piano Version) L'Arc~en~Ciel - Vivid Colors Eminem - Beautiful The Birthday - Bitch Lovely MO'SOME TONEBENDER - Lost In The City

I kind of want the Hai to Diamond Anthology, so I hope it doesn't end up being too expensive. It's possibly my favourite album ever, and their indie stuff tends to be the perfect mix of hilarious and awesome, so I'm excited to see what they've dug up.

^I think he's trying to do both? He's using two different Twitter accounts: https://twitter.com/UNVEIL_RYO + https://twitter.com/RYO_INHALE And he's listed as the vocalist on their new account: https://twitter.com/UnveilRaze

http://sana-official.com/ http://vk.com/sana_sama Also, ETA: There are subtitled comments too: http://vk.com/video-46582435_168167396?hd=-1&t= http://vk.com/video-46582435_168149865?hd=-1&t= http://vk.com/video-46582435_168166496?hd=-1&t=

These two always remind me of how much I miss my dad. They're not my favourite songs or anything, but they really hit home for me emotionally. GLAY - Father and Son X JAPAN - Tears And L'Arc~en~Ciel's "Blurry Eyes" will always be a special one for me because it was the first Japanese song I learned the words to. Plus I have a weird soft spot for DNA2.

It's so silly that I kind of love it.

6/10. Most of it is okay, but the way he sings the louder and higher parts (mostly the yeahs) just sounds ugly to my ears.

Not really indie or visual kei, but definitely the first one that comes to mind for me, and I counted GLAY as visual kei in all the other threads, so... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiH3FuzXCNY

I love Tetsu in ZIGZO and nil, but I can't get into him in MALICE MIZER. It just doesn't sound right to me. I love his style, though. There's just this insane, almost manic level of energy and emotion to the way he sings--like he's always just on the brink of too much--and I think it's cool that it carries over into happier songs as well, like nil's "Come on Eileen" cover (http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=zzVzL8mkBDk).

I really loved glam/sleaze rock in my teens (and I still do, although to a lesser extent). I used to post on a forum about it, and I guess around 2008 or so someone started a thread called "Japanese metal", and I had no idea such a thing existed. I got into X JAPAN from there and started finding other bands while I was looking for more information about them.

So, most of these vocalists are no longer in visual kei or in bands not considered to be visual by many, but I couldn't think of five current VK vocalists that I like anywhere near as much as these guys. Also, mine is based more on performance style than technical skill, since that's usually what makes a great vocalist for me. 1. Teru - GLAY I like that his voice isn't perfect. Sometimes it cracks and shakes, sometimes he struggles a bit, but I think that just adds to the sincerity of the song, and sometimes he'll just get this sudden boost of power and take the performance to another level. 2. Sakurai Atsushi - BUCK-TICK Similar sort of reasoning, really. I like that he makes such a big effort to perform each song differently based on the story or atmosphere. 3. Kiyoharu - KUROYUME Love it or hate it, Kiyoharu has a distinctive voice, and he can do so many different styles of music so well. 4. Kajinaga Daishi - Psycho le Cemu I like the boyishness of his voice. I think it fit PLC perfectly, and the contrast between the cute, innocent style of PLC and his bratty wannabe yankee side is a big part of the charm of the band for me. 5. Toshi - X JAPAN Sometimes his voice gets a bit grating, but he really puts a lot of heart into those ballads, and after seeing them live my respect for Toshi went up a lot. He has so much stage presence.

Hitomi Yaida's cover of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" is one of my favourites. Also, Eizo Sakamoto and Yama-B doing Hikaru Genji's "Yuuki 100%".

1: Do you buy multiple versions of releases, or buy at all? I buy stuff if I can't find it online or I really, really want it. I wouldn't buy more than one version of a release, but I will buy a limited edition instead of regular if the bonus sounds good enough (a long live DVD from a band that doesn't have a lot of live footage, for example) and the price isn't ridiculous. Then again, recently I've just been buying stuff off iTunes since the shipping tends to triple the price, and as much as I like album artwork and lyrics, I am also incredibly cheap. 2: Do you collect cheki or other non-music related items from bands? I usually buy T-shirts, I have a towel, and I wouldn't be opposed to stuff like keychains or buttons and stuff, if that counts. I have bought some used VK magazines at anime conventions for the pictures and in the hope that I would be able to read them at some point, but I would never spend money on something like cheki. 3: Follow them on Ameblo, Twitter? I usually keep track of one or two bands I'm really into at the time and just sort of skim through the rest of my Twitter feed. Ameblo is kind of annoying because you can't just scroll through it and get a quick idea of what they're up to, so I don't bother with it very often. I prefer to follow bands on Facebook (well, the few that have one and use it frequently), since they usually update it in English and tend to keep it restricted to more important stuff than "I ate these cute snacks today, they were delicious. Here are three pictures of them." 4: Would you follow them on the street? I'll say "Oh, it's __" to my friend and watch them do whatever for a minute or so from where I am, but it kind of bothers me when people actually follow bands around town because while they're at the venue, convention, etc. they're working, and they should be allowed to go get a sandwich or whatever in peace. Everyone needs a break. 5: Dig through their trash? (Judgment-Free-Zone) Absolutely not. I don't understand that mindset at all. 6: Does Visual Kei or other forms of your musical taste influence your style or personal life? I took a Japanese class in university as one of my electives partially because I like the music so much and wanted to be able to understand the lyrics, and I've met a lot of people because of it, so there has definitely been some effect. I don't think there's been any visible effect on my style, though. 7: Desire to move or visit Japan influenced by music? Visit, yes. No desire to move to Japan. 8: Do you read dirt-sheets of bands, like rumours, gossip, etc...? Sometimes. I have a weak spot for funny rumours and gossip about bands I like. It's more for entertainment value than anything, though. 9: Ever fantasize about being friends with band members? (JFZ) No, not really. 10: Do you want to be in a Visual Kei band (or any other kind of band)? Nope. The main fangirl thing I do is translate lyrics (poorly) from bands I love that I don't think will get translated otherwise. (Usually meaning non-VK rock bands) I figure at least that way I can use all the obsessive energy for something relatively useful. Plus I've picked up lots of interesting new words from doing it.

BALZAC's "Nowhere No. 13" is definitely one of the best examples I've ever seen of how to do a good low budget PV. Granted, the fact that they're a punk band is a big part of why it works.

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A friend of mine ended up liking HITT after I suggested we check out his free concert at Anime North. Then again, HITT's show was hilarious and filled with moments like this: so I think it was more for the theatrics than anything. She liked Jake stone garage enough to buy a CD when she came with me to Japan Nite, though, so it seems like the door is at least open for more.

Ooh, good one. I wish that existed.

I split it between singles and album tracks because there's no way to narrow it down to one disc and when I have a best-of compilation on I either skip all the big singles, since I already know them, or I replay the singles over and over again, since I'm just getting into the band. 32 songs total, and I'm still leaving out so many of my favourites... Best of GLAY Hits/singles: Manatsu no Tobira Apologize Soul Love Winter, again However Answer ft. Kyosuke Himuro Way of Difference Yuuwaku Ikiteku Tsuyosa Koko de wa nai, dokoka e Global Communication Itsuka Dark River Beautiful Dreamer Hitohira no Jiyuu (live) Freeze My Love Album Tracks/B-sides, etc.: All Standard is You Runaway Runaway Two Bell Silence Kimi ga Mitsumeta Umi Fighting Spirit Fairy Story The Birthday Girl Rosy Koukai Cynical Shikina Coyote, Colored darkness Blast Minamigocchi (live) Shitto I'm in Love (live)

I gave myself a little too much to work with by going with all Chiba's bands instead of just picking one, so I have more than one song for a few artists. It's so hard to narrow it down. Chiba Yusuke Tribute Album THE BEATMOTORS - Baby You Can (The Birthday) – they’re good at slower, sort of laidback rock songs, and I think they would put enough attitude behind it. Yellow Studs – Namida ga Koboresou (The Birthday) or 19:40 (SNAKE ON THE BEACH) – Would like to see them shorten 19:40 somehow, since it's a little too long to listen to regularly. Nothing’s Carved In Stone – Hoshi no Melody (ROSSO) – This is my favourite ROSSO song, and I think Taku would nail the emotion near the end THE BACK HORN - Piano (The Birthday). It’s a sad song, with a slightly dark/sinister feel, and I think that’s where they’re strongest 04 Limited Sazabys - Muddy Cat Blues (The Birthday) – I’d like to hear a lighter version of this one by someone with a childish voice, since the lyrics are so cute. Jeepta - NIGHT LINE (The Birthday) or Carnival (The Birthday) ZIGZO - I was walkin’ and sleepin’ (TMGE) BALZAC - GILDA (The Birthday) or Revolver Junkies (TMGE) KUROYUME - Sharon (ROSSO) Drop's - Ano Ko no Suitcase (The Birthday) - Would be cool to hear a female take on this song, and their singer has such a great rock voice

No particular order after the first three. 1. The Birthday 2. Dragon Ash 3. Nothing's Carved In Stone 4. MO'SOME TONEBENDER 5. Jeepta 6. BALZAC 7. ZIGZO 8. thee michelle gun elephant 9. andymori 10. POSSIBILITY GLAY would be #1, but I already wrote them in the visual thread, so I guess that's cheating. Could be in top ten on another day: BOOWY, ELLEGARDEN, SBK, the pillows, ABSTRACT MASH, Yellow Studs, Suck a Stew Dry...

Great, looking forward to new stuff from them. Seems super early to announce a one-man that's not happening until November, though.

Are DEAD END considered visual kei? Because if so, I'll trade Calmando Qual for them on my list. I've been listening to ZERO a lot recently.

5. Started off nice, but I don't like the way he sings the chorus.

I really struggled to think of ten that I listen to more than an album from. I haven't really been listening to much visual kei for the past few years. Generally, I like bands that started in VK and went in a different direction. List is in no particular order after the first four. GLAY (if the first album counts as visual kei) ^I say it does because of videos like this KUROYUME BUCK-TICK Psycho le Cemu media youth DIR EN GREY metronome MALICE MIZER THE SOUND BEE HD Calmando Qual

^Yes, I was just about to write something similar. I don't think it's the physical DVD you pay all that money for, it's the cost of shooting the videos. I remember reading on Daisuke from THE SOUND BEE HD's blog "We sold enough to make up the production cost!", or something to that effect, a little while after their PV collection was released. I assume Kiwamu bought a camera and some gear recently, and since he and 1000 from Tokami are apparently directing most of these and he's also doing all the editing they're cutting corners on renting and staff, but there are still probably a few things they need to pay for like the location, lighting and props (although these could all be quite cheap, depending on the video and whether or not they're recycling old stuff) + as Magatsu said, everyone should also be compensated for their time, since they have to plan, film, edit, perform, etc. Then of course they need to buy the actual discs and cases and print the covers, all of which probably isn't too expensive, but still costs some money. $21 for one PV and one camera digest live footage still feels ridiculous though. He could at least make the live footage from more than one angle and of the whole show.