Tetora

the only thing im good at is spending money on is games...

Getting back into the visual kei scene after a hiatus was nice. Really made me realize how much of a role visual kei plays in my life.

SET-LIST at 2015/03/29 (Part II):
 
01.イオ
02.ice
03.クオリア（10位）
04.色即是空-イロスナワチコレソラナリ-（9位）
05.わすれもの（8位）
06.Eniver-updated ver.S-（7位）
07.WONDER f∞l PEOPLE（6位）
08.Chronus（5位）
09.美空結び（4位）
10.不完全I/F（3位）
11.失踪イン マイ ルーム（2位）
12.snow slow〜Ms.Fabbit〜Invit'
13.draws,（1位）
 
EN1
01.粛清とチョコレート
02.starting over
 
 
Part I is talk event

So, who else marked hard over Wrestlemania Play Button?

Catchy. Sounds a lot like SOPHIA. Their vocalist has also released a preview for his solo PV today:
 

 
As you can see, it's Kamen Rider's OST. A lot of VKeiers have been acting or making OSTs for Kamen Riders in the last few years, btw.

I really relate to the way the sound and feel was described. The mix of an often cheerful expression of something that a lot of sad or unfulfilled emotion lays behind. The music and vocals really give off a multi-layered tone, which is one of the things I found most interesting. It makes even simple moments have more depth, and it feels like everything has some kind of backstory.
 
I felt that REM is one of the biggest show-stealer`s in recent memory, and was a great way to sell the album to me, after I heard the Promo for that, I had to buy this. And I wasn`t disappointed, as I see the album as amazingly cohesive, and consistent. I had them play the album on the sound system when I was getting my hair done about a week ago, and since I was there for such a long time, the album had a chance to loop, yet the album passes so smoothly and seamlessly, that it almost feels like a mini. There are a good amount of tracks, yet they flow so easily and have such a united tone that never gives you the feeling that some albums may have, where there is that `stretch` in between the songs you like most, or the part that doesn`t quite fit. The hits just keep coming.
 
For me, REM was the anchor of the album, and the center-piece. I like all of the songs, but World is mine. is one that also really stands out as another favorite. Again, the mix of cheerful disposition with something looming in the background really resonates with me. Overall, I get that `reaching` feeling from the sound, which I always love; like the vocalist is either being pulled towards something, or trying to get to something that just can`t seem to be acquired, and the music is the soundtrack to his desires in life.
 
Besides this I only have their Gloster release, but I am now a much bigger fan, and will be looking into their older material, as well as waiting for all of their future works.

They have really been bringing it lately.
 
I always loved their multi-colored approach, and this single really highlights that with their ability to make very different songs that fit together very nicely and can contrast and compliment each other at the same time.
 
As usual, all of the tracks are growers on me, and with each listen I came to appreciate them more. The instant show-stealer for me was Wonder, which is the track that I found pushes itself to the front of the crowd. Then I grew to have Osen as my second favorite, and the track which I found the most powerful, as you say, the emotion-filled vocals at the end are what made me grow fond of it.
 
I have always enjoyed how they can mix heavy and light elements on tracks, with strong chords against light vocals, without creating a distance between them. I also enjoy the higher pitched chords they use in the song in another part of their distinct guitar style. I really started to notice how they stepped up to an even higher level with the guitar harmony. I also think the vocals are getting even better, in the way that they are consistently delivered in an amazing, communicative way. The bass really shines as well, and the new drummer fits in such a way that you couldn`t even guess that he hasn`t been around since the beginning. The instrumental tracks always help me find more to love about the playing and composition itself.
 
Anyway, I always found them amazing, and this is the moment that made me see how they improved on something that I couldn`t really have even asked more of in the first place. They are releasing amazing music (IMO), and getting even more popular, so I hope that we can see them eventually take a place among one of the top band`s in Japan. I have always had them as a pick to be one of the band`s that could one day be compared to SID, though they are very different, they have a bunch of areas in which similarities could be made,  including the amazing musicianship, a wide range of distinct approaches to song-writing (including the incorporation of many different `genre`s`), and consistent accessible, yet uncompromising releases.
 
Oh yeah, also the lyrics are great, as usual, different members who compose and write vastly different things, yet manage to fit them all together.

I really relate to the way the sound and feel was described. The mix of an often cheerful expression of something that a lot of sad or unfulfilled emotion lays behind. The music and vocals really give off a multi-layered tone, which is one of the things I found most interesting. It makes even simple moments have more depth, and it feels like everything has some kind of backstory.
 
I felt that REM is one of the biggest show-stealer`s in recent memory, and was a great way to sell the album to me, after I heard the Promo for that, I had to buy this. And I wasn`t disappointed, as I see the album as amazingly cohesive, and consistent. I had them play the album on the sound system when I was getting my hair done about a week ago, and since I was there for such a long time, the album had a chance to loop, yet the album passes so smoothly and seamlessly, that it almost feels like a mini. There are a good amount of tracks, yet they flow so easily and have such a united tone that never gives you the feeling that some albums may have, where there is that `stretch` in between the songs you like most, or the part that doesn`t quite fit. The hits just keep coming.
 
For me, REM was the anchor of the album, and the center-piece. I like all of the songs, but World is mine. is one that also really stands out as another favorite. Again, the mix of cheerful disposition with something looming in the background really resonates with me. Overall, I get that `reaching` feeling from the sound, which I always love; like the vocalist is either being pulled towards something, or trying to get to something that just can`t seem to be acquired, and the music is the soundtrack to his desires in life.
 
Besides this I only have their Gloster release, but I am now a much bigger fan, and will be looking into their older material, as well as waiting for all of their future works.

I really relate to the way the sound and feel was described. The mix of an often cheerful expression of something that a lot of sad or unfulfilled emotion lays behind. The music and vocals really give off a multi-layered tone, which is one of the things I found most interesting. It makes even simple moments have more depth, and it feels like everything has some kind of backstory.
 
I felt that REM is one of the biggest show-stealer`s in recent memory, and was a great way to sell the album to me, after I heard the Promo for that, I had to buy this. And I wasn`t disappointed, as I see the album as amazingly cohesive, and consistent. I had them play the album on the sound system when I was getting my hair done about a week ago, and since I was there for such a long time, the album had a chance to loop, yet the album passes so smoothly and seamlessly, that it almost feels like a mini. There are a good amount of tracks, yet they flow so easily and have such a united tone that never gives you the feeling that some albums may have, where there is that `stretch` in between the songs you like most, or the part that doesn`t quite fit. The hits just keep coming.
 
For me, REM was the anchor of the album, and the center-piece. I like all of the songs, but World is mine. is one that also really stands out as another favorite. Again, the mix of cheerful disposition with something looming in the background really resonates with me. Overall, I get that `reaching` feeling from the sound, which I always love; like the vocalist is either being pulled towards something, or trying to get to something that just can`t seem to be acquired, and the music is the soundtrack to his desires in life.
 
Besides this I only have their Gloster release, but I am now a much bigger fan, and will be looking into their older material, as well as waiting for all of their future works.

They have really been bringing it lately.
 
I always loved their multi-colored approach, and this single really highlights that with their ability to make very different songs that fit together very nicely and can contrast and compliment each other at the same time.
 
As usual, all of the tracks are growers on me, and with each listen I came to appreciate them more. The instant show-stealer for me was Wonder, which is the track that I found pushes itself to the front of the crowd. Then I grew to have Osen as my second favorite, and the track which I found the most powerful, as you say, the emotion-filled vocals at the end are what made me grow fond of it.
 
I have always enjoyed how they can mix heavy and light elements on tracks, with strong chords against light vocals, without creating a distance between them. I also enjoy the higher pitched chords they use in the song in another part of their distinct guitar style. I really started to notice how they stepped up to an even higher level with the guitar harmony. I also think the vocals are getting even better, in the way that they are consistently delivered in an amazing, communicative way. The bass really shines as well, and the new drummer fits in such a way that you couldn`t even guess that he hasn`t been around since the beginning. The instrumental tracks always help me find more to love about the playing and composition itself.
 
Anyway, I always found them amazing, and this is the moment that made me see how they improved on something that I couldn`t really have even asked more of in the first place. They are releasing amazing music (IMO), and getting even more popular, so I hope that we can see them eventually take a place among one of the top band`s in Japan. I have always had them as a pick to be one of the band`s that could one day be compared to SID, though they are very different, they have a bunch of areas in which similarities could be made,  including the amazing musicianship, a wide range of distinct approaches to song-writing (including the incorporation of many different `genre`s`), and consistent accessible, yet uncompromising releases.
 
Oh yeah, also the lyrics are great, as usual, different members who compose and write vastly different things, yet manage to fit them all together.

Oh I forgot to add my number 1 track in the whole album is definitely "By the rain."
Love that song a lot. Definitely going into my overall list of top 10 vistlip songs.

Nice review hiroki!
 
LAYOUT was really awesome for me. The preview for REM SLEEP blew me away when I first listened to it, and after listening to the whole album I was definitely not disappointed.
 
My fave tracks out of the new songs are definitely (not in order):
1) REM SLEEP
2) By the rain.
3) Good girl gone bed.
4) Idea
 
Even though I'm usually a bigger fan of tracks portraying the more classic vistlip sound (composed mostly by Tohya) and generally tend to gravitate away from harsh vocals and heavier songs, I really liked Good girl gone bed. for some reason. I just felt good listening to it. Overall, every song was nice in the album and I really liked how each of them flowed together perfectly into a whole album. vistlip is definitely one of those rare bands with amazingly talented members who can constantly produce quality releases without fail.

Good review (:
I listened to the full album, and sounds in my opinion better then THEATER.
My favorites are MY SECOND B-DAY, REM SLEEP and LAYOUT.

As you already know, I adore their THEATER album so seeing as you love that one as much as this one is interesting and great to read. Hopefully that'll encourage more listens itself since THEATER is such a flawless release. The intro, 'To be awake is to be alive.' is particularly enjoyable and hooked me in quickly for the kickass tracks. 'REM SLEEP' and 'Idea' both really stood out to me on the first half of the album. It was my first time listening to the single tracks and they were also really catchy, if not more so. Another I really enjoyed was 'By the rain.'. And I very much agree that the track order is well done! I see my favourite from the album is in your top picks. World is mine. is just perfecto~
 

 
Fantastic review by the way, I hope to see more from you!
 
Edit: We have the same fav tracks. x'D

Thanks for the review! Will check out their new album! Heard only but good things about vistlip!

This is my first review here, so please be kind XD I guess it also doesn’t hurt to confess at the outset that I’m writing from the perspective of an unabashedly passionate vistlip fan. So… fair warning for people looking for unbiased reviews.

I’ve been looping LAYOUT since its release and I think I’ve soaked in it enough to form a fairly stable opinion of it (around 30 repetitions). While I haven’t had the time to go around canvassing opinions from my friends, at this point I can say that I definitely like it more than CHRONUS, and maybe a little less than THEATER, which remains my favorite vistlip album (if only because that's their very first album, and it's special for the fact that there can always only be one "first" time). I still can't decide if I like ORDER MADE or LAYOUT more! But overall, LAYOUT is an extremely satisfying album. I apologize for not doing a track-by-track review; I’m terrible at that as I prefer to focus on the "emergent" qualities of the album instead of the nitty-gritty details. Maybe someone else will review the individual tracks below.

Structurally, the album’s track placement is impeccable. REM SLEEP, released previously as their promotional PV, wastes no time in pulling the listener immediately into the classic vistlip soundscape. For me this track operates as a prelude to the trio of songs constituting the nexus of the entire album (Idea - World is mine. - By the rain.) which consolidates the signature sound that will continue to reverberate through the rest of the album. Flanked by My second B-day. / Catastrophe on one side and ROACH / Good girl gone bed. on the other, the soft and seductive core of the album is shielded by these harder, more intense tracks (reminiscent of vistlip releases like GLOSTER) that textures the overall experience as one pulls away from the mellow central portion. Period and Jack (title tracks of their last 2 singles) have been deployed by the band as the album’s 2nd and 2nd last tracks, allowing the listener to begin and end the album on a comfortably familiar note without either track being unnecessarily obtrusive to the extent that they steal the show from the new songs. Finally, LAYOUT (the track) is the proverbial icing on the cake that provides a nice denouement and closure to the album.

It's a simple but elegant setup (I’m almost tempted to say 'layout' XD); because the mistake a lot of potentially good albums make is a lack of organization, as a result of which an album that boasts many interesting ideas ends up meandering nowhere in particular and fizzling out because you simply can't tell where it's leading you. With LAYOUT, the division of labor between the tracks is clear and everything fits perfectly into an integrated whole anchored by a strong conceptual scaffolding. It's nothing too complicated, but sometimes less is more. So while it isn't exactly a roller-coast ride of an album with its share of surprises and shocks, there's scarcely any place for the superfluous.

Tohya composed most of the songs in this album, except 4 songs which were written by Yuh. Track-wise, my favorite songs off the album are Idea, REM SLEEP, World is mine., By the rain. (roughly in descending order). I'm a sucker for pop-rock with a nice beat and groove, performative vocals, and evocative lyrics. Idea is sooo pretty I need to reserve special praise for it. An energetic song driven by its robust chorus (ohh I swear vistlip kills the vi-IV-I-V progression) and Tomo's hypnotic vocals sweeping effortlessly across the mid-high range, Idea belongs in the same category as vistlip songs like CHIMERA, inc., PERFECT CRIME, insofar as they all have the characteristic bittersweet sound which never fails to gives me goosebumps ._. I can't exactly describe it: these songs are upbeat, forward-looking, yet tinged ever so subtly by a shade of 重み [idk how to translate this word.. “heaviness”?] beneath the surface. Consequently the attentive listener gets a lingering sense of something more going on – an undertow, perhaps, that does just enough to keep the album from meekly collapsing into an unrestrained celebration of optimism.

(A digression: some time ago I saw someone asking a new band on Twitter whether their sound would be 明るい (“bright”) or 暗い (“dark”), and then I realize that’s such a painfully reductive way of conceptualizing a band’s sound, because any band worth their salt would surely have enough facets in their music to transcend that simple dichotomy.)

Finally:

I'm just really excited that vistlip always strives to break new ground, but keeps enough of what makes them unmistakably vistlip. It’s a tough balance to be had. Among bands who've managed to last more than 5 years some try too hard to expand their sound where, at some point, fans can't help but pause and question if this is the band that they used to like; and then there are others who go on surreptitiously recycling their old materials until fans are bored and eventually put off. Thankfully, with vistlip this hasn’t happened, and I’m quietly confident neither of these scenarios will happen as the band soldiers on towards their 10th anniversary.

I didn't intend to give a rating, but if I have to it'll be around 8.5-9 out of 10. I’m sure my review could have been better, although if it actually manages to pique the interest of casual vistlip listeners or people who haven’t tried vistlip then I’ve succeeded in what I'd set out to do

Now let’s hear what others have to say about this! What do you like / not like about LAYOUT?

Hey dude, super sweet list of band's, I have similar tastes.
DOG, SuG, and girugamesh being some out of my top ten.
I also really like Haru from DOG as he had a troubled life as well yet he didn't let it keep him down.
Anyway hope you have a good time using the site.

hi! welcome to MH i feel the same as you, vk is such a big part of my life i just wouldn't be who i am without it :'D
 
also love your list of bands. i'm soo happy to see Purple Stone on there

Yeah. Though, I think I can really feel for Takeru the most for some reason. I'm not sure why. I guess because he's jsut so happy and strong all of the time like as if he's going to let anything bring him down, you know? Anyway, thanks. I'll try to stick around as much as possible. ><

So, I joined this site with only the intention of downloading music. Then, I realized it looked like a pretty cool place... so I figured I could hang around. *shrug* It's always nice to become a member of new forums.
 
Anyway, about me... well, obviously I love visual kei. I'm a total addict when it comes to that sort of thing. I'll list my favorite bands later since I want to get to the point of telling more about than just visual kei even though it pretty much takes my entire daily life lol. Moving on, um... well... I'm on the autistic spectrum. Not severely, mind you. It mostly affects my emotional state and social skills though. However, once you get to know me, you'll be wishing I had a mute button.
 
I'm a writer, so that's a plus, I guess? I like to write stories, but I've only written like two. heh... um oh! There's one important thing I should say. As you can tell from my username, Takeru is my hero. Being someone who suffers from almost disabling anxiety, it just helps to have someone go through so much crap and still be as strong as ever through it all. I heard that he said in his blog that he has depersonalization disorder, panic attacks, arrhythmia and autonomic ataxia... yet look at him. So amazing... so... so happy. That inspires me to overcome my anxiety and other things. I mean, this guy is so awesome because he owns his owns and designs his own clothing line, is the vocalist for SuG... he's just amazing to me. Enough about him though. >/////<
 
I can be really shy and timid at first. It'll take me a while to get used to my surroundings here... so don't be surprised if I come off as awkward or well... not right I guess lol. I really am a great person as far as I know too, so don't be afraid to approach me!
 
I'm not sure how updated this list really is but... sicne visual kei, as I said, takes up a majority of my life... I might as well share my favorite bands and stuff, right?
 


 
So yeah. I told you it was a very huge list. I did bold the ones I'm more favorable towards though. Just to give you an idea of what I enjoy most of all. Just keep in mind that I love ALL these bands equally, except for SuG because I love them more. <3
 
If you want to know more about me, don't be afraid to ask. ^w^ I don't bite unless it's Monday, then I bite.

I`m not seeing the problem here.
 
It`s very easy to get most live-limited stuff using the shops that deal with them, and auctions. I get almost all of my stuff (live-limited, regular, etc...) from three sites. And if you ever make a trip you can raid brick-and-mortar locations for tons of live-limited and semi-rare to rare stuff (though I know this isn`t an option for all).
 
I think there is about one cd I haven`t gotten that I want in the past year or two? And it just came out, so I know it will eventually pop up and I`ll get that too.
 
They`re not as rare as some may make them seem, and I have also gotten limited stuff from years ago still in original packaging (no, not re-packaged).
 
They still have somewhat of a semi-exclusive feel, and along with their whole marketing purpose this is part of the appeal.
 
Many people whether they admit it or not enjoy the value they may find in a limited release, especially with the collector`s appeal built into the Japanese market, which is often passed on to foreign fans.
 
To take that away takes away part of the value of the release, part of the excitement of obtaining it, and an interesting side of collecting music, not to mention the whole collector`s value of the thing you are trying to... collect.
 
From what I see, many people are fine downloading the tons of live-limited releases that eventually get uploaded on the net, deflating the actual number of releases that they don`t have some sort of access to. This also makes me wonder why some fans feel they should be able to request changes in the band and studio`s practices, when they often don`t respect them in the first place.
 
There are also some releases that do compile rare material, there are live video`s available which feature these songs, and there is the opinion some could have that many live-limited releases aren`t really the same quality as standard releases anyway.
 
I also disagree with the vision some may have of `the perfect world` where certain sometimes practical, sometimes idealist, sometimes head-scratching changes are suggested, which don`t seem to offer any improvement or gain for the band, any effort by the consumer, and any compensation for collector`s (who are most of the people still buying cd`s in 2015 and supporting the industry in Japan).
 
This isn`t even close to the worst time to be a frugal fan or collector in any case, since the internet including uploads has made it a million times easier to get what you want, as opposed to being a fan of The Rolling Stones back in the day, and having to find out about rare releases the hard way with extensive research, finding a way to buy albums exclusive to US, UK, or Japan which were either completely exclusive works, had a bonus track not available anywhere else, different artwork, etc...
 
Things were a lot more expensive and difficult back then. Buying a CD off of Yahoo with a site that can do it for you, while using an online payment system that protects your finances is a cakewalk in comparison to being a fan back then, where a rare release may actually never be in your hands, and you may never even find someone who has it.
This also shows how VK artists aren`t exactly the most difficult bands to deal with in history, considering it once cost you an arm and a leg for a release by one of the most popular bands of all time... If you were lucky enough to get a chance to obtain it.
 
Probably more I wanted to say, or I could have wrote that more legibly, but whatever.
 
CLIFFS:
 
Not that hard to get most live-limited stuff.
Live-limited releases have more appeal, especially to the actual measurable fanbase rather than the five people spread across the world who maybe, might, one-day, pay for it if it was easier to obtain.
It`s not the worst of times to be a collector of music.

Most recent one tho~

feat. my ratty wig 

many camwhore
much selfie
wow