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PLASTICZOOMS is my most recent discovery so I figured I should make a review on them! PLASTICZOOMS - PLASTICZOOMS Disclaimer: 1) This is actually my first time listening to PLASTICZOOMS seriously, so this is probably really objective...nor can I cite or compare any of their other previous works 2) I don’t know much musical lingo, despite being in band/orchestra for 4 years. So I’m not gonna get all complex, though I wish I could 3) This is my first review. Have mercy on me please (but do give me critiques and/or your opinion on the work too!) Let's get started! Frontal Attack: Every time this track comes on I just smile some to myself. It sounds so...spacey and weird, but I think this it works well. As the song progresses, more things are added from extra beats, to the guitars, and finally Sho. So as an introduction, I guess it gets the job done as an “SE” of some sort. The Future: It’s a good transition from Frontal Attack. The track itself is..quite alright. It doesn’t knock me off my feet, but it’s definitely something I don’t mind hearing when it comes on shuffle. The guitar solo part is pretty darn cool though, and I love to hear the drums in that part too. The rough vocals Sho uses near the end is a nice touch too. Quite Clearly: This is the song that I liked at first, but then I listened to it more afterwards and felt kinda meh towards it. It has it’s redeeming values, but quite clearly, it’s meh to me. hAH Minds: THIS IS THE SONG THAT I HAD STUCK IN MY HEAD THE ENTIRE WEEK. It’s beautiful, and I love the little melody that comes up in the background occasionally and the slower part before the chorus...omg. I like the female voice along with Sho’s, but I feel in short moments it overpowers his voice somewhat (that may be because of his accent though). This was the song on their album advertisement, which was the only reason I decided to check this out actually! HIGHWAY: The other song I had in my head this week..I dig the vintage feel to it. When I was first dipping my feet into PLASTICZOOMS’ music, this was really the only title track song (aside from P A R A D E ) that really stuck out to me. The chorus is catchy af and i find myself singing along each time. I love the part after the last chorus..just gold. U12: This is the “jollier” song on the album, and it still hasn’t grown on me yet. The bass in this song is pretty great and the part just with it and the synths is fairly cute. Night & Hurt: Aaaand we’re back to the darker stuff. The weird voice/vocals in the background and the occasional spacey sounds (return) really add to the mystery in this song, Sho’s voice in some parts sounds really..I don’t think creepy would say it, but like some evil overlord that's commanding the peasants (or something). I still feel so-so with the song in general, but it always feels so short when I listen to it. Smoke Motion: I don’t know why this reminds me slightly of Quite Clearly, but it does. I think the effects in this song is interesting though, and has me tapping my foot along to the beat at times. This song does a lot and I feel it took me a while to take a lot of in. I daresay this is probably the most “experimental” song on this album...oh and the drums at the end reminded me a bit of the ones in THE NOVEMBERS’ Romancé and I was like “cool, I love this effect!” Veiled Eyes: Ah, the other title track. This is the first song I heard by PLASTICZOOMS (I think), and it didn’t woo me off my feet. It still doesn’t. Honestly, they could’ve chosen Minds as the other title track, even it kinda was the promo song. Breitenbach: I love, love this track. I think it’s a good song to end the album off with. It’s just so pretty, from the piano, the occasionally ornamentations, and the guitars. Ending thoughts: I’m still getting used to Sho’s accented English, so I couldn’t decipher a ton of what he was saying, but I think it would’ve helped with my interpretation maybe. I don’t know if this was the best album for me to start with, but it wasn’t bad. I think the order of the album is pretty good, though U12 threw me off when I was first listening to it. In the end, I will definitely be looking more at their discography, since I really like their sound ! Least Favorite Song?: Veiled Eyes Favorite Song?: Minds, duh Runner Up?: Breitenbach Overall Rating? /10

Let me make a new topic: PLASTICZOOMS is going on tour with HIGHFeeL in May! May 20: De Vinger in The Hague, Netherlands with Shoshin (UK) - https://www.facebook.com/events/500762943457656 May 21: Rock Classic in Brussels, Belgium with Ulster Page (FR) - https://www.facebook.com/events/855756077886948 May 22: TBC Germany May 25: DIY in Lille, France May 26: IDFM Live interview in Paris, France May 27: Magnificon in Krakow, Poland May 28: Le Buzz in Paris, France May 29: Le Garage in Liege, Belgium 2 dates are pending. Source: https://www.facebook.com/highfeelofficial/photos/a.570796766336068.1073741827.570749073007504/1025982930817447/?type=3 PLASTICZOOMS will release their EP Veiled Eyes on May 20.

Top 10 - Song Edition If you're new to an artist, you might want some recommendations before you dive into their whole discography, and what better way to help you out on that than to present to you a handful of favourite songs from across a band/artist's whole work? You might be wanting a heads up, especially those with a hefty discography, or just a starting point to lead you to the best spot and work your way down from there. Whatever the case, here's a personal list of my favourites by Gothic rockers PLASTICZOOMS. This list is ranked, so the numbers are meant as a specific order in this case. I hope this proves to be helpful for any members who are interested in trying them out, or even encourage other fans to make their own lists in response on whatever PLASTICZOOMS related they might want to also do. PLASTICZOOMS Vocalist Sho Asakawa, guitarist Taiyo Ikeda, bassist Jun Yokoe, drummer Yuta Kurata, and keyboardist Shinpei Morishige make up the band. Their style can be described as alternative, shoegaze rock, but they touch upon many different sounds with each release ranging from post punk to electronic. They also have just as much of a focus on their appearance as they do sound. They're well known for their Gothic appearance, and are more popular overseas than in Japan due to this and their almost Visual Kei-esque attire. They have even collaborated with fashion label Discovered, had a photo shoot exhibited by professional photographer Nao Takeda, and appeared in "The Reality Show", a magazine where they worked with photographer Nobuyoshi Akari and designer Jill Sander. Sho himself has a brand called Venus Eccentric and is a DJ. PLASTICZOOMS are a very active band that are constantly evolving as musicians. In an interview, Sho has even compared the band to a chameleon in that they change "color from time to time" with each release. While this is certainly true, as evident with their first album (Charm) being especially punk influenced while their second (Starbow) has more of a pop sound, they continue to get better and better in my eyes. 10. SWAN 9. SAVAGE 8. THE MORNING SUN 7. Witch 6. WOODS UNDER THE MOOD IN THE LOOP 5. P A R A D E 4. ILLUMINATION 3. PINK SNOW 2. Cry. Distance. 1. Sleepwalker It was difficult just picking out ten PLASTICZOOMS tracks, who admittedly don't have that big of a discography compared to most, but even so there were two specific songs that unfortunately couldn't make it in that still deserves mentions. "MONOCHROME" really can be the only reason you need to check out their second album CRITICAL FACTOR just because of how perfect it is of an opening to the release. The messy yet grungy execution and overall dark sound makes this one an instantly repeatable tune all on its own."The Shadow" is a fine example of how the band used to sound early one, and easily my firm favourite from their early discography. It's a hauntingly beautiful yet quite simple post-rock tune compared to their recent output. So, do we have any other PLASTICZOOMS lovers in the house? Anything you'd like to add, or change, or comment on? Give us your thoughts below! Also feel free to suggest other artists you might want to see be ranked like so: song wise, release wise, PV wise, you name it! I hope you enjoyed!