Bands that seem to be getting better...

[CAT5 9075]

I'm creating this as a kind of sister-thread to jduv's topic. So instead of bands that are on the decline, what bands do you think are improving?

 

 

Off the top of my head, THE NOVEMBERS would be my first choice. I've been loosely following them since 2008, and at the time, they seemed to be your slightly above-average indie-rock band, but their works from 2011 and beyond have converted me into a full time fan. Their sound has become much more atmospheric and there's an air of sophistication about them now that many indie-rock bands can't seem to create these days.

 

Post-rockers sgt. have always been "pretty good" but it wasn't until their 2011 release "Birthday" that they made a substantial impact on me. Their previous works tended to be hit and miss - where the "hits" were great and the "misses" were just boring, but "Birthday" was thoroughly masterful. I'm hyped for whatever they plan to release next!

 

Japanese reggae/dub/indie-pop band Tam Tam have improved with every release, and this year I really feel that they've found their niche. I'm hoping they'll continue on this trend of theirs.

 

 

That's all I've got for the moment. So what bands do you think are improving?

 

 

[Zeus 7997]

I have two.

Sigh was always an eclectic band. They started off as a black metal band and slowly began including more and more avant-garde influences. On some albums, the result of all their experimentation was cheesy but on their last full-length, In Somniphobia, they went all out and created a really good album.

Onmyo-za is another band that's been around for forever and keeps improving on their craft. Their last effort Kishibojin was a combination of all of the things that made their early works great and none of the cruft that seeped into their last few works that lowered the awesome. Not many bands could pull off a concept album that well.

[fitear1590 2414]

踊ってばかりの国 (odotte bakari no kuni) is definitely improving.  I've always liked their psychedelic, folksy brand of indie pop, but vocalist Shimotsu had VERY grating, high pitched squeaky voice for the longest time (at least until their 2011 album Sekai ga mitai).  On their most recent release "FLOWER", I think he finally mastered his voice and found the "sweet spot," haha.  So much improvement; still very unique, but he toned down the squeakiness he had before.  I also enjoyed his new solo project "The Acid House." for singing in a lower, "croakier" style.  Looking forward to what he/they'll do next!

Dear L'Novel has also improved a lot.  Their first single was so wretched I deleted it from my hard drive.  Their second single and subsequent releases showed continued improvement as vocalist Kazuho started relying less on autotune and more on his own voice.  Their debut album had a lot of great tracks, if you're into flowery, dramatic VK; the worst thing about that album was the hideous cover art.  Looking forward to their new concept album!

Hotel Mexico is another one.  Their first album intrigued me with the one or two songs that everyone kept sharing around (Starling, Tiger, Fox & Its Twinkle), but I really did not enjoy the rest of the release.  A lot of moments which bored me or were marred by terrible vocals.  When I saw their next single on Spotify, I gave it a spin and it was fantastic!  They developed a lush, beautifully atmospheric, yet still catchy sound.  Their second album Her Decorated Post Love continued in that vein and I'm officially a fan of them (at least their newer stuff, haha).  I think they've really found their niche in the "chillwave-y" (or whatever the fuck) style.

DIV started out with a blah mini-album in my opinion.  I suppose Chisa's voice is somewhat unique, in that he's not exactly your typical over-exaggerated, whiny singer, but the music was fairly standard VK rock stuff, with the most random chiptune intro track.  Then, they released a single which caught my attention.  Despite having two songs with almost identical choruses on one 3-track single (I still don't forgive that), I came to love two of their songs (蛍火 & milky latte) and awaited their next release.  Their second single wasn't as good as the first, but it had some moments.  Finally, their third single TASTE OF LIFE officially converted me into a fan.  They finally showed that they can do a number of different styles pretty well; plus, I actually enjoyed all (four) songs on the release!  They still occasionally have some tendencies towards generic, but they've certainly shown a lot of improvement.  Based on their newest look, their fourth single will be something darker/heavier, so we'll see how that turns out.

The projects of 天野攸紀 (amano yuki): DIMMDIVISION. & StrangerSaid.
This guy is a bit of an exception, since I liked everything I've heard so far.  It's just that I like his stuff even more with each release.  With "dim my division," I thought, okay now this is pretty good alternative (nagoya?) stuff.  When the band changed to "DIMMDIVISION." and released a mini-album with a shoegaze influence, I thought, okay now this is really good stuff.  With their newest single this year, I'm absolutely hooked; this is fucking amazing stuff.  I feel like I always name drop DIMMDIVISION. but that's just because they're still so underrated, haha. As far as I can see, the only thing holding them back is slightly sub-par recording quality.  His new solo-project StrangerSaid. introduces a delicious violin element to his sound.  Between Strangersaid. and DIMMDIVISION, I LOVE this man and I can't wait to hear more.

[jduv86 224]

Nocturnal Bloodlust - Everyone was fearful of them going VK, but I feel their songs are even stronger now.

 

UNITE! - Their first album was decent, but they really shined with their second album. Catchier songs and more versatility with the second album...well versatile compared to the first album.

 

I'm sure I'll have some later...

[Guest mitsubana]

蒼-AO- Their first release was very low quality and low budget, but when they got their second guitarist, HIROKI, that all changed. Their single, "Oasis" was amazing... Way better sound quality and the music improved 100x because of the added guitar. The singer's vocals also improved greatly and his voice now fits their style of music in my opinion. They seem to be on fire... Touring a lot... And they're releasing their 3rd single, "Afterglow" at the end of this month and will already be releasing their fourth single in August. Hopefully they continue to improve and keep producing amazing music!! 

[fitear1590 2414]

I'm creating this as a kind of sister-thread to jduv's topic. So instead of bands that are on the decline, what bands do you think are improving?

 

Off the top of my head, THE NOVEMBERS would be my first choice. I've been loosely following them since 2008, and at the time, they seemed to be your slightly above-average indie-rock band, but their works from 2011 and beyond have converted me into a full time fan. Their sound has become much more atmospheric and there's an air of sophistication about them now that many indie-rock bands can't seem to create these days.

 

Japanese reggae/dub/indie-pop band Tam Tam have improved with every release, and this year I really feel that they've found their niche. I'm hoping they'll continue on this trend of theirs.

I've only been a listener of THE NOVEMBERS and Tam Tam since their supposed "better" periods, but it's nice to hear they're steadily improving.  I definitely enjoyed Tam Tam's newest mini-album more than their album.  Really excited to hear how these bands continue to develop.

 

UNITE! - Their first album was decent, but they really shined with their second album. Catchier songs and more versatility with the second album...well versatile compared to the first album.

Fellow UNiTE fan

 

蒼-AO- Their first release was very low quality and low budget, but when they got their second guitarist, HIROKI, that all changed. Their single, "Oasis" was amazing... Way better sound quality and the music improved 100x because of the added guitar. The singer's vocals also improved greatly and his voice now fits their style of music in my opinion. They seem to be on fire... Touring a lot... And they're releasing their 3rd single, "Afterglow" at the end of this month and will already be releasing their fourth single in August. Hopefully they continue to improve and keep producing amazing music!! 

Glad to hear, because I was NOT impressed with the first single either.  I'll have to check out Oasis and Afterglow when it's released.  I see they have a show coming up with Dear L'Novel AND Scarlet Valse, both bands that I enjoy, so maybe I'll become an AO fan too.

[Number Girl 48]

Cinema Staff - Their early EP's were good, in my opinion, but they still had a ton of newbie awkwardness to them. I've noticed, especially with everything they've released since 2012, that they've lost most of that weird awkwardness and have been working with some smoother, slightly more dynamic song structures. Their music has a ton more power and grit, while still managing to maintain those amazing melodies. The vocalist has definitely improved a ton; this was especially noticeable upon comparing past and present live performance DVD's. 

 

Bo Ningen - I haven't been a fan of them for long, but I've been listening to the entirety of their discography and it seems like they are always taking their music in new directions. I'm very excited to see what they have in store for the future. 

[Augie1995 325]

Nocturnal Bloodlust - Everyone was fearful of them going VK, but I feel their songs are even stronger now.

UNITE! - Their first album was decent, but they really shined with their second album. Catchier songs and more versatility with the second album...well versatile compared to the first album.

I'm sure I'll have some later...

Completely 2nd this, also adding:

ViViD - Lately.... HAHAHAHA! Sorry, thought I would open with a joke.

Matenrou Opera - I loved their old stuff but their new stuff sounds a lot more better and I am hooked by every release. I think it's because of the better production on their stuff and that gorgeous new album of theirs

Periphery - They used to be an all djent mathcore band but lately they've been getting lighter on the djent stuff and have some more awesome songs!

Vistlip - It might just be me but they were awesome then, but now they are getting better. CHIMERA was pretty good, GLOSTER has to be the heaviest, sickest release yet by them, and their latest album was better to me than prior ones.

[CAT5 9075]

Periphery - They used to be an all djent mathcore band but lately they've been getting lighter on the djent stuff and have some more awesome songs!

I dunno...I think I enjoyed their first release a lot more. A lot of metal fans have a problem with the vocalist due to his clean vocals being so "whiny". It's true, but I just see them as a progressive metal band with post-hardcore vocalist lol. I enjoy both genres, so I'm ok with it, haha.

Cinema Staff - Their early EP's were good, in my opinion, but they still had a ton of newbie awkwardness to them. I've noticed, especially with everything they've released since 2012, that they've lost most of that weird awkwardness and have been working with some smoother, slightly more dynamic song structures. Their music has a ton more power and grit, while still managing to maintain those amazing melodies. The vocalist has definitely improved a ton; this was especially noticeable upon comparing past and present live performance DVD's.

I've always liked Cinema Staff, but I kinda disagree here...their latest album was pretty sappy for me. I don't know what to say about them really...they're usually just hit and miss I think. I guess I prefer their rougher, most spastic side.

Onmyo-za is another band that's been around for forever and keeps improving on their craft. Their last effort Kishibojin was a combination of all of the things that made their early works great and none of the cruft that seeped into their last few works that lowered the awesome. Not many bands could pull off a concept album that well.

Onmyo's last album definitely kicked ass...which surprised me cuz I haven't really enjoyed much from them since their 2007 album!

[Augie1995 325]

I dunno...I think I enjoyed their first release a lot more. A lot of metal fans have a problem with the vocalist due to his clean vocals being so "whiny". It's true, but I just see them as a progressive metal band with post-hardcore vocalist lol. I enjoy both genres, so I'm ok with it, 

 

I have to agree but I do love his vocals a lot more than their first vocalist and I have no problem with his clean vocals since his heavy vocals make up for it. Comparing their albums though, I feel they got better. Their second album had a theme to it as will their next one, Juggernaut. But while their first one was a really cool album, it felt more like it was just Misha's favorite little demos turned into songs. Jetpacks was Yes being my favorite along with LIght and Letter Experiment. Their second album definitely had better production, and was a lot better (maybe partially due to the guest stars such as John Petrucci and Guthrie Govan)

 

About his voice, Spencer had pitch correction in the first one and in the second one there wasn't any, or at least barely, according to an interview with Misha and Jake Bowen.

 

Plus, another thing that I found that they improved upon is that they did djent a lot in the first album but they sort of advanced away from using it the whole time to using it more efficiently in their sound, partially having to do with Misha Mansoor and Jake Bowen hanging out a lot with Tosin Abasi on tours

[beni 2149]

I can safely say for sure now that PLASTICZOOMS' releases keeps getting more and more awesome. Their sound has shifted and changed for the better, and they continue to flourish and improve their already established sound with some new and slightly different implements here and there. They're the first band that comes to mind now after not being able to answer this thread for a while.