Popular/Legendary/Respected Japanese bands that you've NEVER listened to...(and probably should)

[Pretsy 1343]

Regarding Perfume, it depends. Both GAME and Triangle are good places to start imo depending on your musical taste: if you're more prone to enjoy "cute" and slightly poppier music, I'd go with GAME. However, if you want to go with a more mature album as far as the electro elements go, I'd go with Triangle for sure. I enjoy GAME a little more myself because it has better stand-alone songs if compared to Triangle (which, however, has the best singles).

That is why I suggested Triangle in the first place (I dig both albums semi-equally as a whole or so on): as far as my experiences go, people get instantly turned off when they tune into GAME nowadays (especially when you have songs like "Ceramic Girl" or "Chocolate Disco" around). It would be therefore much safer to start out with something "serious" .

[Nagisa 131]

It is much easier for me to list what I have listened to.

 

Due to a brief foray into horror movie theme songs, I have actually listened to a few popular bands, but with the exception of the GazettE and Kagrra, I have only ever listened to one of their songs. 

 

I have listened to: 

9mm Parabellum Bullet (命ノゼンマイ)

Luna Sea (Gravity)

Gackt (オレンジの太陽)

L'arc en Ciel (Finale)

Glay (I am xxx)

 

So those are the only big Japanese bands I have ever listened to. And I have never listened to any non-Japanese stuff. 

[YuyoDrift 1540]

Currently, I'm diving deeper into Nagoya Kei in order to listen to bands I never even knew existed and yet have made such a great impact.

 

but as far as music I should have at least sampled, but havent:

Buck Tick

Kuroyume

LaPuta

Janne de Arc

[Manabu 144]

Kagerou was one of them, but I checked them out via the post earlier in this thread. Loudness are another as are cinema staff, to be honest I can't think of a huge amount of bands that are legendary/popular etc that I haven't given a good listen to

It's more bands I listened to a song or 2 by and didn't go any further but feellike I should try again, mejibray, kuroyume, due le quartz, dueljewel

[violetchain 912]

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.

 

[Pretsy 1343]

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've seen and experienced such situations in which people who do not usually digest vk or don't listen to it at all are not capable of stomaching "Feminism" either - especially when it comes to overall criticism in which "Romance of Scarlet" is considered to have much less "dated" sound than "Feminism" (which is kind of true though). Also: it's little to no wonder that this (Feminism years 1995-early 1996) was coined as their "sellout era" back then - not that many would even glance at their past but worth knowing anyway.

 

I would have suggested it too but as I saId it above - it's not everyone's cup of tea. We could also say the same about post-Fake Star era which is unfortunately totes devoid of originality genre-wise (while being "fun").

 

Regarding Luna Sea - Nagisa (as the Gazette fan) should definitely give Luna Sea's STYLE  and LUNACY eras a try (MOTHER would be too old school-ish of an experience to you tbh) - especially the single/b-side department:

 

STYLE:

(b-side)

 

LUNACY:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr8oiiD_Cpc

(b-side for Gravity)

[odrep 68]

My personnal recomendation for BUCK-TICK is 2007's Tenshi no revolver. Their 2000s stuff tend to have a more easy-listening, acessible sound. 90s B-T tend do be more experimental. 80s is a good one, too.

 

 

This is actually a song from 13kai wa gekkou cuz is one of them most popular songs and is really great indeed (and Sakurai is my favorite japanese vocalist of all time)

[indigo 389]

I have never listened to (I may have heard a song or two, tho...)

 

- GLAY
- Asian Kung-Fu Generation
- BOØWY

[Ikki 807]

For me it would be:

• Laughin' Nose
• D'erlanger
• Die in Cries
• Kuroyume
• SADS
• Luna Sea (I'll explain this one in a minute)
• any VK band that became huge/popular after 2005 (excluding An Cafe, Mejibray, and Lycaon)

The "any VK band that became huge/popular after 2005" thing is because I had a Kpop phase for like three years.  After that I had a 77 Punk phase that turned into an 1980's Japanese punk and 1970's Japanese rock phase. Then that turned into a Japanese glam metal and glam rock phase, and which became an early VK phase.  Now I'm slowly trying to get back into the more modern VK stuff.

 

I never listen to Luna Sea because back in 1999, I became a huge Morning Musume fan because of "Love Machine".  My "oshi" at the time was Ishiguro Aya. I was PO'd when graduated from Momusu because she didn't want to break up with Luna Sea's Shinya.  My little 10 year old brain had decided that Luna Sea was 'the evilest thing ever'.  Now days, it makes me laugh to think how stupid I was as a kid.  However, I never really tried listening to Luna Sea as an adult.

[Mamo 1172]

Necro bump I wanted to revive this, so here: Plastic tree, Luna sea, Kuroyume, LOUDNESS, and Pierrot. All of which I'm interested in but I didn't want just because their discography are just so big to tackle. Any recommendations? 

[wildjokerleia 24]

39 minutes ago, sume7 said:

Necro bump I wanted to revive this, so here: Plastic tree, Luna sea, Kuroyume, LOUDNESS, and Pierrot. All of which I'm interested in but I didn't want just because their discography are just so big to tackle. Any recommendations? 

 

 

I can't give much advice on the other bands (because they're on my list too), but as for PIERROT, most people I've met and introduced PIERROT to swears up and down that Private Enemy's their best album, though I personally like Heaven ~the customized landscape~ and FINALE more. The Freeze album is, to put it nicely, an acquired taste. Doesn't mean it's bad, just that I haven't found a person that thought Freeze was a good album. Same goes for ID Attack.

Speaking of bands that are popular/respected/legendary that I haven't listened to or have only heard a track or two from:
Plastic Tree (my intro to them was Baka ni natta no ni. Liked it, but haven't gone searching for more of their stuff and I'd like to)
Kuroyume
LOUDNESS
Buck-Tick
Luna Sea
D'espairsRay (They're popular and I see so many on here singing their praises that I feel embarrassed for admitting I haven't heard their stuff)
Actually, make that every good vk band that has gotten popular since 2007 or so
Maximum the Hormone

X Japan (only listened to Dahlia)

BOOWY
 

Edited November 10, 2016 by wildjokerleia

[Mamo 1172]

Thanks for at least one recommendation. lol

[JukaForever 758]

I'm not sure if Nujabes are legendary but when it comes to Japanese hip-hop they kept getting mentioned for top recommendation. For the handful of times I tried their music, they seem quite average to just good.

Edited November 10, 2016 by JukaForever

[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

Pierrot (at least late Pierrot) from what I remember, are really nice and catchy pop-punk.

 

 

 

I like their late-early era, which is when they were becoming mega popular and were pit against Dir en Grey to be the next face of visual-kei. Less pop-punk than when they called it quits, but definitely more playful than a lot of bands at the time.

 

 

 

Versailles ripped off this song, if it helps:

 

[Takadanobabaalien 3607]

LUNA SEA is my favorite band ever and I like all their albums so it's difficult, but I'd say MOTHER would be a good start. 

For Kuroyume I would recommend Mayoeru yurichitachi romance of scarlet.

X Japan - Blue Blood I guess (someone else might be better at recommending here).

BOOWY - JUST A HERO

BUCK-TICK - Seventh Heaven

 

[Mamo 1172]

On 11/10/2016 at 3:56 PM, JukaForever said:

I'm not sure if Nujabes are legendary but when it comes to Japanese hip-hop they kept getting mentioned for top recommendation. For the handful of times I tried their music, they seem quite average to just good.

lol I believe the title of the topic was "never have listened to and probably should" not "have listened to and didn't really like."

[Tokage 5930]

For getting into Plastic Tree's newer sound, I'd say Nega to Poji is a very good starter, it's actually what got me into them. As for their older stuff, either Puppet Show or cell.

 

D'espairs Ray's [coll:set] is still one of the best '00 VK albums ever released so you should definitely give that one a spin

 

Buck-Tick has gone through several different eras and sounds, but they've been consistently good, so just check anything. Personally really love their albums SEXY STREAM LINER, Mona Lisa Overdrive, 13kai wa Gekkou and Memento Mori though

 

Maximum The Hormone - Their last 2 full length albums are pretty much the best things they've done. 100% stay away from their very, very first release, it's pretty bad

 

Pierrot's Finale and Private Enemy are pretty damn great IMO, worth listening to

 

X-Japan... Just wait for the new album ; ^ )

[JukaForever 758]

57 minutes ago, sume7 said:

lol I believe the title of the topic was "never have listened to and probably should" not "have listened to and didn't really like."

You should check OP and see what CAT5 says about X Japan

 

Also I tried their music through mixes not youtube or some kind of playlists.

Edited November 13, 2016 by JukaForever

[wildjokerleia 24]

@Tokage

Thank you for the recs. Will definitely check them out, especially the recs for Plastic Tree, D'espairsRay, and Buck-Tick. ^o^