[Band Battle] 凛として時雨 (ling tosite sigure) vs. 9mm parabellum bullet

[CAT5 9075]

凛として時雨 (ling tosite sigure)

 

VS.

9mm parabellum bullet

 

Ok, the battle is on! 2 bands that were once both on the cutting edge of the Japanese indie scene and are now major (and have been for some time now). Which band do you think is better AND WHY?

[CAT5 9075]

If you would have asked me this question, say, 5 or 6 years ago, my answer might have been different. Back around late 2007/ early 2008, I was first getting into the Japanese indie scene and both bands were pretty big talk around the scene. Both their 2007 albums (9mm's "termination" and ling's "inspiration is DEAD" were branded as Japanese indie classics. Both bands were pretty much equally talented and matched in skill, but unfortunately, over the years 9mm digressed into mediocracy while ling continued to hone their sound for the better. With that said, I have to go with ling since they've been so consistent in terms of quality. If this were 2007, 9mm might have had my vote!

[Zeus 7997]

I'll have to agree with you CAT. LTS's vocals take some getting used to but they've been consistently awesome.

[DeithX252 1266]

I follow both bands, but for music awesomeness I choose ling tosite sigure! 9mm didn't impress me when I first listened to them, but LTS's song is so addictive when I listened to them, I Iike TK's unique voice.

[sai 868]

I'm also going with LTS. 9mm never really managed to grab my attention as much as LTS did. Like said before, TK needs some getting used too, but their output has been consistent from day one.

[Tokage 5930]

new ling > new 9mm, from what I've heard of both recently. To be honest, I haven't really given 9mm's newer stuff extensive listens but I doubt they've improved enough to be back on their old level, though I still do believe they're listenable albeit a tad more boring than they used to be.

 

old ling = old 9mm in my eyes, both are equally cool. (though i swear to god ilng need to lay off using the words 'plastic' and 'sadistic' in their songs because it's almost bad enough to turn it into a drinking game)

[CAT5 9075]

9mm's vocalist has actually improved over the years in spite of the band's songwriting, whereas TK has remained mostly the same.

Ling's production has become progressively clever, whereas 9mm's production has remained pretty traditional. Actually, I think it's because of ling's production that people have become less annoyed with TK's voice. Listen to any pre-2008 ling material and you might find it grating!

I've heard reports that ling is really boring live. Even though they sound just like they do on record, they don't really put on great performances. Whereas 9mm puts on great, energetic live performances. I've seen a lot of live footage and PVs from both bands, so I'd have to agree with this assessment. Ling may take the cake on record, but I'd sooner spend my money to see 9mm live!

[CAT5 9075]

Bumped bucz i can. I also added videos to the op >__>

[evilcoconut 109]

I can't hang with LTS vocals at ALL, so 9mm all the way.

[indigo 389]

I actually find 9mm's vocals to be more annoying than TK's. They are just boring and lack the "character" that TK's voice has imo. I also think that LTS's songwriting is far more interesting.

[doombox 4421]

I have to vote 9mm. I think they are way foreigner friendly if you're not used to voices like TK's. I know that was the case for myself, anyway. I prefer deeper voices as a general rule. I think 9mm also has a little more pop appeal, though I'm not as well versed in Sigure to say they don't have it, I just never heard it as much in their singles. They're both really great bands though so this is one of those kind of questions where there is no wrong answer. 

[CAT5 9075]

I actually find 9mm's vocals to be more annoying than TK's. They are just boring and lack the "character" that TK's voice has imo. I also think that LTS's songwriting is far more interesting.

It's funny you say this because I hated the vocalists of both bands when I first heard them. They were both getting a lot of hype in a J-indie community I used to visit, and the vocals just completely killed it for me.

I don't think it was until I heard more out of the J-indie scene that I began to kinda "re-calibrate" my perspective on the vocals...cuz honestly, there are so many apathetic-sounding and high-pitched, effeminate vocalists in J-indie lol. But I do agree...TK's is generally the more emotional and emotive vocalist of the two.

As for the songwriting...I agree to an extent. 9mm had some really great, quirky songwriting early on...up until about "Termination". I consider that album a classic, but it also kinda marked the beginnings of their shift into more formulaic songwriting. But they were still fresh out of their indie era, so their new sound still had a lot of raw elements that I appreciated. Everything after that was definitely curated for the mainstream I think.

Overall, LTS has had more unique songwriting, but they've also recycled a ton over the years. A fan I know recently called LTS a "one trick pony" and while I don't entirely agree with that, their latest singles are especially making that seem like the case - cuz it's like "insert cool riff here" and then the rest of the song ends up being more or less your typical ling fodder. But that's not saying much because typical ling is pretty awesome.

I have to vote 9mm. I think they are way foreigner friendly if you're not used to voices like TK's. I know that was the case for myself, anyway. I prefer deeper voices as a general rule. I think 9mm also has a little more pop appeal, though I'm not as well versed in Sigure to say they don't have it, I just never heard it as much in their singles.

Pretty accurate on the pop appeal factor. I thought 9mm always had a knack for catchy, melodic hooks, but Sugawara's vocals haven't always been "pop"-ready. You can tell he's had a lot of training and practice over the years, though.

LTS's very nature doesn't mesh well with pop aeshtetics lol, but they've proved that they can tone down their sound enough for it to be palatable; what with all these anime tie-ins. TK's solo stuff definitely brings that Lts sound to a more pop-oriented sphere too.

[beni 2149]

I actually fell for both bands instantly because of the vocals. I still listen to both bands because of the vocals I'm a biased vocalist fan, I'm sorry. It's a pretty easy choice for me though, as most of you I'm sure know. xD TK, hehe. Seriously though, I adore how harmonised yet messy everything mixes and mashes together with that band. The clear vocals against rough instrumental play which then suddently changes to TK's shrieks and screams which is balanced by the Miyoko's softer vocals. They're one of the most impressive bands in my opinion. And even if they might be called a 'one trick pony,' I think most musicians follow the same pattern throughout their career so I've never cared about that. If they do choose to make changes, like what Girugamesh have done before, then I'm all for that. I actually like that a lot in a band and I'm impressed with any musician that tries something different from the rest of their discography. It shows they're experimenting and wanting to try new things, not afraid of change. However, I'll still always love bands even if they never step out of their comfort zone. I gave 9mm a listen when I heard their album 'Termination' was very highly regarded. I wasn't disappointed, but I actually have a few other bands I favor over them which I'm reminded of when I listen to them, like The Mirraz. Like I've always said, I'm happy with pretty much everything in music so I love both bands. However, it's an easy pick for me since I always seem to prefer something which stands out from the norm. And any difficult vocals to like is always a plus for me!

[saishuu 3220]

Voted for LTS. I actually really like TK's vocals, even more when it's coupled with 345's voice and makes for a high-pitched mess. lol It suits their sort of chaotic sound in my mind, I don't know.

 

Anyway, I never cared that much about 9mm to be honest - I started listening to them when their boom was starting to cool down and their releases were starting to sound average most of the time, so I don't have nostalgia to back up my feelings toward them (although I do like their music); meanwhile, with LTS, I jumped up on their hype at the beginning of their rise in popularity (with "Telecastic fake show") and they haven't really disappointed me all that much so far. I'm feeling slightly saturated with the huge amount of TK we've been getting lately with his solo work mixing up with LTS' sometimes, but it's more of a personal thing.