CAT5 9075 Posted January 1, 2016 Best New Tracks: December 2015 It's our FINAL edition of BNT from the year 2015! We hope you've enjoyed the ride thus far and we hope you find our last round of recommendations useful! Major thanks to all of the ORZ contributors for putting this together every month! I'd also like to thank our guest contributors @emmny and @Lestat for pitching in! And lastly, a warm thanks to everyone that has bothered to check BNT out over the course of the year! We will have much more to come in the new year, so stay tuned! @ShanethVarosa's Picks "White Moon" by 藍 -AI- While the entirety of the single leaves something to be desired, "White Moon" is definitely a stand out track amongst the backdrop of head banging title track "鴉 (karasu)" and other b-side "麻薬のようなキス (mayaku no youna kiss)". One could spend all day making endless comparisons of the other two songs to previous Deathgaze work, as the influence is pretty palpable and "麻薬のようなキス (mayaku no youna kiss)" is actually rather different for his solo project. The glorious part of "White Moon" is its powerful melody that one can actually say they haven't already heard note for note by Deathgaze. "Master Key" by D This entire single is pretty great, but the title track actually really does it for me. Master Key took the best elements of Happy Unbirthday (e.g., a strong melody and powerful vocals) and stripped it of the annoying whistle-blowing to create something that D could be proud of. The b-sides, for the most part, kept this tempo up with "Magical Door" being as fun to listen to and "絶望という名の魔女~She Wept Silently~ (zetsubou toiuna no majyo~She Wept Silently~)" being a heavier song to rock out to... Not quite in the same way as "Funny Bunny!", but I give it credit for trying. I've been really happy with this era of D's music and I hope and album in 2016 brings the whole piece together. "Wings Flap" by L'Arc~en~Ciel The name is pretty silly, I think that's something we all agree on to an extent. But what the boys have actually come up with is something supremely different for the band. They've never really been this electronically influenced before and I find it to be working well for them, especially since it isn't overused or over embellished. I'm interested to see if there's a L'Arc album in the works for 2016 and if it will be well-represented by this single. @doombox's Picks "Dead Motel 6" by EACH OF THE DAYS It's good to have EACH OF THE DAYS back in action after injuries had the band out of the game for over a year. The new album has no shortage of metalcore ferocity, though some of the songs sound rushed and can blend together. However, it's still a fairly beastly return to the scene for them. "Dead Motel 6" is a great example of elements the band has improved on in their hiatus and what they're capable of achieving when they put their minds to it. "Before The World Ends" by ENDZWECK ENDZWECK remains a band that refuses to be defined by the limited definition of 'hardcore' or 'screamo' or any other labels people repeatedly try to give them. But they certainly know how to make aggressive and emotional music that doesn't pull any punches. Almost twenty years in this scene has fine tuned their songwriting to unequivocal poignancy. "Before The World Ends" is the same melodic, gut-wrenching intensity old fans will expect but with a welcomed freshness added from improved modern production techniques. Or possibly just a better budget for said production. "The Greatest Party" by THE BEETHOVEN I know THE BEETHOVEN has been working their way through singles for a couple of years now, but I waited until they released a proper full length album to give them a listen. And now I'm rather upset that I waited this long! It's full of catchy pop vibes but with glorious threads of gothic rock aesthetic, and "The Greatest Party" is one of my favorite instances of that combination. The guitars especially drive the song with a hypnotizing yet simple riff that just sticks in your head! "The man who leads the mad horse" by Presence of Soul All Creation Mourns was a treasure I found while searching Bandcamp for new music and it quickly grew to be one of my favorite releases of the entire year. It's dark, beautiful, expansive, and captivating. Which is exactly how I prefer my post-rock. Yuki's vocals are hypnotic and take already beautiful songs to the next level. "The man who leads the mad horse" was instantly my favorite track with its almost seven-and-a-half minutes passing far too quickly. I could easily stay lost in it for twice that and then some. "Collapse" by ぼくのりりっくのぼうよみ(Boku no lyric no bouyomi) Melodic rapper? Monotone singer? Bokuriri sits somewhere comfortably in the center, and that sweet-spot seems to house a wide array of versatility and complex emotion. As one of the decidedly abstract approaches to songwriting on Hollow World, "Collapse" stands out among more direct hip hop and pop-oriented tracks. But with something this interesting already in his catalog (not bad for a debut album) I'm sure Bokuriri will be an artist to keep an eye on. @beni's Picks "傷 (kizu)" by 小南泰葉 (Kominami Yasuha) I don't care what anyone says, even after majoring, the individuality and original goodness from the singer-songwriter Kominami Yasuha can never be tainted. This is mostly evident by track six from her newest album, 僕を救ってくれなかった君へ (boku wo sukuttekurenakatta kimi e). Equipped with your typical acoustic guitar, Yasuha's unique, harshly pitched vocals really shine against these slower tunes of hers. That is, until the chorus explodes it all, making it a sweet contrasting song sure to get your musical taste buds on the move. It's exciting seeing more from here, and this is yet another step in her getting the recognition she deserves. "Where Are You?" by Phew When I think about what classifies as 'old but gold', singers such as Togawa Jun and REBECCA's Nokko always come to mind, and this includes Phew of the avant-garde punk/rock band Aunt Sally from back in the 1970s. Her kind of music isn't something I'm usually a listener of, but there's something about her that's extremely appealing to me. She's worked with a variety of people, both when in the band and as a solo artist, from the legend that is Ryuichi Sakamoto to Alexander Hacke of Einstürzende Neubauten, a German, industrial band, and many more from all over the place. Phew herself has a rockish, jazz-influenced, avant-garde sound (emphasis on the avant-garde), and that isn't any different in ニューワールド (New World). "Where Are You?" stands out for its speedy execution and haunting dialogue-like delivery. It's a track that could very easily be inserted into the likes of The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari and Psycho. For a sound which is very much new to me, Phew is encouraging me to venture further into this psychedelic genre of music and I'm sure she'll pick up many more fans after falling off the radar for so many years. "近未来空想 (kin mirai kuusou)" by 新時あさ美 (Shintoki Asami) Sometimes an area in a certain type of music is so jumbled, it can be difficult finding a starting point. I stumbled upon this release many months ago by chance because the album cover caught my eye, and only now did I get to it. The fact that I even checked out the album's teaser trailer and still managed to put it off is beyond me. The Vocaloid/Utaite (equivalent to a YouTuber who sings covers, but is Japanese) scene has many events that sell these albums, each with different songs and singers on them. Secret Messenger is the circle in charge of this particular release. If you're also into your healthy dose of sugary Jpop, don't miss this and get your paws on the whole album which isn't as sugary, but just as adorable! "アイノネ (Ai no Ne)" by YEN TOWN BAND Ah, chara-sama, what more could we ask of you but to not only release more of your solo goodness, but also with your fictional side band? YEN TOWN BAND came into the making when chara starred in the 1996 movie 'Swallowtail Butterfly', and let's face it, it was accepted that that was all we were going to get - one short album from that year and a couple of appearances of the title song itself on compilations. So, surprise! This is definitely one of my favourite releases of this year, and for this reason in particular. The track itself has a very old sound to it, almost like it was made back in the 90s. The electronic opening along with chara's timeless vocals make this one a reminder of YEN TOWN BAND's brilliance. "フラスコ (fresco)" by Plastic Tree Surprised? Surely not! With yet another album under their belts, the boys have ended 2015 with a bang. You can't expect anything but flawlessness from Plastic Tree, and boy have they served a perfect palette yet again. If I had to pick a favourite from 剥製 (hakusei), it would have to be the track that gets the album going after the intro. The tune is quickly familiar to the ear thanks to addictive riffs and tuneful chorus. It's your typical rock song from the lads, but it's quickly becoming a favourite of mine in their whole discography so don't leave out Plastic Tree if you're into your Visual Kei! @CAT5's Picks "Black designer" by ジラフポット (Giraffepot) I've been keeping an eye on Giraffepot since last year's "Hydro human" and for an indie band, they've got a remarkably polished and mainstream-ready sound, but with just enough of an edge to keep them above mediocrity. The band released two EPs this year with "Black Designer" opening the first of the batch, and I'm pretty astounded at how simple, yet effective this song is. It's all very straightforward and familiar sounding, but the vocalist's jazzy delivery in the chorus adds that perfect touch, making the song memorable. "somewhere" by The Cheserasera There are so many bands making middle-of-the-road pop-rock with indie sensibilities that it's easy to pass on most of it, but The Cheserasera definitely have something special going for them. It's difficult to pinpoint exactly, but listening to "somewhere" from the band's second EP of the year, it's easy to hear that the band has an infectious energy to their songs. The vocalist actually has a strong, emotive croon and the nostalgic melodies serve to vitalize otherwise straightforward songwriting. "Wiseguy" by PLAY DEAD SEASON Young post-hardcore titans PLAY DEAD SEASON have teamed up with emo-rockers This Time We Will Not Promise And Forgive for a new split release and the results are as kick-ass as I imagined. Both bands brought their A-game, with PLAY DEAD SEASON delivering two relentless tracks, guaranteed to incite moshing in a live setting. "Wiseguy"is perhaps the less turbulent of the two, but it's charged with plenty of discordant riffs and blistering punk energy all the same. This was an incredibly satisfying split overall, though - especially because this area of Japanese music isn't the most abundant. "SKREEN" by 8otto Here's a band that was highly active in the mid to late 00's with their last full album being released in 2011. I thought 8otto had dropped off the face of the earth, so you can imagine my surprise after seeing them randomly appear on the Ninja Slayer anime soundtrack...and with a brand new track at that! Thankfully, 'SKREEN' is everything I wanted it to be; it's funky, it's danceable, it's vintage 8otto. I'm not sure where these guys have been these past few years, but SKREEN has me excited for the possibility of future releases. "童謡(わざうた) (wazauta)" by 山本精一 (Seiichi Yamamoto) Having been active since the late 80's, ex-Boredoms guitarist Seiichi Yamamoto has led an interesting career, jumping around from punk, to noise, to improvisation and the avant-garde. His latest album wazauta, however, is entirely full of accessibly warm and lethargic folk tunes, though. The title track is especially recommendable for its heavily psychedelic sound that easily sets it apart from the more or less humdrum folk affair that is the rest of the album. It's also subtly jam-y in its wonderful mix of smooth electric and acoustic guitar. "End of Fall" by indigo jam unit Unfortunately, after a successful ten-year run, indigo jam unit are finally calling it quits next summer. "Lights" is their final album, and while I can confidently say the band's best work is behind them, they've left us with an incredibly solid offering nonetheless. "End of Fall" has a fittingly dramatic tone to it, and it's the only track on the album where pianist Yoshichika Tarue doesn't take a backseat to the band's killer rhythm section.Lights was recorded live with no edits or overdubs, so it might lack the aural luster and depth of previous recordings, but tracks like 'End of Fall' still shine through and prove ijm's dexterity. These guys will be missed, but having released an album every year for the past nine years, they've left behind a more than sufficient discography! "烏 (karasu) (feat. KOJOE)" by BUPPON 2015 has been a slow year for me in terms of Japanese hip hop - not many releases have caught my attention, but the latest digital single "karasu" from the little-known rapper BUPPON has become an instant highlight for me. Having never heard of BUPPON before, I was instantly impressed with his chill, but assertive flow and the fact that he rapped OVER the beat instead of through it. KOJOE being featured was also a huge plus, as he's easily one of my favorite Japanese rappers when he's not attempting to sing. The production is also immaculate; it's vaguely dreamy and features a laidback, yet somber jazz sample - somewhat reminiscent of a Nujabes beat. "バイブレーション (vibration)" by nowisee I first wrote about nowisee back in October's edition of BNT, and I can't help it - my 'inner weeb' loves this kind of stuff. Nowisee makes music akin to anison/doujin acts like EGOIST and supercell - the type of music of that you could easily associate with anime, but not in a derogatory way. If this kind of music is your thing, then it's among some of the most well done out there. "vibration" is actually nowisee's first single and I've found it to be the most compelling song from the group so far. Huge thanks to our resident Jpop and Anime expert @beni for introducing me to this act. I'm sure we're both looking forward to the day nowisee puts out an actual album! "降下する都市 (kouka suru toshi) feat. sonezaki" by Marmalade butcher Instrumental math-rockers Marmalade butcher and up-and-coming indie-poppers ATLANTIS AIRPORT recently released a split, and sense both bands are no strangers to aural arithmetic, this pairing was pretty fitting. "kouka suru toshi" stands out on the split because it features vocals from ATLANTIS AIRPORT's sonesazki, and it's the only song on the release where the two bands actually collaborate. Furthermore sonezaki sounds almost completely different than she does in her own band, opting for a more cutesy, almost vocaloid-like tone which perfectly matches Marmalade butcher's colorful doujin soundscape. See you next time. Happy New Years! 7 Zeus, Ada Suilen, Spectralion and 4 others reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chi 2624 Posted January 1, 2016 that album by ぼくのりりっくのぼうよみ was one of my fav releases from december hehe collapse happens to be my favorite track off the album too. *high fives @doombox* seeing giraffepot and the cheserasera here makes me happy YEAH ...that kominami yasuha release has been sitting in my pile of downloads for ages...i should probably check it out.. 2 doombox and CAT5 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yakihiko 1480 Posted January 1, 2016 Thank you for all BNTs from 2015, even with some music don't match, is good to read people feelings for music. This design looks interesting too, looking forward for more BNT in 2016! I should check, "nowisee" works. 3 doombox, CAT5 and fitear1590 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bonsaijodelfisch 328 Posted January 1, 2016 just want to mention, slowly working my way through the list and it's been an absolute blast so far. need to catch up on so many bands. (btw, would some kind of playlist feature be possible for this site? it sure would help a lot for all the "Picks from month" and other lists...) 3 Chi, CAT5 and doombox reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeus 7997 Posted January 1, 2016 just want to mention, slowly working my way through the list and it's been an absolute blast so far. need to catch up on so many bands. (btw, would some kind of playlist feature be possible for this site? it sure would help a lot for all the "Picks from month" and other lists...) I'll think about it. We will be upgrading in the near future so I'll see what's possible. 1 doombox reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doombox 4421 Posted January 1, 2016 that album by ぼくのりりっくのぼうよみ was one of my fav releases from december hehe collapse happens to be my favorite track off the album too. *high fives @doombox* seeing giraffepot and the cheserasera here makes me happy YEAH ...that kominami yasuha release has been sitting in my pile of downloads for ages...i should probably check it out.. Awwww yeaaahh~ Glad to hear someone else is enjoying him. *high fives* Anything else you really like this month that we didn't get around to covering? just want to mention, slowly working my way through the list and it's been an absolute blast so far. need to catch up on so many bands. (btw, would some kind of playlist feature be possible for this site? it sure would help a lot for all the "Picks from month" and other lists...) I hope we can get a playlist feature working at some point in the future too, I send these posts to friends and family and they've asked me if we could do the same to make it easier/faster for them in the past as well. @ShanethVarosa I've really been enjoying Ai's solo stuff so far after losing a lot of enthusiasm for later-era Deathgaze, and "White Moon" is definitely another gem in the pile. Really beautiful track, there. That D track is actually one of the better things I've heard from them in a whiiiile. This is a very pleasant surprise. @beni Wow I was not expectng that emotional outcry Kominami Yasuha unleashed in that chorus!! (I know you said harsh pitch, but you definitely meant it! I was only maybe expecting a little scratch or grit but she really went there.) Took me totally by surprise and pulled me right into that song. Wonderful! Dat Phew track, tho. I loved this. I have never heard of her before and I have obviously been missing out. I don't normally like Chara too much. But I can handle her vocal tone a lot better with this rock sound than pop. I also just have to say it really makes me smile when a limited project like that decides to keep it going for their own enjoyment. That's really cool in my book. lol. @CAT5 The cheserasera! I love these guys a lot. I can't believe I missed this release this month so I'm super grateful for a reminder. I really enjoy that we seem to follow bands on opposite sides of the punk scene and I'm always like "WHERE DID THESE DUDES COME FROM??" lol. Happened again with PLAY DEAD SEASON. I'm gonna have to hunt down this split as well. This is great. The Bradio fan in me is excited by 8otto, I've heard the name but didn't remember them sounding like this. I'm loving the vibe here with the funky music but the too-cool-for-school vocal style. indigo jam unit. That's sad they are hanging it up, this song is really nice. Too many great bands phasing out this year. Way too many. That BUPPON song reminds me I need a lot more Japanese hip hop in my life. I probably know like 5 legit Japanese rappers. That's just sad. lol. Also that Marmalade Butcher song really hits half way through and I was living for it. Really nice list this month!!! But ngl I like Atlantis Airport a lot. But this is another split I didn't even hear about. December was just crazy. 3 ShanethVarosa, beni and CAT5 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
beni 2149 Posted January 2, 2016 @ShanethVarosa, I'm totally keeping my eye on 藍 -AI- now, it sounds super neat! Had no idea about the Deathgaze connection! As expected, that D and L'arc~e~ Ciel songs are great too. The PV for that just adds to it, aha. @doombox, I have THE BEETHOVEN and EACH OF THE DAYS in my folder already to give a listen to and seeing them here from you is more than encouraging to check them out sooner rather than later. I'm going to have to check out Presence of Soul and Boku no lyric no bouyomi while I'm at it. Hot damn, never seen either of them around before but wow, totally awesome! @CAT5, I've tried Girrafepot before and thought it was a solo dude. o-o The Cheserasera has a neat melody to their song, and if I remember correctly, weren't they mentioned in last years album selections or somewhere? The two splits are great, especially Marmalade butcher as you know. Didn't even know who they were so thanks for that! It's only a matter of time for nowisee to release more than just singles, yes please. Not surprised with the BUPPON pick. xp Such Samurai Champloo sounding, hopefully my likes in the rap department gets better over time to get to loving that track, lol. 2 doombox and ShanethVarosa reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doombox 4421 Posted January 2, 2016 @doombox, I have THE BEETHOVEN and EACH OF THE DAYS in my folder already to give a listen to and seeing them here from you is more than encouraging to check them out sooner rather than later. I'm going to have to check out Presence of Soul and Boku no lyric no bouyomi while I'm at it. Hot damn, never seen either of them around before but wow, totally awesome! The Beethoven and Bokuriri totally sound in your wheelhouse, so I think it's likely you'll enjoy them, but I'm hoping you like EOTD and Presence of Soul too! All of them were pretty big surprises for me this year, tbh! 1 beni reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yukimoto 1237 Posted January 4, 2016 Beni - Plastic tree - Flasco(fresco) All around yes this was my favorite song from the album and basically the starting song... Shaneth Varosa D - Master Key is really great to me too> i actually enjoyed this release especially the lead track and second track... This time around a majority of the list I dont know .-. maybe I'll have to look into that. thanks again for the amazing lists though Almost forgot Ai's -white moon... he seems to be doing really well by himself... I'm pretty glad the releases are still solid 2 beni and doombox reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
