THE BLACK SWAN — OUSIA-dispersed-

[one-eyed waiter 28]

Link back to review of older TBS songs for some context
2016 is here and I am not as patient anymore so this will be shorter and more casual. I also humbly apologize for not knowing enough things TBS might have ripped off as well. For all I know everything could be on Gazettes last album. Anyway

TBS have finally released something substantial and disbandment doesn't seem imminent! Even though this is about 50% already released material. Let's go

OUSIA
I get the impression that the only thing Jin -really- wants to be doing are those >10 minutes long ""prog"" clusterfucks. Obviously I'm thinking about Japanese title/odd symbol song from Vanitas. This time around things are more refined and not as dull. Basically this song has it all:

☑ KISAKI-worthy SE like you're being in a majestic forest or sth
☑ Yu (Nega) plays! (iirc) so if you liked cringey Nega piano you are allowed to cry now
☑ like four consecutive guitar solos. they are cheesy but its ok! really!!!!
☑ everything goes really fast sometimes
☑ acceptable chorus
☑ ~soothing~ acoustic guitar
☑ loads of bass
☑ "We are Dir en grey and we are playing MACABRE" type of Creepy build-up part
☑ tricky drumming
☑ guys its ELEVEN minutes

☑ fuuuuuuuuuuck

All in all I love it since things being -this- over the top is exactly what I want from TBS and I got it

 

 

THE WORLD IS MY ROOM

Not very bad

 

☑ they have maybe listened to someone who heard a meshuggah song once

 

 

FINIS
I didn't care about this when i listened through it on that single either

 

☑ is it a ballad or a heavy song idk

 

 

JAPANESE TITLE
idk did they change something? Again, this has redeeming qualities but feels empty
 

 

TRIPPER
the bass is a bit louder and the guitar is slightly different maybe the original was better but song still good.  I'm still in love with the dubstep-sounding breakdown

 

 

RUVISH
What the fuck is up with that rape-themed?? PV???? Drag is really gorgeous though. Song is fast and when it's not fast it reminds me of later instances of spooky Nega like that Baku song from Grave of the Sacrifice

 

☑ 22spooky orchestration

☑ if you liked jin whispers in nega your'e in for a ride

☑ delicious mess

 

 

DEJECTED RAIN
a bit lower tempo and bluesy its cool that they are doing this. souunds a bit like dir en grey but then again what doesn't, you know

 

☑ that fucking guitar whine thing

 

 

JUSTITIA
It's kinda cool. The chorus kills it a little bit for me but there are cool things to weigh that up.

 

☑ that fucking guitar whine thing

 

 

BLIND DAYS

 

Fuck this seriously. If you're going to do vk faux jazz (as I predicted(!!!) in the old post. VK awareness level: Nostradamus) at least do it properly. this is like that Goodbye human song from Vanitas and that was bad also
 

 

THE HOPELESS
☑ idk its still good

 

 

Verdict:
Faster, more polished, more sophisticated. not as amazing-funny-bad as Vanitas but it certainly works. Most of the time the choruses are actually not bad! Good variation. Basically TBS are Nega, but they know what they're doing and they do it much better. For the next release I want more self-distance like the shit noodle song. But this is still pretty crazy and fun  to listen to.

[emmny 4139]

who the fuck are u and how are u not more active on here that was hilarious and spot on im LIVING

[smilesxchibi 265]

^^LOL I agree completely

[The Reverend 3566]

Haven't listened yet..... so are they not just 'swooshing' between different parts of songs when they can't think of a better transition now??

 

Awesome review. Out of context I would not get 'that guitar whine thing' but here I can hear it crystal clear haha.

[Aferni 2381]

posting review soon....

[blackdoll 907]

wtf this album is is good, shit on alqelium and DID crappy remake thing. Thank for the review encouraged me to dl it. though i cant tell what track is what

[emmny 4139]

lmfao nega's swooshes dsjalkvdjaslk

[blackdoll 907]

 

THE HOPELESS

☑ idk its still good

*still dry as fuuq with those silly growl bark junck crap that ruins the song

[one-eyed waiter 28]

wtf this album is is good, shit on alqelium and DID crappy remake thing. Thank for the review encouraged me to dl it. though i cant tell what track is what

you can tell which track is 11 minutes the rest is glorified filler

[Saishu 1589]

Fantastically funny review. actually makes me want to check the album out. Nega was an awful guilty pleasure for me, but The Black Swan just hasn't clicked the same way. It's like Jin got some new dudes and was like, "Have you heard my previous band? Play like that."

[Spectralion 394]

The first track is amazing, but the rest of it is just plain train wreck....

[blackdoll 907]

Fantastically funny review. actually makes me want to check the album out. Nega was an awful guilty pleasure for me, but The Black Swan just hasn't clicked the same way. It's like Jin got some new dudes and was like, "Have you heard my previous band? Play like that."

Cause he was a boss, but the bass is defiantly not the same, not thick and crunchy. Also the poeticness has faded a bit from what i herd, more like lets go hard,

[Saishu 1589]

Okay, I finally listened to this.

First off, be aware that there appears to be two track lists out there, one of which has the titles practically in reverse order. So watch out for that.

Now The Black Swan is clearly Jin just picking up the mess that NEGA left behind, so it's obvious that he had a Ruki-like iron grip on which direction the band's sound was going in. And that's... not necessarily a good thing. NEGA wasn't that great. There were signs of promise here and there, but they were few and far between. The same applies to The Black Swan.

NEGA was notorious for having awful production; listening to a NEGA song was like someone shoving my head into a pile of pots and pans, then clanging on them with a hammer. It's the opposite here. There's almost too much bass at some points. You don't have to be a major band to have good production, so I don't know what Jin's problem is.

The songs come across as tons of ideas just mashed together with no regard for how they fit (and yes, the trademark "NEGA SWOOSH" makes an appearance). The band is promising, but that doesn't matter if they don't know how to compose a song that makes sense. My main problem, though, is the same one I had with NEGA:

Jin

This dude can NOT sing at all. I mean, we all know that VK vocalists are almost always lacking in terms of technique because they just never bother to learn to sing. But with Jin it's not just hitting wrong notes or having no breath control; he lacks creativity when it comes to melody and phrasing. When Jin isn't aimlessly mumbling and whispering his way thru a verse, he sings a melody that he's probably used several times before. It makes everything he's ever done just sort of blend together.

But despite all that, I think Jin is super sincere about what he's doing. He just... doesn't really know how to do it. He needs guidance.

[Kaleidoscope 195]

Okay, I finally listened to this.

First off, be aware that there appears to be two track lists out there, one of which has the titles practically in reverse order. So watch out for that.

Now The Black Swan is clearly Jin just picking up the mess that NEGA left behind, so it's obvious that he had a Ruki-like iron grip on which direction the band's sound was going in. And that's... not necessarily a good thing. NEGA wasn't that great. There were signs of promise here and there, but they were few and far between. The same applies to The Black Swan.

NEGA was notorious for having awful production; listening to a NEGA song was like someone shoving my head into a pile of pots and pans, then clanging on them with a hammer. It's the opposite here. There's almost too much bass at some points. You don't have to be a major band to have good production, so I don't know what Jin's problem is.

The songs come across as tons of ideas just mashed together with no regard for how they fit (and yes, the trademark "NEGA SWOOSH" makes an appearance). The band is promising, but that doesn't matter if they don't know how to compose a song that makes sense. My main problem, though, is the same one I had with NEGA:

Jin

This dude can NOT sing at all. I mean, we all know that VK vocalists are almost always lacking in terms of technique because they just never bother to learn to sing. But with Jin it's not just hitting wrong notes or having no breath control; he lacks creativity when it comes to melody and phrasing. When Jin isn't aimlessly mumbling and whispering his way thru a verse, he sings a melody that he's probably used several times before. It makes everything he's ever done just sort of blend together.

But despite all that, I think Jin is super sincere about what he's doing. He just... doesn't really know how to do it. He needs guidance.

You pretty much nailed everything that I think about this band. And somehow this last point is probably what makes me come back to them in the hope that Jin polishes his skills and adds some actual professionalism to the passion.

 

(Also, yay for Bloodborne avatar!)