Visual Kei "Jazz" discussion

[fitear1590 2414]

Visual kei "jazz".

It causes some to do this:

And others this:

I'm somewhere in the middle of the --------- scale. I think the idea is nice and find a few of the bands nice, but they're definitely getting a bad name nowadays with Lycaon ~"sexy kei" edition~ mucking it all up. Of course many of the bands don't come close to "jazz," but I still find the swingy/rocky/ska-ish hybrid sometimes pretty cool. (Btw, relating to the ska aspect: see the recent Lycaon shoutbox for Zesshoku's lengthy owning of a certain someone.) I don't think just because it's not jazz, it's automatically bad, just misnamed. If nothing else, usually the basslines and drumming are better than usual. Still, plenty of bands don't exactly pull it off in any aspect, haha. The thing that tends to piss me off is when bands that are generally rock/alternative oriented throw in one of these so-called "jazzy" tracks on a single or album, just to show how "experimental" they are (D is actually an exception, see below). It's not experimental when so many other VK bands do it. It's about as experimental a creaking floorboard/thunder SE track or the repetitive heavy track with lots of growling that switches to a poppy chorus. Anyway, enough ranting. Like I said, I actually like a few bands/ songs, such as:

モダン組曲

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Rubik (ルービック)

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Moran

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As mentioned above, D

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Post your favorite (or least favorite?) songs that tend to be lumped into this category!

What are your thoughts on the whole VK "jazz" thing?

[TheBistroButcher666 228]

I'm not a jazzy (swing, ska, rockabilly whatever) person. However every once and awhile there's a up beat 'jazzy' song that I end up liking. Not very often but sometimes it happens.

The only Visual band that comes to mind right now is Sugar Trip. They're not half bad, I use to really like them about five or something years ago when I didn't know any better but they appealed to me even though this style of music isn't my cup of tea. They're kind of quirky and weird which is why I use to like them so much.

JDRJLaMoyEE

[LIDL 692]

Well, some bands did ace it pretty well.

But most are not. Either because of the vocalist (mainly this)

or they just not cut out to be that.

Some of denno:oblaat are pretty good.

example: 「人工天使」 and 「涙雨」 <--- have no YouTube.

So ya'll have to listen to the アナクロトラウマー single for the latter one.

I just knew them before they disbanded this year.

It's a shame cos they are cool.

inb4, remember 8-eit is not VK

so don't bother putting their name up this topic

[Zeus 7997]

But....but...8-eit! XD

But yes, most of the time when they play "jazz" it's really ska or some derivative of ska. In Lycaon's case it's infused with a tinge of '80's rock and roll. I wouldn't have a problem with VK bands playing ska if they knew and owned up to the fact that it's ska that they're playing! It slays me when they say "our new single is going to be oh so jazzy" and then it's not. Adding in a piano and/or brass section does not transform your song into a jazz song.

Most of the time it's not even remotely jazzy. I also hate how the primary idea of jazz is that it has to be lounge-y and that's what all the VK bands go for. There are plenty of different types of jazz out there. That's like lumping metalcore, black metal, alternative rock and acoustic folk metal together under rock because they all use guitars. It's so shortsighted.

Also, plenty of the bands that attempt to go that route have vocalists that become hyper-exposed when there isn't distortion to hide their warbly high notes. Ewwww.

[dannemannen 69]

Couldnt find on youtube so i uploaded to mediafire. My favourite jrock-jazz song:

http://www.mediafire.com/?f0qabbhsct335wy

[Jigsaw9 6783]

When I hear "jazz in VK" I instantly think of Merry (though I consider them more bluesy than jazzy).

Songs like...

HbuscyL7cKE

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[LIDL 692]

But....but...8-eit! XD

• - I wouldn't have a problem with VK bands playing ska if they knew and owned up to the fact that it's ska that they're playing! It slays me when they say "our new single is going to be oh so jazzy" and then it's not.
  - Adding in a piano and/or brass section does not transform your song into a jazz song.
  - I also hate how the primary idea of jazz is that it has to be lounge-y and that's what all the VK bands go for.
  - Also, plenty of the bands that attempt to go that route have vocalists that become hyper-exposed when there isn't distortion to hide their warbly high notes. Ewwww.

So agree with these. Esp the loungy part.

[Number Girl 48]

A lot of real jazz is annoying imho. Too much honking and squealing for my tastes.

But VK "jazz" is even more annoying because they usually write the worst song possible.

[Pretsy 1343]

When I hear "jazz in VK" I instantly think of Merry (though I consider them more bluesy than jazzy).

Songs like...

HbuscyL7cKE

fkGGtlxQVuA

In my opinion, Merry is more bluesy than jazzy as well (does "Visual kei blues" even exist? LOL)

I'm not so fond of VK jazz due to constant fake-brass & horn -sections + "vocalists-that-sound-like-SADS-era-Kiyoharu-on-helium orgasm"

Hope somebody could recommend me some vk jazz bands without the stereotypes that I mentioned above (okay 8-eit and Jikkendai Marmot are familiar, how about the rest?)

[Zeus 7997]

Maybe Sugar? That's all I can think of tbh.

[Miasma 162]

a visual kei "jazz" discussion without even a mention of Sugar? )))))))))):

every song of theirs has some form of jazz, or blues element to it. really great band, imo.

+ their guitarist SIZNA is now in Moran.

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[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

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I loooove jazz

[lukrecia 22]

I loooove jazz

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[Zeus 7997]

I loooove jazz

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[Lokicola 0]

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[Tony 1]

That's the first time I ever saw/heard EROS & the PV. WTF was that

[Guest]

people's understanding of "jazz" is making the undergrad musicologist in me weep rn

But....but...8-eit! XD

ost of the time it's not even remotely jazzy. I also hate how the primary idea of jazz is that it has to be lounge-y and that's what all the VK bands go for. There are plenty of different types of jazz out there. That's like lumping metalcore, black metal, alternative rock and acoustic folk metal together under rock because they all use guitars. It's so shortsighted.

thisthisthis. Most 'jazzy' vk is playing some kind of 1920's hot jazz/1940's swing abortion. and idk, 8-eit are currently gigging with JOLLY PICKLES/ タケバン/TOKYO YANKEES, test-No./ギャロ /BY-SEX / 最鋭輝. I'd say they're visual/angura by association at least.

[evilcoconut 109]

KmrymQmZmxk

duralumin! wow, surprised anyone remembers them lol

[*littlelamb 78]

Merry aren't "jazzy" or "bluesy" per se apart from a couple of odd tracks. Mostly it's just kayoukyoku, which minus their punkiest oddest tracks is ever-present, because that's what they do, fuse kayoukyoku with punk and metal in order to make nostalgic sounding modern rock. It's completely different from VK bands making random "1920's hot jazz/1940's swing abortion"s, as Herpes so aptly put for once, in order to stay true to the genre-juggling, which has been made the selling point of VK since they don't have the skill to do any one thing properly.

[ficsci 50]

Well, mostly VK "jazz" is more like cabaret-sounding stuff. I would classify it in one of VK's "classic stereotypical" sounds. But some others do make it interesting. So my reaction could be anywhere in this scale ---------

But I would say that Sugar (or anything SIZNA touches) has experimented with it very well, in a sense that it's not just "oh that sounds jazzy", but they also explores the more prog rock/fusion-sounding stuff, and in the sense that they don't just swing, but use actual jazz chords & chord progression, funk bass, and actual jazz drumming. But I would still say that SIZNA takes some of the jazz elements from the post-hardcore sound (e.g. At the Drive-In), except I think he integrates it with pop/rock sound better.

[ficsci 50]

KmrymQmZmxk

duralumin! wow, surprised anyone remembers them lol

Hey, this is uplifting, enough for me to get somewhere close to

[Licio123 181]

Getting a bit off-topic, is there anything similar to 8-eit, but not japanese? I just started listening to them, and I fell in love instantly. =D

[Pretsy 1343]

Getting a bit off-topic, is there anything similar to 8-eit, but not japanese? I just started listening to them, and I fell in love instantly. =D

Jikkendai Marmot is what you're looking for, perhaps?

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[Licio123 181]

Pretsy, instrumentally it's spot on, but you know any band that sings in english? Can be from anywhere, not necessarelly japanese!

Anyway, I'm already downloading Jikkendai Marmot, loved it, thanks! I didn't knew I liked Jazz so much (even though I didn't like Tokyo Jihen; maybe because the last album is not so jazzy?)

[Miasma 162]

(even though I didn't like Tokyo Jihen; maybe because the last album is not so jazzy?)

i agree, Daihakken isnt very jazzy, although a couple songs are very reminiscent of the lounge r'n'b style that they did on their 2nd album Adult, but its still a great album imo.

anyway u really should give Adult a try, its jazz lounge perfection <3