The revolution

OK so i'm a little late on this one.. but I hope you guys can cut me a break.. I somehow wound up in Las Vegas, where I am right now.

Anyhow I flew down to LA last thursday for the Jrock Revolution music festival, and waited in lines for a good 30+ hours. But I'll tell you it was fucking worth it.

The first day of the show was Kagrra, Duel Jewel, Miyavi, Alice Nine and Vidoll. Aside from Kagrra, the performances were CRAP. There was nothing in any way shape or form good about any of it. I was looking forward to Duel Jewel honestly.. and I do enjoy their recorded albums a bunch (especially the newest one)... But they SUCK live. Kagrra, was the only redemption on the first day, they always put on a great show, but they also played first, which probably means they are the least popular out of ALL the bands that were playing. For me it was like OPENING BAND day and REAL BAND DAY, except for Kagrra, who kicked ass.

My guess is that you all know about Skin by now, but if you don't, let me inform you. The unscheduled craziness that I had predicted came to pass. In the form of a 'Jrock' supergroup called Skin. We don't have any details about who is going to be doing what yet, but Yoshiki, Gackt, Sugizo and Miyavi (-_-;). Honestly everyone loses points, and they lose even more points because the band's first performance is going to be at an anime convention.......
Miyavi was already low on the list.. and Sugizo and Yoshiki are old (maybe they can still rock, but I haven't seen any recent proof of this).. But Gackt should be ashamed of himself!

The second day however in which Merri, Gilgamesh, D'espairsRay and MUCC played was godly. I had high hopes for this day and I was NOT disappointed, except by MUCC who decided to play nothing but new songs. Merri was great, they sounded great live, put on a sick show making the crowd go nuts and I could tell that many of the fans were new to Merri.

Gilgamesh were the stars of the event by far. They put on one of the best live performances I have EVER seen.. They rocked so hard that people were beating the shit out of each other in the pit, which by the way was pretty non-existant the first day. I saw a few girls get either knocked out or pass out from suffocation, and be carried from the venue. Gilgamesh commanded respect, and did everything right, they sounded better live than they do recorded, which is completely mind blowing. Gilgamesh gets 2 hearty thumbs up and totally broke the awesome meter. Especially with that mission impossible theme playing hahaha. Oh man, everyone else got pwn'd by that live.



D'espairsRay played all songs from their new album, they put on a great show and Zero had the heavy metal power that night.

MUCC played a setlist that didn't fit that night at ALL.

And thank god there was no Miyavi faggotry the second night.

That is all for now.. I'll be writing more on this subject when I am less distracted :D

HUEG LIST!

This is the grand list.. Except for newer bands this is mainly what I like and/or listen to for the most part. I have most of the music released by almost all of these bands.

I havent been very impressed in the past few weeks by any new releases (although I've HEARD about a few worthwile ones.)

Acid, Acidman, Another Cell, Attack Haus, Aucifer, Auschvitz, BeaU, Berry, BIS, Blam Honey, Blast, Bluck-Tlick, Brahman, Blue-3, Buck-Tick, BUG, B'z, Cali=Gari, Calmando Qual, Celia'Xeno, Catchmonchy, D, Danger Gang, Das:Vasser, Deadman, Dead Pop Stars, Deathgaze, D'espairsRay Dir en grey, DJ Krush, Dolly, Dope Headz, Dragon Ash, Due le Quartz, Duel Jewel, Dustar-3, E.mu, Electric Eel Shock, ElDorado, Ellegarden, Exist+Trace, Facizm, Fatima, [FIGURE;], Gackt, Gekigakutai, Gilgamesh, Glay, Goatbed, GOZ VII, Gullet, Guitar Wolf, Guniw Tools/Nookicky/Shilfee and Tulip Corobockles, Guruguru Eigakan, Hanamuke, Heart, Heath, hide, High and Mighty Color, Hi-Standard, Hybrid-Zombiez Husking Bee, I.N.A. Iceman, J, Jakura, Je*Reviens, JILS, Jinkaku Radio, Kagrra , Kagerou, KANA, Kilhi+Ice, Kisaki (Project), Kozi, Kraidhearz, Kuroyume, Kuroyume, La'Cryma Christi, La'Mule, Lab. the basement, Laputa, Lastier, L'arc en Ciel, Lariene, Lunasea, Lynch., Machine, Malice Mizer, Marusa, Mebius, Melt Banana, Merii, Mirage, Moomin, Mortiis, MUCC, Nano, NOi'X, Onmyouza, Orange range, Penicillin, Peelander Z, Pierrot, Psycho le cemu, Porno Grafitti, Quruli, Ra:In Rentrer en Soi, Road of Major Rouage, Sadie, SADS, Sambomaster, Schwarz Stein, Sex Machineguns, Seikima II, SID, Soft-Ballet, Syndrome, Takui, The Black Mages, The Back horn, The Futures, The Piass, The Star Club, The Trax, The Zolge, Tokyo Jihen, Transtic Nerve, UnsraW, VAST, Velvet Eden, Vidoll, Viored, Wyse, X-Japan, Youjeen, Zeppet Store. (There's more too but i'm feeling lazy at the moment)

Ta-da!

Well there's a few I dont particularly like but.. All of these bands have at least one song I enjoy.. I am also willing to share my collection to spread the Jrock love~! Wow a band for each letter of the alphabet too. hah.

I will also take requests for a discussion on a band, band bio, band history, or if anyone wants a review written I would be glad to think about it ;p

Disturbing Trends

You always know that when a band member gets cornrows, things are going to go downhill fast, if they haven't begun to already. Lunasea is a great example, Sugizo gets cornrows, Shinya gets fat, and J starts thinking he's some kind of American rock star. Apparently Inoran and Ryuichi just went crazy.. in fact I think that Sugizo's cornrows may be responsible for all of them going insane.

Other bands have met the same fate, Dir en grey got lame after one of the guitarrists (I dont remember which at the moment) grew cornrows. Hyde from L'arc~en~ciel had them too and look at his solo work (ick D:). Zero from D'espairsRay had cornrows too but D'espairsRay actually got better.. Well there's not any kind of law here or anything, more like a barely noticable trend, but I really don't like cornrows. ESPECIALLY on Japanese people.

So I really dont like Dir en grey's new music or their new image, as Jrock/Visual Kei is a very broad "uber-genre" which doesnt have a specific sound, why would you drop your visual act? It is one of the main reasons people enjoy these bands so much. If you dont have good music at least look cool, but dropping the visual act AND becomming lame just sucks.

Blink

Hay guys!

Today im feeling bad for not posting as much as I should, but I have some great news and insight for you all! (and my cigarette brand finally came out in Japan!)

I recently wrote about The studs, which is pretty much a Nagoya-kei supergroup. The lineup is; Daisuke ex-Kagerou on vocals, Aie ex-Deadman and Kein on guitar, Yukino ex-GULLET and Kein on bass, and Hibiki ex-BLAST and Kein on drums.

Wow anyone notice that its a similar lineup to Kein? :p

I really dont think Daisuke's voice works for this music though, but we will see soon~!

Their premier mini-album 'The studs' is due out July 13th.
You can also check out their official web for some song samples.

http://www.the-studs.com/

Tokyo Jihen is releasing a new single after more than a year of silence, its called "Osca" and It'll be out on July 11th.

I also wanted to mention that D is coming out with a new single on July 18th, its called 'Ouka Saki some ni keri' Everyone should be looking forward to it~

Looks like July is the month to beat! Some great releases coming for our melty love to envelop.

Into the dark.

Today I was thinking about the future of Japanese Rock and the bands that currently exist, are forming and whats happening there.. I suppose this fits into the category of predictions and magical monkfish insight.

We all know that the average life span of a Japanese Rock band is like 3 years.. Which is probably 1-2 albums and a few singles. I would assume that the reason for such an ephemeral existence is pride. Japanese people have lots of pride and definitely will never intentionally lose face.. so the result is that when an arguement happens internally in a band, rather than come to a conclusion and work together, people will leave and as my friend pointed out, musicians in the Japanese rock world don't really like talking about past projects. So we never really find out why these things happen.

Anyway here's my insight for the day:

MUCC is going to keep expanding and putting out whatever they feel like, until someone decides to grow cornrows, and MUCC disbands.

Gilgamesh is going to get a bit more popular, but never become HUGE.

D'espairsRay is going to start playing many shows overseas, get steadily more popular, but never break out of the indie scene. I also see the future music being excellent :D

Sadie is going to get a lot more popular, but put out not as good music, and lose steam. (they are putting out a new mini album in July too)

Dio is pretty interesting, I can't really tell whats going to happen there.. but I don't see them sticking around for too long.

The Studs are going to be a huge hit, even though their music isn't going to be amazing (Sorry Daisuke D:)

D (I have to say I've been really enjoying D recently) I don't see them as horribly ambitious but I think they will continue putting out amazing music and making me happy :D

UnsraW can go in one of two directions, either going back to their earlier musical style and kicking ass, possibly becomming hueg in the indie scene, or they will continue with the style of their last album and fall on their faces.

And last but not least I don't see much of a future for Dir en grey. Mostly because after Withering to Death, which I liked mostly because I was in Japan and seeing their live when it came out, they are trying to become an American sounding band. Unless they can put out original delicious stuff with the creativity of their old music, its over. (they will struggle, still being successful but musically laem, until the band members realize whats happening and leave.)

I see a rising star, for definitely Syu of Aushvitz, Galneryus and Animetal is going to join or start some kind of super band and become legendary. At least if he leaves the indie world he will.. and I'm all for it, I want to see this guy succeed.

Flight

Salutations intarweb.


Today I shall be reviewing MUCC's new single 'Flight'.. I haven't officialy stated this but, MUCC is one of my top 3 along with Cali=Gari and Guniw Tools, but in no particular order, I am friends with Yukke, and I've met all of MUCC on a few occassions, they even published a photo of Miya and I in some magazine. (credits to Kristin for finding this for me~)


Ok well enough with the shameless self promotion, and on with the review :D

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MUCC - Flight



MUCC's Flight is release 3 out of 4 in a consecutive release campaign to celebrate MUCC's 10th anniversary.. wow 10 years and these guys are still rockin hard.


In another one of those seriously rare events, the B-side is what really shines on this release, Flight is one of those silly, lighthearted tracks that sound more like some happy Tokyo-kei bands.. I won't name any names but you all know who you are. This feels more like Utagoe or some of the laem songs from Hoyoku, which we will pretend never happened. Anyway there's nothing particularly catchy, exciting or amazing about flight. Sorry D:
Now the B-side Kanashii Hanashi, it kicks ass, not majorly but minor ass kicking is abound. This song pronounces MUCC's sarcastic, darker side, while the music isnt really heavy, the content* however is heavy, with a hoarse, grungy bass line, a solid, catchy beat and twinkly guitars accenting that bass line. Tatsurou also often sings like hes got a smirk on his face while he's singing, like he's secretly laughing at you. (which I personally enjoy)

*on another note I should explain the content, business.. I've said this a few times now, basically the music isnt full of super hard guitars and crashing cymbals but instead the songs chord progression makes the song sound darker and less laem and cheery.

Overall this single doesn't live up to my expectations.. Which ARE ridiculously high, but MUCC has proven to live up to them on many occassions.


I give MUCC's Flight single a 44% on the awesome meter.

Jrevolution LA

As I'm sure you all know, there is a massive 2 day Jrock festival ('Jrock Revolution') in LA at the end of May, which I am required by powerful forces to be at. This is seriously the event I've been waiting for, for years. MANY YEARS! So anyway here's the lineup:



Alice Nine
D'espairsRay
Duel Jewel
Gilgamesh
Kagrra
Merri
Miyavi
MUCC
Vidoll

(I've already seen Alice Nine [opening for Kagrra at the Shibuya AX], D'espairsRay and MUCC live shows, but I am looking foward to seeing these bands play together :D)

And I'm pretty sure there is going to be some interesting exciting unscheduled craziness (perhaps an announcement about X-Japan reforming) I know Yoshiki is planning on doing SOMETHING crazy, maybe like X-2 or something.. He's been talking about Gackt, Sugizo and Toshi a lot.

On the subject of X-Japan, I know that Heath and Pata would probably be down for some new project, and recently I read Toshi's blog about how he started talking to Yoshiki again and they are interested in working together. HOWEVER I do not forsee hide returning to X-Japan for obvious reasons, and just because hide isn't gonna be part of it, it will be impossible to successfully reform X in any way.

I also have to add that I really dont like Miyavi or Alice Nine, but I enjoy all of the other bands to some degree, especially MUCC, D'espairsRay, Gilgamesh and Merri. But going all the way to LA for a show is kinda silly, but this is a first I can't afford to miss (under pain of death x_x;)


P.S.
I have a special review blog planned for the comming days, so stay tuned~!

..With a bang.

Since today is the beginning of my Visual Kei blogging odyssey, I will start off with 2 whole album reviews; D'espairsRay's MIRROR and Lynch.'s THE AVOIDED SUN and a discussion on the trends I am seeing.. with a general overview of my perceptions.

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D'espairsRay - MIRROR

MIRROR is D'espairsRay's second full length album, the first being [Coll:Set]. Really, I view [Coll:Set] as a real masterpiece and since its release I have looked foward to ANY new D'espairsRay releases and haven't been disappointed once. This album is definitely up to par with their recent releases, delivering a solid, enjoyable experience through and through. I have to warn though, there are a lot less electronics present in this release for those who enjoy the industrial element, which for me is a big part of why I enjoy D'espairsRay so much. Usually that would bother me but this album really feels balanced and there are still electronics, but the emphasis is on the amazingly orchestrated ROCK this time.

I have to say, MIRROR is less industrial/metal than [Coll:Set] and is slightly more on the softer side musically. Content wise, MIRROR is just as heavy as anything D'espairsRay has put out. Putting less emphasis on the electronics and super heavy guitar/bass and more emphasis on emotion and melody make this album feel a lot more human. This album is beautiful and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys D'espairsRay.

The tracks that stick out for me on MIRROR are DAMNED, ANGEL DUST and the already established single songs Kogoeru Yoru Saita Hana and Squall.


I give MIRROR by D'espairsRay 86% on the awesome meter.

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Lynch. THE AVOIDED SUN

THE AVOIDED SUN is Lynch.'s first full length album, being preceded by the mini-albums, Greedy Dead Souls and Underneath the Skin. Lynch. is still a relatively new band in the Nagoya Kei scene, but have quickly gained popularity and a reputation for holding killer live shows. I look foward to any release Lynch. puts out because they are one of the few really hard bands around and are also completely super talented and respectable. I have to say I was minorly disappointed by this album; it doesnt feel very long and overall it seems less brutal than most of their previous releases. However this music is the cream of the crop, Lynch. is some of the real interesting music that has been coming out of Japan and my expectations are ALWAYS unrealistically high for bands that I really enjoy.

Overall you have to be in a certain mood to be able to listen to Lynch. (at least for me to really enjoy it) but when I am in this mood, THE AVOIDED SUN is absolutely amazing. After Lynch.'s initial releases, the band has lost the sort of stiff feeling the music had and everything sounds more fluid and comfortable, which makes listening easier. This album is a great example of that, you can feel the synergy between the musicians now and it's very enjoyable. THE AVOIDED SUN is slightly lighter than previous Lynch. musics, but that doesnt hurt the album too much for me. Again content-wise this album feels very rich, like huge amounts of thought and care were put into creating it.

I also have to say that the vocalist and composer, Hazuki is damned talented and one of the few musical geniouses producing music in Japan these days. I love all the bands he's done vocals for. (including Berry and Deathgaze)

The songs that grabbed me from THE AVOIDED SUN are Liberation Chord, Anemone (Laputa: Castle in the Sky anyone?) and Prominence.


I give Lynch's THE AVOIDED SUN a 73% on the awesome meter.

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I hope you guys enjoyed my first album reviews :D

This post is dedicated to Nata-bot for introducing me to both Lynch. and D'espairsRay.
(I had heard of both bands but had never listened to either one until she insisted that these bands were amazing.)

Visual Kei Siege: The Beginning

Salutations internets.

Japanese rock music is evolving and becomming increasingly known in the western world, and I am here to herald the epic arrival.

I have decided to create a blog to bestow upon the masses some of my knowledge of the Japanese rock world, provide you with news and share my insight into what is happening in this incredible musical culture.

So far, all of my predictions about bands becomming successful have come true, and people are always asking me for my oppinion on different bands, albums and come to me about news. So the only obvious course of action is to share my wealth of knowledge with you, internets.

In this blog, I plan to:

-Report up to date, accurate news about bands, new releases and events.

-Provide insight into the future of Japanese rock.

-Review new (and occasionally old) singles, albums and lives.

-Discuss existing bands, band formations and band direction.

-Berate you with my personal oppinions and possibly exciting stories of my experience.


I hope you enjoy~