Aug 12, 2011

Hiatus Freaking AGAIN

So some things have come up in my life that require me to take yet another effing hiatus. Long story short, we've completely lost access to childcare, so my husband has to quit his job to take care of our son. Unfortunately, his job provides the place we live, so we also have to move. (Before you ask, I can't quit my job for a number of reasons, foremost of which is that I have the bigger income, the retirement account, provide the health care, etc.) Worst of all, we're losing our current day care in less than two weeks, so that's all the time we have to find a place, get packed, and moved in. So I'm going to be packing and cleaning and calling apartments for openings like a crazy mad woman (yeah, double crazy) until the beginning of September. At which point I'll be unpacking and cleaning like a mad woman, but at least then I won't have a deadline as tight as a noose.

So I'll see you all in September. As a parting gift I offer you the following discs that I would have written about. They're all good (and surprisingly so in two different cases).

- Chemistry, "independence" (Single, Pop)
- Buono!, "Partenza" (Single, Pop)
- SCANDAL, "BABY ACTION" (Album, Rock)
- Tanimura Nana, "NANA BEST" (Album, Pop)

Also, don't bother with Yamashita Tetsuro's "Ray of Hope." It sounds like he was purposefully trying to recreate horrible 90s ballads.

Until we meet again, friends.

Aug 8, 2011

Perfume to Appear in "Moteki"

From Tokyohive

Perfume is making their big-screen debut in the romantic comedy "Moteki," a movie about a young man taken by surprise by moteki - a period time time where he's more attractive and popular. The movie is an adaption of a drama (which is an adoption of a manga), and in one scene of the drama the main character dances to Perfume's song "Baby Cruising Love." The director decided to do a similar scene in the movie, but this time with Perfume themselves dancing as well. The movie will be in Japanese theaters on September 23.

As they're one of my favorite groups, I'm excited to see that Perfume's really getting a lot of attention this year. I hope they have just as much success with this as they did with "Cars 2!"

How Can I Help You?

Now that I've changed the format of the blog, I'm having a lot more fun. It's great to be able to review music I like it, instead of reviewing mediocre music just because my J-Music Wheel of Fortune commanded me to write about it.

Still, I feel like there's more out in the J-Music world that I could be learning, and thus sharing with all of you. I mean, I'm constantly translating interviews to post on Gaijin Kanpai; should I post those here, too? I see news from Tokyohive; should I pass along the interesting stories? Maybe I should translate more lyrics, like I did for "Sora ga Natteiru." Maybe I should pass along interesting PVs and other interesting videos. Maybe I should post videos of cats! (Hmm...perhaps not.)

I want to hear what you think. Go over to my Facebook page and vote on the poll I created. ("Like" the page while you're at it. Do it!)

Aug 6, 2011

8/3/11 Releases (Part 2): Kimura Kaela, LAMA, NoGod

Before I go on with the reviews, I want to pass along a tidbit of knowledge that I learned this week: S/milage makes terrible, horrible music. So horrible that I don't even want to review it. Seriously, this group has no excuses for itself.

Okay, well, now that that's out of the way, let's get onto what was good!

Kimura Kaela, "Kodoairaku Plus Ai"
Single, Pop

I cannot express how much I love "Kidoairaku Plus Ai." I've listened to it and it's instrumental nine times each since Thursday, watched the PV countless times, and have started singing it to my son. I've looked up the lyrics, I've translated an interview with Kaela, and I'm thinking of doing a lyrics translation as well, all because of this song. I'm trying to memorize it for karaoke, even though there isn't a Japanese karaoke place within 100 hundred miles. This song has single-handedly reversed my opinion of Kaela's music, much the way that "ENDLESS NIGHT" turned around my opinion of HALCALI. "Kidoairaku Plus Ai" is a pop-rock song with way more emphasis on the rock. It has a great synth presence that makes the song sound really unique, and the quick tempo and repetitive guitar and bass lines create a great feeling that's a mix between sprinting and long-distance running. (I think I finally understand what interviewers mean when they say that a song has a "scampering" feeling.) The distorted "Get Ready" line just makes me squee every time I hear it, and it's in the song three damn times. It's wonderful and beautiful and fun and I wish that I could have it on endless loop in my head. The instrumental is essentially identical to the original because of the synth version of Kaela's voice that's under her regular voice in the original version. Normally having a song repeat on a single would bother me, but remember how I want this song on endless loop? My only problem with the single is the B-side, "Hoshi no Tane." It's not bad - actually, it's really good: it has a much cuter, poppier sound than "Kidoairaku Plus Ai" but still has fun synth and adds some very endearing piano - but I dislike it on the single because it interrupts to the flow of all the "Kidoairaku Plus Ai" madness. I actually wish this song was on a completely different single so that I could listen to it and love it for what it is, without just seeing it as a break from "Kidoairaku Plus Ai" that I don't want. But if you aren't as fanatically in love with the first track as I am, you'll probably love the single as a whole - it's great, and the instrumentals are actually good instead of horrible filler like on most singles. This is one that's worth the money.




LAMA, "Spell"
Single, Alternative Rock

This is LAMA's first single, and I already want another one. The style is elctro-pop-rock that's airy and cool without being cerebral or atmospheric. It's very approachable, and has a lot of energy. This isn't music that you could sleep to; this is music for a party. "Spell" is a party-opener with a very light tone combined with a really fast tempo, and it's catchy without sticking in your head like yesterday's gum on a shoe. "one day" is a party-pre-closer, telling your friends that they should get another drink soon because it's crossed your mind that you should kick them out in...maybe another couple hours. The vocals are very high pitched, but the mixing has them leveled down lower than vocals usually are, which helps take the edge off and gives it more of a techno feel that I'm very okay with. The "Spell" remix takes the techno feeling to the next level by throwing every noise on the synthesizer at the song. Some of that's cool, and some isn't as cool. But being as how it's the only song on the single that's on the weaker side and it's only a remix, I don't think it counts heavily against the single as a whole. Definitely check this one out.


NoGod, "Genjitsu"
Album, Rock

Was was first introduced to NoGod during during a GK AA, and although I liked their song "Kamikaze," they didn't really catch my attention. Happily, they got it back this week! Sadly, it took them half their album to do it. The album opens with "Kamikaze," and I was surprised to find that I was happy to hear it again, as though it was a friend I hadn't seen in a few weeks. Unfortunately, after that the album hits a rough patch: "Kowaremono" isn't very memorable or interesting, "downer's high!" has a weird (but definitely memorable) choral aspect to their backup vocals, "Yasashisa no Imi" is the obligatory boring-ass ballad. "Raise a Flag" is next, and it gets my hopes up a little, but it still sounds pretty generic and just a little too happy. It's not until the next track, "Aishitekure," that the music gets really good. The album gets moving from there, and the quality is high enough that you can get lost in the music at that point. This is hard, no-frills rock with a very slight 80s vibe. There's some really strong work on the bass, and the shredding on the guitar is solid and frequently pushed to the forefront. I particularly like "Aishitekure" because of the desperate sound that it has (and because that's just a cool title) and "Tenba, Sore wo Iku ga Gotoku" for being a great song despite having no lyrics. I can't recommend buying it, I'm afraid, since half of it isn't really that good, but at least it helped NoGod recapture my attention.

Aug 4, 2011

8/3/11 Releases (Part 1): DOMINO, STRAIGHENER, LOSTAGE

STRAIGHTENER, "STRAIGHTENER"
Album, Rock

Holy crap, you guys. I love STRAIGHTENER. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. (Why do I consistently forget them in lists of my favorite bands? Because my mind has been on a mission to sabotage me ever since I started trying to spread the J-music love.) This self-titled album is everything that I've been wanting out of a rock album lately. Although I'm always in the mood for a truckload of kick-ass in my rock songs, I'm not always in the mood for something upbeat or angry. Unfortunately, those two emotions make up about 99% of the rock scene, so I get to suck it up and deal. STRAIGHTENER heads in that direction with this album, but not before making several interesting pit stops; the emotional texture moves in a progression from uncertainty, brooding, and desperation to bright, but not sappy, confidence. All the songs are strong and hard, but many have an atmospheric quality not commonly found in rock pieces. Best of all, the track order moves the album logically from one point to another, as though STRAIGHTENER is telling a continuing story with each song. "A LONG WAY TO NOWHERE" opens the album with a brooding sound, and "Pleiades" moves the vibe forward, going more toward the depressed end of the spectrum, but without getting whiny or pathetic. "VANDALISM -prototype-" is more upbeat, but in a quirky, slightly crazy way. "KINGMAKER" takes the crazy vibe and runs with it. "YOU and I" is almost buoyant, but with sad undertones; "LEAP IN THE DARK" moves forward the buoyant feeling but adds a touch of determination in place of the sadness; "Koori no Kuni no Byakuya" moves both emotions forward, with determination taking a more prominent role; "SILLY PARADE" moves into determination and a little anger; "CRY" sounds freer with an emotional profile that's hard to pin down; "PROLOGUE" is heavier and more confident; "Hitsuji no Mure ha Oku wo Noboru" is confident and cool. The album ends with "VANISH -prototype-" which brings back the atmospheric quality from the beginning with interesting use of synth and combines it with the confident feeling of the songs just previous to it. Because of this sublet progression, this is a great album for taking you out of a funk and making you enjoy life even when life doesn't seem that great. I highly recommend this one; it'll likely make my Top 5 of the year.


DOMINO, "GO GiRL"
Single, Pop

Although this single isn't terribly strong as a whole, the A-side attracted my attention enough to get it an honorable mention. That A-side, "GO GiRL," has lean instrumentation (just vocals and a few layers of synth), a simple beat, and a simple melody which, rather than adding up to a boring piece of work, combine to make a fun, catchy song that will animate your limbs with its magical powers and force you to dance. Yeah, it's actually sort of creepy how good this song is. The second track, "Sunrise," is also surprisingly good - more of that lean instrumentation and back-to-basics approach to the melody and beat that are just the thing to listen to when you want to move. Although the approach doesn't work quite as well as it does in "Sunrise," it's still a fun song that's easy to listen to. Unfortunately, the other four tracks are just boring. It's like DOMINO ran out of steam but kept going anyway. "Ima" is a bland pop ballad, "BRAND NEW DAY" sounds like it was born to be a B-side (not a compliment), and "Chocolate Muffin" is actively annoying. Oh, and the final track is an instrumental. Yeah. So this definitely isn't a single to buy, but definitely listen to the A-side, even if it means having to watch the year's most heavily tutued PV.


LOSTAGE, "CONTEXT"
Mini-album, Rock

LOSTAGE plays gritty indies rock, and after some of the more laid-back and poppy content of the last few weeks, it's nice to hear something harder and louder and less polished. "HELL" starts the album out like a punch in the face, and the punches keep coming from there. Unfortunately, much like one punch in the face feels about the same as any other, their heavier rock tracks are similarly unmemorable. Thankfully, it's not all unmemorable rock. "Rakuen" has an almost reggae beat during the verses, then moves to a more cerebral and languid vibe - with xylophones! - during the last half of the song; "Iu," combines sections of heavier punk-esque guitar and vocals in the verses with long wailing vocals and some acoustic in the hook for a unique performance; "NEVERLAND" is lighter in the vocals and guitar during the verses, with contrasting harshly distorted guitar in the hook. So, since it's a mini-album, that means that half the songs are memorable, and half aren't. That sure as hell doesn't sound like something I'd recommend, and I guess it's not even that I want to recommend it. Instead, "CONEXT" shows LOSTAGE's potential, and especially after listening to "Rakuen" I'm excited to see how much further they can go.

THE TOKYO HIGH BLACK Releasing Digital Single on 8/11

From Tokyohive

PS Company’s super band, THE TOKYO HIGH BLACK, has announced a comeback!

The “mixed band” consists of Alice Nine’s rhythm guitarist Tora and bassist Saga, Kra’s vocalist Keiyuu, and former Kagrra bassist NAOKI. D=out’s bassist Reika and SCREW’s drummer Jin are being added to the group as support members, making the band even more irresistible for visual kei fans.

The group will be releasing a new digital single on August 11th titled “wanna see u“, breaking the year-long silence since the group announced their major label debut. The group also plans to hold a revival stage at Tokyo’s C.C. Lemon Hall on August 16th.

Stay tuned for more from THE TOKYO HIGH BLACK!

Although I've never heard of HIGH-BLA or listened to any of their music, I'm excited to see where this goes! I love the bands they come from, and all the mixed bands that I've heard before (THE PREDATORS, Acid Black Cherry) have been great, and I'm sure HIGH-BLA will be too!

While I was looking for info on them, I found this video of them that's been subbed in English. Thanks to whoever put the hard work into this!



Musasaby = Naoki (formerly Kagrra,)
Mon-Marshy = Tora (Alice Nine)
Tako-chan = Reika (D=out)
Tomorrow Joe = Saga (Alice Nine)
GEY = Keiyuu (Kra)
Madao = Jin (SCREW)
(and seriously, if I have any of those wrong, someone let me know)