DELUHI came out with their new single, 'JAGANNATH' today! It's the third and final one in the series of singles they've been putting out since October, with one release each month. This single not only has two new songs, but the pv for 'Hybrid Truth' on it as well, which you can watch here. It's a nice pv...the quality of DELUHI's music, production, visuals, etc. has been surprisingly excellent from the start, and their first real pv (i.e. not just live footage with the song played over it) is yet another promising example. It's very good for a band that just started earlier this year. Oh, and apparently they got a tie-in for 'Hybrid Truth' as the closing song for some tv show, so hopefully it'll get them more exposure.
The first song on the single is 'LivingDead'. It's a bit different from the songs they've made so far...it has a dark, eerie feeling in the beginning, some disc scratching and hollow-sounding druming in background, and a fairly slow tempo compared to most of their other work. There's a nice solo from Leda at the end, and the song's pretty good, but I don't think it has the same impact or freshness as their previous songs. I'm not too keen on the second song, 'Rebel: Sicks, Shadow: Six'. It just doesn't keep my attention for some reason...I think the composition isn't as tight or memorable as DELUHI's songs usually are. Also, I don't like Juri's vocals in it...he has such a nice voice and sounds so much better singing in a smoother way or doing growling, screaming vocals than shouting all over the place like he does on this track. It's like he's struggling to keep up with and support the muddled and weak melody.
Overall, 'JAGANNATH' doesn't have the punch and energy I was expecting considering this is the final of the three single series. 'JAGANNATH' isn't so bad, it just doesn't quite reach the high standard DELUHI have set for themselves with their previous releases. It does make sense that their earliest releases would be planned to be their better songs to give them a strong start, and they can't be perfect all the time, so I'm keeping my hopes up for next time. : )
Merry Christmas everybody! Last night I saw Plastic Tree live at Zepp Osaka!! Best x-mas eve ever~! \^_^/ It was the first stop on the Utsusemi winter tour, and although I had to wait forever outside in the cold, it was so worth it. : ) When I got to the venue I joined the line waiting for the goods table, but it was ridiculously long and moving super slow 'cause there were only two staff members manning it, but I waited it out (though it took almost an hour), and finally reached the front to buy stuff. But sadly, because the tour sweatshirt was 6,000 yen [= about $60] I didn't get it, but I did get some other things since I felt like I couldn't go to the live and not get souveniers. :D I was kind of hoping they'd have a tour t-shirt, which wouldn't cost as much as the hoodie, but they didn't..oh well.
Anyway, once we were allowed to enter the building, I put my stuff in a coin locker and went into the hall. The stage was really cool...they had these clocks with the numbers backward and reversed and bunches of metal scaffolding/beams/chains suspended above the stage, and in the background there was a screen with the silhouette of a city panorama. When the live started, they projected all sorts of images/video onto the screen, which created an awesome atmosphere and complimented the lyrics. I've always heard people say that when Ryutarou takes the stage you can feel the atmosphere change, but now I can say I've seen first hand how true it is. He's an amazingly captivating presence live as well as a great singer...he brings so much emotion and energy to the songs, you can't help but feel moved by the music and words he sings.
The live started with 'Utsusemi', followed by 'Tetris'...and they played most of the songs from the new album, but also threw in some older ones like 'Zaza Furi, Zaza Nari'. The performance of 'Meruto' was really great..I love the contrast between uplifting, beautiful chorus and the driving melody of the rest of the song. They also played 'Yuki Hotaru' because it's winter, which made me amazingly happy 'cause it's one of my favourites. The last song of the main part of the live was 'Kioku Iki'...Ryutarou was holding the mic in both hands with his eyes closed while singing the song..it was so touching. I love the lyrics...it's one of my favourites from the new album. <3 Actually, while they played it they had the lyrics going on the screen with train tracks going into the distance and shooting stars and falling sparkles, and towards the end they showered down all this glittery confetti...it was really beautiful.
Oh, and in the two encores they did 'Hate. Red, Dip. It', which rocked, and a new song that Ryutarou called 'Merry Christmas, Santa Claus', but I doubt that's the the real name. ^_^; The first encore was awesome because the band all came out wearing these adorable santa outfits that were red with white trim and hoods with fluffy white puff balls at the end. XD Ryutarou was so shy during the MCs, it was really cute. He said some things in Kansai-ben and told us some funny stories, like how he forgot his shinkansen ticket when the band was coming to Osaka earlier, so when they arrived, he was like "oops" ^_^; hehe.
The live was so incredible, and I've loved Plastic Tree since I first got into v-kei in high school, so it really made this year's x-mas eve one I'm sure I'll remember for the rest of my life. ^_^ (By the way, I'm off to Tokyo for the next few days, so I won't be posting for a while.)
*EDIT* Here's the setlist:
Utsusemi
Tetris
Zazafuri, zazanari
MC
Psychedelism
Q
Fiction
Shayou
MC
Yuki Hotaru
Melt
MC
Dummy Box
Alone Again, Wonderful World
Balloon
GEKKO OVERHEAD
Melancholic
Replay
MC
Kioku Iki
1st Encore:
Closer
hate.red.dip.it
2nd Encore:
Ghost
Reset
alice nine. just released a pv for 'the beautiful name', one of the songs from their upcoming album, 'Vandalize'. It's a nice song and a very pretty pv. The style is similarly stylish but more artsy and toned down than their 'Cross Game' pv was...it's a nice change and fits the mood of the song really well. 'the beautiful name' is a more elegant song than 'Cross Game' for sure...though simple, it has a pleasant light, floaty feeling that reminds me of 'Zekkeishoku' era alice nine., but you can definitely hear the way the band has matured in the instrumental technique and subtlety of the melody. I think Nao's drumming really shines in this song, since the guitar and bass are worked in so smoothly and are quite minimalistic. It was also nice to see that Shou's changed his hair to black, which is rare for him, but the look (particularly combined with his outfit in this pv) suits him very well, in my opinion.
'Cross Game' kind of worried me because I didn't think it was a very good song overall, though it had its moments, and I felt that way about 'Mirror Ball' too, but this song and 'Rainbows' lead me to have high hopes for the new album. Recently, for me alice nine. have been kind of hit or miss...they have good technique, but sometimes fall into repeating the same sounds over and over, which makes their releases boring 'cause they all sound too similar. Also, though the quality of Shou's singing has undoubtedly improved, I think the thing he needs to work on now is using his voice with more variety. Back in the day alice nine. did more hard songs in addition to the popish, lighter fare they've been focusing on lately, and though Shou's voice was a bit rough and unpredictable, it seemed like he used it in more interesting and diverse ways before. Perhaps it just seems that way because alot of their recent songs sound so similar. Anyway, I think 'Rainbows' and 'the beautiful name' are noticably different in approach, so they stand out and make me want to hear the rest of the 'Vandalize' album to see if alice nine. have any other brilliant songs in store. : )
So, I moved into my "apartment" today (which is actually more of a guest house). It's quite different from what I was told to expect (damn office people...I swear they take every chance they can to inconvenience and withhold information from people). But it's fairly nice...at least there's internet and a sort of decent kitchen. >_> My room is really strange though...it's got sliding fusuma doors like a traditional Japanese room, but the interior decoration is like a blend of Western and Japanese aesthetics, plus there's some random, old European style furniture. o_0 It's rather small though, so I have no idea where I'm gonna put my big suitcase when I bring it tomorrow.
On another note, I was ecstatic to learn that Aoi of the GazettE is going to be hosting his own radio program starting Jan. 3rd! He was always interesting and hilarious as a guest on the other member's radio shows (especially Reita's...examples here and here ^_^), so I'm curious to see how he does as a dj on his own. I think he's probably the silliest and most playful of the five members, so I'm looking forward to hearing his show...I wonder how different it'll be from Kai and Reita's radio programs.
I'm also looking forward to Christmas, 'cause me and some friends are planning to have a party at my apartment, and we're going to order a クリスマスケーキ [= Christmas cake]! In Japan Christmas is an entirely commericial holiday, and as a result of some random marketing ploy years and years ago, "Christmas cake" became a Japanese Christmas tradition. It's not any kind of special cake, usually just a regular chocolate or strawberry-vanilla one, but it's an excuse to have cake, so we're going along with it too! :D
Aaahhh, I've been hearing this song all over the place lately and it's stuck on repeat in my mind T_T:
In other news, I'm finally done with the semester, woo~! Tomorrow I'll be moving to an apartment for the winter break, so it's gonna be interesting to see how Japanese single room アパート life goes. I'm sure it'll be fine, 'cause I know the people in the building, but yeah, I'll probably post photos of my room later...(one upside to living in an apartment is that I can put up the heat as much as I want! The coldest time of the year is supposedly coming soon, so I'll probably really need it.)
Haha, they're really funny guys...right now I'm stressed about finishing my research paper, irritated at our program's annoying office people, and haven't even started packing my stuff ('cause I'm moving tomorrow >_<) but this totally brightened up my day:
(sorry there's no translation for those who can't understand Japanese.. ^_^;)
As some people may already know, Miyavi recently underwent a major transformation...he cut his long, colourful hair (that he'd been dying to get rid for of a while, apparently), went back to black, and took out his facial piercings. He wrote about it on his blog here. Reading what he says, it's very interesting to see the reason for the change. It seems like he's finally over the break-up of his old band Due'le Quartz, and once again matured a lot in his outlook on things, partially due to the world tour he just finished, but also the passing of his birthday just a little while ago. I think he's headed in a very positive direction right now...I was kind of concerned for a while because he seemed like he was feeling down a bit and sort of unsure of himself, so it's nice to know he's had this revelation and is feeling good about the future.
I kind of get the feeling that his latest exploits with the "kavki boiz", which took him in a crazy, wildly colourful direction with lots of influences from hip-hop, traditional japanese aesthetics, and various underground subcultures, turned into a visual and musical ammalgamation that ended up being very bold, over the top, and I guess to some a bit overpowering. It was like a snowball effect, becoming more and more extreme and elaborate as time went on. I think what he did was very innovative and interesting, but do feel like this was a good point for Miyavi to move on, and indeed now that that phase is over he seems to be coming down from that high and moving into a more peaceful, calm mood, though his style is still as loud and eccentric as ever. ^_^
I've always liked his perspective on things, and although he acts like he's brimming with confidence and seems kind of full of himself sometimes, when you read his blog you can see that in reality he has his bouts of anxiety, his own worries, and is always grateful to his fans. Miyavi can appear rather immature and silly, but his way of thinking is very positive and honest, and it's one of the things I really like about him.
BUCK-TICK is finally coming out with a new single this week~! 'HEAVEN' is soaring and melodic, with a very characteristically BUCK-TICK sound to it. The song continues along similar lines as the style found on the 'Tenshi no Revolver' album, kind of alternative pop-rock with mellow undertones and chorus-like backing vocals. There's a slow, steady beat, simple melody with lots of interesting guitar flourishes from Imai, and uplifting, strong yet wavering vocals by Sakurai.
'HEAVEN' is the kind of song BUCK-TICK does very well, and it's great, though perhaps a bit too strongly reminiscent of songs from the 'Tenshi no Revolver' album. It feels like a very safe song to me, so although I have no complaints, I was kind of hoping to see something a bit different from BUCK-TICK after the long wait. Pehaps a bit more experimental, something that would show more evolution from the style of 'Tenshi no Revolver'.
I loved that album, but sort of feel like the time is right to move on to new things...after all, BUCK-TICK is a band known for their tendency to change and transform their sound in diverse ways, especially in the last few years. For example, take their previous three albums, 'Mona Lisa Overdrive', '13kai wa Gekkou', and 'Tenshi no Revolver', which are each musically very different from each other. BUCK-TICK are due for an album in 2009, and are coming out with another single called 'Galaxy' in January, so I'll be looking forward to it to get a better glimpse at what the new album might sound like. ^_^ It's possible that 'HEAVEN' will end up being more of a transition song rather than representative of the overall sound of the new album.
I happened to look at the stats of my lyrics tranlsation blog yesterday while organizing it, though I hadn't paid any attention to that section before (I didn't even realize they provided such a detailed breakdown since Vox has nothing of the sort)....and I discovered that I have a total of 609 views! 0_0 That's waaay more than I would have ever expected! I only started the blog in mid-September as my 個人目標 project for Japanese class, so I didn't imagine it would get so much attention. I'm very surprised and really happy at how many people have been reading my translations. :D
I've always wanted to do song translations and make that kind of
site...and of course plan to continue it even after the academic year
is over. I really enjoy doing them, and it helps me improve my Japanese comprehension a lot, so I'm glad there are people out there who enjoy reading the work I've been doing. I think I've gotten better at translating over course of the past few months, so feel like I can manage decently on my own without too much correction from my professor, although it depends on the song. ^_^; Because the semester is over now, I assume she's not gonna be checking up on it anymore until January, so I'll be trying my best to do a good job without her help. Thanks so much to everyone who's been visiting my blog! <3
I had my Japanese language final today...I pretty much got my ass handed to me. _|¯¯|O Total FAIL...or at least that's how it feels. TT_TT (I realize I'm being pessimistic.) Even though I spent literally all of yesterday studying, I made stupid mistakes, and I'm just frustrated in general about several things, including not only Japanese, but the way the study abroad program is being run, etc, etc. Japanese has basically been taking over my life for the past few months. I've never been worked this hard in Japanese, or at such a fast pace, even back at my home institution. At my university we learned around 300 kanji in one year (meaning individual characters, not counting compounds made using those kanji), but in my class here in Japan, we learn that amount in one semester! Plus, taking into consideration the fact that each kanji may have up to 12 compounds listed, means we've also learned like a thousand-and-something kanji compunds! @_@ It's craziness!
There's no way my brain can remember that much in such a short span of time, especially since I don't see them everyday. I mean, how often do you see the words 半官半民 (= semi-governmental) or 群集心理 (= mob psychology) used?! I know they're useful, but still...I've had trouble keeping up with studying all this stuff regularly and retaining it, so when we have cumulative exams like this, I'm always screwed. *sigh* At least the test is over...but now I have to start working on my 10-15 page paper for my Japanese pop culture class (I'm writing about kabuki, takarazuka, and visual kei...it should be pretty interesting. If worse comes to worse, I can just rant about stuff to fill space since the professor has low standards :D). I'm consoling myself with the fact that winter break is almost here and I'll be able to do all the things I haven't had time for 'cause of school, including going to Tokyo for several days, which will be awesome. By the way, these are some photos of the pretty fall foliage I took not too long ago at a temple called Daitoku-ji.
By the way, I just watched Vidoll's pv for their new single, 'Maimu'....seriously, what happened to them?! I thought they were heading in a good direction with 'Cloud' but ever since 'Blue Star' it seems like they've been going downhill. The quality of the 'Maimu' pv is surprisingly low, and the song itself has a weak composition that's all over the place. I personally don't see anything promising in this single, and wonder if this is just a slump or a more permanent, significant shift in musical style for them.
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