Various wonderful news in the v-kei scene lately...for one, Miyavi's baby (a girl) was born a few days ago! It's still a bit strange to think he's a father now, since he has such a youthful spirit himself, but he loves kids and seems really ecstatic about it so you can't help feeling happy for him. ^_^
Also, DELUHI just announced they'll be releasing a new mini-album on November 4th! It's just been single after single for quite a while now, but finally we have something fresh and substantial to look forward to from them! Next, Merry's dvd of their under-world tour comes out mid-August, which I personally am excited to see because I attended the live at Namba Hatch in Osaka and apparently the dvd will feature documentary footage of the whole tour, so I'm curious to see if they included any part of the show I went to. For the many fans who weren't able to experience the 'Under-world' album's songs performed live, I think this dvd might sway some toward a more positive opinion of the album when they see how much better it is live. I seriously believe 'Under-world' is just one of those albums that's far better listened to live than on recording.
By the way, a friend linked to this hilarious Japanese commercial on facebook the other day so I thought I'd share the lulz. My first thought when the girl spoke was うわ〜、おじさんの声みたい！（笑） >_< I've actually heard people talk exactly like that!
Today my new earphones arrived in the mail! I've wanted to upgrade to a better pair for a while now, so I finally got around to reading reviews and searching for the best brand and model for what I need. I wasn't looking for a huge set of headphones because I want to be able to just walk around with them when I go out and store them easily in my bag. Besides, when I'm at home I usually use my stereo because I like getting that immersive all-around feeling rather than just channeling the sound into my ears.
Anyways, it was kind of disheartening to discover all the best earphones were in the like $100-300 range, since I didn't want to spend that much, but considering what would provide decent, well-balanced quality for a reasonable price, I decided on a pair of $40 Sennheiser CX 300-II earbuds and got a pretty good deal on them with reduced shipping and a small discount. They have a nice, sleek look, useful carrying case, and asymmetrical cord to prevent the buds being pulled out accidentally. Also, they're black and silver so they match my black iPod. <3 One thing I especially like about this model is that they're not true canal buds, cause I'm not a fan of shoving earpieces so deep into my ears and didn't want anything extreme in that regard. These aren't completely sound isolating, but sit just on the edge of the canal and are much more comfortable.
Acoustically they have a good range and sound great with almost all kinds of music, bringing out the details clearly with beautifully crisp quality. In particular, classical, jazz, or any music with piano, string instrumentation, or delicate guitar picking sounds amazing on these. The only downside I've experienced with them is when listening to very heavy rock or electronic music where some of the pounding depth of the music tends to get reduced. But I can live with it since I have a nice, bass-heavy stereo to blast that kind of stuff. :D So overall I'm happy with my new CX 300-II earphones and plan to make my way through my music library sampling all my favourite songs with them.
Seileen, the gothic industrial duo formed by Selia and DJ SiSeN, finally released their debut work earlier this year, containing all the demos and tracks featured on their myspace page. The mini-album, entitled 'Kinjirareta Asobi' [or "Forbidden Play"] is as one would expect, mysterious, dark, and hypnotically trance-like. Comprised mostly of minimalist beats and melodies overlaid with a touch of classical influence from the piano, harpsicord, and Selia's elegant, haunting operatic vocals, Seileen's first release is a tantalizing venture into the shadowy, bewitching world of the gothic/industrial music and club scene. The music is eccentric and no doubt won't fit some people's tastes, but if you're into trance, techno, or goth you might enjoy this album. Here are two of the best songs off it: 'Baku' 'Kinjirareta Asobi'
As for upcoming releases, DELUHI will be re-releasing 'Two Hurt' as a single with one b-side. I was really hoping for some new material from them, but this is still great 'cause Two Hurt' is an excellent song and worthy of a make-over. From the pv sample it sounds like they've really polished it up and added background vocals to certain parts. The sound is deeper, smoother, and Juri's singing in particular is more emotional and powerful this time around. Still, I wish DELUHI would put out something with a more substantial amount of material, like a mini-album or even a full album. Who knows, perhaps one is in the works waiting to blow us away, but knowing they have such incredible talent, I can't help but feel they haven't truly displayed it to their full potential yet...especially Leda, I mean, I love the guitar work he's done so far, but I wish we could see more of this kind of amazingness from him. ^_^
By the way, I finally got around to watching the footage that came with DELUHI's 'RECLAIMATION OF DELUHISM' dvd, and was surprised by the ironic revelation that though you couldn't tell from the pv footage, DELUHI filmed 'HYBRID TRUTH' at that abandoned building that's been used so many times in visual-kei pvs (e.g. the GazettE's 'Taion', alice nine.'s 'NUMBER SIX', Kiyoharu's 'Horizon', Merry's 'Komorebi ga Boku wo Sagashiteru', etc., etc.).
It's really quite amusing how often bands use the same locations for pvs, and it happens with photoshoot backdrops as well (like the infamous set with round red & white chairs). For example, Phantasmagoria's 'Lost in Thought' and Vidoll's 'Gothikaroid' were done in the same place, D's 'Mayutsuki no Hitsugi' and Sadie's 'grieving the dead soul' feature the same church, and Ayabie's 'Glitter Tropen' and Sugar's 'Yokusou' were filmed in the same warehouse.
Recently I've gotten into cooking Indian food from scratch! ^_^ I love Indian food and miss eating it since coming back from Japan because sometimes I used to have it at least once a week for lunch, and although there's good Indian food where I live here, it's rather expensive so I can't go as often. Really, the Japanese lunch set system is wonderful cause you can get a large, tasty, filling lunch for considerably little money...it's really affordable and convenient.
Anyway, I've only tried making a few curries so far, with mixed results...but I think I've worked out what I need to watch out for and be careful with. It's crazy how some cookbooks make it fairly simple, but others go full out and do the same recipe very traditionally so it takes a lot more effort to cook from them. The challenging thing about Indian food is the long list of ingredients (mostly spices), many of which have to be bought specifically for making Indian food, like garam masala and mace, etc. But it's lots of fun to experiment with because Indian food is rather flexible and there's so many varieties of dishes and curries. The next thing I'm planning to make is a simple but delicious curry called Dhingri Matar that I've recently become a big fan of after eating it at a local dosas restaurant. It has peas and mushrooms in a rich, slightly creamy tomato sauce with a slightly tangy, sweet flavour to it, and is excellent paired with roti bread. : ) If it turns out well I might post a photo.
Speaking of curry, I was recently catching up with DELUHI news, and watched the vid of their Shinjuku in-store event interview session in which they demonstrated the pre-live shout they always do before going on stage. According to Leda's explaination, the members (who all love curry) will put their hands together and go round the circle saying what curry they want to eat most, sort of like "which curry will get them the most hyped to perform?". Lols, I knew DELUHI loved curry, but to go as far as to use it as their live motivation...they're such dorks. XD
I think it's safe to say that the GazettE's 'DIM' has been the most highly-anticipated visual kei album so far this year, and it certainly doesn't let down after the long two-year wait since 'Stacked Rubbish'. I myself pre-ordered it as soon as it became available online, and was very excited when I received my first-press regular edition copy (and poster!) a few days ago. :D From the various interviews about 'DIM''s creation it's apparent that the GazettE worked hard to improve their musical process and make this an excellent album with serious impact. From what they've said I think the band is aware of and has absorbed the criticism aimed at 'Stacked Rubbish' and turned that into more drive and resolve to do what feels right for them as a band.
For a summer release, 'DIM' is very dark for the season, rather like a sinister shadow lurking in the dusk, but that aspect makes it all the more appealing to me. It is this atmosphere that makes the album stand out not only within the GazettE's discography, but the recent releases of their contemporaries. I don't think it can be called a perfect album by any means, but the guys have definitely achieved something career-defining and special here.
They've done a brilliant job in creating the sensation of sinking into a hazy, deep darkness as you listen, only emerging into a slightly lighter place during tracks like 'Shiroki Yuutsu' and 'IN THE MIDDLE OF CHAOS'. It feels like walking through a foggy, shady, kinda creepy forest where you only briefly pass through a rare, faint patch of sun, but this quality comes not only from the design, lyrics, and composition...it also emanates from the nature of the sounds and how they're put together. You can tell the GazettE are lucky enough to be in an environment where they can immerse themselves in their music, play around and be creative, and the result is music that isn't just rock songs, but art. Putting aside like or dislike, you can hear and feel it in the songs. Personally, I also sense this quality in other artists such as Dir en grey, 9GOATS BLACK OUT, etc. and it's something that sets their work apart. You can tell when a band really, really thinks about how they're creating their music as a form of artistic expression. Thus in many ways I think 'DIM' stands as an embodiment of how much the GazettE have matured in their approach and technique.
It's weird to think how it's really been two years since 'Stacked Rubbish' and the mixed reception that album received despite the numerous classic, great tracks on it like 'Filth in the Beauty' and 'Hyena'. The band has changed quite a lot since then, though their essence has remained the same. 'DIM' and 'Stacked Rubbish' seem almost like two sides of a coin in their differences, and I believe, as many have described it, 'DIM' surely represents the "dark side" of the GazettE.
Both albums are actually very well described by their titles. 'Stacked Rubbish' is a compilation and blend of various musical styles with a flashy, in-your-face kind of attitude that was reflected in the rhinestoned, shiny black pvc, gold, and animal print of their outfits from that period. However, 'DIM' is more musically unified and focused in style and theme, with many recurring concepts tying together the songs and the addition of short instrumental interludes to transition the tracks. Its image is colder, darker, and dominated by a graver emotional heaviness and cynicism that shifts the tone in a direction that gives off a strong statement. These things have also been displayed in their wardrobe choices for the songs off this album, which have included more silver, become subtler, darker, and simpler in design with perhaps only a few splashes of solid colour here and there.
One thing about 'DIM''s new songs that no doubt pleased a lot of fans is the fact that the band has (for the most part) laid off on the prominent chorus-like female backing vocals and instead brought in other elements like string arrangements and koto. In addition, Uruha, Aoi, and Reita provide shouting back-up vocals for a few songs such as '13STAIRS [-] 1' and 'OGRE', which also showcases Kai's kickass drumming. The album has a nice selection of hard and heavy songs like 'A MOTH UNDER THE SKIN', but they are well balanced with emotionally touching tracks such as 'DIM SCENE' and slower ballads, including the gorgeous 'Nakigahara' and 'Shiroki Yuutsu', all of which feature beautifully elegant guitar-work from Uruha and Aoi. It always impresses me how perfectly in sync those two are when they play, no matter what what kind of song it is. They're definitely my favourite guitar duo of any band, because though they may have some issues between them as people, their musical chemistry is really natural, unique, and amazing.
The only song on 'DIM' that didn't grab me was 'IN THE MIDDLE OF CHAOS', because I found it a bit plain and too much like your average rock anthem. In contrast, one of my favourite moments in 'DIM' comes during '13STAIRS [-] 1', in my opinion one of the best, most distinctive songs on the album. When I first heard that wailing guitar break in a little after the 2:20 mark, I instantly fell in love with it. That effects pedal Uruha uses is apparently something he's had lying around since way back but never really used...I'm so glad he finally picked it up and did! There are numerous little highlights like this in 'DIM', but I won't go through them all, since it's better to discover them yourself as you listen. Overall the sound of the album is immersive, rich, and has a gloomy, enigmatic grace that sucks you into the painful, harsh reality of the world of the GazettE continue to reveal and build into their music.
And 'cause PSC are annoying and keep taking down all GazettE-related youtube videos
meaning I can't embed, here's a link to the PV for 'THE INVISIBLE WALL'
By the way, I've pretty much completed translating all the songs from the album that are in Japanese on my translation blog. I've noticed over time, and particularly in this album, that Ruki's lyrics have become very complex, multi-layered, and hard to fully understand in the original, let alone render into English. I really respect his writing skill and it adds a lot to the mood of 'DIM', but as with many other songs of this nature I always wish I could convey the elegance of the lyrics better...but of course that's sometimes just impossible due to the kanji system and other differences between the languages. I tried my best though, and I'm quite happy with the results though they caused me a considerable amount of mental strain to get them where I wanted 'em. ^_^;
I really wanted to translate the whole cd because it's most apparent in the lyrics that the band is trying to make a statement with this album about the corrupted, unpleasant, negative aspects of their industry and human beings in general, whether they come from society or lie within oneself. I felt the lyrics crucial to their message and important in understanding the album's concept, so that's why I did them all in one go. Oh, and I'm sure many other people noticed this too, but Ruki's English has seriously improved this time around! His English lyrics actually make sense and are way more grammatically correct than they used to be *coughSILLYGODDISCOcough*.
Despite my ongoing lack of success with finding a job, the summer has been going really well so far. I got to hang with some friends I haven't seen in a while and went into NYC a couple times this past week, including a trip to Kinokuniya bookstore, though I was disappointed by the hiked up prices of v-kei magazines. : ( Seriously, how can they charge $15 for a mag that originally cost the equivalent of about $8?! That really pisses me off...but, at least I was able to get Murakami Haruki's new novel, 1Q84. I was gonna buy it online, but the shipping from Japan was freakin' $40 for some reason, which is just ridiculous, so I gave up on that. >_> Buying both parts 1 & 2 in-store, hardback cost what just the shipping alone would've. Anyway, the novel is in Japanese and super long, so it'll probably take me a long time to get through, but hopefully it's as good as all Murakami's other books.
I thought Watchmen was good, interesting and unusual, but not quite as incredible as the hype made it seem. It's different from your average superhero story, which I liked, but was at times too long-winded and I found the end a bit anti-climactic. Still, the work makes you think about important issues and the human condition, so I would certainly recommend it nevertheless. Now I need to go watch the movie...I've been looking forward to seeing it since hearing about it, but wanted to finish the book first.
Nuclear weapons possess truly horrible destructive force, and the modern versions around now are many more times as powerful than those used in 1945. Though it won't happen quickly or easily, more serious efforts should be made to eliminate them for good, or else we will constantly live in a climate of fear and risk destroying our world and all that humanity has worked to achieve. It made me so sad and really scared when North Korea recently made threats that they'd use nuclear weapons and tested another bomb, given how unstable the situation is there. I can only hope that leaders act cautiously and make smart decisions on this, because I don't want to imagine what would happen and how awful it'd be if another bomb was actually dropped.
Wow, this event is gonna be amazing! V-ROCK FESTIVAL is the first big visual rock festival to be organized in Japan and has a huge list of awesome artists participating, including the GazettE as headliners and Marilyn Manson as a sort of special guest. The festival will take place over two days at Makuhari Messe halls 9-11 from Sat. 24-Sun. 25th in October. One-day tickets are 12,000 yen. You can find more information about the event at the official website. There's also a promotional video where they introduce the festival and some of the artists that'll be in it, and discuss visual rock as a genre, mentioning a bit about where it started from and briefly examining the recent surge in international popularity.
This festival is great for so many reasons, not only because it shows greater awareness and initiative in creating a large scale event focused specifically on visual rock from within Japan, but a huge festival of this nature will hopefully attract the attention of the media and become a form of promotion.
Though the average Japanese person may have heard of some of the big names like X JAPAN, LUNA SEA, etc. a large percentage of the mainstream population has very little to no knowledge of visual rock bands, and it's difficult for the bands to really grab the attention of people outside the visual subculture (because that's what it is, a subculture that for years has only managed to break into the public consciousness to a limited extent.) Even concerning fans of other genres and types of rock, it's still hard because there's long been an undercurrent of prejudice against visual rock for various reasons, though it seems to have lightened up a bit lately. I really think certain young v-rock artists are making strides in breaking through these barriers though.
Thus, along with incidents where newer visual rock bands have been mentioned in regular morning TV news reports, and gained more ground in the charts, it makes me so happy to see an event like this that shows increasing attention being paid to v-rock. :D
It's nice that Japanese media and public sitting up and beginning to take notice of what's been going on here, because there really is an important flow of culture and soft power exertion happening. My major is anthropology, so I've actually studied this frequently occurring phenomenon, where people don't become aware of something in their own culture until outside forces or other cultures become fascinated with it and then they think, "hey, they're making a big fuss about this, maybe there's something to it" and start to be more introspective and appreciate it themselves. It's happened before in the world of art, music, food, fashion, and many other sectors in cultures all over the world. It's really exciting and interesting to me that this sort of thing is going on right now and we can witness and be a part of it.
What's more, they even mention in the festival promotional video that v-rock is an important representation of Japanese culture, and indeed it is and most likely will continue to spread and gain popularity all over the world, just like anime has...but I believe visual rock has perhaps even more potential than anime, because music is something that can really move people and be felt despite language barriers. Also, visual rock aesthetics are in keeping with edgy, growing trends in global fashion and new ideas of what's beautiful so I think the appeal of the looks will be a big draw for people as well.
Sorry about my rant...^_^;
Here's a list of some of the artists who will appear in the festival:
ALI PROJECT
BREAKERZ
D'espairs Ray
DuelJewel
ドレミ團
the GazettE
heidi.
イロクイ。
Kagrra,
LOVEX
Marilyn Manson
メリー
Moi dix Mois
NEGATIVE
PENICILLIN
Sadie
SuG
SOHODOLLS
高見沢俊彦 （BAND MEMBER：Gt:ルーク篁/ANCHANG/KOJI）
土屋アンナ
Versailles
ヴィドール
ViViD
and more...
This is kinda random, but I came across this post a second ago and found it hilarious! There's a lot of stupid crap in humour comms that's not at all funny, but every once in a while you find an observation that rings true, like this one about Kyo of Diru's new hairstyle.
ROFL!!! XD the last picture is so wrong! Haah, but I've always found it amusing that as Dir en grey's music has grown harder and more metal influenced, Kyo's look has become increasingly less and less hardcore. Though the band ditched the visual-kei aesthetics, the members have been adopting a typical metal band look (band t-shirts, leather jackets, constant dark sunglasses, long unruly/shaved hair, goatees, etc.). But I mean, from the darkest, heaviest metal artists donned in studs and leather to those who don't bother with appearances and go around in disheveled t-shirts and jeans...tracksuits and fluffy soft hair just DO NOT WORK.
Sure, a lot of metal artists have long hair, but it tends to be all wild and unkempt, not super smooth like something out of a shampoo commercial! >.< That hairstyle works for pop idols and maybe some oshare-kei bands, but
seriously...despite the hair's headbanging potential, it doesn't quite
match Diru's mission to make screaming, thrashing, soul-crushingly
despairing, hardcore music. -_-lll It seems Kyo has yet again been defeated by the fluffy cuteness factor...maybe he's just given up? ^_^;
Here's another tidbit of fun...an good impersonation of Hirai Ken's 'POP STAR' (though the original itself is funny enough, really...check it out if you don't already know it...it makes me smile, heehee).
A ton of awesome releases are coming up in the next few weeks as well as later in the summer, so many exciting previews of what's to come are continuing to be released. THE KIDDIE have put out a pv preview for their upcoming single 'elite STAR+'! It looks really good and the song sounds interesting as well. Their look for this release vaguely reminds me of the one for 'Sayonara Setsuna', probably because they seem to be using similar greys, darks, and whites paired with blue hues and animal print accents. The single comes out July 8th...I can't wait to hear the full song! : )
In addition, girugamesh have posted new looks and the cd cover for their upcoming single 'BORDER', which is due for release August 5th. They're going at a pretty fast pace with their releases, and once again have chosen to do a single (though they hadn't done so in ages before 'ALIVE', tending to release albums instead). I suspect this is because of the long Crazy Crazy Crazy tour they finished earlier this year, since they probably wrote a good amount of material while on the road (they even started recording parts of 'ALIVE' during it). The cover for 'BORDER' is unexpected but somehow just what one would expect from girugamesh...乾杯！ ^_^; さすがだね（笑） But I have no idea what's up with all the random Americana in the background...I guess we'll have to wait for an interview with the guys to enlighten us on that one.
Anyway, the boys seem to be sticking to hoodies+jeans for now, but this time have opted for black zip-up style ones with white designs on either side of the chest and down one arm. Nii and Shuu look almost the same as before except for some minor
changes, but Satoshi's gotten rid of the perm and cut his hair short
again...it really suits him and goes well with his face shape. However, when I saw the new photos I was immediately wowed by how adorable Ryo looks! His hair is also short but more conventionally styled (no braids or half up, half down styling), and it makes him look even younger and *gasp* slightly feminine when he poses like that in his solo photo, but it's cute and an interesting change. ^_^
girugamesh have been gradually shifting to a softer, more
handsome, clean look for a while now. If you look at their style over
time they went from dark and scary, heavy make-up, contacts, and spiky
dyed hair to limited eyeliner and natural all black hair, as well as
transitioning from the formal black suits to casual wear. Though
they've shown it before, with this I believe they can definitely break
the unfortunate (and untrue!) idea among some fans that girugamesh is
an ugly band for good.
So I was at a loss for some time while I searched for a good alternative, but milk substitutes are often hard to find and dominated by soy-based products. There is rice milk, but that didn't sound much better than soy milk. But, today for the first time I found almond milk at Whole Foods, and was overjoyed! I'd always wanted to try it but could never get it anywhere before and thought it might be more expensive, but actually it was priced very similar to the cow's milk. So, I bought a carton of the vanilla flavoured and tested it when I got home....it was incredibly delicious! None of the heaviness of soy milk, and way smoother and more refreshing...plus, I actually like the faint taste of almonds. The word あっさり perfectly describes it! It was seriously like love at first taste...I'm totally hooked now. XD I definitely recommend almond milk to anyone who's interested in a cow's milk substitute for whatever reason.
[Amusingly enough, even this does in a way relate to music...one of the first times I heard of almond milk was ages ago in some tv interview with Yoshiki where he said he doesn't drink cow's milk, he drinks almond milk! :D]
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