12 posts tagged “merry”

OMFG, I WAS SO THERE!  I'm totally in this video somewhere!!! (But having trouble picking out the back of my head amongst the crowd, since I have dark brown hair too -_-;)  Aaaah, brings back such good memories!
I can't wait to see Merry's new DVD of the under-world [GI・GO] tour, which comes out today, by the way...I wonder if there will be more footage from this live on it?  The info said they'd be including video from the rest of the tour, and Namba Hatch was one of the bigger stops.  Well, if they have this footage I'm sure they filmed the whole performance, so hopefully they've included some more. <3

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!

I just got back from seeing Merry live at Namba Hatch in Osaka!!! \^o^/  Tonight's live was the second-to-last concert in their current tour for the newly released album, 'Under-world'.  I was really worried when the news that Gara had injured his back came out, but luckily he progressed enough in his recovery to be present for the Japanese tour, which started on March 21st. (Unfortunately the European leg got cancelled, perhaps to be rescheduled later).  Gara seemed ok and pretty energetic during the live, but it was clear he was toning down the antics...just some usual thrashing, headbanging, dancing/messing around with a cane, and standing on the desk, but nothing extreme like jumps or headstands.
 
I was so glad to see he's healthy and well enough to perform...his voice was great and it's quite amazing he was so active despite sustaining such a serious injury not too long ago. I have to say though, it may be a result of his injury and recuperation, but Gara's extremely skinny...like a stick!  He's always been very slim, but the man seriously really needs to eat more...you can see way too many of his ribs! >_<

The live started surprisingly early with doors opening at 4:30pm and the live beginning at 5:30pm.  Before going into the hall I stopped at the goods table and got one of their cool-looking bandanas.  All the members (except Gara) came out one by one and began the live with 'GI・GO'.  Nero's hair had green highlights this time, Yuu and Kenichi were wearing classy all-black outfits, and Tetsu had a sharp vest and dress shirt look going on.  Then Gara came on stage with his hair up in a brown-blonde front swept mohawky-style with no shirt, black pants and multiple studded belts...it's always obvious what Merry's intention for a live is when you see what Gara's wearing, and his outfit made it clear they were gonna rock hard. ^_^  I love that duality that Merry has, because they can do classy, stylish suits with nostalgic, jazzy, smooth and melodic music, as well as wild, hard songs with crunchy, twangy guitars and intense screaming and chanting.  For sure 'Under-world' leans toward the latter end of that spectrum.

They played the majority of the songs from the new album, including 'Gesshoku', '[human farm]', 'Piranha', 'Under-world', and 'Canary'.  They also played some older songs like 'Lost Generation', 'Oriental BL Circus', 'Renai Kousaten', and of course, their "anthem", 'Japanese Modernist'.  The setlist was made almost entirely of upbeat, energetic, rocking songs that never let you rest...the crowd hardly stopped moving during the whole live!  It was one of the most テンション高い lives I've been to so far.  Everyone got really riled up and we ended up having three encores!  They performed 'Yellow Girl', 'Sentimental New Pop', 'Violet Harenchi' (of course including some water-bottle action from Gara!), 'Tokyo Telephone', and 'Tozasareta Rakuen', which was really great live because the everyone was singing along and really into it.  I was ecstatic that they did 'Tokyo Telephone' and 'Sentimental New Pop', because they're among my favorite older Merry songs. : )  As always Nero's drumming was impressive and I loved the tone of Tetsu's bass and his little solos in certain songs.

Each time they came out again the members were wearing different shirts, and threw lots of picks, water bottles, drum sticks into the audience, but unfortunately none came my way. : (  Nero also meant to throw his drum cover, but didn't manage to catch it when the staff guy threw it to him frisbee-style, so it just kinda fell somewhere into the front of the crowd. XD  Also, during 'Tokyo Telephone' Gara forgot a few lines and made a face that was all like "oops" :P hehe.

I took a gamble getting tickets to this live because they went on sale before the new album came out, but I figured Merry always puts out quality music and are awesome live, so it was worth it. :D  When I first heard 'Under-world' I wasn't sure how I felt about it, since it's so unusual sounding and experimental, but as is the case with so many bands and albums, it sounds much better live.  Sitting there and listening to the album straight through can be a rather insane, frenetic, and perhaps straining affair, but it was more fun to experience live exactly because of that wild energy.  There was lots of jumping, headbanging, fist-pumping, saluting, shouting/singing along...and during some of the crazier songs there were even a few girls sitting on other people's shoulders and stuff, which was a first for me to see at a Japanese live. ^_^  Of all the shows I've been to so far, this one really made me feel what it means to say it was an 熱いライブ...when the crowd has that much enthusiasm it spreads like a wildfire and riles everyone up to a unbelievable high, which makes it even more fun!
Just as I though from watching their dvds, Merry definitely don't disappoint live...they put on a great performance charged with infectious energy and spirit.  Here's the full setlist:

GI:GO
Friction xxxx
Midnight Shangrila
迷彩の紳士
赤い靴
月食
ピラニア
片道切符
新曲１
演説
[humanfarm]
カナリヤ
ロストジェネレーション
ジャパモダ
オリエンタルBLサーカス
under-world

1st Encore:
恋愛交差点
大阪テレホン

2nd Encore:
センチメンタルニューポップ
新曲２
閉ざされた楽園

3rd Encore:
バイオレットハレンチ
愛国行進曲

Both D'espairsRay and Merry are releasing new albums this year, and they've both recently put out pvs for the title tracks.  Merry's 'Under-world' actually just came out today, and D'espa's 'Redeemer' will be released on March 11th. 
First off, D'espairsRay's 'Redeemer' is...AWESOME!  This is the kind of song I've been waiting for from them for almost a year!  They've been putting out good singles, embracing a new style and all, but nothing was particularly striking to me.  I enjoy the band's new style too, but this is a bit more like their earlier stuff in terms of atmosphere...they even have a similar (I'm not sure it's the same..but it looks like it) mic stand as the 'Born' pv!  The pv is strange and freakish, unlike the rather standard, pretty boring pvs D'espa's been putting out for almost a year now. The song itself is also harsher and heavier than the likes of 'Kamikaze', and is a nice contrast since it follows 'Horizon', the song most people consider farthest from their previous hard, industrial style.

Merry's 'Under-world' is interesting...bombastically harsh, fast, and wild, but with a strangely appealing, driving rhythm to it.  I'm still undecided as to whether I actually like it or not, because it's the kind of song that could give you a headache if you're not in the mood for this sort of thing, but I find the building tension of it quite nice, so I'm leaning in a positive direction at the moment.  I somehow get the feeling this song is one that'll be in that category of Merry's work that makes people form hate/love relationship with their music...I often think Merry are kind of hit-or-miss like that.  I mean, there are plenty of people who're fairly strongly divided over their love or dislike for their music, and even among fans there tends to be plenty of strong opinions over each new single.  Though I appreciate all their work, there are always a few tracks that will rub you the wrong way and it's just hard to like them, but I think this one's not bad at all.  It has a sort of persuasively forceful energy to it, and the pv is pretty cool.

AAAAH, why did all this sad, awful news suddenly come out at once?!!!  Merry's upcoming lives have been suspended due to an injury Gara sustained over the weekend during a concert!  He had to go to the hospital!  And I just bought a ticket for one of the dates on the tour not too long ago!!!  TT_TT  The European overseas lives actually seem to be canceled and may be rescheduled in the future, but I haven't read any explicit information about the Japanese spring tour, and there's nothing on the ohp so far.  The secondary source where this information came from is the company bringing them to Europe, and they said Gara won't be available for the next few months, but perhaps I can still hope that he'll be better in time. >_<  I really hopes he gets well soon...I'd be so sad if he were permanently hurt, and it would also mean I wouldn't get a chance to see them.  Hm, hopefully details will be released later...I wonder if he got the injury because of his crazy antics onstage?  *sigh* Well, at the very least, if the lives end up being canceled, I hope I can get a refund for my ticket...

Also, Miyavi announced that he's graduating from PS Company!  : (  He's been with the label for 10 years, but he's leaving!  I wonder why?  Is it that they can't provide him with the resources and international support he needs, or is there some kind of other issue?  There haven't been any outward indications of problems, but you never know...it's just that Miyavi's always shown his love for PSC and seen it grow from a small label into one of the most successful v-kei ones out there, so I'd like to think they're parting on good terms.  Haaah, but it's not going to be the same without Miyavi though...he's like a core pillar within the company and the informal "leader" of the PSC label bands and has always been something of an inspiring, rallying figure for everyone.  On his site he writes that he really thought seriously about it a lot and finally decided to become independent, that he feels he's done his duty in supporting the other PSC bands and is leaving for the sake of his future as an artist.  I think he feels that in order to grow and do what he wants this is a necessary move, so it's sort a sad but happy thing.  He wrote:
"気付けば朝になってました。

そして海からゆっくりと昇ってくる朝日を
何も考えずに見てたら自然と涙が出てきました。

悲しい涙でも嬉しい涙でもありません。

ただ泣きました。

そして決めました。

悲しい事でも嬉しい事でもありません。

ただ明るい未来の為に決めました。
少なくとも僕はそう信じています。

勿論これからも変わらず"Peace & Smile"を唄ってくつもりです。"

But, even worse that the previous two is the depressing news that Rin' is disbanding!!!  >_<  They weren't ever widely popular, but they had a lot of skill and made cool music mixing pop and traditional instruments, so it's sad to see them go and a shame since so few pop/rock groups use traditional Japanese elements in their music.  I'll definitely miss their unique sound. T_T

I bought tickets to see Merry live at Osaka's Namba Hatch in April!  They're releasing their new album 'Under-world' this month, and the concert is one of the dates on the subsequent tour.  At first I was hesitant to get tickets because I haven't heard the new material, and their latest singles weren't exactly spectacular, but I figured I'm in Japan, I should see as many bands as I can while I'm here.  I always like the majority of what Merry puts out and I'm sure they won't disappoint live either, from what I've seen of their dvds. : )

I also finally got around to listening to Miyavi's new remix album '[Room No. 382]'.  It's basically a bunch of favourites from Miyavi's catalogue gone techno, but I actually quite like it.  There are now several versions of many of the songs on it, between the originals, this remix album, and the 7 Samurai Kavki Boiz mini-album, but I think it's cool to hear re-workings of the same song and see how it transforms and becomes something fresh each time.  I'm a fan of dance/techno/industrial music, and therefore remixes and mash-ups as well, so it makes me happy that he's had his songs re-done in that style.  I also think Miyavi's songs in particular lend themselves well to remixing.  Perhaps because they have strong but simple structures and melodies that make them more versatile?
In general, the essence of the songs remain, but they've been changed significantly enough for them to be exciting.  To me that's the mark of a good remix, so I think a good job was done here.  There are just a few tracks, like 'Senor, Senora, Senorita' that I wasn't too keen on, because I find them a bit awkward sounding, but that's probably mostly due to my pickiness.  I really like the album art too for some reason...it has good composition and rhythm.  Anyways, here's some samples:  'Joushou Kaidou'    'Girls, Be Ambitious'    'Rock no Gyakushuu'

The pv for Merry's new single 'Fuyu no Castanet', came out recently.  It's a melodic winter/christmas song and quite a contrast from the chaos of their last single 'Gekisei'.  While 'Gekisei' was ambitious, striking, and unusual in various ways, putting out a christmas song like 'Fuyu no Castanet' for the winter season is not something I anticipated from Merry.  However, it's such a sweet song and pv, so I'm glad they did it...it's a nice change of pace.  While 'Fuyu no Castanet' is pretty, I don't think it really stands out as anything extraordinary within Merry's body of work.  But, it's perfect for the season, and has a cool, pleasant mood and a totally adorable bunny in it. ^_^  (Gara looks surprisingly cute in it too...)  Merry band members + a fluffy white rabbit + a bunny suit = <3. Hahaha, but seriously, it's nice that they've released something more light-hearted after the serious intensity of 'Gekisei'.  It shows their softer, more romantic side. :D

I've now packed most of my stuff for Japan and everything is in order to go, so I'm just counting down the days~! XD  I've been looking through my Kyoto guide book, figuring out where I want to go, learning the layout of the city and stuff.  I'm glad I'll be living in the neighborhood I am...it's nice and conveniently located with easy access to one of the main subway lines...plus there's some cool stores nearby, like a Vietnamese restaurant, traditional Japanese sweet shop, and French-style bakery. (I'm a big foodie, so whenever I travel I make sure to check out this sort of thing, hehe)  The book by Lonely Planet I have is very good; clear and informative but not verbose.  However, the Kyoto only version is hard to come by in bookstores...I was lucky enough to find one several months ago, but haven't seen any since.

Also, since they've recently been doing street view mapping for Kyoto I was messing around on Google Maps Japan, checking out what the city looks like, and I actually managed to find my host family's house!  I've seen my own family's old house on Google Maps, but our new neighborhood hasn't been mapped yet.  Anyway, it's cool to see places you recognize on it, and be able to see other cities around the world at street level...it's a really awesome feature. : )  So far they've only mapped in the U.S., Australia, and certain parts of Europe (mostly France), so it's really lucky that Japan is being done.

I listened to Merry's new single, 激声 (Gekisei), in full yesterday.  As I thought, the title track is still kind of tedious but slowly growing on me...I find the part from about 11:30 onward very interesting, where Gara steadily shouts a string of words, then the song winds down with the sound of a record ending and a music box-like melody.  (Here's a quick translation of some of the words Gara says that I managed to catch: spirit, a blue sky, darkness, the world, the sun, the past, human, death, you, peace, lies, eternity, dreams, life, hope, despair, destruction, lonliness, silence, the rising sun, father, mother).

The musical atmospheres in this song are quite varied and interesting...there's the descent into riotous chaos, nostalgia and melancholy, as well as the intense, emotional pleads toward the conclusion.  It brings together a lot of Merry's common themes: politics, history, nostalgia, plus a revolutionary rock feeling.  If you listen closely and think about its message seriously, 'Gekisei' is like a journey into the diverse world Merry have created with their music so far, and their own unique sort of meditation on life.  I wouldn't go as far as to say the song is a masterpiece, but it is impressive and admirable in its own right, despite its faults.

The single's coupling songs are very nice (and of a decent length!).  They're both covers of old songs by a folk group called Garo and enka artist Aoe Mina, which matches Merry's retro concept nicely.  This one is my favourite of the two: 学生街の喫茶店 (Gakuseigai no Kissaten)  The swaying melody is really catchy, and the string arrangements (which feature Western and Asian instruments) embody the blending of East and West that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, something Merry have continuously tried to express in their music, (not to mention the kissaten [=cafe] theme which they also use often). ^_^

I recently watched the pvs for Plastic Tree and Merry's new singles (which are set to come out later this month), but although I've been looking forward to them my reaction was somewhat mixed.

Firstly, I really liked Plastic Tree's 'Replay'...it alternates between soft, comforting sounds and more intense, riff-filled sections that rock.  It's catchy and sweet, with some nice bass work from Tadashi and wonderful mellow singing from Ryutarou (his voice is amazing, as always). : )  Ryutarou's singing is gentle and melancholy with an almost shy quality to it...but also has a strong, raw side to it that definitely shows through in this song. 

I think 'Replay' is a beautiful song, and the pv is very nicely done with pretty images that go along with the lyrics and a simple but striking set-up showing the band playing.  They used some cool visual effects on the band too, especially toward the end when the song crescendoes and things go all scratchy and blurry.  Plastic Tree has always had a great sense of the beauty of silence and simplicty about their work, which is once again clearly apparent in this pv and song.  I found the pv very touching and it makes me fall in love with Plastic Tree all over again. <3

On the other hand, Merry's 'Gekisei' is...well, I don't really know where to begin, but let's just say I think they should have split it up into three separate songs rather than smooshing it all into one tedious 15 minute piece.  If it was broken up into different songs, I would probably like them quite a lot, but put together 'Gekisei' feels all over the place and crazy.  To me it lacks a coherent structure that would tie the song together and make it listenable despite the long length...I mean, look at X Japan's 'Art of Life', which is 30 min. long but works well and is a masterpiece. 
Maybe Merry were going for chaos intentionally (I really think they were the more I listen to it)...but at any rate, I think the song falls a bit flat.  One of Merry's biggest themes is the Showa/Taisho eras, when jazz and such came to Japan, and they often incorporate jazzy sounds as part of their retrock style...so (this is a bit of a stretch, but..) pehaps 'Gekisei' was created along the lines of the jazz tradition in that it has no overarching orchestration...just seemingly spontaneous music without restraint.  Or maybe I'm overthinking this, but I like to be optimistic and think the band had something purposeful in mind when composing the song.  

Admittedly, watching the pv is more tedious than listening to it audio only, but even taking that into account, I think Merry might of pushed 'Gekisei' a bit too far, especially since it's just a single release (I wonder if the pv will even be shown on tv in full...).  When I listened to the song closely there were parts of it I really liked, but also parts I know I'll end up fast forwarding through.  Actually this song kind of embodies my relationship with Merry's music in general, because with them I either like it or I don't, it's kind of hit or miss...but I have to say, when Merry get it right, it's pure genius.  I do think the song will grow on me, but for now I still haven't warmed up to it completely.  All in all, even though I wouldn't say 'Gekisei' is one of Merry's best songs ever, there are parts of it that are really great, you just need a good deal of patience to sit through the song and discover them. ^_^  Check out the pv here.

Juno Reactor's new album, Gods & Monsters, was released yesterday, and it's really amazing! I think it's my favorite album by them now...all the tracks are so good; they have that characteristic Juno Reactor sound but there's lots of experimentation and new approaches in this album.

Also, Sugizo (of Luna Sea) joined the group for this album along with several other musicians, and there's some very nice guitar bits in there that sound like his doing, which is pretty awesome.  Sugizo definitely fits right in with Juno Reactor, since his solo work is similar in spirit and genre to Juno's.  Here's some tracks to listen to:
'Inca Steppa'    'City of the Sinful'    'Tanta Pena'    'Las Vegas Future Past'

*On another, unrelated note, now that I've listened to all of Merry's 'Tozasareta Rakuen' single, I find I really like the b-sides, particularly this one: 'Kigeki no Tabu'
Merry's coupling songs are consistently of the same quality as the single title tracks, which I think is really great and shows what a good band they are.