9 posts tagged “plastic tree”

Hahahaha, what IS this?!  It kinda freaks me out but amuses me at the same time...

Two new single releases that came out June 10th were Plastic Tree's 'Fukuro' and Kra's 'LOVE LAB'.  First off, I was eager to hear Plastic Tree's new release to see where their sound has gone since 'Utsusemi', because although it had its share of great songs, it's probably my least favourite Plastic Tree album in recent years.  At first listen I wasn't all that taken with 'Fukuro', but repeat listenings have slowly made me like it more and more.  But still, it's one of those songs that has parts I really really like, but others that I just find kinda meh.  I don't particularly like the when Ryuutarou's singing overlaps, or the roughness of the chorus.  For example, the part just before the 2:50 mark is ok, but the following section is really beautiful...it might just be that they clash too much for me.  But overall I think there's some interesting things going on here, though the theme of it is similar to many other Pura songs.  It's seems some of the elements they used in 'Utsusemi' are being brought to the fore here, like in Ryuutarou's delivery and the structure of the lyrics.  The instrumentation is wonderful, from the echoing, gentle guitar picking to the ticking, varied beat of the drums. 

The pv is nice, not as moving or perfect as 'Replay' or 'Kuchuu Buranko', but it has some very pretty imagery in it...the jellyfish were a bit unexpected but fit in well with the sound.  (And after all, their fanclub is called Jellyfish Breed, so maybe they're just fond of them. :D)  However, I happened to notice at parts like around 3:34, when they're shown, that the song sounded rather similar to the end of alice nine.'s song 'jelly fish'...but I think that's probably merely a coincidence because jellyfish tend to inspire that kind of floaty sound.  Right now I'm in the process of translating 'Fukurou''s lyrics, but it's pretty damn long and complicated...Ryuutarou uses a lot of language that's hard to put into English here.

The b-sides to the single, 'Consent' and 'Bermuda Triangle' are probably the most surprising and different songs Plastic Tree has ever come out with.  Plastic Tree has their own unique sound, and tend to stick to it, whether it's slow sentimental ballads or something a bit on the harder side...but this is ENTIRELY new for Plastic Tree.  They've totally gone electronic here, sounding more like an industrial or techno group than a rock band...but it's really good!  At first I was like WOAH...0_0 in shock, but then I realized how perfect Ryuutarou's voice is for this kind of music, and that they amazingly managed to keep their sound while experimenting in a whole new direction.  I think it's great, and look forward to seeing where they'll take this.

Kra's 'LOVE LAB' is a good song, but a bit forgettable in the sense that it doesn't have anything particular to it that makes you think, wow, that was really cool or want to listen to it again right away.  It's a nice song, but certainly not their most interesting.  Yet one thing that makes 'LOVE LAB' stand out is the pv....I'm convinced that it's the weirdest, creepiest, most disturbing pv Kra's ever made.  For some reason that giant floating heart with humongous red, grinning lips and waving cartoony arms seriously freaks me out more than anything I've seen in a pv in a long time. o_0  The pv has its cute moments, and the members as always look insanely adorable and handsome (especially when they smile ^_^), but I'm still not a big fan of this video...>_>;

I'm busy showing my parents around Japan at the moment, but I just have to post about this quickly.  Today DELUHI's new dvd single release, FLASH:B[L]ACK comes out, and they've made a new pv for the song 's[k]ape:goat'!  The song is really good, though I still prefer some of their previous releases over it.  The pv is well-shot though a bit different from their first one for 'HYBRID TRUTH', since it alternates between the band playing and scenes that're like a mini-movie of sorts.  The break in the song towards the middle was unexpected but nice touch, and something DELUHI haven't done much before.

Another pv that came out recently is heidi.'s 'Tsubasa'.  It's pretty good, though when I first heard it I thought it sounded like something I'd heard before.  The melody isn't their most original, but it's a nice song overall.
Also, some interesting news just came out!  Since Sasabuchi left Plastic Tree, he's been doing things like session bands and support for other groups on his own, but now it seems he'll be doing support drums for the studs, since their drummer Hibiki left not too long ago.  From his farewell messages and reasons for leaving Plastic Tree, it sounded he said he didn't want to do drums as a career anymore, but maybe he's changed his mind or just didn't want to be an official member of a band or something.

TT_TT *sniff*  I just heard the news that Sasabuchi is leaving Plastic Tree!!!   After 7 years together, he's decided it's time for him follow a different path aside from being in a band, but he says he'll continue to support Plastic Tree as a fan, and thanks everyone for their support.  This is the message from him on the ohp:

"『私、ササブチヒロシは7年近くPlastic Treeの一員として活動してきましたが、この度、バンド活動でない別の道を歩む事を決意しました。
今まで応援してくださったファンの皆様、本当にありがとうございました。
今後は自分も一人のファンとしてPlastic Treeを応援していきたいと思っていますので、皆様も引き続き応援の程、宜しくお願い致します。
突然のご報告をさせて頂くことを深くお詫びいたします。
月23日　ササブチヒロシ』"

Plastic Tree will have their final performance with their current line-up on March 19th at SHIBUYA-AX, and it's going to be a fan club only event.  Though it seems certain Plastic Tree will continue, Buchi has been an essential member since he joined in 2001 to replace the band's previous drummer, and his amusing, steady presence, though often taken for granted and overlooked, will surely be missed along with his excellent drumming.  Along with the other three members Buchi helped make Plastic Tree what it is today, and saw the band through the majority of it's growth into one of the best, most unique and respected bands in the industry.  It's sad to see a long-time member go, but it seems he has other things he wants to do in life, and I think it's great that he's pursuing them.  Plastic Tree has been a very stable band since Buchi joined and the members seemed to get along so well and harmoniously, and this too, while sad, feels like a very peaceful, positive separation.  I hope he does well in whatever he's pursuing...in honor of his departure, here's Buchi's favorite song from 'Nega to Poji':

I feel so extremely fortunate to have just seen them a few months ago...though they will probably continue activity, their last live with Buchi is fanclub only, and obviously, even if/when they get a new drummer, it just won't be the same without him.　T_T  His departure makes me so thankful and happy I got to see them with the "original" line-up they've had since I first discovered them back in high-school...it was my first Plastic Tree live, and now finding out it was my last chance makes me really grateful I could be in Japan this year.  It makes that Christmas Eve me and all the other fans at the live spent with the band even more special, and one I'll always remember. ^_^ <3

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

So....I'm going to see Plastic Tree (one of my favourite bands!) live at Zepp Osaka on Christmas Eve!!!! \^o^/  I've been checking their hp and waiting for the announcement of the Utsusemi tour, so when they finally put it up, I ran out and bought tickets right away!  I'm soooo excited~!
But, I've been spending quite a bit of money on all these concert tickets [I now have three lives lined up for the next two months], so I'm going to refrain from buying any more before I go broke.  There's not really any other bands that're on tour now that I'm desperate to see live, so unless the GazettE posts information about any shows besides the PSC Carnival, that'll probably be all for now.  (I can't not see the GazettE live if I'm in Japan, so I hope they're planning something for the spring...)

Yesterday Plastic Tree's new album, 'Utsusemi' came out.  So after class I went down to Shijo and bought myself a copy...the special edition with a dvd and poster included. : )  I haven't physically gone out and bought a cd in an actual store for years, so it was a nice feeling...not to mention how great it was being able to go to a regular cd store and find Plastic Tree's stuff. 

Anyway, 'Utsusemi' is a very good album.  Plastic Tree have altered their sound a bit since the 'Nega to Poji' album was released.  It's different but still distinctively Pura Tori...almost like a mix of their sound from the last two albums and the style they had in the earlier days, with some experimentation and new use of background melodies/sounds/vocals.  It's a bit hard to describe but 'Nega to Poji' had darker, more somber, comtemplative atmosphere, a feeling of stillness and mysteriousness, as well as more abstract, metaphysical sorts of themes, while 'Utsusemi' is brighter, more hopeful, and down-to-earth.  In other words, I think it's easier to personally relate to many of the songs' stories and emotions because they're about situations that happen in real life.

However, the album still retains the ever-present melancholy characteristic to Plastic Tree.  There's catchy, upbeat tracks but also slow, sweet songs that have a more intimate mood.  Also, the album versions of the singles are noticably different and have sort of been revamped to embrace the style of the album.  There's some really touching, beautiful tracks in this album, and as always Ryutarou's lyrics are truly spectacular.  I really want to translate several of the songs on this album.  I've actually already translated 'Replay', which came out as a single awhile ago, and can be found here.  It's one of my favourites on the cd. ^_^　
Here's some of the cool new tracks to listen to:  'Meruto'    'Q'    'Kioku Iki'. 

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.

Plastic Tree is releasing their new single, 'Alone Again, Wonderful World' next week, but the pv is already out:

I love Plastic Tree, and really admire Ryutarou as a singer and a person...he's very interesting and his lyrics are always so beautiful.  That simple, childlike quality and genuineness make him stand out as a unique artist, and I think it really shows in this pv especially.  I like the way the video is set up; the location and camera work fit the song well, and I like how Ryutarou is wearing such normal clothes and no make-up...it goes along with the feeling of the song, and parallels the bittersweet emotion that's bared in the lyrics.  Anyways, I think this new song has a slightly different mood from their last album, Nega to Poji.  I can't really explain it though...it's still got that classic Plastic Tree sound to it, but the rhythm and guitar are more..bold?  Hm, well it's a nice song regardless. : ) 
I'm so glad that the band is still going strong and making music after all these years...they were one of the first Japanese bands I got into, and following them for over 4 years now, it's been so nice to see how they've grown and changed but still retained that special atmosphere that makes their music amazing.