Monday, December 24, 2001

REVIEW: JEALOUSY [NEW SODMY] Tracklist: 1. Romantic Season [4:17] 2. Refrain [4:54] 3. Squall [3:16] Romantic Season From the title and knowing Kamijo's penchant for romance, I was expecting some nice, yet sappy track, not unlike Gackt's "12gatsu no Love Song." I'm rather glad to report that the assumption was totally off-base. The first sounds are somewhat reminiscent of a faster version of a traditional Christmas song, "Carol of the Bells," but any other allusion to the holidays ends there. The guitars come in fairly quickly and the bell-like tones evolve into the usual Lareine-style keyboard accents similar to the ones on "fiancailles." Kamijo sounds really good when he first comes in- staying well within the lower notes of his range. He goes higher in the refrain but the low, shredding sounds of the dual guitars help keep his falsetto from flying way completely. The instrumental solo in between the two verses is particularly good. All in all, a great song, and one that's been growing on me the more I listen to it. Some parts of the refrain remind me distantly of Lareine's "Fuyu Tokyo" and I really took to the song when I first heard it. Every time I listen to it though, it seems like there's a new element, particularly in the guitar work, that I missed the first time around. This alone definately makes the song well worth putting on repeat. Refrain This track is even heavier on the guitars than "Romantic Season," which is not particularly surprising since it was written by Mayu. Set mostly in a minor key, it is supposedly a continuation of the story previously introduced in Lareine song, "Hakumei." Kamijo stays pretty low and unobstrusive in this one. The real emphasis, as stated is in the guitars. It sounds like Aya and Mayu are totally getting comfortable working with each other because their duets are just seamless. They blend in perfectly, weaving rhythm and lead notes into a beautiful tapestry of sound. There was one thing I did notice about whoever's doing the session drumming for New Sodmy- too much cymbals! >< It's the same problem I had with "Advent." It almost sounds like the drummer is trying to make up for lack of creativity in the sound in some parts by banging away on the cymbals. It's not too horribly bad but when you're trying to concentrate on hearing the two guitars, it gets really annoying. Squall The first time I heard this track was off the official website. It was only a 30 second or so clip but this became the track I was really looking forward to hearing it on this album. I was not disappointed. It's the only song on this single that's in a major key, and while it's not the case every time, it just makes the song sound happier. Kamijo leads the pack accompanied by a guitar chord or two with You following as the drums come in. The drummer's "bashing" style works well in this song because of its mood. Same solid progression as in the other two tracks and it ends with a really sweet piano solo. This maxi-single shows just how far New Sodmy has progressd, not only as a band, but as individual musicians. Though some of the sound is still similar to their respective styles, they're going past that, using those ideas to augment each other's music. As long as they continue to grow and experiment as a band, I'll definately be looking forward to what Kamijo, You, Mayu, and Aya come up with in the future. - MS - Hyde yodeled at 03:40 p.m.

Saturday, December 22, 2001

LIL' BIT O' NEWS Ken (former Oblivion Dust) and Inoran (former Luna Sea) are formally working together in a band called FAKE. Their first single is scheduled for release in February 2002. Visit the site at Warner Music Japan for details: http://www.warnermusic.co.jp/fake/index.html - MS - Hyde yodeled at 11:26 p.m.

Thursday, December 20, 2001

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DIE!! Okay, so it was yesterday by Japan time. But still. For DEG fans who still haven't seen, bop over to their official website and gaze away at their new look. Die looks like Ziggy Stardust! *glomps Ziggy-sama* Toshiya looks... lovely as always. Kyo looks like he just puked all over himself. ^^ Kaoru is being devoured by a giant spider crab and Shinya... well, Shinya wa Shinya desu. Oh, and if you haven't heard embryo yet, get it now! Just... skip over the mix. ^^ I've heard some people say they liked it but... traditional Russian (it could be Japanese but the overall effect is Russian) music does not go with it. >< But that's just me. ^^ The original version is di~vine though. *_________* - MS - Hyde yodeled at 09:50 a.m.

Thursday, December 20, 2001

OFFENSIVE BAND NAMES And today's insanity is brought to you by...offensively named Jrock bands! Now, let me explain a little. This is not saying that these band names offend me or that they were MEANT to offend/offer the connotations that they do/etc. Moonsong and I were just talking about this and we realized that far too many Japanese rock bands either have names that are rather...odd, or purposely/not on purpose refer to some things that are considered more "taboo" words in the English language or other non-Japanese languages. This is just a beginning list of more well-known bands, and I'm sure that there are lots more out there. So if you have any, send them in! Now, without further ado...*drumroll* 1. X Ahh...the band that started it all, and along with it, started the name game. Who can't think of X without thinking of...the other connotations of the letter? Of course, songs like Standing Sex and Orgasm just proves my point. They DID change their name to X Japan later on, but that didn't stop former guitarist Hide from naming HIS next band... 2. HIDE WITH SPREAD BEAVER Now for all you kiddies out there, I won't be explicit, but just suffice it to say that "Spread Beaver" refers to a quite intimate part of the female anatomy. Yet this band has become quite popular in Japan. Don't believe me? Go here! 3. GACKT JOB For those of you who can't quite make it to the "Spread Beaver," how about a "Gackt Job" instead? Gackt's backup band, consisting of You, Masa, Ren, Chachamaru, Toshi, and Igao. Their shows consist of the usual amounts of fan service, which really adds to their name appeal. 4. NEW SODMY If even a "Gackt Job" does not suffice, you could always go look for that "New Sodmy" (since, you know, that old sodmy is getting quite stale). I don't know how they came up with this name and I'm not going to ask. Consists of former Lareine members Kamijo and Mayu, as well as Aya on guitar and You on bass. 5. LAPUTA No, it's not English, and I'm not exactly sure if the band members meant this or not, but "La Puta" means, alternately, "the whore" in Filipino and "the bitch" in Spanish. Which is rather interesting, if you ask me, since the band members are all male: Aki on vocal, Kouichi on guitar, Junji on bass, and Tomoi on drums. 6. DOPE HEADZ Moving away from the sexual connotations for a moment, here's a band that loves to err...well, look at the band name and you tell me. Actually, they probably don't, since the members of this band are (almost) all VERY prominent members of the jrock community. Founded by former X Japan members Pata and Heath and later joined by Hide's programmer and drummer I.N.A. Their vocalist quit recently and they have yet to find a new one. 7. LAREINE Nope, nothing inherently bad in this band name, and even quite a pretty one, if you ask me. However, Moonsong took the liberty of mentioning that it was quite an...appropriate name for a visual jrock band, since "la reine" means "queen" in French. You make the connection. 8. DIR EN GREY And finally, last but certainly not least on our (short) list: a band who is obviously confused about their national identity, having put together their name from German, French, and English. I think that they should probably just stick to Japanese from now on... This has been an insane Gerald and Moonsong production, brought to you by SHIROI HEYA! And no, the walls are not padded...why do you ask? XD - Gerald - Hyde yodeled at 01:33 a.m.

Tuesday, December 18, 2001

JUST A QUICK NOTE... I'm going to upload the mp3 of Gackt's 12-Gatsu no Love Song to my download site tomorrow (err...today?) afternoon, but for now I have the romanization/translation of it up on my site. http://www.asrundream.net/trans/gackt-juunigatsu.txt Please read the translation notes at the top first. ^_^ - Gerald - Hyde yodeled at 12:24 a.m.

Saturday, December 15, 2001

PREVIEW: 12-GATSU NO LOVE SONG [GACKT] Gackt's "winter gift to fans" is a warm one indeed. "12-gatsu no Love Song" begins simply enough with the sound of ringing sleighbells, a common element found in most Christmas songs to set the mood. The orchestra soon joins in- major key, nothing heavy. The tone is light but full of promise. Gackt then enters quietly, his smooth voice floating over the music. His words beckon, gently inviting you to open your eyes if they are closed, open your heart if it is caged, and take a walk outside, look beyond snow, the cold, the ice, and take in the warmth and joy the season has to offer. The music fades away for a heartbeat, then returns, instruments and vocals all at once, and just takes off from there. The refrain absolutely soars. It starts off rather abruptly but the dramatic entrance makes up for the sudden lack in continuity. It's like being caught in a sudden flurry of snowflakes- soft, flaky crystals blow in from nowhere, surrounding you all at once, spiraling, spiraling, the sunlight reflecting off their rainbow-hued surfaces, dancing up, higher and higher- leaving you to stare off in wonder as they dissipate into the sky. As suddenly as it comes, the flurry is gone and the second verse begins, adding an almost acoustic guitar part to complement the orchestra and play counterpoint to the vocal melody. This leads into an instrumetal, the music continuing where the vocals leave off. The bridge is standard Gackt. The music fades out allowing his clear voice to convey his message accompanied only by one or two other sounds- in this case, a toy piano or some other music box sounding instrument. Those last notes linger a bit then the refrain explodes back into the scene weaving the last bits of the tapestry together. After two repititions interwoven with more orchestra bits, a children's chorus signals the end, singing "La-la-la-la" until the song finishes, similar to "Kono dare mo inai heya de." If there is anything at all that might detract from the universal appeal of this song, this might be it. Though not out of place, it's not exactly what one would expect given the heights the song aspires to. Personally, I didn't really mind. It certainly adds to the Christmas-y feel to this song. All in all, this track embodies everything that is beautiful about the winter holiday season. The composition begins rather simply but evolves into this complex piece, full of emotion and meaning. I can't really describe it any better than that. From the first sweet sounds of the sleigh bells ringing to the final echoes of the carolers, it all brought back fond memories of holidays long past. Not just the actual events, but the warmth, the joy, and the love ever-present during those times. Suffice it to say this song well exceeded my expectations of what Gackt could possibly come up with as a "winter gift." If you have had any love for the winter season or the holidays at all, whether now or some other time in your life, I recommend at least listening. You won't regret it. And you may just re-discover a few good things you thought you had left behind forever. 12-gatsu no Love Song officially hits stores tomorrow [12/16/01]. (On a side note, for those of us amused by such things, the last word Gackt sings in this song is "dakishimete." XD It was inevitable I suppose, considering the song's subject matter, but I just had to laugh hearing it.) ^_^ - MS - Hyde yodeled at 04:29 a.m.