Thursday, December 13, 2001

AFTERTHOUGHTS Right now it's 1 AM in the morning and I'm sitting here trying to study for my finals and listening to Merveilles on repeat. What better time to write something about Malice Mizer? I'm pretty much over the shock of it now...it didn't really feel real to me for the past day or so, but now I think I'm just acceptingly sad. I will admit that I wasn't a HUGE fan or Malice Mizer, but they were a very important band to me - one of the ones that really got me started on my journey into jrock, I will admit. They'll always be close and dear to my heart. I don't want to get sappy...if you want to read my emotional thoughts on the breakup, it's at my blog. This is intended to be a more analytical editorial about Malice Mizer and their influence. I guess I can't really feel as deeply about their breakup as some fans, seeing as I wasn't part of any MM mailing lists, didn't post on any MM forums, don't have a MM webpage, and got all my MM news about latest releases and planned projects from Moonsong. I'm more of a "closet fan," you might say. I prefer to follow bands like L'Arc~en~Ciel and Glay. So maybe I'm a mainstreamer. But these past two days have gotten me thinking about what music really affects my life, and as much as I love Laruku and Glay, Malice Mizer's music has really meant a lot to me in the past year (yes, I've only been a fan for about a year). Consider the fact that Malice Mizer as a band has gone through probably the most incarnations I've ever seen out of any band. They had three vocalists...their drummer passsed away, and they changed musical style from period to period. Yet they kept going. The first thing that this says about them is that they're tenacious. They persevere. I can't say much about the Tetsu period. I personally think that Tetsu is a really bad singer, and that MM is better off without him. Gackt was probably the best and the worst thing that ever happened to them, and I say that as purely opinion. As I have no idea what REALLY went on during that time period, this is only what I think. Their music during the Voyage-Merveilles period underwent a continuously more romantic transformation, and that was all Gackt. On one hand, Gackt made MM famous. On the other hand, he and Mana didn't agree. I believe that Gackt loved Malice Mizer (why else would he name his first single Mizerable?), but I believe it was good that he quit when he did. Again, I don't claim to know the details and if he was kicked out or he quit voluntarily or if it was a combination of both, but I think it was the right thing to do. Gackt took the band to new and great heights, but there was that point in which MM and he didn't mix. It was always "Gackt and Malice Mizer," not just the band. And can you imagine a Malice Mizer song named "Juu-ni gatsu no Love Song"? Or even "Kimi no tame ni Dekiru Koto"? I for one can't. Then there's the whole Klaha debate, which I'll stay out of, but I will say that this third stage of Malice Mizer was certainly the most interesting, if not the best. Merveilles was streamlined, professional, daring and bold and beautiful. This next period is what I like to term the "gothic" period. Not that MM hasn't always been gothic, but when Gackt left, Mana really dug out the gothic part...going back to their roots, maybe. It's experimental, discordant, and, at first glance, not very pleasing. But Klaha fit with the band in a way that Gackt never did. Gackt was the center of attention. He commanded the eye, with the other members in the background. Klaha blends. The saddest thing about their breakup is that they were just beginning to get comfortable with Klaha. Now, we'll never know what great things could have happened. Three incarnations, three vocalists, three different periods...yet Malice Mizer flows. Some songs even have three versions, one for each vocalist (ma cherie). It's amazing how they manage to move on and challenge themselves but at the same time keep their focus. Their farewell message keeps talking about their vision, and this is a wonderful example of a band meaning what it says. So what can we take from Malice Mizer? Great music, obviously. But more than that. We can take their lessons of working through things, taking different paths, but most of all following a dream. Because that's what they all did, and, as Yu~ki says in his message, even though we can play the same melody over and over, it's really not the same one, because its form is constantly changing. * * * * * * * * * * Addendum #1: Here are my thoughts on Garnet as the choice for their last single. If it was a choice. This is posted on my personal blog and I'm quoting it here: "I don't know if this theory will hold any water at all, but Moonsong has already mentioned this, so I will expound on it. Garnet sounds almost exactly like Au Revoir, one of the Malice Mizer songs from the Gackt era. Garnet is also almost exactly half as long as Au Revoir, besides being only...half a song. There's one verse and one chorus, and that's it. I don't know if this version is the correct version or if there's a longer version somewhere, but this is very fishy. If you listen carefully, you'll notice that it also carries the sounds of other past Malice Mizer songs. Egee, Je te Veux, and Beast of Blood come to mind, and the recording style makes it sound ever-so-faintly like an indies recording. The chorus also is reminiscent of Gardenia. So maybe I was wrong. Maybe Garnet IS Malice Mizer's farewell song, a combination of EVERYTHING they've ever done wrapped up into one song, which is why it sounds so...weird. After all, when you take fifty-odd songs and combine them into one, it's bound to get a little strange. It's like Garnet is a reprise of Au Revoir. And we all know that reprises of songs usually come...at the end of an album. And we also all know what "au revoir" means." Take that how you will. It's only a theory. ^^;; Addendum #2: I made a commemorative computer wallpaper for Malice Mizer. The 800x600 version is here and the 1024x768 version is here. - Gerald - Hyde yodeled at 01:24 a.m.

Wednesday, December 12, 2001

VIOLET UK Well, this is probably old news but I just came across it so it's all new to me. Yoshiki is moving forward with his solo project, Violet UK, and is hoping to release their first album May 2002 (how accurate this is considering Yoshiki's perfectionist nature remains to be seen). He "does everything" in the band- guitars, piano, arrangements, he even SINGS supposedly. *shock* There is a main female vocalist as well. For more info, take a look at this interview. This was translated from a phone conversation published on a Thai music magazine that came out earlier this year- maybe June/July? If anyone knows for sure, please let me know. - MS - Hyde yodeled at 11:35 a.m.

Tuesday, December 11, 2001

MALICE MIZER Read below entry if you haven't heard. I did a translation of the messages up on their site...forgive my really bad Japanese, but I did the best I could ^^;; ----------------------------------- Malice Mizer are interrupting their vision in the year 2001. In their original concept in which Malice Mizer were grounded for nine years, they continued their musical vision. For the first time, the members have individual freedom for musical expression, more than just individually expanding the vision. This has become the common intention and thought of the four people. Whatever may happen from now on, we say: please warmly protect the members as they go on their way. December 11, 2001 Midi-Nette Corporation -------------------------------------------------- I have been the official vocalist of Malice Mizer for a year and a few months. It's been a short time, but it became a very important period for me. The things which I have received from Malice Mizer: a grand field of vision, supportive fans, and a chance to meet many people, the aspirations of my heart and strength...having faith during the time I was taught the difficulty of leaving things for another time [1] By depending on Malice Mizer, on the guidance of everyone, I decided that I don't do things to fail. I'm seeing a new situation. I want to continue to stand up and sing. Everyone who has helped me until now, thank you so much. From this, we will both still continue to love music, I pray that we'll both go on living. In my heart I'll always be proud... Klaha -------------------------------------------------- In the vision of nine years, in the origin of this large proposition, we must leave the way called Malice Mizer... we can continue running recklessly. We're not looking back or stopping. We were continuing to search for something endless. The members and all the fans shared many deep emotions, shocks, sufferings, and joys. We made up a unique world. I'm proud of Malice Mizer. The individual members as single artists will continue the musical vision. Kozi -------------------------------------------------- While we can play the melody over and over to paint a spiral, the forms are changing. ~follow the memory~ Yu~ki -------------------------------------------------- Looking back over these nine years, we were able to push on. We saw meetings and separations, excitement, and trouble and various other things, but we never stopped being able to see the vision because we had the support of many people. Creating music is proof that I am still living. This is a sudden shock to everyone who still loves Malice Mizer [2], but I ask that you continue creating music. Mana -------------------------------------------------- [1] My crappy Japanese skills prevent me from fully understanding this sentence ^^;; but I think Klaha is talking about being strong in the face of moving on to new things (ie. right now) [2] Literally Mana is saying "a new shock to the heart in the thoughts of everyone..." simply meaning, he knows everyone who loves Malice Mizer is going to feel very shocked. -_- I think -------------------------------------------------- Yeah, no kidding Mana...most of us are over here having a heart attack right now. >< Remember my Japanese isn't very good so if my translation isn't the greatest please don't hurt me! ^^;; but I hope I got the message across. ;_; - Gerald - Hyde yodeled at 04:18 p.m.

Tuesday, December 11, 2001

MALICE MIZER ... has announced that they are stopping all activity for now. The individual members would like to concentrate on their own works. Please go here for more details. - MS - Hyde yodeled at 10:18 a.m.