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The Brilliant Green: Tomoko (Tommy) on vocal, Ryo on guitar, Jun on
bass. TBG image courtesy of J*Star Gallery. Rainy Days
Never Stays released on 31.07.02.
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JANUARY BIRTHDAYS
1/8 YUKARI
[Baiser, vocal]
1/11 RIKIJI
[Oblivion Dust, bass]
1/13 SHINYA
[Luna Sea, drums]
1/14 RYO
[Lastier, drums]
1/15 TAKASHI
[Plastic Tree, drums]
1/16 AKIRA
[Plastic Tree, guitar]
1/21 KA-YU
[Janne da Arc, bass]
1/22 HEATH
[X Japan/Dope HEADz, bass]
1/24 KIKASA
[Due le Quartz, bass]
1/24 U-TA
[Buck-Tick, bass]
1/25 MIYU
[Amadeus, bass]
1/26 KANA
[solo, vocal]
1/27 YASU
[Janne da Arc, vocal]
1/29 HIDEKI
[Siam Shade, vocal]
1/29 HYDE
[L'Arc~en~Ciel, vocal]
1/31 FURUTON
[Oblivion Dust, drums]
1/31 YOU
[New Sodmy, bass] |
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THE JROCK FAMILY TREE
If you've ever wondered who was in what band with who and performed where with what, here it is. This is nowhere near complete and I'm sure that there are thousands of little ties that we left out, but here are the main connections between people in the jrock world.
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Spotlight on recently released songs. This is a rotating mp3 list and will be changed regularly to make room for newer songs, so get 'em while you can!
[None right now.]
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Tuesday, December 24, 2002
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MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM SHIROI HEYA
- Gerald and MS -
- Comment -
It's 08:32 p.m., and Kaoru's still playing air guitar.
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Sunday, December 22, 2002
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JROCK BAND AT AX PETITION
Don't know how effective this will be, but no harm in taking 5 seconds out of your life to sign this, especially if you're an anime fan and plan to be at Anime Expo 2003. Basically, it's a petition to ask the planners of AX to invite a jrock band over to perform (just like Duel Jewel at Akon). As AX is a really big event that manages to grab a lot of top names in the anime world (Yoko Kanno, Mikimoto Haruhiko, etc) over to the US, I'm sure they'd have a good chance of getting a bigger name jrock band.
The maker of this petition says that if it gets more than 5,000 signatures, AX would work on it. So...why not?
Sign here!
- Gerald -
- Comment -
It's 01:11 p.m., and Kaoru's still playing air guitar.
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Thursday, December 19, 2002
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MUST HEAR: GLAY
brought to you by Zatsuon
Within the canon of modern Japanese music, Glay need little
introduction.
Over the years they've defied the various
labels that are inevitably thrown at such a successful group in an
attempt
to simplify their phenomenal effect. Glay have been able to excel at
pretty
much any style they've tried. Their songs run the gamut, from
straightforward pop-rock (HOWEVER, SOUL LOVE, GLOBAL COMMUNICATION) to
numbers with unorthodox structures or arrangements (KISSIN' NOISE, Way
Of
Difference). For the purposes of this "must-hear" article, I've
decided to
focus on songs that have not been released as singles or appeared on
either
of their best-of compilations, as I'm sure most readers would have
heard
those already anyway. :) The songs are listed in chronological order
of
release.
GONE WITH THE WIND (Single: Zutto futari de...)
It's been about six and a half years since this song appeared on the
"Zutto
futari de..." single, but looking back, it now seems like a bit of a
sign of
things to come. The band switches seamlessly between different grooves
in
the first verse, like they're unable to contain their enthusiasm for
the
music. The melody, especially in the chorus, isn't quite as polished
as
what we would come to hear in later efforts, but certainly the
potential of
Glay is evident. I see a few
parallels between this song and "SOUL LOVE," which would become one of
their
better-known songs a few years later on.
HIT THE WORLD CHART! (Album: BELOVED)
This song has a sort of nervous energy throughout, from the loud, fast
guitars of the intro, to the rapid-fire vocal of the first verse, to
the
anxious chorus which can't seem to resolve itself quickly enough.
Hisashi
and Takuro experiment with some funky guitars to equal Takuro's nice
chord
progressions, especially in the chorus. This is a great number to lead
into
the somewhat more serene "a Boy~zutto wasurenai~."
Deatte shimatta futari (Album: pure soul)
An ever-present acoustic guitar holds this song together, which
otherwise
features some interesting and unexpected elements. By the time "pure
soul"
was released, the one absolute certainty about a Glay song was a solid
melody, and in this song's chorus, that is accompanied by synthesized
guitar
sounds. While that might point to the future, "Deatte shimatta futari"
is
also graced by a two-part guitar solo that harkens back (Well...
somewhat)
to Glay classics like "Sen no naifu ga mune wo sasu" and "More than
Love."
MISERY (Album: hide TRIBUTE SPIRITS)
OK, this might not be a Glay song in the strictest sense, but it's
worth a
listen for anyone who hasn't already. This is a classic cover in the
sense
that it's not just a rehash of the original. Instead, Glay put their
stamp
on hide's great song. The differences in tempo are more extreme in
Glay's
version; the intro is slower, while the rest of the song is generally
more
up-tempo than hide's performance. Hisashi similarly doesn't really try
to
equal hide's solo, but instead offers a different interpretation. The
bridge is recorded in a way that is oddly similar to Glay's own "I'm in
Love," and that uninhibited sing along style seems to convey the unity
that
the hide tribute album embodied.
Shitto (Album: ONE LOVE)
This song starts with a hard-driving guitar intro which involves
liberal
use of picking harmonics for that occasional
distorted screeching sound, a style of playing used a bit more
frequently by
both of Dir en grey's guitarists. "Shitto" is,
in fact, one of Glay's most rocking songs; the chorus is, probably by
design, perfect for jumping along to. There's a nice contrast of
guitar
styles in the first part of the verse, with clean strumming underneath
a
delayed lead. One of my favourite things about the two most recent
Glay
albums in particular has been the backing vocals, which are on display
in
the pre-chorus bit of this song.
Fighting Spirit (Album: ONE LOVE)
I suppose this song almost qualifies as a single, as it was used in a
TV
commercial. Anyway, though, this is one of my personal favourites;
it's a
classic pop tune in the mould of Elvis Costello. I love the sweet
chord
changes and backing vocals throughout the song. It's the great
sing-along
chorus, though, that probably pleased the executives the most. A
melodic
guitar solo tops it all off, and it's one of the rare turns in the
spotlight
for Takuro these days, although I suppose the fact that he continues to
write most of the songs makes up for that.
Kimi ga mitsumeta umi (Album: ONE LOVE)
The classic pop theme is picked up once more by this song, with a
smooth
groove from the intro to the verse and some Beach Boys (or Mr.
Children, if
you like)-flavoured backing vocals. The melody of the verse seems to
become
more urgent as it leads into the chorus, which, as one would expect by
this
point, is very catchy. The highlight of this song has to be the
bridge,
which has a very ethereal feel. Takuro takes the lead vocal, albeit
momentarily. Watching the ONE LOVE DVD, I felt kind of sorry for the
guy at
this point; his voice had obviously taken a bit of a beating over the
course
of the tour. :) On the other hand, this gave his delivery an even more
impassioned sound. The guitar that starts off the first chorus is a
cool
change, too.
Karera no HOLY X'MAS (Album: UNITY ROOTS & FAMILY, AWAY)
The thing I've heard said the most about this song is that it doesn't
really sound much like Christmas. I don't disagree with that, but, in
another way, I think this is one of Glay's most atmospheric songs.
That's
largely due to the relatively minimal arrangement; compared to, say,
"Way Of
Difference," there's almost nothing going on. The rhythm track is
especially sparse, consisting, for the most part, of just three
instruments:
Jiro's bass guitar, a snare drum and a bass drum. The quality of the
performance, though, is especially great. The backing vocals are
outstanding once again. This song really reflects the improvement in
Takuro's harmony writing.
Father & Son (Album: UNITY ROOTS & FAMILY, AWAY)
The first time I listened to Glay's most recent album, this was the
song
that really caught me. Teru's subdued delivery of the verse makes the
sudden chorus all the more effective. I had this one stuck in my head
for
the longest time.... The backing tracks in the chorus, especially the
guitar and synth, are also really nice. There's also an interesting
combination of acoustic and electronic drums.
ALL STANDARD IS YOU~END ROLL~ (Album: UNITY ROOTS & FAMILY, AWAY)
This is another one that seemingly hasn't received an entirely
positive
reaction. Certainly I wouldn't have expected Glay to do a rap remix,
but
that's what we have here. While Headcrack isn't exactly a household
name,
he seems like a somewhat decent MC, which is a lot more than I would
say
about quite a few multi-million-sellers here in North America, although
he
sounds almost a little too much like Jermaine Dupri. Teru's vocal
performance is very different from the one in the original song, and it
has
its own merits.
- Zatsuon -
- Comment -
It's 12:54 p.m., and Kaoru's still playing air guitar.
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Wednesday, December 18, 2002
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JROCK CHRISTMAS SONGS
It's that time of year again and I guess most of you have already seen the thread in the BBS about Jrock Christmas songs. Just want to give you a few recs of the ones which are my personal favorites!
MERRY XMAS WAR IS OVER
Artist: Luna Sea
Album: John Lennon cover
I had to mention this one first because it's so...interesting, as most English covers are. XD From what you know of Ryuichi's English skills, you can already imagine.
FALLING OVER YOU
Artist: Chisato [guitar, Penicillin]
Album: 1996.11.21 single
One of his solo songs. It's a soothing, wintery song with the chorus "December snow is falling over you/December snow is falling over town." His singing is kind of awkward, but his voice has a nice warm tone to it that definitely matches the Christmas feeling in this song.
SHIROI YUKI TO CHAMPAGNE TO XMAS SONG
Artist: The Brilliant Green
Album: c/w Angel Song ~Eve no Kane~
Very upbeat and cheerful, reminiscent of a merry holiday party. It's definitely not one of their well-known songs, and is definitely a good one to get for the holidays. If you haven't heard Angel Song, get it also.
I WISH
Artist: L'Arc~en~Ciel
Album: True
This isn't technically a Christmas song, but it's such a happy song that I think everyone should get it for a listen during the holidays. Complete with kids choir and bells and whistles and trumpets. =P
WHITE LOVE STORY
Artist: Raphael
Album: 1999.2.20 single
This is a VERY cheerful Christmas song. It's...cheerful to the point of hyper. Umm...yes, very cheerful. If you don't like big backup choirs and super poppy catchy visual kei jrock, don't get it. XD
CHRISTMAS RING
Artist: Glay
Album: One Love
Some people like this and some don't, but it's a good song (though Teru is flat)
KARERA NO HOLY X'MAS
Artist: Glay
Album: Unity Roots & Family, Away
This is my favorite of the two Glay Christmas songs. Though the album version has some kind of screaming in the background during one of the bridge sections o.o
WHITE SONG
Artist: Hyde
Album: Roentgen
Very quiet and a little mysterious sounding. Perfect for watching snow falling past your window at night.
12-GATSU NO LOVE SONG
Artist: Gackt
Album: 2001.12.16 and 2002.11.27 single
Rereleased with an English version for this Christmas, this song is pretty much one of the two classic jrock Christmas songs.
ITSUKA NO MERRY CHRISTMAS
Artist: B'z
Album: Friends
THE jrock Christmas song. Beautifully simple, with music box and acoustic guitar, nostalgic and winter-y. Get it now.
- Gerald -
- Comment -
It's 06:26 p.m., and Kaoru's still playing air guitar.
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Sunday, December 15, 2002
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RANDOM REVIEW: 100 MAN KAI IKITA NEKO [TAKUI]
review by Nightmajik
This song is from Takui's earlier days, being the first song on side A of "20's Calborn", released in 1999. Although "20's Calborn" has quite a large variety of music-types on it, something about this song makes it seem to not quite fit in, perhaps because it's simply an amazing song and sounds slightly more polished than the rest. In my opinion, it is by far the best song on the demo tape. (My opinion on this song is based purely on the sound of it--and a little bit of English in the song--because I don't understand Japanese, and have not read a translation.)
The song begins with some soft acoustic guitar, and then 15 seconds into it, an electric guitar comes in, very mellow and reminding me of a few songs by the American classic rock band The Eagles. The electric guitar comes back in for a few short intervals throughout the rest of the song. A few measures later, Takui begins singing.
'Mellow' is a good word for most of this song. The beat is consistent and slow, and Takui sings the first verse quietly, at a relatively constant volume, and without an extremity of emotion, crescendo, or falsetto. I get an overall impression of Takui sitting alone somewhere dim, singing for no one other than himself, as well as an overall impression of melancholy.
The second verse starts at 1:24, and drums finally join in to keep the tempo along with the soft, continuous, acoustic guitar. A little more of Takui's standard level of expressive singing makes it into the second verse, and then around 2:20 the song crescendos into the chorus. A different, non-Eagles electric guitar backs up the chorus, and Takui sings louder and more emotionally, drifting into falsetto for a few notes. Then he sings a short, mostly English verse, with the lyrics (kindly provided by Ger) of: "I felt tears come to my eyes / Tell me I don't want to leave her now / She shed tears I'm in love for the first time / monogatari wa tsuzuiteku", staying in falsetto the entire time on the English lines with only the back-up of the acoustic guitar and some soft, bell-like noises.
There follows a brief guitar solo, about 25 seconds, which builds in a repeat of the chorus, this time backed with what I think are synthesized strings. Takui doesn't go into falsetto this time, opting for increased volume instead, and then the English verse is repeated once more. This time the Japanese line is replaced with a repeat of "Tell me I don't want to leave her now", and the verse is sung in what sounds like either a three- or four- part harmony, which displays very well Takui's range of vocal ability. The climax of the song is obviously this singing of the English verse, as well as the chorus preceding it. Takui sings a few more lines to the tune of the chorus, and then he drops down to a softer volume to sing the last few words as the back-up music fades to only the acoustic guitar.
Overall, this song is a beautiful piece of music, and I would highly recommend it to anyone, Takui fan or not. It's a softer song than quite a few of Takui's works--although just as emotional as most of them--but it's not quite a ballad, not like "Stay Together" and "Never Fades Away" are ballads. Basically, this song is in a class of it's own, and is definitely a must-hear.
[Note from Gerald: I'm working on a translation of this song and hopefully it'll be up soon. It would've been up a long time ago if not for the sheer fact that I didn't have the Japanese lyrics and the mp3 I have of the song is too fuzzy to romanize by ear x_x Thanks to Mayuka Nozaki for giving me the romaji]
- Gerald -
- Comment -
It's 04:22 p.m., and Kaoru's still playing air guitar.
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Friday, December 13, 2002
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REVIEW: BLOOD
By Meela
BLOOD's Double A-side Maxi-Single of Morphine/Karekutaa(Collector) [Red case version]:
1) Morphine (4:44) - This song has a nice mellow beat that has beautiful guitar riff melodies blending in between DAI's voice. DAI's voice quality is that of a lullaby in this song. The harmonies are also very fitting for the mood. The mood of the song almost sounds as if DAI's searching for something that was lost. Very nice. The guitar solo is really good as well.
2) Karekutaa(Collector) (3:38) - Okay, I've added one more bassist to my favorite bassists list. KAEDE's basslines are just... wow... comparable to Totchi from Dir en Grey and Natsuki from Duel Jewel. Very impressive. This song has a faster pace to it. Great for driving. DAI's voice has a cool edge to it for this song and the harmonies of the background vocalists kicked butt too.
***NOTE*** Takeshi is mentioned in the liner notes singing the chorus to the songs. KIWAMU also mentions there's another BLOOD site "please collect three words! http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hollow/hill/blood_????_????.html ") I'm curious to find out what those 2 remaining words can be and find this secret site. Silly boy that he is. hehehe Such a tease.
BLOOD's Mini Album "BLOODTYPE" (4 Tracks):
1) MARIA (3:38) - This song is very catchy. All instruments and vocals represent themselves quite well. Another great fast driving song. You can't help but sing along with DAI in this song. KIWAMU's guitar riffs are just awesome.
2) BLOOD (4:55) - First of all, oh my god this song is so beautiful. The programming/percussion tracks are so powerful. For those fans who go to the BLOOD official website, the first movie there has a snippet of the song with some of the lyrics written there. The duet between DAI and GAJI are just beautiful and so meloncholy. I remember sending Reiko this song and she was so moved she cried. I must say this is my favorite song though I love each song they've done. Grab a tissue before listening to this song. The duets will make you get tear-eyed.
3) Kanaria (Canary) (4:43) - Good percussion on the start of the song. This is more of a ballad that is almost as powerful as BLOOD. With the percussion being only bass drum, snare slap and a bit of top hat it's definitely the driving force of the song. DAI's voice becomes almost Gackt-esque but uniquely melancholy. The guitar riffs were even melancholy but beautiful. Very well done.
4) Mebius no Wa (Mebius's Loop) (3:59) - This song has a more surreal light techno/trance feel to it. A lot different than the other tracks. The synth programming along with DAI's serene vocals almost puts you a trance. I was impressed by this song. ^_^
For more info, visit BLOOD Official Site. There's an English section. GO! XD
- MS -
- Comment -
It's 06:36 p.m., and Kaoru's still playing air guitar.
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Thursday, December 12, 2002
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SHIROI HEYA PRESENTS: XJA PAN PART IV
READ IT HERE
First time readers:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
- Gerald -
- Comment -
It's 11:58 p.m., and Kaoru's still playing air guitar.
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