Friday, April 5, 2002

ARTIST: CALI≠GARI I've been meaning to review cali≠gari for quite some time now but have been putting it off. Don't get me wrong, I'm personally rather fond of them but trying to review their work is like trying to describe each act in a 6-ring circus at the same time. Their music alone ranges from soothing to demented to disturbing and everything in between. While there's something in their discography for almost everyone, it does take an open mind to appreciate and sometimes just sit through some of their... stranger fare. The band was started in 1989 by current guitarist/band leader, Ao, and former drummer, Katsumi. The lineup changed quite a bit through the years, several members came and went, before it finally settled into what it is now: Ao on guitar; Kenjiro on bass; Makoto on drums; and Shuuji (Ishii) who replaced longtime vocalist Shuuji in June 2000. Despite the frequent changes, cali≠gari's sound and image has remained pretty constant, due largely to Ao's influence. He writes most of the songs along with Kenjiro, and is the main driving force behind this incredibly unique band. There is no adequate way to describe their musical style or categorize them in any way. The first song I heard from them was "Tsumetai Ame," a very nice mid-tempo piece that starts off with the sound of rain, then evolves into something reminiscent of Malice Mizer or Lareine's French pop with a definite Oriental flavor. The next song I came across was the bluesy "genshoku elegant," which kept reminding me of the BGM in the Deling City level of Final Fantasy VIII (for those who've played it ^^). Lots of interesting interplay between the bass and guitar; the vocals riding above them, smooth and harmonic. Then there is the soothing "Fuyu no hi," an almost acoustic piece, perfect for singing along on a breezy spring day. In almost sheer contrast to the three previously mentioned songs is the jarring "kimi ga saku yama." This is what I like to call a good "wake up" song. It starts off harmlessly enough with parade march-like drums. A shrill whistle blows and the vocals jump in with what I like to call the "football cheer" section of the refrain. The rest of the song alternates between those elements, surprisingly melding into a cohesive whole that is just plain FUN to listen to. "Good bye" is another song along the same vein, a happy, fast-paced romp set mainly to strumming guitar. There are also a few good hard rock/metal tracks like "Erotopia," good for heavy guitars and headbanging. Rounding out the musical review are the more "experimental" songs, the ones that just sort of make you go, "What the H*LL?!" the first time you listen to it (and sometimes even after XD). The moody "Hakkyou Channel" is a good example of this, as is "milk shake," and the cheerfully bizzare "37564." These are the ones you just have to listen to believe. There's so much more to say about cali≠gari- the music, though brilliant, is only a part of what the band is about. Their name comes from the German silent film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Their first album was called dai 1 jikkenshitsu (trans. "The 1st Laboratory"); the rest of their albums falling in consecutive order with few exceptions. dai 7 jikkenshitsu, their first major label release is scheduled to be out later this month. There are drama tracks interspersed between the songs on their albums. They hold a regular event called the "Yaneura dai-circus" where friends and various bands under their former indies label, Misshitsu Neurose, gather and stage a fun, wacky show involving music, skits, and even fan-dancing! XD Time has proved over the years that cali≠gari has staying power. The constant member shuffle has not proved a hindrance, it might have even made the band stronger- each member bringing something new to the table each time. This band seems to thrive on change and experimentation. Despite concerns that their recent graduation onto a major label might "commercialize" their sound somehow, I highly doubt the band will deviate from their present course. With Ao at the helm, I see cali≠gari continuing to shock and delight fans for a long time. Recommended Songs: Light - "Tsumetai Ame" ; "Fuyu no hi" Wacky - "kimi ga saku yama" ; "Goodbye" Weird - "Hakkyou Channel" ; "milk shake" Recommended (English) Sites: Spilt Milk The 1st Laboratory - MS - - Comment - hide: "Oi! It's 02:21 a.m., and Yoshiki's stripping again!" O_O

Thursday, April 4, 2002

Shiroi Heya BBS! Okay. MS was bored. MS made message board for Shiroi Heya and AsrunDream.Net. Post questions, comments, feedback, or general jrock discussion. We wanna hear from you guys! And since this is new, if there are any bugs or problems, please let me know. ^^ Thank you! ^_^ - MS - - Comment - hide: "Oi! It's 10:30 p.m., and Yoshiki's stripping again!" O_O

Wednesday, April 3, 2002

KOZI UPDATE A guitarist lost, a guitarist found. Former Malice Mizer guitarist, K�zi, has been spotted supporting gothic/darkwave band EVE OF DESTINY. Their next two lives are in the Philippines and Germany. Check the site for details. And yes, it's non-flash and in English even. *happyhappy* Now we're just waiting for Yu~ki... - MS - - Comment - hide: "Oi! It's 07:59 p.m., and Yoshiki's stripping again!" O_O

Wednesday, April 3, 2002

CD REVIEW SITE For those of you who can read Japanese, I came across an interesting site today while looking for reviews of La'Cryma Christi's &U. It's a review page for visual jrock bands, stemming off a visual jrock site. http://www.117.ne.jp/~a-fish/cdreview.htm There aren't full reviews (as in song-by-song listings) but Susuki-san provides a really good general overview of albums while noting special quirks and also gives a rating. There are singles as well as albums reviewed, but what really got me was the sheer NUMBER of reviews on there. Go check it out... If you want more, the main page is here. There's live reports and a really nice jrock fanart gallery. Again, this site is Japanese only! - Gerald - - Comment - hide: "Oi! It's 05:22 p.m., and Yoshiki's stripping again!" O_O

Wednesday, April 3, 2002

NEW SODMY UPDATE Guitarist MAYU has formally left the band according to a fan who at the last Nagoya live. Since his disappearance last February, Mayu had not been playing with the band, partly due to the rehearsals he missed while he was gone. It was announced that he would be taking time off due to a personal situation but it was never actually said that he would be leaving the band. I guess things have changed. More details are at Niji's BBS. - MS - - Comment - hide: "Oi! It's 02:35 p.m., and Yoshiki's stripping again!" O_O

Monday, April 1, 2002

NEW GACKT CM & WEBSITE OPENING A snippet of Gackt's upcoming single, "Wasurenai Kara" can be heard on this new CM for Fuji Digicam. And for all you "dears" out there. Gackt's website is finally back up, complete with the wonderful, unreadable, takes-three-hours-to-download flash pages we all know and love. *sarcasm* So here you go. Enjoy. Dears: Gackt Official Website - MS - - Comment - hide: "Oi! It's 06:34 p.m., and Yoshiki's stripping again!" O_O

Sunday, March 31, 2002

ROENTGEN Roentgen came out on March 27 and I figured I'd review it. I must admit that as much as I like L'Arc~en~Ciel, Hyde's solo career hasn't been very stellar, in my opinion. I wasn't exactly disappointed when I heard this album, since I'd already pretty much known what to expect from his solo style, but still, I wish Hyde would be more diverse. With that said, onto the review. 1. UNEXPECTED The beginning of this song reminds me of wind through canyons, or maybe large, hollow windchimes. The mood stays pretty much the same through the entire song: lounge-y yet mysterious, dark, and soft. It's very surreal and kind of reminds me of background music in the computer game Myst or even Final Fantasy VIII. The only word Hyde sings in this song is....you guessed it. "Unexpected." 2. WHITE SONG Strings begin this song, which is sung in English. The accompaniment is entirely orchestral and very nicely done, and the chorus is very melodic and soothing, yet soaring at the same time. This seems to be some kind of Christmas song, as Hyde is singing about people around fires and snow falling. He's about three months late, though. XD 3. EVERGREEN It's Evergreen. We've all heard it. 4. OASIS No, this isn't Gackt's Oasis. Far from it, in fact; it's another soft, surreal type of song with acoustic guitar accompaniment. At least, that's what you think until about halfway through the song, when the drums abruptly come in and Hyde switches on what I call his "Stay Away voice." The song remains soft, but there's definitely an edge to the music during the chorus, with a very percussive accompaniment of synthesizers, and the lyrics are half Japanese, half English. 5. A DROP OF COLOUR Another all-English song. A lot of people liked this song when the preview first came out, but I didn't really. Hearing the full version, I still can't bring myself to like it, but there are some nice touches. The entire thing, with the isolated piano, low bass instruments, and jazzy drums, reminds me of Sting's The Windmills of Your Mind from The Thomas Crown Affair. 6. SHALLOW SLEEP Hyde's third single and my personal favorite Hyde solo song to date. The lyrics remind me a lot of Gackt's Asrun Dream and EMU ~for my dear~, but that might be just me. Anyway, moving on. 7. NEW DAY'S DAWN We have another Gackt comparison here: the opening of this song sounds a lot like Gackt's Illness Illusion, with the echoing percussion and sound effects. Hyde sings in English again, accompanied by low strings and the weird percussion. The instrumental bridge parts sound almost Middle Eastern, but yet there's hints of the lounge music feel that pervade many of these songs. All in all, an odd song. 8. ANGEL'S TALE Yay. Angel's Tale. 9. THE CAPE OF STORMS Another orchestral opening to this song, this time sounding like something out of a soundtrack. This is more like true orchestral rock, with a nice, majestic-sounding beat supporting the strings. There's also a nice violin solo at around 3:10. This is probably my second favorite song on the CD. Again, it's in English. 10. SECRET LETTERS The Lareine song. Or else Hyde is taking the French side of L'Arc~en~Ciel too seriously. Whatever the case, this is very French-sounding, complete with French instruments. There isn't anything else that distinguishes this song, though, except maybe the fact that Hyde sings in Japanese. My first impression of this album is that it's a very good album to get if you need some music to fall asleep to. I don't mean that in a bad way, but most of these songs sound very much like lounge music (which we probably have expected anyway from the three singles before it). At any rate, I respect the fact that Hyde wants to experiment outside the Laruku music frame, but I wish he'd interject more variety into his music. After all, variety is the spice of life. Or something. Anyway, I don't really recommend this album, but if you're a Laruku fan, chances are you'll get it anyway. It was #4 on the Oricon charts last I checked, so at least we know the Laruku fanbase is still alive. ^^; - Gerald - - Comment - hide: "Oi! It's 07:25 p.m., and Yoshiki's stripping again!" O_O