I wrote about YOSHIKI's announcement of forming a band with Gackt way back in August. By now, everyone should know that yes, SUGIZO (ex. LUNA SEA) has signed up for this project too (article translation here). In certain J-Rock fandom circles, tongues are wagging and excitement is building.
Now, there are two more spots left in this super J-Rock band of the century. Who will be the bassist and the second guitarist?
I, along with many others, have been thinking that whoever YOSHIKI end up inviting to the project, they must be of the older era J-Rocker crowd. Since YOSHIKI's X Japan, SUGIZO's LUNA SEA, Gackt's Malice Mizer were all bands that reached their prominence in that late 80's to 2000 time span.
But, something that happened just yesterday made me reconsider.
Enter miyavi.
Here, I will quote the wonderful LJ community masakarasu's translation of miyavi's video message from his blog entry yesterday (December 30). He had just returned to Japan from Los Angeles.
He said that he has something he wants to tell everyone, but not in a text, rather in a comment, in person, right there as he's tired, as he's wanting to tell everyone.
He said it's been four years since his old band broke up, and he debuted as a soloist in 2002. Being in a band was amazing, as it was said in magazines as well, but it didn't work out and he had to go solo. And now it's been four years, and it's all thanks to everyone. He said he's really feels that from his heart.
He said he thought that soccer and being in a band were over for him, but that next year, he's thinking of being in a band, playing guitar. He found an amazing guy (older than him), and he thought he'd like to try screaming in the background once again (laugh), so he hopes we look forward to it.
He can't say who's going to be in the band yet, but he hopes that they can in the new year. He's sorry for making everyone, especially Comiyavi, wait for so long this year, so that's why he decided to make a comment.
But of course, he still wants to continue his solo act as a solo artist, so he wants everyone to look forward to it.
He said he'll be working on pre-productions and he's thinking about going back to Los Angeles again, and he knows everyone's going to miss him but he's still going to play guitar, doing neo-visualism.
Los Angeles? An older musician? 2007? Right after the announcement of SUGIZO's involvement in the YOSHIKI+Gackt project? This is too much of a coincidence to be coincidental. Meeves, you're up to something!
Before you think, "has YOSHIKI lost his marbles?", consider this further. Yes, miyavi would be like a pipsqueak next to J-Rock legends YOSHIKI and SUGIZO. But the man is damn talented on the guitar. And let's not forget YOSHIKI's shrewd business sense. With the project's current lineup, the band will draw a huge audience from the mainstream pop world because of Gackt. YOSHIKI and SUGIZO will attract the fans of the older era J-Rock bands nostalgic to experience the magic once again. And if miyavi joins the fun, he will bring to the table the younger, visual kei-following crowd. The project won't just be a "let's resurrect the J-Rock dinosaurs", but "let's create a band that will encompass and appeal to all tastes and ages". It'll be the supreme band of the century.
Of course, many also worry that by having so many prominent musicians on board, the entire world is not enough for their egos combined. It'll be like a powder keg, ready to self-destruct at the smallest spark. Yet, I'm comforted by the fact that the band members themselves are aware of this and will work to overcome such obstacles. I remain optimistic about the collaboration and look forward to the final product.
In SUGIZO's words, “Look out for high-impact, explosive rock music." (tsukinoshita)
1. Ultimate Lover [listen]
1. Ultimate Lover / Despite the funny title, this is a suprisingly gorgeous, moving song. It reaches out and tugs at one's heartstrings with the tender, loving chorus. I was rooted to the spot, entranced as ASAGI poured his soul into the moment while the rest of the band echoed back his words. It's stunning how this created such a strong emotional connection with me. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
This single was distributed at D's Shibuya Koukaidou concert on December 6. I can only hope this song was performed so that I'll be able to experience it live once the DVD is released.
Kagrra,'s new album cover and tracklist have been revealed on the official website. The cover art is really gorgeous. It's not Fukaya's work, but still, I love it. I believe it's done by Izumi, because I remember seeing an unfinished version with only the tree on his blog (it's cool of him to showcase bits of his artworks once in a while there). I actually don't mind at all if Kagrra, dropped Fukaya in favor of Izumi. What band wouldn't let its own drummer do its graphic design if the said drummer obviously has the talent for it?
To my disappointment, the new album really will have only 9 tracks. Two of which have already been released as singles. So, we only get 7 new songs. They should call this a mini-album, and price accordingly. -_-
And here's the tracklist. I'm really annoyed that the official site made the entire webpage an image. So, I have to type all this out myself instead of just copy-and-paste. Numbers 1-3 use the "formalized" kanji to match the official site. I've also romanized the titles for ease of reading.
壱. うたかた (Utakata)
弐. さようなら (Sayounara)
参. 風 (Kaze)
四. 維新 (Ishin)
五. 破戒 (Hakai)
六. 運命の系 (Sadame no Ito)
七. 「叫び」 (Sakebi)
八. 霞んだ冬の向こうに、、、(Kasunda Fuyu no Mukou Ni...)
九. 雫 (Shizuku)
The official site actually didn't provide the furigana for track 8. I'm pretty sure it's correct, but I'll revise it if it's proven otherwise. I'm surprised that Isshi, the kanji freak, didn't go overboard with obscure kanji this time. :D
176BIZ is a young band formed in early 2006, consisting of Yuu on vocals (ex. Never Crazy), Setsuki on guitar (ex. Karen), Toki on guitar (used to be known as Tsubasa, ex. PANIC☆ch), Tara on bass (ex. PANIC☆ch), and Kasumi on drums (ex. Gimmick). Both Karen and PANIC☆ch were bands popular enough that I've come across their names regularly in the J-Rock community, even though I've never heard of their music and know next to nothing about them. Given my unfamiliarity with the former bands of 176BIZ members, I normally would unlikely have given them a try if it hadn't been for the DANGER V all stars live sponsored by Danger Crue, 176BIZ's record label.
As I've already mentioned in my previous post, Danger Crue bands like SID and girugamesh figure prominently in my music collection. Gail of Himitsu and I are big SID fans; of course we both talked about the all star live event in our blogs. She specifically mentioned liking 176BIZ's music in her post. Since we have very similar taste in J-Rock, this is enough to have piqued my curiosity. So, off I went to find some 176BIZ music to try out.
Dekiai (溺哀) was the first song I came cross. MUCC fans would find that parts of this song to bear striking similarities with Zetsubou (絶望). But, Dekiai's vocal meody is vastly different and in my opinion, reasonate much better than Zetsubou.
But, I noticed more similarities between 176BIZ and other bands. While watching the Dekiai PV, I found that vocalist Yuu's mannerism kept on reminding me of Shou, the vocalist of alice nine.. Both have that particular way of lifting their shoulders, turning their heads, and certain facial expressions are similar as well. Yuu's outfit and styling wouldn't make him look out of place in alice nine.'s Akatsuki PV, either.
I don't quite know what to think of 176BIZ yet. If you diagram the bands I've mentioned in this post in terms of visual and musical style, 176BIZ would end up smack in the middle. It soaks in little bits of other bands and doesn't really have an unique, identifying style of its own. Yet, I must admit that I do find 176BIZ's music to be pleasant to listen to. I like their sound, but too bad this sound lacks innovation. 176BIZ needs to define itself clearly. Sounding like other bands and not having any differenciating factor just won't do in the long term.
Has everyone had a good Christmas? I feel so scatter-minded and lethargic, must be the holidays. This post will be a collection of bits of J-Rock news because it doesn't require me to think.
One.
D will release their Tafel Anatomie Tour Final at Shibuya Koukaidou DVD on March 14, 2007. Isn't this their first live DVD? I look forward to seeing "Leukocyte" and "Glow in the sun" performed live.
Two.
alice nine. will release their new maxi single on March 21. I haven't been too pleased with their two post-Zekkeishoku singles. Yes, that NUMBER SIX. movie was endearing. I admit I was pleased at seeing Saga acting like a bitch <3. But dudes, while it's important to make your fangirls happy, focus on your music a bit more please. I hope the band can step it up with the new songs.
Three.
Ah yes, the Danger Crue "DANGER V" all stars concert at Budokan was yesterday. Danger Crue has quite a number of high profile artists (high profile in my book, that is) in its lineup, like SID, girugamesh, MUCC, Creature Creature, plus L'Arc~en~Ciel members' solo projects (Ken, tetsu, S.O.A.P.). According to a lovely member of the SID LJ Community, HYDE performed too. What? I don't remember seeing his name on the set list! And isn't he on another sub-label of Sony, Haunted Records?!
Now Danger Crue, be smart and release a live DVD of this concert. I guarantee you that this DVD will be a hit among the fans. Don't let this opportunity to make even more money pass you by! Besides, I want to see that fanservice between Aki of SID and Miya of MUCC. (All I know is that they got "reaaaaally friendly", but details man, I want details!)
Four.
This is completely trivial, I know. But, Gazette has revealed their new look for the Hyena single (coming in February). What can I say, Ruki's pimp look rocks. But after that photoshoot, Ruki got rid of his dreads. Uruha has returned to showing off his thighs. Poor man, even though he doesn't like exposing so much of his legs, he's pressured into dressing that way anyway because he has to meet fangirls' expectations.
Five.
As a follow-up to my previous post about KISAKI, he apologized on his blog and reassured fans that UNDER CODE will be fine. Yada, yada, yada. Since I had a week to cool down and it looks like the penalties only apply to KISAKI, not UNDER CODE, I'm not so upset over this anymore. VIDOLL, rock on!
Random and Unrelated:
Ahh! America's Ballroom Challenge just finished on PBS. It freaking ruled. I still think the smooth dance couple should have won the final championship though.
KISAKI prosecuted for 46-million-yen tax evasion
I. Don't. Fucking. Believe. This.
I'm so pissed, disappointed, crushed right now. GOD DAMMIT!
Tax-fucking-evasion?! Transferring earnings from music sales and lives into his own family account?
What the bloodiest of bloody hells was the man thinking?! How will this affect UNDER CODE and Phantasmagoria's future? He's probably slammed by both criminal and civil suits, and I don't even know by how many counts. He better hire a good lawyer (assuming he can also appeal, how the heck does it work in Japan anyway?) or this incident might screw over a lot of people. I hope the penalties don't bankrupt him. Compensatory damages (46 mil. yen), punitive damages (64 mil. yen), attorney fees (whatever that is), maybe even prison time and/or fines (if the criminal suit also applies), what a fun picnic.
PS: I'm not using the term "suit" correctly in the legal sense, but I don't think anyone would throw a fit over it.
Translation of the article by Elec can be found here.
Another translation summary can be found at jrocknyc.
Edit 2:
Upon another round of reading this article, it appears that this is Wakayama District v. KISAKI, instead of Wakayama District v. UNDER CODE PRODUCTION or Wakayama District v. Phantasmagoria. So hopefully, neither the label or the band will be affected (maybe except in reputation).
Edit 3:
Something's still nagging at me, because it looks like what KISAKI had done is also embezzlement. It'll be freaking ironic if UNDER CODE sues KISAKI for fraud, that is... assuming KISAKI isn't on the company's board of directors or he gets out-voted at the board meeting. If I were in UNDER CODE board's position and a bitch to boot, sueing KISAKI would be exactly what I plan to do.
Duel Jewel's recent PV to accompany their single, Aishuu Melancholia, should in reality be called, "Hayato impersonates Gackt - Not only does he sound like him, he now looks like him!".
See evidence.
Well, the PV itself is on the boring side, nothing much but the boys standing there (sometimes sitting there) looking pretty and in Hayato's case, looking like Gackt. But, this resemblence thing is still hilarious. Thank god Hayato didn't try to dance. I'd have to laugh myself silly if Gackt had passed his dancing ability to him, too.
Hayato, the Gackt clone, coming to a store near you!
By now, the news has spread throughout the J-Rock community.
- Phantasmagoria's guitarist Iori and drummer Matoi will be leaving the band in February of next year.
- Phantasmagoria will pause all activities after Iori and Matoi's departure.
- KISAKI, Riku, and Jun will pursue their solo projects during the band's hiatus.
I'm disappointed, yet not devastated by the news. Because I've only begun following Phantasmagoria recently, I haven't had enough time to emotionally invest in the band. I like their music well enough. But to tell you the truth, if you handed me a picture of Phantasmagoria, I'd only be able to name KISAKI and Riku. It's a real shame that I shall never be able to get to know the band better. On the bright side, KISAKI had said that the band's going on hiatus, not breaking up. There's still that small ray of hope that Phantasmagoria can recover, much like VIDOLL did after it too lost 2 members.
On the other hand, if Gazette or Kagrra, ever go on hiatus or heaven forbid, disband, I'll... I'll throw myself off a cliff!
That wasn't supposed to be taken literally.
I'll just be badly heartbroken.
Edit:
Is it just me, or does KISAKI seriously have bad luck when it comes to his own bands? He left La:Sadies in 1997, and out of the ashes of that band, emerged Dir en grey. Did he ever kick himself for leaving Kyo, Kaoru, Die, and Shinya?
None of his musical projects lasted more than 2-3 years. I don't even know why his Matina label got dissolved in the first place (while he manages UNDER CODE, I don't think he actually owns it, does he?).
Damn. I wish things would go well for him, for once.
Below is copied word-for-word from the e-mail I just received from Free-Will America. The mistake you see below isn't mine. :D
Due to the increased demand we are pleased the announce that two additional tour dates have been added for Dir en grey's North American tour.
Dir en grey Tour07 Inward Scream (new dates)
2/24/2007 - Los Angeles, CA at the Avalon
2/25/2007 - San Francisco, CA at The FilmoreTickets go on sale Thursday 12/21 at 5pm. There will also be an advance ticket sale for these concerts on Monday 12/18 at 5pm. However only a very limited number of tickets will be offered during the advance ticket sale
Advanced "presale" ticket link here (on sale 12/18 at 5pm)
Those living in the area, rejoice!
1. 包帯天使-head ache- (Houtai Tenshi-head ache-) [listen]
1. 包帯天使-head ache- / This is a song with a most aptly named title. Why? Because it gives ME a bloody headache, that's why. The shrilling vocals stabs at my brain and causes hemorrhage. Listening to this song make me think of some spiky animal on a rampage, jabbing everything in its path. The meaningless, jarring melody doesn't help matters a bit.
This is the first single released by hurts, the newest band signed to UNDER CODE PRODUCTION. If this song is what defines the band's sound, I'm certain that I won't like hurts at all. Dissonance to the infinity power just isn't my type of music.
