January '10 VK Reviews

Phew. Made it right on time by nicking a few hours on 1st February! Yikes O_O TWELVE REVIEWS?! *shakes head*

Title: IN PHYSICAL *AWEFUCKINGSOME* Band: Ken (of L'Arc~en~Ciel) Verdict: 5 stars. I vote he should leave Laruku and continue as a solo artist then produce more bands. What an absolute kickass album. Unhampered by his band's emo-punk style, these self-produced songs are stylish and classy. One of the best releases from 2009 (and last decade). Go for: 'ETERNAL REST', 'IN PHYSICAL', 'SAVE ME' and practically everything in this album! xD

Title: Metamorphosis *AWEFUCKINGSOME* Band: DEAD END Verdict: 4.5 stars. Morrie is by far the most sturdy vocalist with hardly any break in prowess after what... almost 30 years? Here's some info on them just to prove my point. If you think veteran bands should stay away from making a comeback and further embarrass themselves like X Japan, spend some time to listen to this and be pleasantly amazed. It's bound to make you swear off all those teeth-gnashing new metal-slash-hiphop stuff that younger bands have been spewing -- if only for awhile. Because they totally bring back metal in Japanese rock. And it's been a few months for me to actually hear something worth repeating beside Ken's album thus I'm also awarding this with a Best of 2009 trophy. Go for: 'Guillotine', 'Shinen', 'Dress Burning', 'Kill Me Baby', 'Devil Sleep', 'Meigou'.

Title: 羅針盤 (Rashinban) Band: Shinkou Shuukyou Gakudan NoGoD Verdict: 3.5 stars. Spunky and fresh. Yeah, a tad weird to describe it this way but their expert songwriting is really unique as opposed to other rising indie bands. After a year plus, I've familiarised with Danchou's high pitch as something he's good at *unplugs earbuds*. Handling ballads and metal riffs like nobody's business, these talented boys are progressing really fast and looks like they'll be debuting under a major label this year probably after March. So I'm looking forward to that. Go for: 'Ring-a Ring-o', 'Mr.HEAVEN', 'Hakoniwa'.

	Title: Gain Band: Sadie Verdict: 1.5 stars. Nothing spectacular from this new mini. I can't even think up something nice to say. Ick... Just listen to 'Regret' and skip the others. Go for: 'Regret'.

Title: Canticum Band: forbidden days of rhapsody Verdict: 3 stars. Mika has returned to the foray as the frontman, bassist and programmer of this electronica-metal project. And omaigawd he got fellow ex-Rentrer bandmate Shun to join him *dies happy*. Cough. Beautiful songs, by the way. Another plus point would be featuring vocalist, Rui, who suddenly came into everyone's radar with his powerful voice. The mixing is beyond exquisite and should be listened to using superior headphones because 2 weeks ago I put this on speaker and thought it sucked. Oops. Go for: 'REFILL' (inst), 'HANDCUFF', 'IN DELIRIUM' (inst).

	Title: 神羅万象 -摂理- (Shinrabansho -Setsuri-) Band: XodiacK Verdict: 1.5 stars. Guh. What happened to them? And what kind of production is this? Choppy songwriting and horrible quality -- It's as if they recorded in a garage all in one day. Go for: 'Kimi ni Furu Zetsubou no Ame'.

Title: JUBILEE -Method of Inheritance- *HOT* Band: Versailles Verdict: 4 stars. In memory of Jasmine You, I couldn't help sighing and remembering their first album which practically bled your ears with high speed guitar riffs. I'm not entirely fond of the gay Waltz-like strings in 'Reminisce' and tame 'Amorphous'. Granted this is their first major album so it's possible they turned down their intensity a notch somewhat? Nevertheless, this is a good album that benefits a HOT tag because they have their production down to pat. Excellent work! And pay attention to 'Serenade' for the underlying meaning. [Random note: Silly me, I only found out last month that Teru was from Aikaryuu. SLOW, Arfah!] Go for: 'PRINCESS -Revival of Church-', 'Serenade', 'gekkakou', 'Catharsis'.

Title: us. *HOT* Band: the Underneath Verdict: 4 stars. Another 2009 album I overlooked. A little bit of everything can be found here: some old-Laruku, some AliceNine, some Inoran, some Pierrot. And I LOVE it. To death. So now when I'm completely digging it, they announce that they're disbanding! What a shame. Technically, this is their last album but not their final goodbye since they'll release a maxi single in March. One more good band bites the dust. Go for: 'Chou no Koe -The scream of the butterfly-', 'Insomnia', 'Aria', 'Ghost in the Mirror'.

Title: ABINGDON ROAD *AWEFUCKINGSOME* Band: abingdon boys school Verdict: 5 stars. They deliver us the goods on a gold platter (again). Yet they still cheat us by releasing too many good singles. I counted only 5 new songs. Hey but nothing and nobody can deny the greatness of this album. No huge cult hit as of yet although I'm pitting my money on the severely angsty 'Siren' against the snazzy 'PINEAPPLE ARMY'. Check out the Valkyrie remix, man. Go for: 'PINEAPPLE ARMY', 'Siren', 'Kimi no Uta', 'From Dusk Til Dawn', 'STRENGTH.' and yeaaah anything and everything.

Title: LASTICA Band: Karasu Verdict: 2.5 stars. I kinda have an image of them riding Harleys while cruising down Vegas in all-black leather outfits. Well, they've got the clothes right. Yet the song lacks the punch in the gut feel I normally get from Tats. And the repeating melody is tiresome after 4-5 runs. Not betting anything on karasu for now although they are pretty compatible with each other. Go for: Obviously 'Lastica' because they only have 1 song.

	Title: Monad Band: Vidoll Verdict: 2 stars. Hm. Not really for me. *yawn* Decent, but definitely isn't what I thought I could expect. Vidoll is quite an old band so why are they making platonic half-fluff like DuelJewel? I think I'll just stick to fluff from SID or Ayabie. Go for: 'Darwinism', 'hot cage remix'.

Title: 彩-irodori- Band: Ayabie Verdict: 3 stars. Ooh. This new change gets an approving nod from me. They've shrugged off their bubblegum poprock musical style to a mature blend of their signature oshare-kei with something I can't quite put a finger on. 'GAME' is highly addictive! Go for: 'GAME', 'Aitakute', 'Canary'.

VK Night Out 1 update

It was fun! We should do this more often. But then that'd mean I'll have to download more concerts, ne?

Alice Nine is a talented bunch, actually. My bad for dissing them all this while. ^^;;

Luna Sea. Ohhh Luna Sea. I will never tire watching your reunion concert. In fact it always somehow tears me up inside that you guys are no longer together. But... all breakups lead to truer love, imo. Sugizo's  actively saving the Earth and spreading his Divaness self onto so many different projects. Shinya's, well, still the unsung King of Drummers. J is seriously successful now and and and his marriage (sorry Farah, I forgot he got hitched this year). Ryuichi is happily married and bounced back to the correct path with Tourbillon. And thanks to Ryu, Inoran is not all alone anymore.

Next band? Hmmmmmm what do you we rock out to abingdon boys school? Mish, when are you free? 8D

Visual Kei sleepovers

Since Fridays are 'Whee No Work!' days this month and Mish is on holiday, lets have Visual Kei concert screenings? I have Luna Sea and Luna Sea and SUGIZO and abingdon boys school and Rentrer en Soi (and X Japan if anyone is interested in old men).

I'm willing to share fandoms :)

August VK Reviews

Title: Ain Soph Aur *AWEFUCKINGSOME* Band: RENTRER EN SOI Verdict: 4.5 stars. 3 years ago, having a weakness for strong vocalists, Satsuki's lyrical prose and emotive voice inspired me to follow them. Their guitar play and compositions changed drastically throughout their 6 year stint. Highlighted in this compilation are hits from the effeminate (pre-) Sphire Croid era with songs like the wondrous "Shinwa", "Full Moon" and "Eyes of Forest" which I have only begun to familiarize with. Their later major albums started the expansion to Europe based tours and at that time RES' music swerved to angura-kei territory with "THE ABYSS OF DESPAIR", "I HATE MYSELF AND WANT TO..." and "PROTOPLASM". The crown definitely goes to their 2008 works especially "STIGMATA" and "Last Scene" which in their final year happens to be their finest products. 32 of their best hits will not revive them, no matter how many times I replay this. They held so much promise that it's a shame for Visual Kei to lose one of its better bands. RES' powerful combination could've outdone so many bands of recent times that lack the quality they had. But they were ill fated to break during their prime. Sigh. Go for: 'Shinwa', 'STIGMATA', 'LAST WORD [ ]', 'Last Scene', 'JUST MAD PAIN', 'wither', 'JUDE', 'Eyes of Forest', 'I HATE MYSELF AND WANT TO...', 'Full Moon'. New songs: 'STAY GOLD' & 'Tsuki ga Maioriru Koto no Nai Daichi'.

Title: UROBOROS Delux Unplugged Disk (First Press Limited Edition) Band: Dir en grey Verdict: 4 stars. Honestly there ain't much to review about this disk except that the four unpolished songs are definitely out of character. What you have here is Kyo's crisp voice bleeding your ears off (in a good way). The amount of changes he's screwed his voice over has culminated into this ingenious and mature style which I can't help but be grateful for. The packaging is a beauty in brooding black and red. And weighing at almost 2 kg, I lugged this back home on the LRT with a crick in my left shoulder for 2 days! But it and the bargain price are so worth it. I only need to figure out what to do with the LP records... *sweatdrops* Go for: -

Title: under-world Band: Merry Verdict: 1.5 stars. I downloaded this in February right before my old PC went kaput and after I recently successfully got to save all that data, I thought "Yay! Something to review in early August" but uhm I remember now why I don't like Merry. There are a few acceptable songs only because the rest is poorly written and leaves you wishing they'd pick up a few copycat abilities. They used to be monotonous and boring. But now this album is just unbelievably lazy. Go for: 'Piranha', 'Canary', '[human farm]'.

+ Bonus review: I’ve been unable to download Luna Sea’s GOD BLESS YOU concert for a year so when I found this cough pirated version at Amcorp Mall... (Insert squealing fangirl). Had I not felt the inexplicable pull to enter the pirated DVD shop I always ignore, I guess until forever oso I wouldn’t be able to watch the full concert. Since it’s expensive and it’s in sucky Region 1! Sigh. Anyway, since I’d already spazzed about the performances here, I’ll only spazz review on the DVD aspect and features.

Title: GOD BLESS YOU ~One Night Déjàvu~ DVD*AWEFUCKINGSOME* Band: LUNA SEA Verdict: 5 stars. The lighting, the passionate crowd, the unseen moments and sheer brilliance of the production captured in this DVD is the best way to experience a Luna Sea concert. There are almost no areas left untended by cameramen and seeing how vast the minimalist stage is, pretty amazing shots of the band and pans of the whole stage are abundant. I just love the swift camera work: plenty of close-ups on those legendary twirls and spins by J and Ino and oooh the beautiful shots with one or two members (especially when Sugizo and Ino are at the wings) aligned in the background of the same frame while Ryu gets emo in the foreground. I also really love the amount of screen time Inoran is given here *pinches his cheeks*. The ‘Miracle at Holy Night' TV broadcast of the concert has a couple of missing content here and there. So now I finally get to see the Shinya drum solo get rescued by J's rowdy bass solo and then the performances for "Fate" and "Mother". I've seen the cut-down version of this concert for the nth time and this DVD twice, but it hasn't become stale and I doubt it ever will be. So if anyone wants to try listening to Luna Sea, I'd suggest them to watch this first rather than downloading their full discography (I can pinjamkan too). The perfection of this concert will bowl you over, I promise. Go for: 'Rosier', 'Déjàvu', 'Desire', 'TONIGHT', 'Fate', 'Breathe'.

Title: Kimi no Uta PV *HOT* Band: abingdon boys school Verdict: 5 stars. YES! A hot new song to go with an equally hot PV. 10 seconds into the intro and you instinctively know these folks won't be disappointing you this time. I love the burnished tint and the Babylon-esque ruins as if abs dropped into a Lost-slash-Transformers movie set. Even the whole wind whipping works wonders with their cool hoodies. Can't wait for the new single AND album. Go for: -

Celebratin' the VK Festival in October...

...at home, wallowing while packing for my Japan trip since I'll only be departing on that 24th October. At least I should be packing on that day because we haven't even gotten confirmation from the tour agent.

Sorry lah Ah Jess, I can't kidnap Hiroto for you. Wish I could be there to kidnap other people as well but looking at the ticket price pun I feel like dying already.

V-ROCK FESTIVAL 09

The lineup looks pretty amazing.

Saturday's highlights: abingdon boys school, D'espairsRay, Angelo (to hear Kirito live!), PENICILLIN, Sex Machineguns. You don't get this much old-school in joint cons anymore so it'd be cool. And hey, Marilyn Manson?

Sunday's look more fun tho: Kagrra,, DuelJewel, existtrace, Gazette, LM.C, Sadie, Versailles.

Naaaaasib baik MUCC is not listed, Luna Sea and Rentrer en Soi are disbanded and um Yoshiki just had his surgery otherwise Sugizo would be there.

All About the Money

If only that lump of bucks I got in my sleep would materialise into my hand right now. RM3K. CASH. *has sweet brief flashes of the dream*

NOT a good way to wake up, no? My first thought as I woke was how this lucid dream is so going to be a bad omen. And hey, I just knew it!

Got lumped (not with moneyh!) with so many ad hoc jobs that I swore my brain was on auto must-finish-each-item-in-30-mins mode. Which is... good, I suppose, considering I managed to clear 'em up pretty fast so I wouldn't be at the end of the Scary Lady's jabs yet again.

I'm babbling! :S

Anyway, abingdon boys school's new single is out! LIKE, FINALLY. Sounds awesomely better than their previous idontevenrememberthetitle single. This is probably the only nicest thing to come out of Jrock-dom this week :D Well, minus Diru's latest concert vids.

*Totally ignores SUGIZO's 'announcement' of officially joining X JAPAN*

Jrock's been chugging slower these days. Why lar?

Thank you KinKi-san for being here when I need you~

Oh and thank you Farah for ranting/spazzing on MSN and Mish for loyally reading my pathetic blog.

January VK Reviews (+ 1 Jpop)

Uiihh. I almost fell asleep while cleaning up my tags. =_= Old age. Maa~ maa~ Let's round up this month's music reviews:

Title: 空と糸 (Sora to Ito)
Band: MUCC
Verdict: 3 stars. So maybe I had expected too much of another 'Ageha' after a loong wait. This new single is solid especially with Miya's sexy chorus, but it doesn't deliver that same punch. Hey, PV is out! And to top it all off, I'm already heady anticipating their album in March. PFFFT SOMEBODY GIMME MONEYH.
Go for: -

Title: 約束 (Yakusoku) *HOT*
Band: KinKi Kids
Verdict: 4 stars. Such a beautifully sad song. I assume their vocals aren't strong here in order to portray the 'Guy-gives-up-on-love-when-girlfriend-strays'. Hearing it live is even better. Oh yeah, this is so fangirl-bias.
Go for: Truthfully, I could only stomach 'Yakusoku' and 'Loving'. The other two tracks are bleh.

Title: GHOST
Band: Gackt
Verdict: 4 stars. Not baaad. This guy finally ditched all those lame 10 minutes sappy shit and came back with stuff he really should be doing esp. his previous single 'Jesus' (which I haven't listened to yet).
Go for: Both tracks 'GHOST' and 'Blue Lagoon ~shinkai~'.

Title: vesperbell. *AWEFUCKINGSOME*
Band: kei
Verdict: 5 stars. Wha-WHO?? kannivalism member? Hmm can't say I listened to them before, but this kei guy is EXTREMELY talented in a certain Sugizo + Inoran + Jinkaku Radio way! To sum it all up, all three songs are completely sweet, completely dear and completely cool. You have to try it.
Go for: 'vesperbell.', 'pitiful emotional picture.' , '4letter word.' (yes, with the dots)

Title: As
Band: 12012
Verdict: 2 stars. Right. Ignore this song if you've never heard their songs and go try 'Aitai Kara' instead.
Go for: 'flower'.

Title: STRENGTH (anime Soul Eater ED)
Band: abingdon boys school
Verdict: 4.5 stars. The TV rip doesn't do justice. But damn if they can ever make a bad song. :DD
Go for: -

SMK (L) Abingdon

Before I start with the review, let me borrow a word from DiGi's advertisements: FUIYOH! Oh man, that's the best expression I can come up with to describe how incredible this darned concert is. You simply can NOT not enjoy 1 hour and 45 minutes of sublime awesomeness by these four men regardless whether you've heard their songs or no.

[caption id="attachment_530" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="(L-R) SUNAO, Takanori, Kishi, Shibasaki"][/caption]

The DVD covers their final Zepp Tokyo performance interspersed with cut scenes from other concert venues so prepare to be wowed out of your socks. The segmenting between songs change are smooth, the setting is plain and simple with only a huge backdrop of their insignia, there's numerous camera pan-ins on the whole stage and the crazy audience, and then there's the band themselves!

Takanori is an amazing vocalist and a capable MC who can throw a really good rock concert. He has fun screaming, jumping and dancing around throughout the performance and seldom hits a wrong note. He runs out of breath during 'LOST REASON' but picks up quickly after that.

[caption id="attachment_531" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="SUNAO embodies raw power and is responsible for the edgy riffs"][/caption]

SUNAO and Shibasaki bring the heavies notably on 'HOWLING', 'NERVOUS BREAKDOWN' and 'Fre@k Show'. Shibasaki is justified as the better guitarist (eh since he wrote most of the tracks) but he falters quite a bit on his leads and loses his stamina nearing the second half. SUNAO then takes up the lead as his songs are slotted towards the end. Pretty balanced tracklist.

[caption id="attachment_532" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Shibasa injects complex fingerworkin' into his songs"][/caption]

Leader-san Kishi is the brain of the band (Takanori is the heart, of course) and holds his presence strong on the techno & piano parts. I especially love his intro on 'Via Dolorosa' and bridge on my favouritest song, 'DESIRE'.

[caption id="attachment_534" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Dancing and swaying to their infectious music"][/caption]

The encore is finally saved for Buck-Tick's and Luna Sea's covers. Omg 'Sweetest Coma Again'... They just made me severely rethink that LS song. Heheh. Well, there's no part of this concert that anyone can hate. They are just so damn good at this, even with it being their first official tour. Built from a background of experienced musicians, I'd say they are ridiculously too humble for their own good!

[caption id="attachment_535" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Say goodbye to diva S.K.I.N and kowtow to the masters!"][/caption]

Oh! The English dubbed documentary, which is only available with the limited release, shows the backstage clips of the quartet. Endless funnies courtesy of Takanori and Shibasa. Apparently TAKUYA∞ from UVERworld was the rap substitute in 'LOST REASON' at other concert venues while MICRO only came in for this Tokyo leg.

Tak Menyempat

Ngh. I only just realised that my abs Japan Concert torrent is DONE but I can't watch it now because I'm too sleepy and I need to have enough 'shutdown' hours in order to wake up at 6 o'clock which would mean I'll have to wait 3 days to actually see it... *whines*

Once I get back from Singapore, I swear I'm going to rush straight home. Please wait for meh, abingdon boys school!

overspent x_x

i pray that Shinhwa oppa deul will forgive me for the sins i have done. *chews on fingernails* the introvert-shopper in me was caught purchasing several items that may or may not cause setbacks to my Seoul Trip Budget (let's name it STB).

you see, with my STB plan in motion, i vowed not to indulge in materialistic endeavours apart from spending on food and necessities.

now look what i bought within just a period of TWO days! T_T

1. L'Arc~en~Ciel's KISS CD - it was only selling for RM60 which would've cost a TON if i bought it off YesAsia. i swear i really thought it through instead of just grabbing it off the shelf and running to the counter (who am i convincing?)


2. CDData November issue - erm, i was feeling a tad excited yesterday frolicking in Kinokuniya's newly renovated Japanese corner. besides, it has abingdon boys school and Luna Sea featured... *feels guilt pricking on skin*


3. Korean to English dictionary - aha! i need this! i really really needed this. ahahahahaha. -_-

i'm not even sure how much i spent for the past 2 months. God knows what my total savings amount is since i haven't gone to any Public Bank branch yet. clever, Arfah, clever!

mayhaps the splurging was due to the full moon? <-- what a stupid excuse.

before i forget, i'd like to wish a HAPPY YULETIDE to all my beloved friends, acquaintances and oppas *points to those six guys and one other man*.

anyway, i'm in the midst of finishing my new Luna Sea Skin. errrr this was an unplanned skin, and i have like 3 or 4 skins that i should have finished 6 months ago. siiigh. couldn't very well pass up the chance to do a tribute to their concert last night, ne?

a jrock hope

caution: this is a Jrock Rant session, so you may skip this entry if you'd like. i've been bogged down by the a.b.s. fever for the past week! this may perhaps turn out to be my second Saviour (while the first was Gazette).

amidst the revival and reunions of pioneer bands like Luna Sea and X Japan, there is Hope yet still which has emerged from the contriteness in this current generation's Jrock scene. and when each band gets younger and younger......

kowtow to abingdon boys school (aka a.b.s.), an uprising band that has got everyone abuzz with it's spanking riffs and fresh lease of life to alternative/ progressive music.

their debut album that shares the same name ("abingdon boys school") is full of spunk and edginess, coupled with clever (read: comprehendable English) lyrics and impressive skill.

i was influenced into them by jrocknyc's blog when he cited that a.b.s. is his biggest regret - for not liking them earlier. horrifyingly, i too had been denying the existence of a.b.s. when everyone else had blabbed on and on about them. i mean, alice nine was praised too but i don't even like that band. :P

anyway, a.b.s. has TM Revolution as vocalist (YESH! that same fella who sang 'HEART OF SWORD' for Rurouni Kenshin yearsssss ago), Sunao on guitar, Hiroshi Shibasaki on bass and Toshiyuki Kishi as programmer. they may not actually make a pretty picture cos they're so frigging old, and the image of them donning boarding school uniforms can turn some people off.. but imo old people can rock better. ahahaha!

their nifty marketing technique using the school boy theme also extends to their PVs which are so cool compared to recent trends for goth/death/punk *cough cough*. it's a sheer delight to see old people (teehee) rockin' out and making excellent and tasteful rock music. :D