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leeched a complete D discog and track by track, starting with 2004, my former impression of a ~talented bijuaru underdog band~ that I had bc. of a couple good singles here and there is shattered to slivers, liiiike they were unbelievably mediocre since day 1 and that recent album is not even much of a downgrade from ~bara no abortion — La Art No Uno Asked Féur~

that wasn't supposed to be an adult diaper pun im sorry

This is the future of VK, guys. Soak it up.

2017 S.K.I.N.

Nixit's twitter lists him as VEXENT support, so maybe he'll join them soon.

moshi-moshi, u called hunny?

Greetings, monochromians and netizens at large! I'm a bit late, but here are my top 20 Favorite Albums (and mini-albums) of 2016. In this list, I've made no distinction between Japanese and International releases, since I enjoyed much fewer non-Japanese albums in 2016 than usual. I usually never bother ranking my AOTY lists, but I wanted to give it a shot this year for fun. I do think the rankings reflect my general sentiments in a way, but...don't read too much into them lol. XD Lastly, Please note that this list isn't meant to be some kind of objective statement on the music released last year - this is simply a recollection of the albums I enjoyed most in 2016. So have a look around, and if you have any thoughts to share, please feel free! (I also made some short audio samples for each track, for those who might be curious!) Let's get into it! 20 The Heart Speaks In Whispers by Corinne Bailey Rae While this album didn't entirely live up to the lofty expectations set by 2010's The Sea, there was still a lot here for me to enjoy! Corinne dabbled in her usual pop fare, but it was the strong, classic r&b and soul influences throughout the record that truly struck a chord. I adore her usually refined and elegant approach to songwriting, but it was great to hear her stretch those fantastic vocal chords and really go for it at times too. 19 SECRETS by Deep Sea Diver At the risk of sounding like a complete and utter weeb, I must admit that's it's been incredibly difficult for me to find American indie-rock bands that cater to my taste. There are, of course, some that I enjoy, but on the whole, few seem to possess the kind of rhythmic and melodic sensibilities that I go for. Seattle's Deep Sea Diver are an exception, though. They're certainly not innovators by any means, but they do have an understated quirkiness that I find extremely charming! 18 TAXIS by koh nakashima I'm a bit surprised that there's not much mention of this guy in the Western Jpop sphere. For me, he's been one of the most impressive and promising newcomers to hit the scene. He seemingly came out of nowhere, dropping two EPs - RAFT and TAXIS - just a few months apart. I found TAXIS especially appealing for its nostalgic, yet refreshing blend of house, city-pop, uk garage, and pop. This also gets extra points for being one of the few releases where me and @beni's taste actually converge! 17 NIPPONNO ONNAWO UTAU BEST by NakamuraEmi Speaking of nostalgia - NakamuraEmi also won me over with an acoustic-pop style that hearkens back to early 00's jpop. Though, like Koh Nakashima, she brings a hip flair to her music and even skillfully incorporates a rap flow at times; which is something of a normal occurrence in Jpop these days thanks to acts like daoko and suiyoubi no campanella. Funnily enough, "NIPPONNO ONNAWO UTAU BEST" is simultaneously Nakamura's major debut while also serving as a best-of album for her indie material. This was my first experience with her (as it probably was for most people), and I'm nothing short of impressed. She already has a well established sound, honed from years of toiling away in obscurity, and I can't wait to hear what's next for her. 16 Word in the Petals by CHERRYBOY FUNCTION Unless you're some kind of Japanese club music aficionado, then chances are you probably haven't heard of CHERRYBOY FUNCTION. Hell, even if you're just a casual fan of electronica, coming across him or his music is unlikely given his sufficiently weak social network game and scanty remix work. Yet despite this, he's been quietly cranking out his bleeps & bloops via the small record label ExT Recordings for about a decade now, and also plays alongside more prominent electronic acts like DE DE MOUSE and TOFUBEATS. Word in the Petals is just another great dose of his colorful techno and house grooves. 15 THE NEWEST JOKE by VELTPUNCH Despite their prominence as one of the western fanbase's treasured indie bands of the 00's, I was never much of a VELTPUNCH fan. Even when I first listened to this album, I wrote it off as being decent, but nothing more. Yet for reasons unknown to me, I gave it another try and it actually began to click, growing on me with each repeat listen. With a whopping fourteen tracks, clocking in at over an hour, the album does drag on for a bit too long. I might have placed this higher in the list if the pleasant-but-forgettable tracks were omitted in favor of the stronger moments, but there's still more than enough raucous indie-rock fun here to keep me coming back! 14 LAST WALTZ by world's end girlfriend This was actually my first time listening to a WEG record, and to be honest, it just barely made my list. Not because I didn't enjoy it, but because it's simply a massive record and I felt I hadn't properly digested it yet. Though the fact that I still included it is a testament to the impression that's it's left on me. LAST WALTZ is an expansive amalgam of beautiful, cinematic landscapes, twisted distortion, and gritty electronics - right up my alley. I'll definitely enjoy continuing to digest this one in the year ahead. 13 freeform jazz by uyama hiroto Uyama Hiroto will probably be viewed as the spiritual successor to his peer and collaborator, the late Nujabes. However, with all due respect, I would say that this album has propelled him into a league of his own. While not technically "free-jazz", it certainly feels less bound than his previous works. It's a more musical effort overall, and the drumwork is especially more organic than before, as opposed to the straightforward boom-bap approach that similar artists take. In fact, you can hardly categorize this as just "jazzy hip-hop" anymore. Hell, the entire album only has one actual rap feature (and thankfully so, because I can't stomach cheesy backpacker rap!). It's an exquisite listen with fantastic vibes. 12 remix04 rem by Chouchou I've followed Chouchou casually for years now, but this album has completely cemented me as a fan. It's a self-remix album in the which duo have reworked their songs completely into ambient piano pieces, and it's astoundingly gorgeous! It's so well done that this albums feels like a new, cohesive work of its own, as opposed to an assortment of previously released tracks. I'd love for them to continue along this style. 11 DEEPER by HITORIE Wowaka's musical mind never ceases to amaze me. As a former vocaloid producer, he brings to HITORIE all of the colorful melodies and infectious riffs that I love, while thankfully leaving the actual vocaloid at home. If it weren't for the tail end of the album, DEEPER would have been much higher in rank, but the first half is so strong and has received SO MUCH playtime from me that it warrants a place on this list! 10 "inori de wa todokanai kyori" by JYOCHO The spirit of uchuu combini being resurrected in the form of JYOCHO was no doubt the biggest year-end surprise for me. For the most part, JYOCHO picks up exactly where the band left off, except this time adding a flutist into the arrangement. Even the new vocalist Rionos is barely distinguishable from uchuu's Emichoco. All in all, It's a lovely dose of math-pop, and just what I needed in my musical diet last year. 09 DISTORTION by THIS IS JAPAN These 4-piece alt. rockers appeared with yet another awesome debut EP last year. Citing influences such as Fugazi and Japanese indie legends NUMBER GIRL and Bloodthirsty Butchers, these guys play a style of rock that smashes together fun and catchy melodies with pure, spastic rawness! At a time where the smooth grooves of city-pop and the chilled sounds of western indie are trending in the J-indie world, THIS IS JAPAN is a breath of fresh air! 08 Floa by Mammal Hands With the emergence of acts like mouse on the keys and fox capture plan, bands fusing post-rock with piano-based jazz seem to be appearing more these days. Mammal Hands was my latest discovery in this style, and unlike their labelmates GoGo Penguin (who also released a solid album in 2016), this trio are a bit more loyal to their jazz influences. They have a pretty awesome saxophonist, which definitely supplements their jazzy predilections and gives them a more notable edge over similar bands. I like to imagine that Floa is what Uyama Hiroto would sound like if he went in a more jazzy and cinematic direction. 07 Flames & Figures by The Seshen The Seshen was another serendipitous new discovery for me last year. I stumbled across them while perusing one of my favorite UK music labels, Tru Thoughts, and I was enamored immediately. They make the kind of forward-thinking soul music that I love, with hints of electronica, synth-pop, and psychedelia all bundled into one, crisp, enthralling package. I've seen them described as "Little Dragon meets Erykah Badu", which is brilliant since I love those two. Apparently, they've also supported acts like Thundercat and Hiatus Kaiyote (who I also love!). 06 IKI by HITORIE No, you're not going crazy. This is, indeed, another HITORIE album on my list lol. They released two last year, and as you can see, I'm smitten with them both! IKI, however, is the second one to be released and also the better of the two. It doesn't have the powerhouse singles that DEEPER did, but it's the more cohesive and balanced work. Whereas DEEPER fizzles out towards the end, IKI is thoroughly engaging throughout. The amount of quality music that HITORIE released last year is just baffling! 05 A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead I'm most likely a fan of any Japanese band that you can describe as sounding Radiohead-esque - sleepy.ab, downy, trico, wooderd chiarie, ar - so it only makes sense that I'd be a fan of the masters themselves. I can't even tell you why I like them so much, but I guess their sound just speaks to my heart on a visceral level. This album is like the soundtrack to a dream of infinitely unravelling splendor. The arrangements are gorgeous and the production is as pristine and masterful as it gets. Amazing! 04 Ugly Slave Children by No Party for Cao Dong These Taiwanese rockers completely swept me off my feet after seeing what I'd easily consider my favorite music video of 2016. Admittedly, the album took a while to grow on me, with its unexpectedly danceable nature, but I've really come to love its uniquely passionate blend of grooves, mathy passages, and emo outbursts. 03 SONASILE by Shohei Amimori I was beginning to lose faith in PROGRESSIVE FOrM, my favorite Japanese electronic label, as the quality of their releases have been shoddy over past few years, but Shohei Amimori has completely dispelled my growing stigma with this album! SONASILE is an absolutely incredible sonic feast of colorful IDM and sunny glitch-pop. There are also hints of modern classical and jazz piano strewn throughout, and even some very strong Shibuya-Kei influences. I'm surprised that the western fandom seems to have overlooked this one! 02 dai roku sakuhin-shu "mudai" by downy As expected, downy's 6th untitled album is absolutely singular! It's much different from their previous album, yet just as good. Robin Aoki's vocals are more prominent than they've ever been, and the production seems a bit more earthy and natural, as if the album was produced specifically with live performances in mind. It's brought out a new kind of warmth to their otherwise stark and cold, dystopian sound. The general soundscape of the album isn't as varied as their previous releases, but it works in downy's favor here. Instead of going for an outwardly expansive sound, the album plays out like the band exploring their own inner workings, and it's a whole new world unto itself. I'm not sure how these guys do it, but they keep evolving while remaining a uniquely potent force. 01 siraph by siraph You know those "create your dream band" topics? Well, I've ruminated on those kinds of subjects quite a bit and never in a million years would I have thought to create a band as perfect as siraph. These guys are literally a dream come true - mostly due in part to the god-tier combination of haisuinonasa's Yoshimasa Terui and school food punishment's Masayuki Hasuo. Terui was the driving force behind haisinonasa and Hasuo was responsible for school food punishment's best material. With both bands in the throes of oblivion (the former appears to be on hiatus and the latter has been disbanded for years), their unique sounds seemed at danger of being lost to time. Thankfully, siraph has appeared with this godsend of a debut to save the day! The EP combines Terui's offbeat, math rock-sensibilities and Hasuo's eccentric synth grooves to brilliant effect. Both composers wrote three tracks each, and while their individual styles are obvious, they couldn't be any more complimentary as a unit. Singer Annabel completes the circle, bringing with her an anison charm that completely invigorates Hasuo and Terui's already imaginative compositions. With this EP, in addition to their demos and recent single, siraph has single-handedly made my 2016!

Too late. MEJIBRAY has already caught wind and their next photoshoot they'll all be wearing diapers and smoking fat blunts.

He is doing that -- "Castrato" is going to be released sometime in the spring! I'm actually super curious about what their working dynamic is like. 3 years may have been enough time to vent creative differences out so they can work together without stepping on egos or struggling to churn out something new to keep sales up. But when 4 members left to form a splinter band, then two of those members then left again only to rejoin the main project -- there's gotta be some degree of side-eying going on.

maybe it's time to jump ship? (before any more grown men start indulging in adult baby fetish????) I hear dubstep has a nice fanbase???

The only thing that diaper is absorbing is my will to live. The music video was cute, kind of lame but still cute. I really don't understand how they went from a cheesy music video about bullying, to wearing adult diapers and riding around on a kid's bike with a onesie (is it even a onesie?) on and a dummy in his mouth, in the span of less than a week. Do they think it's cutesy? Is this some sort of fetish kei? Are they just insane? Tbh I still think they're cute so they could do whatever and I'd still stick around but this shit has gotten real wacky real quick.

Better question, where the hell is Trombe now?

Cringing at the thought of adult diaper kei becoming a thing. Scary that in the VK scene that is very much a possibility.

Good to hear that~

Yea the timing couldn't be better since Vexents Gt. got kicked out and Killaneth's disbandment I also believe he will join since he is avidly hanging out with them just as a regular member (Going to the instore's & killing it on stage) Killaneth & Vexent were really close so I can't imagine anyone more fit for the role ^He's already got the hang of it xD

My body is ready.

Artwork for 「紫苑」

Watched Arrival recently and I loved it. The plot was great, and the hidden message in it was so beautiful that it made me cry lol. I really recommend it!

the khween of mysterious bands Tomomi-sama strikes again

anyone know any news about these band? : - ) there site is shows 403 and isn't has been updating for a while

TYPE A : 6920 yens + taxes CD : 01. Myakuhaku 02. Zettai Zetsumei 03. CLASSIC 04. KILLEЯ 05. BILLY×2 -Entwines ROCK STARS- 06. Ringo 07. EMP 08. Yue Ni Matenrou (ALBUM MIX) 09. Himitsu 10. Commune 11. Wasurenagisa 12. Sirius 13. Fuka 14. Heide DVD : 01.ROAD TO 20th ANNIVERSARY ”Myakuhaku”High-Resolution Audio(48kHz/24bit) + Artbook TYPE B : 3800 yens + taxes CD : 01. Myakuhaku 02. Zettai Zetsumei 03. CLASSIC 04. KILLEЯ 05. BILLY×2 -Entwines ROCK STARS- 06. Ringo 07. EMP 08. Yue Ni Matenrou (ALBUM MIX) 09. Himitsu 10. Commune 11. Wasurenagisa 12. Sirius 13. Fuka 14. Heide DVD : 01.ROAD TO 20th ANNIVERSARY ”Myakuhaku”High-Resolution Audio(48kHz/24bit) Regular edition : 3000 yens + taxes CD : 01. Myakuhaku 02. Zettai Zetsumei 03. CLASSIC 04. KILLEЯ 05. BILLY×2 -Entwines ROCK STARS- 06. Ringo 07. EMP 08. Yue Ni Matenrou (ALBUM MIX) 09. Himitsu 10. Commune 11. Wasurenagisa 12. Sirius 13. Fuka 14. Heide

I hate his face. That nosejob makes him look like Paris Hilton.

FFXV. Chapter 3, level 40. There are so many quests h e l p . I even ended up finding a dungeon on my own and got a Scepter of the Pious. Pretty sure I'm not supposed to have that yet!!

both were found dead together in a romanian hostel

their music is precious but......i'm scarred from looking at that picture.

The maggots and the jailbaby are creepy enough but... someone took a meathammer to homeboy's ankle damn..

I like his gutturals because the deeper sounds like a lawnmower failing to start like Tzk The recording is really awful but I think the song would sound alright otherwise

http://shimizuyarecords-shop.jp/

FINALLY SOME NEW TRA GOODS!!! They will start selling these at buppan from the 1/25 live!!

I can totally imagine this sung by Kaya except over a dated 1994 eurodance beat instead of instrumental arrangement

Hal is better!! <3

Internationally, I've been to: -England -France -Spain -Aruba -UAE -India Domestically*, I've been to: New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Illinois, Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington. *Breaking this out because the US mainland is bigger than all of Europe, so going from Boston to Portland, for example, is quite a trip. I'd really like to make Japan my next trip so I can stalk lady boys and go to awful concerts, but I'm not sure how or when that is going to happen. There's like 230430242 places I'd like to go to as well, but that's #1 haha

as I promised @vanivani , some thoughts on glamhaze's last album : like many other glamhaze fans i was a little disappointed when i saw that the tracklist only has 5 studio recordings, 4 of which are title tracks from their previous singles. it's especially depressing since we all know that glamhaze has a ton of unreleased songs that they never pressed to disc. heck, i wouldn't even have minded if they had re-recorded some jilled ray songs. the only "new" track here was Ayatori - a super fun track that the band plays at every single oneman so far if i remember correctly. it's true that a "rough mix" of that track was distributed at their O-West oneman but it was quite badly produced even by demo standards, so it was nice to see them doing a proper recording for it. no complaints there! that said, i still bought their album really because of the PVs which they included after incessant requests from fans (like 20% of the questions fans fielded to them on the ZL tour were literally 'PVs plz??'). Last Scene PV was especially a beauty. i can't get over how gorgeous everyone is?? <33333 ok fangirling aside, it would be a hugeeee shame if they had never released the PVs officially. so yeah, that alone would have justified the purchase for me. BUT! the biggest surprise for me was actually the live recordings. to be honest i'm not a huge fan of live recordings in general because something just feels off listening to the tracks without the immediacy of the visuals. but somehow.. glamhaze's live recordings felt so real and warm as if i was right there. and, i know people always feel like i say this of every vocalist i love (which is like 1083571) but i feel quite strongly that Satoru is without doubt one of the best vk vocalists technically. he's just SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good live like wtf. i remember how i was completely mind blown the very first time i heard him live in jilled ray, and he def only got better and better with time. ugh. Ray is one of my favorite guitarists in vk and he's sooo flashy both visually and sound-wise - just listen to yasashii machi, his lines were so tight and prominent compared to their studio recording! overall, the recording quality on Disc 2 was fantastic as far as i'm concerned. anyway, i'm thoroughly satisfied with their album, despite my initial misgivings. do yourself a favor and buy it and listen to it. and don't forget to support satoru on his solo project!!! here's the live recording of "Dirty Heaven" from the album, one of their numerous unreleased tracks:

You gotta love gasmask-kei.

VRZEL... maybe other newish indies bands. But VRZEL.

how many walmart mejibrays do we need

You're signed to Warner, why are you making rarez???

wow @ taking 10 years to include their tagline in a song finally

Come on Sia cover!

First off, You're all amazing and brave people. I'm glad everyone that has posted was able to post this stuff to eyes that will actually read and understand. I don't know what I am anymore to be honest. I've seen a good handful of doctors, which some have said I have had chronic depression, that i was Bi-polar (I agree with this), and that I have high anxiety. I've taken medications but they've made me feel absolutely nothing. So I don't take anything anymore. I have also had doctors say that I'm completely fine and just under a lot of stress. I've seen a lot of people in my family give up on everything with out warning and literally drill themselves in to a hole. I feel like that was me last year and I started to let my emotions and imbalances really take too strong of a hold on my judgement. So I don't know what the right answer is to that. Sometimes I'm fine for months, and then with in a night I'm not okay for 3 months... I've had anxiety attacks where my face has gone numb, lips have turned blue, finger tips go tingly, my chest feels like it's on fire... and then I would hyper ventilate and sob until I either fell asleep or blacked out. Thankfully I haven't had one this band in some time now (about a year and a half) Lately I've just been focusing on keeping busy. I noticed anxiety usually happens when I'm awake with out a task to do really late at night. Or on days that I have off from work and simply have too much time to research things or think. Regardless, I stay busy and haven't had any immediate incidents. But something new has presented itself. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). I've always been a little chubby, but somewhere along the way I gained weight rappidly, even though my lifestyle had not changed. However at that time I certainly felt more stressed and depressed. "Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine system disorder among women of reproductive age. Women with PCOS may have enlarged ovaries that contain small collections of fluid — called follicles — located in each ovary as seen during an ultrasound exam. Infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods, excess hair growth, acne, and obesity can all occur in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. In adolescents, infrequent or absent menstruation may raise suspicion for the condition. The exact cause of polycystic ovary syndrome is unknown. Early diagnosis and treatment along with weight loss may reduce the risk of long-term complications, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease." Doctors also told me it's linked with higher testosterone levels, weight gain, and all the bullshit that comes with hormone imbalances. While it's not exactly an attractive sounding thing, or even good news to have it... I feel like it's a step in the right direction to feeling like myself. Since i have this answer I feel like I can at least look at my options now.

what about using Kamijo x Zin double vocals!

Why? If you really love, you will keep it forever. They can disbanded, but their music never die.

I want this. Sounds like a masterpiece written from the gods! Also fakkin live

their live-limited one-coin demo single "「 」" will be released at their live since Okayama IMAGE at 2015/03/12 (500yen) [track list] 01.rewrite 02.傀儡ノ華(kairai no hana)