Jump to content

Leaderboard


Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 04/23/19 in all areas

  1. 3 points
    Peace Heavy mk II

    New band gulu gulu has formed

    you get the privilege of listening to hisame again
  2. 3 points
  3. 3 points
    I guess this year is my year of finding releases I've been looking for for 5+ years, would never have thought I would get them for less than 500yen either!
  4. 3 points
    The mini-album will be released on 2019.05.31. It will be limited to 444 copies. Tracklist 1.家鴨の心中 (Ahiru no shinjū) 2.性教育 (Sei kyou iku) 3.サトル (Satoru) 4.咀嚼 (Soshaku) 5.死別 (Shibetsu) 6.蜩~higurashi~ (Higurashi~higurashi~) 7.ひとりかくれんぼ (Hitori kakurenbo)
  5. 2 points
    Estimated reading time: 8 minutes, 20 seconds. Contains 1669 words. There was a time when a Schwarz Stein reunion would have been at the top of my music wish list. The late 2000s were drawing to an end and I was still very much immersed in their eschatological vision of digital decadence, a dream of liberation and redemption with the technopolitan paradise awaiting. With their first two albums, 2003’s New vogue children and 2004’s Artificial Hallucination, Kaya and Hora established their very own, unique sound, not only as an electronic act in the visual kei space, but also within electronic music in general, fusing beat-driven, danceable EBM with tinges of trance, synthpop, industrial and chanson. Their conceptual and lyrical focus on themes and dualisms of oftentimes biblical proportions (entrapment vs. salvation, earthly dystopia vs. transcendent utopia, freedom vs. sin etc.) and allusions to hedonism and sexual liberation as an antidote to the paralysis of totalitarian social order give Schwarz Stein a distinct gothic edge which resounds in their music in an obvious yet elegant way. Accompanying even more upbeat tracks is an almost omnipresent melancholia, lingering in the timbre of reverberating keyboard strokes and gaining momentum in the lyrics and vocal delivery. Kaya’s singing voice has always struck me as exceptionally powerful yet composed, while retaining fragility, warmth as well as emotional depth and nuance throughout its entire range. He croons with such clarity and smoothness, his lower register seems more like the dark hues of a bright color while his midrange is forceful and voluminous, at times erupting into a subtle, wistful vibrato. Even his highs stand out to a certain degree – they sound youthful, open and bright while thinning out only in falsetto. Similar to their sound and overall design philosophy as a band, Schwarz Stein’s visual aesthetic revolves around the juxtaposition of visceral darkness and playful sensuality. The foundation of their style is a mixture of BDSM fashion and gothic glitz, which in and of itself would be anything but revolutionary and was actually quite the cliché couture of early 2000s visual kei. But Schwarz Stein put a unique spin on their makeup, costumes, props and stage design by incorporating an iconography and visual aesthetic that is unmistakably inspired by H.R. Giger. On a superficial level, it might seem gimmicky. But Giger’s transhumanism actually translates in a very meaningful way into Schwarz Stein’s world, where the non-human part, the intrusive, dehumanizing element resounds not only in their musical concept as a purely digital act but also in themes like estrangement, solitude, corruption and slavery to an unfree system. Interestingly, this clear vision of their style had already been established during their Rudolf Steiner demo days and (unsurprisingly) became a little less prominent during their prime under music and fashion label owner Mana. In 2006, two years after their initial disbandment and subsequent pursuit of solo careers, Kaya and Hora came out with a onetime collaborative session album titled another cell. While it was a solid release, especially for Kaya lending INNER UNIVERSE and FROZEN PAST his voice, it suffered from lower production value and a creeping disconnect in the duo’s collaboration; a first foreshadowing of what the future would hold. When Recurrence of Hallucination dropped in celebration of Schwarz Stein’s 10th anniversary, the sense of foreboding left behind by another cell turned into sobering reality. Even though the 2011 mini-album was released under the Schwarz Stein name, it feels even more like an on the side cash grab. It consists of three slightly remixed and somehow less exciting versions of tracks from Hora’s solo work, one new, albeit sub-par composition and an instrumental intro, which ironically trumps the rest of the EP. The whole thing sounds anemic and detached. And I don’t even so much take issue with its shortcomings in the engineering and production department; the switch to Kaya’s label トロイメライ (Traumerei) surely came with budgetary constraints. It’s the blatant decline in songwriting and compositional quality and the obvious lack of effort put into the project I find so deeply disappointing that not even nostalgia suffices to compensate for it. After their official reunion in 2014 and a handful of hit-and-miss singles, Schwarz Stein finally announced a proper new mini-album titled Immortal Verses and scheduled to release in September of 2018. The track list and cover art looked promising at first, calling to mind their trademark mix of gothic kitsch, dystopic gloom and stoic sensuality. In a lot of ways, however, Immortal Verses completely fails to correct course. In fact, it seems entirely ignorant of any shortcomings or failures in the first place and instead reiterates in an even more opportunistic way the exact creative principles which not only spoiled its predecessor but also threaten to water down their entire legacy. The main problem boils down to the songwriting and composition. As a solo artist, Hora has always been frustratingly impervious to any kind of innovation when it comes to his sound. It wouldn’t even be much of an overstatement to say that he’s been making the same three songs for thirteen years now – there’s the abrasive industrial banger, the spacy club anthem and the ambient mood piece. Even his sound palette hardly changed in over a decade which makes his albums altogether feel like weary and unfocused attempts at amplifying the slowly fading echo of his accomplishments from times past. Unfortunately, this is exactly what plagues Schwarz Stein’s post-reunion material. There’s very little in the way of original ideas. Instead, songwriting and composition seem to be largely governed by a self-referential process of copy & paste and an aggravating compulsion to check the same old boxes. It’s formulaic to the point of redundancy. Lotus is a prime example of that. It’s the mini-album’s thematic and narrative climax, the focal point of overall tension building and pacing. By virtue of its placement and function, it tries hard to be loud and spectacular, to emulate the abrasiveness and tonal density of their harsher, more industrial-oriented output. Nothing about it works though. Structurally, it is entirely predictable and musically, much too familiar. What should’ve been an homage, I assume, ends up as an awkward amalgamation of Schwarz Stein’s BIO GENESIS (2003) and Kaya’s Sodomy (2013, music written by Hora). The thumping beat, the ominous synth lines, the nervous, channel-hopping buzz of distorted guitar samples… it’s all there, ready to wreak havoc but the individual elements simply don’t add up to anything meaningful or enjoyable. Lotus misses the mark widely and by recycling old material so bluntly illustrates the duo’s petty refusal to be creative with disheartening clarity. And to add insult to injury, even Hora’s “death voice”, a simple yet somewhat iconic voice distortion effect (cf. CREEPER, 2004), is employed so ham-fistedly here, it degenerates into a meaningless, lackluster gimmick. In short, Lotus is Immortal Verses at its worst: derivative, unimaginative and overstated in all the wrong places. Despite all that, however, there are a few redeeming moments and some genuinely sensible artistry to be found on the mini-album. The lyrics of Immortal Verses tell a short but moving tale of a lost love which has rendered the protagonist broken and immobilized, slowly withering away in deeply solitary, lifeless apathy. The memories both painfully elusive and relentlessly parasitic begin to haunt them in the form a faint, flickering light. The longing for what seems forever lost in time – love, happiness, the feeling of wholeness – is presented as an inescapable dilemma: it’s the sole raison d’être and ultimate martyrdom at the same time. The narrative unfolds over the course of all five tracks and adds a welcome element of cohesion which the music alone oftentimes fails to provide. In some cases, the lyrical themes of isolation, estrangement, solitude and yearning resonate quite beautifully with the instrumentation and vocals. morgue, for instance, does a decent job as an opener with its simmering organs setting a somber mood and the beat building tension in unison with dramatic synth strings. It’s neither loud nor overbearing but a patient moment of exposition, providing a well-rounded backdrop for Kaya’s equally subdued yet poignant vocal performance. Although he’s always been a competent vocalist, his voice sounds more refined and confident than ever. Even in otherwise unremarkable tracks like Immortal Light and Forest of Paralysis, he manages to break the relative flatness of the instrumental and add depth, a third dimension for emotion to resonate within and become tangible. Wachtraum is most noteworthy in that regard. In similar fashion to COCOON (2014), Kaya hums impressively clear, low notes during the verses which transition into an elegant, climactic hook. The tension that has been progressively built during the first three cuts and peaked in Lotus quietly dissolves in these last, satisfying moments of calm reflection and melancholy. And even though they don’t quite reach ethereal quality of tracks like transient (2003) or Emergence of Silence (2004), these quieter moments bring to light little bits and pieces of something I thought Schwarz Stein had lost for good: their identity. I find it difficult to assess Immortal Verses in a broader, more general way that would be commensurate with a conclusion of this review. There’s one reason for that and it’s the sincerest bottom line I can produce. Immortal Verses is an extremely hermetic release – and deliberately so. Neither does it engage in any kind of dialogue with the tropes and trends of contemporary visual kei - be it stylistically or musically - nor does it build upon the duo’s established sound and innovate it. The mini-album’s entire artistic scope and purpose are wholly determined by its relationship to Schwarz Stein’s previous work. Immortal Verses is a sonic soliloquy, a nostalgic stroll down memory lane and as such it explicitly and exclusively caters to a very specific audience: Schwarz Stein’s most devoted, longtime fans. In a perpetual sequence of anachronistic references, the songs try so hard to tie in with the collective memory of a sympathetic fan base that they fail to say anything much but this: contemporary Schwarz Stein is for those who remember. Without that memory, there just isn’t much to enjoy.
  6. 2 points
    saishuu

    Am I a bad person?

    Look, I've seen you here a couple of times trying to be a shoulder to cry on for some people voluntarily. Perhaps you shouldn't go around trying to help everyone in sight? I don't mean that in a bad way, just something to work on in order to prevent these feelings from coming up. What I've learned over the years is that people need to come to you specifically if they need your help. Most importantly, you can't (and probably aren't even equipped to) deal with other people's issues yourself. People, as much as it sucks to accept sometimes, need to deal with their shit on their own. Their own time and own terms. It doesn't mean you're a bad person or uncompassionate - sometimes the most responsible thing to do is refer the person that's hurt to someone else that's better equipped to handle those things. Sometimes you can be there to comfort them and try to talk them out of a rough situation, but it's up to the person in question how they'd prefer to better handle their feelings. Some people, however, just need to bring you down to their hole with them. Just be aware of those and make no mistake in cutting them off. No matter how bad they might feel and the amount of help they need, they might turn into a toxic person without even realizing it and if you're not aware, you'll be down there with them. I understand where you're coming from, but don't feel too bad. I hate to bring up this card, but you still seem relatively young, right? With more experience in your adulthood, I'm sure you'll be more at comfort to deal with a lot of situations in life and relationships with those closer to you. Don't beat yourself too much and just give it some time.
  7. 2 points
    okay, デンドロビューム is gonna have to fill my garbage quota for this year because i'm weirdly into it and I hate myself
  8. 2 points
    sleepy coffee

    キズ

    Damn sukekiyo's takumi joined kizu on stage last night
  9. 2 points
    chocobuzz

    random thoughts thread

    I'm pretty scared of wasps too, but mostly because apparently I'm super allergic to them and could probably die if one managed to sting me. I haven't seen many wasps around my city now though and I rarely leave my apartment anyway so I think I'm fine... When I was a kid though we used to visit the countryside a lot and I had to always have the adrenaline pen with me in case I'd get stung. It was kinda scary. I have a pretty bad phobia of spiders too. I start crying and shaking if I see one, even though the spiders here are really tiny and can't do anything to humans. This reminds me, I was once chatting with my friend's (now luckily ex-)boyfriend and he knew about my arachnophobia but still decided to send me a gif that made it seem like a spider would've crawled across my phone's screen. I freaked out and almost threw my phone to the wall and I raged at him about it so bad he was scared to talk to me for several days lol.
  10. 2 points
  11. 2 points
    platy

    What are you listening to 2?

    Imagine for a second, that gazette will play this in their '19 tour. It'd make my year. I'd probably reach nirvana tbh
  12. 1 point
    ラヴェーゼ (Labaiser) new live-limited single, "Unrelieved" will be released at their live on June 6. Melody is good, but the production sounds shitty and butchered on YouTube. Hopefully it sounds better when it actually comes out.
  13. 1 point
    To coincide with her debut 20th anniversary, 椎名林檎 (Shiina Ringo) will release a new full-length album as well as a new live video on DVD/Blu-ray on 2019/05/27. The album titled "三毒史" (Sandokushi) will be released in two types: regular edition CD and limited edition CD in a hardcover book case. The album will feature an array of guest artists such as Miyamoto Hiroji (Elephant Kashimashi), Tortoise Matsumoto (Ulfuls), Mukai Shuutoku (Zazen Boys, Number Girl), Ukigumo (ex-Tokyo Jihen, Petrolz), Hizumi Masayuki (a.k.a. H ZETT M) and Sakurai Atsushi (BUCK-TICK). Tracklist: 01. 鶏と蛇と豚 (Niwatori to hebi to buta) 02. 獣ゆく細道 (Kemono yuku hosomichi) with Miyamoto Hiroji 03. マ・シェリ (Ma Chérie) 04. 駆け落ち者 (Kakeochisha) with Sakurai Atsushi 05. どん底まで (Donzoko made) 06. 神様、仏様 (Kamisama, hotokesama) with Mukai Shuutoku 07. TOKYO 08. 長く短い祭 (Nagaku mijikai matsuri) with Ukigumo 09. 至上の人生 (Shijou no jinsei) 10 急がば回れ (Isogabamaware) with Hizumi Masayuki 11. ジユーダム (Jiyuu-dom) 12. 目抜き通り (Menukidoori) with Tortoise Matsumoto 13. あの世の門 (Anoyo no mon) The footage of the upcoming live DVD/Blu-ray "(生)林檎博'18 ―不惑の余裕―" was recorded on her debut 20th anniversary tour, and will feature the following: 機知との遭遇 -Sound&Vivision- 本能 流行 雨傘 日和姫 APPLE マ・シェリ 積木遊び 個人授業 どん底まで 神様、仏様 化粧直し カーネーション ありきたりな女 いろはにほへと 歌舞伎町の女王 人生は夢だらけ 東京は夜の七時 長く短い祭 旬 恋の呪文はスキトキメキトキス ちちんぷいぷい 目抜き通り(2018年11月22日) 獣ゆく細道 ジユーダム 悲しみの果て 五右衛門 きらきら武士 夢のあと -ending- 丸ノ内サディスティックneetskills remix -bonus track- はいはい (2018年11月22日) 余裕み時間 (MC集) You can already view some full songs from it on Youtube (putting it behind a spoiler tag cuz it's a lot of videos). They might not start if you play them here, but if you click on the YT titles and open them on YT they should work. ....Okay, I admit I just made this thread cuz it's pretty killer both Atsushi and Mukai are collabing with her.
  14. 1 point
    Zeus

    Monochrome Heaven's 2019 Banner Contest

    Monochrome Heaven's 2019 Banner Contest Hey everyone! This is a shout out to all digital artists on the website interested in content creation. It's about time to add some new bands into the rotating banner at the top of the forum, and for that we can use your skills! What better way to show off some skills than in a friendly competition? Here's the basic idea: Create a banner according to the rules which I will define in a moment. Respond to this topic by submitting your banner in a post. Since you cannot edit your post after you submit it, make sure your post is the way you want it before posting. You can submit as many banners as you have time / energy to create. The second phase of the banner contest will be anonymous voting from the community. The top three voted banners will be added to the top and the members who created those banners will be announced then. Winners of the contest will get their screen name in a special color in addition to having their work featured at the top of the forum! Rules: Banner should have dimensions of 800x120. Banner should have a thin, rounded white outline. Banner should preferably be a PNG, but a GIF is acceptable if you are interested in making an animated banner. Banner should in some way relate to Japanese music. Normally, we feature a band at the top, but there is room for creativity. Banner should have the text "Monochrome Heaven" on it. Banner should contain material that is Safe For Work. NSFW banners will be automatically disqualified. Banner submission should remain anonymous until the end for fairness. All banners will be shown at the end. Banners can contain anything else you think will give you an edge in the competition. The submission deadline will be open for four weeks, or until May 18th, 2019. Have fun! I'm excited to see what our members can come up with.
  15. 1 point
    Alsdead14

    Am I a bad person?

    Well, you just acted the way you thought was good for them. Sometimes, you can't help people if they don't want to be helped. You can't make them do as you what them to do stuff. They have to learn their stuff themselves. Maybe it's time to think more about yourself and focus on what's important in your own life. Try surrounding yourself with people more positive, because yes, as the guy above me said, some are toxic, they are just there to bring you down (talking from experience). Again from experience, I was the shoulder that people cried on it, and well, there's not much people around me anymore. I got fed up of being used all the time. So I change my life and I'm trying to move on. Like I said, focus on what makes you feel good, people you enjoy being with people who don't put you down or use you and well, being rational with people who struggle with their feelings is not a good mix too. Sometimes, they don't want to hear the truth, they only want to be heard. That's a part too you have to consider. Some people just need to talk, heck, everyone love to talk about themselves, so you just listen, and well, if it affected you negatively, you just move on. Not easy, but yeah, as the guy said above, you are still young, you will learn with experiences. I hope you can meet people that are nice to you, and well, I also saw you a lot on the forum lately, you look like a nice person to me, so don't let them bring you down. Have a nice day!
  16. 1 point
    AnticNyappy

    Am I a bad person?

    reading this you are not in the wrong! if you believe someone in your life is bringing you down as well you really shouldn't keep them on. I understand your sense of direction because i am the same, people become overly dependent on me and im in no way good in giving advice or comforting people. For awhile i recommend you focus on you and only you! Give yourself a break from the negativity and focus on the more positive aspects in life ^^
  17. 1 point
    i will never accept the fact that j'zargo won't become real...fuck you real life!!!
  18. 1 point
  19. 1 point
    You write well and I enjoyed reading your take. I totally agree, Schwarz Stein peaked long ago. I still like Kaya as a personality/talent and some of the old songs, but the creative bankruptcy and shameless fanbase gouging tactics leave me cold on the duo overall.
  20. 1 point
  21. 1 point
    very well written review imo good work!!
  22. 1 point
    Everyones allowed to enjoy a garbage band or release every once in awhile, dont sweat it
  23. 1 point
    Thank you, I'm glad you liked it! Even after so many disappointments, my hope for them returning to form never dies. I'm curious how their two new singles will turn out, even though I feel that there won't be any surprises. But you never know.
  24. 1 point
    Thanks for taking the time to do this write-up. I really enjoyed your perspective. Reminded me of exactly why I used to love this band and just don't feel too taken by them any more.
  25. 1 point
    Still on the fence about these guys. Chain of Tragedy was just okay and I haven't gotten all the way through Folklore yet, but the production on all of them has seemed less than stellar to me. The songwriting just feels a bit bland when put alongside their "peers." The production doesn't help them at all, either - makes everything sound flat and empty to me.
  26. 1 point
    i hate april and my birthday as much as i hate december, christmas and new year's eve. usually i manage to buy something really cool for myself in order to forget it,but since i can't afford the thing i wanted right now,i just can wait for the end of it.
  27. 1 point
  28. 1 point
  29. 1 point
    So, their first live is fan-club-limited and their first real live is on 2019.08.31.
  30. 1 point
    I don’t really like Mucc that much, but this song... is fuckin spectacular.
  31. 1 point
    ShTon

    random thoughts thread

    Good to know other people have the same phobia. In a "I'm not alone in this, yay!" way of course. I freeze whenever I see a wasp or anything that slightly resembles it. Some time ago I was spending summer vacation in a place known for having lots of lakes and bugs, especially mosquitoes and wasps. When I went out to eat once, I passed walls, trash cans and other surfaces covered in so many of those yellow nightmares they were hardly visible from underneath them. I get chills whenever I think about it.
  32. 1 point
    enjoying both songs so far! also the 獣たちの夜 video is giving me major Biqtch Puddin vibes
  33. 1 point
    Those gotta be some stanky ass costumes by now lol, stale and recycled like their output over the last couple of years
  34. 1 point
    CAT5

    random thoughts thread

    You just made me think of this video... 😛
  35. 1 point
  36. 1 point
  37. 1 point
    I used to think that LiME hated me (while all the Kizu guys treat me really well) but today he replied me on twitter asking me when i return to Japan cuz he's waiting for me.... SO DAMN CUTE. I'm so relieved and happy rn.
  38. 1 point
    just listened to the other tracks and
  39. 1 point
  40. 1 point
    colorful人生

    What are you listening to 2?

    I had one of the tracks off that OST on my "Discovery Weekly" Spotify playlist. The whole OST is phenomenally good. I'm tempted to pick it up on Steam during the next sale along with Baba is You and pikuniku (all of which have really neat OSTs.)
  41. 1 point
    nomemorial

    What are you listening to 2?

    nostalgia will be the death of me
  42. 1 point
  43. 1 point
    evenor

    Your last music-related buy!

  44. 1 point
    nekkichi

    Dir en grey

    I'm not sure what you're basing this on, their marketing for that single (scream for t3h truth!111 tila tequila appearances on kaoru talk show with the evidence of flat earth 5D shift etc) was centered around fukushima afternath and japanese govnmt doing the least about it, see here http://www.direngrey.co.jp/en/?page_id=52
  45. 1 point
    VESSMIER

    Your last music-related buy!

    Got some sweet new flyers
  46. 1 point
    platy

    The OFFICIAL RPDR Discussion Thread

    Shuga got no exposure in this episode Bye Ra'jah. You will not be missed. She thought she was being a bad bitch who will not be messed with, but she's just a plain old bitch. BROOKE'S BACK DIMPLES!! ugh
  47. 1 point
  48. 1 point
    Gesu

    What are you listening to 2?

    Slay me, Sizna The cat pictures all over his Twitter/Instagram are hella cute, but we need more of his charisma, energy and musical talent. If I wasn't too small to even hold a guitar properly, I'd sell my soul to him to teach me how to play.
  49. 1 point
    Already dropped them, however is such a waste to see Yoshiatsu stuck in this clown-kei shit concept,cuz he's an unique character in the vk scene.his cleans and his growls both are flawless. He should be doing shit like NAZARE/DIMLIM and not that.
  50. 1 point
    捨て猫のロンド (Sute Neko no Rondo) So after xaa xaa’s sad doggo song, they make this abandon cat song, I hope its planned move by both of them to start the animal abuse kei revolution.
×
×
  • Create New...