greeeeen

Oooh, Wes. You made it a bit difficult when you had Ling and 9mm head to head, but when it comes to cinema staff vs アルカラ the verdict is pretty much obvious: the latter.
 
Don't get me wrong; I once liked cinema staff - and very much at that - and for some personal reasons I always got a little bit too emotional when listening to 水平線は夜動く. The feelings ceased after a while, though.. I mean, what happened? I don't even think they could go back to Blue, Under the Imagination era, and don't even get me started on Great Escape. (ﾉಥДಥ)ﾉ︵┻━┻･/
アルカラ, on the other hand, have always been more consistent with their releases... sure, むにむにの樹 was a letdown, but they have such catchy tunes that no one can resist, they seem like so much fun on stage and they're capable of executing the slower songs right (which I believe was what got me into them in the first place. 散らかった部屋とわたし, 扉の前にて and 夕暮れちゃちゃちゃ are like beautiful distractions from which I'll never recover... heh). They're very entertaining, very moving, and they've yet to disappoint me.

toe will be releasing their 3rd album on July 22nd, 2015! No other details are available atm.
New motk and toe in the same month:

I'm half naked in all of my selfies, too. I might be wearing a shirt on top, but....
 

The lighting in here is pretty awful, and my phone cam's brightness was set way too high, so while this selfie was technically a fail, I still like it ;3

Thanks for understanding that we all needed a break from you, Panda.

Thanks so much for reviewing this album, fitear! It's a great review and while I may feel differently about certain tracks, I think our overall sentiment about this album and THE NOVEMBERS in general is similar. Like zeitgeist, this one was love at first listen and is probably my fav. release by THE NOVEMBERS so far.
I really appreciate how they deliberately made the production on the first few tracks distorted, harsh, and abrasive. To me, that's a symbol of their DIY attitude and a big "fuck you" to the major music industry. I mean, here's a band that could have EASILY took the safe route and tried to appeal to the mainstream, jpop, or anime crowd, and yet they've never sacrificed their sound for fame. They just keep growing and experimenting and the results have all been wonderful so far. I don't know what these guys have tapped into, but they've become something really special and I hope they continue to deliver. I have a feeling that THE NOVEMBERS will be revered by future generations and that their work won't simply fade off into obscuity.

A new band called TRMTRM has just formed recently featuring this pretty fine roster of musicians:
 
vocals & guitar: Toru Matsumoto (Psysalia Psysalis Psyche)
bass & chorus: Nara Minoru (Lillies and Remains)
guitar & chorus: Takahashi Shinichi (HATE NO HATE)
drums & chorus: Takahashi Ryosuke
 
Their first EP titled "TRMTRM EP" will be released on 2014/10/01 (price: ¥1,800).
 
Tracklist:
01. アナタとナムさん (Anata to Namu-san) 02. 雨ノ曲たち (Ame no kyokutachi) 03. hegiRa 04. 海と性 (feat. ucary valentine) (Umi to sei) 05. ReTuRn To sender  
  Official site: http://trmtrm2030.tumblr.com/

The previous hair length was the longest I've had but I impulsively decided to go for a really short bob cut when thesis submission deadline was coming near and I couldn't handle all the stress. After two months I've finally grown fond of my hair... kind of.

The previous hair length was the longest I've had but I impulsively decided to go for a really short bob cut when thesis submission deadline was coming near and I couldn't handle all the stress. After two months I've finally grown fond of my hair... kind of.

Some selfies of me looking,..rather expressionless, ha
 

Some shitty quality phone pics of myself, my little brother, and my older sister that we took today.

I love you and I love the list to the point where I shouted "YEEESSSS!" upon seeing the topic yesterday--loud enough to make both my brother and mother snapped back at me in annoyance because they were still sleeping; which I believe doesn't come off as a surprise. So many feels... There's also Dirty Androids! <3 I already have like half of the albums you mentioned on your non-Japanese list (all thanks to the hours spent on extensive stalking and whatever) and I shall also give Play Dead Season, Raizen & Lycoriscoris a try. Haven't gotten around to listening to the new Kamomekamome as their previous release wasn't particularly memorable... but I agree with Heaven in Her Arms / COHOL split especially; HIHA's a hit-and-miss and yet the release was filled with awesome badassery.
 
I am letting you know I am ready to feel you. ♫

I love you and I love the list to the point where I shouted "YEEESSSS!" upon seeing the topic yesterday--loud enough to make both my brother and mother snapped back at me in annoyance because they were still sleeping; which I believe doesn't come off as a surprise. So many feels... There's also Dirty Androids! <3 I already have like half of the albums you mentioned on your non-Japanese list (all thanks to the hours spent on extensive stalking and whatever) and I shall also give Play Dead Season, Raizen & Lycoriscoris a try. Haven't gotten around to listening to the new Kamomekamome as their previous release wasn't particularly memorable... but I agree with Heaven in Her Arms / COHOL split especially; HIHA's a hit-and-miss and yet the release was filled with awesome badassery.
 
I am letting you know I am ready to feel you. ♫

Natsume Sōseki - The Gate. Can't tell much since I'm still at the beginning of the novel, but I expect great things after having been really pleased with Kokoro.

that's the last one, I swear.
 

Hey, CAT. What's your favorites? I'm expecting your reply, and Zess' as well.
 
Also, seconding Dylan on which the god and death stars release is the best. The others need some more time for me to process, whilst addle apple is an instant love.

My favorites are, in no particular order:
阿部芙蓉美 - How To Live
Kojoe - 51st State
Nayuta - Miraklo Rakonto
downy - 第五作品集『無題』
Local Natives - Hummingbird
LAGITAGIDA - Tutela!!
八十八ヶ所巡礼 - 0088
The Novembers - zeitgeist
Moving Mountains - Moving Mountains
승리 - Let's Talk About Love
The Internet - Feel Good
The Novembers - Fourth Wall
Yuck - Glow and Behold
LEO今井 - Made from nothing
Köttur - トマト帽のベレー
SHIZUKA KANATA - Snow
EXO - XOXO/Growl
miss A - Hush
Jinmenusagi - ME2!
Nell - Escaping Gravity
Block B - Very Good
Norikazu Chiba - The Songs of the Circling Stars
f(x) - Pink Tape
 
That's all I can think of... might add some more releases as I still have plenty of music queueing up in my playlist. 2013 has been amazing so far, so many discoveries!

My favorites are, in no particular order:
阿部芙蓉美 - How To Live
Kojoe - 51st State
Nayuta - Miraklo Rakonto
downy - 第五作品集『無題』
Local Natives - Hummingbird
LAGITAGIDA - Tutela!!
八十八ヶ所巡礼 - 0088
The Novembers - zeitgeist
Moving Mountains - Moving Mountains
승리 - Let's Talk About Love
The Internet - Feel Good
The Novembers - Fourth Wall
Yuck - Glow and Behold
LEO今井 - Made from nothing
Köttur - トマト帽のベレー
SHIZUKA KANATA - Snow
EXO - XOXO/Growl
miss A - Hush
Jinmenusagi - ME2!
Nell - Escaping Gravity
Block B - Very Good
Norikazu Chiba - The Songs of the Circling Stars
f(x) - Pink Tape
 
That's all I can think of... might add some more releases as I still have plenty of music queueing up in my playlist. 2013 has been amazing so far, so many discoveries!

I wore a kebaya and had tons of make-up for today was my brother's graduation day. The kemben was made from a certain material which made my upper body look more stuffed than it actually is.. haha.

I wore a kebaya and had tons of make-up for today was my brother's graduation day. The kemben was made from a certain material which made my upper body look more stuffed than it actually is.. haha.

Score | If an album ever left me sitting on the fence deciding if I enjoyed it as much as I thought I did, this would be it.
 
六合 (Rikugo) is a very difficult band to describe. They classify themselves as "influenced by rock, metal, gothic abroad" but I disagree somewhat with the second term and completely with the third. They're definitely a rock band, heavy and melodious, but with a nice handful of other instruments and influences strewn about that they like to downplay. 宵闇の残光 is a surprise for the uninitiated listener and by not focusing on any particular influence, 六合 crafts a sound all their own. Each track is distinct and the tone is always set by the omnipresent but never overbearing synthesizer work; moving guitar lines, present bass and the occasional piano twinkle pull out some occasionally proggy material that goes down great when I'm in the mood for it. There is no point at which I felt a song was too long or filler, which is a compliment I rarely give out.
 
This album would have gone over so much better for me if it weren't for the vocalist.
 
He barely does each song justice. He is consistently out of tune and threatens to go off the rails at any moment. This is the one and only flaw to the band and the album, but it's enough to knock off quite a few from the overall score. At times I wish someone - anyone else - would come in and save the day. It doesn't happen. If you can look past the off-key vocals, you're going to find a solid album. I can see why this is one of greeeeen's favorites.
 
I see that they have a new album out, with a focus on a more futuristic sound three years in the making. If the vocalist has improved between then and now, we may have an album of the year on our hands. But as it is, 六合 hasn't fully converted me into a fan. Yet.

...well, to put it crudely, my mother doesn't really appreciate anything I listen to, for she only takes into consideration (and ends up liking) the stuff my brother recommends to her. It seems to me that in a universe of people and their preferences for music, to her, I belong to 'people with narnian taste' circle... although there was one occasion when she was AFK and I offhandedly put Abe Fuyumi's How to Live and Nell's Slip Away on her playlist just to see how she'd respond to it. She didn't even ask how the songs could've been there, but I could tell she enjoyed those albeit them being a little melancholy.

I think my mother leans more towards pop/country-pop and has always been averse to loud music with incomprehensible vocals. Apart from traditional music, as far as I could recall, I grew up singing to various versions of Unchained Melody, Casablanca, anything from Whitney Houston and other classic western love-songs she played on the cassette player... which ultimately intrigued me to learn the language because the lyrics, at that time, made absolutely no sense. I guess it did influence my musical preference later in my pre-adolescent years, in a way. The stuff she listens to now doesn't seem to change much, as she claims she digs those feelings of nostalgia which the music is capable of inciting.

To say that I am frustrated by this thread is a bit of an understatement.
 
The attitude of some of the members make me feel like you paid something to get this service and ended up not getting exactly what you want. This this is something that exists and you enjoy purely because the love and money of other people. The negativity is stifling. I kind of get the impression that a lot of people think the "staff" is kind of a faceless corporation, that we are in our positions for the power and the glory or some shit. The people on the staff are here because they love this site and the community. They volunteered their time to try and make this a better place, no matter the amount. 
 
We are in agreement that the staff isn't as active that we all once were in our prime. But neither is the community. Pointing fingers will get us no where fast. Throwing people out and reshuffling is purposeless if it is done to just appease a few people. Lets say that the staff posts a lot more...does that give us the active community that we want? Maybe yes, maybe no. And it will not happen at the flip of a switch, it will be a slow burn. The success of this forum rests on everyone here, and absolutely none of you are obligated to do anything. If the love isn't there, then MH will die.
 
Will the staff be redoubling our efforts to try and make this community better? For sure. Will we try to mix things up by adding another mod or two from the community? Most likely. But I am not so sure that this is something that can be forced. We will do the best we can to get things flow...there are still people that love this place over 6 years since Jake and I first started it, and while things may be massively different from now then, I plan on continuing to keep this place running for as long as possible. The only thing I ask is that you treat the staff like the hard working people they are. Pretty much everyone on the staff here is an incredible person outside of the forum as well and life can get in the way of this fun little place.
 
 
Side notes:
If we were judging you all on how much you care by the amount you donate to the site to keep it running, we would have closed down already
 
 
It costs $60 a month to keep the servers running. Every dollar you give goes DIRECTLY in to paying the server (as you will have noticed when you use paypal and notice who you are paying - dreamhost).
 
 
I hate to break it to you, but that is the way the forum has ALWAYS been. a majority of the people that visit will never post and just take the downloads. Hell, I don't even know if this forum's community would even exist if it wasn't for the download section.
 
 

Hello, fellow Gazette stans. /cackles/