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25 Shunen Kinen Koen Tokyo Geijutsu Gekijo 5 Days -Dokuso- (Taiwan Version)
Miyavi
Miyavi on stage is quite a sight to behold. He took to the Tokyo Arts Theater stage last year for his 25th anniversary - most people would call it a birthday - with a performance that was simply amazing. It's hard to pin down a genre for Miyavi's funky, growling rock because he covers such a wide range of sounds. However, everything he does is very distinctly "Miyavi", and this becomes all the more clear live. All eyes fall on him just by force of his hyperactive energy and flamboyant charisma which are surpassed only by his deep rock star vocals and mean guitar. The concert opens with a guitar solo leading in to Selfish love, and Miyavi, bathed in pink spotlight, feverishly plucks, slaps,... [read more]
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Gunjyou (Japan Version)
Spitz
Spitz is not the first name that comes to mind when I think of Japan's greatest bands. Nor is it the second or third or fourth or fifth. But were I asked to name my favorite bands, Spitz would rank very high on the list. The band doesn't so much inspire fervent screaming, but smiling content with music that always feels comfortable, fresh, and down to earth. Celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, Spitz feels like an old friend, a well-worn armchair that I'm all too happy to sink into. Spitz's new single Gunjyou ("Navy Blue") embodies the band's ability to be cheerful and wistful at the same time. With its distinct rhythm and pronounced guitar, the uptempo melody has a laidback,... [read more]
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studs (Mini Album+DVD)(First Press Limited Edition)(Japan Version)
the studs
Japanese bands form and disband at such alarming rates that it's almost impossible to keep track of who's who. When every moderately well-known band is formed from members of some other disbanded moderately well-known band, it's hard to assign too much significance to names. But even then, newest kid in town the studs comes with impressive pedigree. Daisuke of Kagerou, which just disbanded in early 2007, fronts the studs with his distinctive vocals. And then we get a veritable kein reunion with guitarist aie, drummer Hibiki, and bassist Yukino, who also crossed post-kein paths with the other two members in deadman and Gullet. Basically, with the exception of Daisuke, the other members have... [read more]
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Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! (Normal Edition)(Japan Version)
the pillows
the pillows has always reminded of rosy times past with their good-natured 60s Brit rock-inspired sounds, and Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! can only be described as a quintessential release for the band. From the quirky retro cover art to their signature Beatles-channeling numbers, the album serves up a good old hearty dose of buoyant, easygoing pop rock and feel-good modern nostalgia. One could say that the album doesn't offer anything we haven't heard from them before, and indeed it is more than anything a return to safer places for the band - but rest assured, it is a happy place to be. It might be because it was a long day, but I laughed out loud with the first two lines of Wake up! dodo... [read more]
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Shizuku (Normal Edition)(Japan Version)
Kagrra,
There is little that bugs me more than random punctuation, but it looks like I'll have to make an exception for Kagrra,. The band's latest album Shizuku is beautiful, mellow, and almost mesmeric - enough so that I'll pretend I can't see that comma. In recent years, it has become a bit of a fad to integrate traditional instruments and musical styles into contemporary popular music. Often times, these fusion works are rather self-conscious, zealously calling attention to their own designs. Basically, what was once fresh and innovative has pretty much become standard fare, another detail to give so-and-so's new plug more talking points. What makes Kagrra,'s new work so outstanding then is that... [read more]
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Scratch (Normal Edition)(Japan Version)
Kimura Kaela
In comparison to other alternative-leaning female singers, Kimura Kaela's singing could easily be labeled conventional - and she's all the better for it. She may not be particularly eccentric or edgy (despite some deliberate designs in that direction), but she has a clear and comforting musical style that easily straddles pop and rock. Her voice, soft yet strong, remains in a comfortable mid-high range, steering clear of the strained screeching or wincingly cute high notes that appear all too often in many J-pop albums. It may seem like a simple requirement, but finding a singer who agrees with the ears is not as easy as it sounds. Safe, sweet, and solid, Kimura's third album, Scratch, has... [read more]
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Double (Japan Version)
CHAGE & ASKA
CHAGE & ASKA. For some 27 years, those two names have been virtually inseparable, and there's something comforting about their longevity and consistency. The iconic duo's first full-length album in five years, Double comes with four new songs and six singles from the last few years. Nothing fancy to be found here, just good music. After so many years in the business, CHAGE & ASKA's brand of eminently likable laid-back, low-key pop rock continues to sound fresh and energetic every time. Opening song "Paparazzi" (Track 1) is a meanderingly playful mid-tempo track written and composed by ASKA. Both the lyrics and singing style carry a mockingly mischievous edge that adds to the fun of the song.... [read more]
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GOLDEN BLACK (Normal Edition)(Japan Version)
Guitar Wolf
There's noise. There's music. And then there's Guitar Wolf. One of the few Japanese bands to have attracted a cult following both locally and overseas, three-man band Guitar Wolf sure can make noise. A lot of noise. Their style of rocking, self-termed "Jett Rock 'n' Roll" after music icon Joan Jett, is an amalgam of garage, punk, rockabilly, Ramones, hard rock, and noise. A lot of noise. Think punishing distorted guitars and feedback, fierce drumming, howling vocals, nonsensical "lock 'n' loll" lyrics (when you can hear them), and raw sounds (of the recorded in a kitchen sink variety) - all delivered with intense angry cheer. Piercing eardrums since 1987, Guitar Wolf consists of Guitarwolf... [read more]
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Terra 2001 (Japan Version)
the brilliant green
"You chose red and I chose blue, did what we had to..." Every time I hear the brilliant green's Maybe We Could Go Back To Then, I feel a slight ache in my heart, a flash of times past, people and places left behind. All the reluctant separations that accompany life expressed in a simple thought. There is something about the brilliant green that lingers. The music is mellow, merry, and easy to listen to, but a familiar melancholy underlines all their songs. The lyrics are adorably simple, yet disarmingly deep with a quirkiness that is uniquely identifiable as buri guri (the brilliant green's nickname). Many of their songs are in English, and buri guri is definitely one of the few Asian bands... [read more]
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