Monday, November 5, 2001

JROCK LADY: THE BRILLIANT GREEN Jrock is a male-dominated industry. As in DOMINATED. How many female faces have you seen on the jrock scene in the past...30 years? (and no, Mana doesn't count) Girls usually go for the bubble-gum, R&B, sing-and-dance jpop scene. But every so often, there will be a few that break the stereotype and find that they enjoy the jrock scene. The Brilliant Green has one of those girls. I first heard of The Brilliant Green through Moonsong, actually, who was looking for a couple of their songs for me to burn onto CD for her. At first I thought they were a jpop group, even though their songs didn't really sound like jpop. And the few songs I heard didn't really impress me that much. A couple of months later, while exploring for new bands, I hit The Brilliant Green again. This time it was through a song playing on my friend's CD player while we were driving back from a party in his truck. There Will Be Love There was the first TBG song I really listened to, and for some reason it stuck with me. It was only later that I did some research on the internet and found that TBG was in fact a jrock band, but with a girl on vocals. Talk about breaking the stereotype. TBG is probably as close to "alternative rock" that you'll get in Japan without actually crossing over to jpop. A lot of their lyrics are in English (I believe there are only about 3 Japanese songs on their debut album, The Brilliant Green. The band actually is made up of three members: Okuda Shunsaku (Jun) on bass, Matsui Ryou (Ryu) on guitar, and Kawase Tomoko (Tommy) on vocal. Formed in 1995, they went major in 1997 and hit it big on the charts with There Will Be Love There. Tommy's voice isn't what I'd call stunning. It's a rather breathy sound that's obviously limited both in range and style, and hitting any note above middle F or G seems to be somewhat of a problem for her. In the lower ranges it's fine, though for a female vocalist, it's rather expected that she be able to sing pretty high (I mean, come on, even Gackt can sing higher than most girls I know!) But Tommy's voice works with the music of TBG. While she writes the lyrics and the other two band members write the music, there's a very natural sound to the band even when they're playing harder stuff that reminds me of green grassy fields and being outside. Tommy's vocal isn't pretentious, and the guitar and bass lines are both fairly simple. But again, simplicity isn't something that you find often in the visual dominated jrock scene, and here it's refreshing. Besides, Tommy's English really isn't bad, especially compared to the likes of Takuro or Kamijo. XD Tommy has recently begun releasing some solo work under the name of "Tommy Februrary 6," which is a lot more jpop-ish than anything she has done with TBG. However, she says she plans to continue to work with TBG. She just wants to try out other styles of music. To sample some of The Brilliant Green and their Jrock Lady, I suggest There Will Be Love There and Angel Song, both singles. - Gerald - at 11:19 a.m., Kamijo still can't hit high E

Friday, November 2, 2001

REVIEW: WHITE LIE by NEW SODMY (Updated 11/4/01) Tracklist: 1. ADVENT [5:37] 2. actor [5:58] 3. farewell [4:21] ADVENT This song starts out with Aya on guitars. The strumming is clipped- sharp and short. Mayu comes in with a "shredding" sort of guitar noise to add some spice to Aya's riff, along with the drums and You on bass. The song is dark and heavy. Enter Kamijo's intense voice, telling a story, as the other instruments drop in and out. A second voice emphasizes the last line of the verse and the instruments begin again. Second verse is much the same as the first but Mayu adds a few more notes to his parts and the second voice disappears. The music becomes a little more constant... then trails off... until the drums lead into the refrain. The refrain is loud. It almost sounds like the instruments are warring with each other. The guitar work can barely be heard over the drums. In some parts, it gets so loud, it sounds like the sound is distorting. There's just too much going on at once. Then on top of this, Kamijo's screaming vocals. At one point, he goes into falsetto and the drums totally smash him out. After the chaos, the song comes together again with Aya and Mayu just shredding low notes on their guitars. Their parts are almost identical but the overall effect anchors the song in a way. Then a voiceover, much like Gackt's "Communion with Nimrod" chant in the latter part of Malice Mizer's Illuminati and the two guitars begin to split into different parts. One retains the main rhythm while the other soars into a solo. A keyboard and sound effects are added for depth then the music shuts off completely. Kamijo then leads the rest back into the refrain and chaos erupts again. Towards the second repetition, the rhythm guitar starts taking the lead and Kamijo fades into the background. Aya then starts the beginning riff again and ends the song. All in all, it's not a bad piece. I just wish the drums were toned down more so you can hear the guitars. There's some brilliant work in there but the mix just seems off somehow. actor This is my favorite song on this maxi-single. The lyrics alone sent it straight into my psyche where it refuses to be dislodged. But that's another story. Actor begins mysteriously with some space age like sounds. A piano joins in with a softer version of what will become the main guitar riff. The guitars cut in after that, effectively silencing the piano and launches the song from there. The refrain, the entire thing really, but mostly the refrain is vaguely reminiscent of Lareine's fiancailles. Just harder-edged and in a minor key. The main riff cuts under the guitars, keeping it from soaring into the clouds as fiancailles does. This song is more "grounded." More raw. It cuts deeper. Bleeds more. The second verse is much the same as the first, with a bit more instrumentation added in. The second chorus, however, is heralded by a change in key. The impact is made even greater when the keyboard joins in. The guitars pull back somewhat, letting the vocals and the keyboard fly. The music fades a bit, allowing each instrument to say a small piece before re-joining together as a cohesive whole. Kamijo enters and the music fades off again to let him shine a bit. They return again for the final refrain and short instrumental bit, then drop off, one by one, leaving just the space-age sounds to carry the song until the end. This song is as solid as Kamijo gets- as much as I've heard anyway. The guitars, the vocals, the keyboard, bass, and drums blend seamlessly together, creating a strong musical statement. Despite the slight similarities, it's definately not Lareine. It doesn't have the same "feeling" that a Lareine song has. I don't know how to explain it, save what I've already said. It taps into a deeper, rawer emotion- one that isn't smoothed out by dreams and visions of clouds and flowers; but one that has been sharpened by thorns and toughened by raging currents. And off I go into metaphor-land again. I swear, I can't talk straight to save my life. On to the last track... farewell I originally had mixed feelings about this track but, like actor, it just gets better and better the more you listen to it. Written by Aya and completely in English, this song takes off in a slightly different direction than the previous one. It actually reminds me of Gackt's EMU ~for my dear~ in places but doesn't yo-yo as much in terms of musical style. It begins with Kamijo singing and Mayu (I think) accompanying him with isolated notes from the main guitar riff that runs throughout the song. The rest of the instruments comes in after the first few lines but the tempo stays on the slow side, nothing to headbang to. The verses are sweet, accented mostly by You's bass, the drums, and a barely there guitar strum every other beat. The second guitar joins in towards the second part of the verse, leading into the refrain where both guitarists play around each other as Kamijo's voice anchors the melody. The instumental solo begins with some riffs by Aya but the real meat of it comes from Mayu who takes the lead with what I've come to know as his trademark guitar sound. After the harsh sounds on Advent, I was very glad to hear his familiar style here. The solo isn't anything like Lareine's Fuyu Tokyo or fiancailles but the style is the same. The notes are smooth- melodic and precise. Definately a treat to listen to. Nothing particularly noteworthy about the rest of it, save that the song brings out each member's strong points. The rather angsty undertone suits Kamijo's sharp vocals quite well. You shines during the verses, his bass playing counterpoint to the melody. Aya stays in the background for the most part, supporting on rhythm guitar and he has that small bit during the instrumental. Then, of course, Mayu's shining solo. A wonderful track, all in all, and definately not one to be missed. Though I will forever miss Lareine, I'm glad You brought together Kamijo, Mayu, and Aya to form New Sodmy. Their sound blends together all their different styles, creating powerful, emotional tracks that stay in your mind long after the last notes fade. If this is a taste of what is to come, then I definately look forward to New Sodmy's future releases. Incidentally, White Lie was released 09/28/01. Get it. Find it. Sample it at the very least. Their second single, Jealousy will be out 11/23/01 and available in stores 11/28/01. It has somewhat of a holiday theme and the first press comes with all sorts of goodies. Their first live as New Sodmy (they were previously going under the name "WEREWOLF") will be Sunday, 11/04/01. For more information visit their official website at New-Sodmy.Com. - MS - at 11:14 p.m., Kamijo still can't hit high E

Friday, October 26, 2001

MISC STUFF Malice Mizer will release Garnet ~kindan no sono e~, the third of their announced "trilogy" of singles on November 30. Info at Miroir. Also, Geikou has posted summaries from New Sodmy's live Talk and Handshaking event. See the link below. ^_^ - MS - at 04:36 p.m., Kamijo still can't hit high E

Sunday, October 21, 2001

NEW SODMY: LIVE REPORT New Sodmy fans! Geikou has finished another live report. Take a look! ^_^ http://www.ne.jp/asahi/geikou/japan/newsodmy.htm - MS - at 03:54 a.m., Kamijo still can't hit high E

Sunday, October 21, 2001

MACHI'S LETTER Earlier this year, Machi (ex-Lareine), released a CD single, titled "L'HORLOGE," which included a letter to his fans. Here is a message from Geikou to those who have this CD: Geikou: ---------- i have translated [the letter] to the best of my (poor) ability. i'm kind of hesitant to do this, but i will be as careful as i can. because of the contents of the letter and the circumstances under which it was received, there are a few unnegotiable conditions about this translation. 1) i will *not* post it. anywhere. so don't ask. it will be sent only through private email. 2) i will send the translation only to those who own an original of the cd (and thus the letter). this letter is obviously meant only for those who bought the cd, and i intend to keep the information contained within it that way. (it's obvious if you understand what it says, which is a catch-22 for those who don't have it, but that's the way it goes.) if you want my translation and can prove to my satisfaction that you own the cd, i'll send it to you. for example, tell me what the design of the booklet is, who gets credited for what, who does machi-kun give special thanks to or how many people does he thank...anything that only someone who has the cd would know. the more obscure, the better. and to those who do have the cd, if anyone asks you for any information like that, please don't tell them. i would be rather upset if i mistakenly sent the translation to someone who's not eligible. (btw, i already know that niji and inertia have the cd, so if either of you wants my translation, you can just let me know.) 3) those who want/receive my translation must never show anyone any part of the translation. (you will, of course, be on your honor for this.) consider how you would feel if a very personal, private, and honest letter that was meant for just a few people spread all over the place. well, this letter is like that...machi-kun is extremely serious in it, and i don't think he'd appreciate it if others found out about it. (on the other hand, i'm sure he'd welcome it if those who can't understand japanese but bought the cd were able to understand the letter.) there may be other people who are going to translate this letter who will be more lenient about sending their translation to everyone. however, i feel that this letter is extraordinarily weighty and profound, so this is how i'm distributing my translation. please email me privately if you're interested. Interested parties may email Geikou at geikou@merentha.org. Since this single was a limited release- there were only 2000 or so made, it may already be sold out. Overseas fans can try Third Stage to see if they still have it available. - MS - at 03:09 a.m., Kamijo still can't hit high E

Tuesday, October 16, 2001

SHIROI UPDATE First of all, I archived rather quickly so those of you who haven't seen Ger's review of Glay's "Hitohira no Jiyuu" and the New Sodmy update by Geikou, please go here to visit the archives. ^^ Ger also re-stocked our online radio station chock full of jrock yumminess so TUNE IN!! Link is at the top of this page. ^_^ Enjoy! - MS - at 12:49 a.m., Kamijo still can't hit high E