Thursday, May 30, 2002

ESP MUSICIANS' GALLERY At ESP Guitars.net, the official Japanese ESP site, there's a special section dedicated to spotlighting the guitars of different jrock musicians. This isn't the main "Artist Gallery" that's up on another part of the site, but a more detailed gallery with a page for each musician, with lots of nice text (in Japanese) and pictures. They have entries for all the Siam Shade guitarists, Kaoru of Dir en grey, Hiro of La'cryma Christi, and Sugizo (as well as lots of other people who I have never heard of...^^;). - Gerald - - Comment - It's 11:10 a.m., and Teru's still hugging his plant

Tuesday, May 28, 2002

EN~JOY GLAY! 2002 Jul 24 - New single release: 「MATA KOKODE AIMASHOU」 (written & composed by TAKURO) C/W 「ＧＩＡＮＴ STRONG FAUST SUPER STAR」 (written & composed by HISASHI) 2002 Jul 31 - New single release: 「AITAI KIMOTI」 (written & composed by TAKURO, also the theme song for the dorama,「SATORARE」) C/W 「BROTHEL CREEPERS」 (written by HISASHI & TAKURO, composed by TAKURO) This was pretty much copied from the Happy Swing Space Site so all the spelling (as scary as it may be) is correct. Whoo hoo! More Hisashi! XD XD - MS - - Comment - It's 12:07 p.m., and Teru's still hugging his plant

Tuesday, May 28, 2002

ALL SLAVES The ever-talented Myrrh has just reopened her site, Luna Sea Enterprise. Most of you will have been to/remember the old one, which was really awesome in its own right...and this new one is tons better! Go visit now, and be sure to let her know what you think! She spent a lot of time on it. ^_^ And by the way, the reason I haven't been in around isn't just because of Star Wars. I'm getting ready to leave for the summer, so Shiroi Heya will be run mainly by Moonsong from June-August. Be afraid...*cackels8 - Gerald - - Comment - It's 01:51 p.m., and Teru's still hugging his plant

Monday, May 27, 2002

MORE MUSIC NEWS Eve of Destiny 02 Jun 25 - Live at Tokyo Liquid Room; Tokyo, Japan. Part of Midnight Fest #2 02 Nov 01 - Live at Club ISC; Bern, Switzerland. Part of Halloween Party. JO:YA (ex-DopeHEADz) 02 Jun 03 - Release of first solo album, KEN:WAKAYAMA. Support artists include MARIKI (ex-JILS), TOHRU (ex-JILS), and SHUN (ex-Mystic Moon), among others. New Sodmy 02 Jun 21 - Release of new single, imagine. 02 Jun 26 - Release of first full-length album, Confess to a Love. This contains all the tracks from their first 3 maxi-singles as well as some new songs. Note: If you buy both imagine and Confess to a Love from Third Stage, you get a free Message CD. I believe this applies to overseas orders as well. If you can get to the store in Japan and buy them, you can also get a free ticket to the show July 21 at Meguro-Rock-May-Kan Phobia 02 Jun 10 - Video release: Final Live Nagoya Club Quatro 2002.05.01. 140 min. Wyse 02 May 29 - Release of new single, bring you my heart. More later! - MS - - Comment - It's 02:16 p.m., and Teru's still hugging his plant

Wednesday, May 22, 2002

MUSIC NEWS Dir en grey 02 Jul 08-24 - MASTER OF MONSTER tour, this is the second standing live tour this summer and will begin right after the seated lives finish. 02 Jul 31 - New mini-album and maxi-single will be released simultaneously. 02 Aug 30 - Two new photobooks will be released: - Dragon Fly, 160 pages - ××　A pilgrimage capsizing the Islands 2002 ASIA THE JAPANESE FUCKER FAMILY, 450 pages Eve of Destiny 02 May 19 - Live report from Eve's performance at the Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig, Germany. Glay 02 Apr 24 - Release of "Flow of Soul" Vol. 1, a collaboration between Takuro and jazz/rock violinist Vanessa Mae. The tracklist includes versions of "Way of Difference," "However," and "I'm in Love" among others. Flow of Soul Website 02 Apr 26 - Release of「SAKURAドロップス」 by Utada Hikaru. Hisashi worked on "Letters" which is the b-side of this single. Utada Hikaru Official Website Undetermined - Glay was to hold a press conference and concert in Beijing, China on August 3. Due to some difficulties in scheduling, this event has been rescheduled. Details are still being decided at this time. Mebius 02 Jun 04 - Last live. Announced disbandment sometime in April. New Sodmy 02 May 17 - Live album Confess to a Crime and video shipped to fans who preordered them during the tour. These were limited releases and are not available to the rest of the public at this time. I think there is another album, Confess to a Love that will be released sometime in July. Unsure if this will be wide distribution or limited release. Apparently, Aya did most of the writing for this album. ^_^ Will update with more info when I get it. 02 Feb - Inertia translated parts of this interview from a Japanese mini-magazine. Looks interesting. =P Phobia 02 May 01 - Last live held at Club Quattro in Nagoya. Phobia announced their disbandment a month prior. Okay, that's it for now. Sorry about the lack of updates this week. We're working on it! ^_^ - MS - - Comment - It's 10:36 a.m., and Teru's still hugging his plant

Monday, May 20, 2002

COMPILATION ALBUMS There are a few compilation albums coming out at the end of the month. The first one is the official Korea/Japan World Cup Album, which features B'z, among other artists. The track listing is: 1. Voices of Korea 2. The Player's Creed (Kim Jo Han) 3. Ready (Park Jin Young) 4. Gotta Get Love (Jay) 5. Friend (Lee Ki Chan) 6. Glorious (Lena Park) 7. Dream (Park Hwa Yo Bi) 8. Burning (Jane) 9. Anthem (Vangelis-takkyu Iishino Remix) 10. Devil (B'z) 11. Smile For Tomorrow's Friends (Tube) 12. Always (Kuraki Mai) 13. Escort (The Gospellers) 14. One Love Wonderful World (Hirai Ken) 15. Fantasistra (Dragon Ash) 16. I'll Be ( Mr. Children) You can preorder it here at CD Japan. The second album is the "Japan Gold Disc Awards 2002" compilation, featuring many prominent jpop artists as well as L'Arc~en~Ciel with Neo Universe. You can preorder it here. - Gerald - - Comment - It's 02:13 p.m., and Teru's still hugging his plant

Wednesday, May 15, 2002

RANDOM REVIEW: SWELLA PARA SCYALLU PARA SAIL [WYSE] Clipped guitar chords establish the mellow rhythm from the start. The keyboard enters softly and a sparkly sound effect lead the drums and bass into the fray. Backup vocals come in, humming a rhythmic "doo-doo-doot-doo" which is repeated throughout the song backed by isolated guitar chords. First verse tells the story, rhythm guitar still going in the background, the bass- dynamic against the lead guitar. More of that backup vocal then the second verse stars with a more prominent lead guitar line. Song goes into a major key in the next section- a very nice vocal blend over the instruments. This flows smoothly into the addicting refrain, the keyboards adding that extra "swing" effect. A short vocal interlude backed mostly by drums and bass follows, then the lead guitar takes the helm in a nice, uncomplicated solo. Then it's back to that major key section, and the refrain repeats for a while. When the lyrics change, the instruments fade off leaving the original rhythm guitar still doing those same chords that have been anchoring the song thus far. The keyboard comes in again and the beginning section, complete with the backup vocals repeats until everything suddenly cuts off. There are three main elements that make this song exceptional for me: the rhythm guitar, the bass, and the vocals. As previously mentioned, the first thing you hear in this song is the rhythm guitar. It plays mainly the same pattern over and over save for during the vocal bridge. It's the one constant, connecting every transition and key change, unifying the other instruments, the vocals, and the beat. The bass is very prominent in this, taking on a much more active role than the lead guitar. It's the main support behind the verses and instrumentals. Throughout the entire song, the bass remains dynamic, rarely sitting on one note or two per phrase as most basslines tend to do. Even when the keyboards and guitars get louder, they're still just playing mostly chords, accenting the bass until their respective solo bits. Finally, the vocals. Tsukimori is perfect for this song, his slightly higher-pitched voice bridging the low rhythm and bass section with the more whimsical keyboard and lead guitar. The backup vocals, probably by Tsukamori and Takuma, complement the steady beat wonderfully, emphasizing the rhythm guitar and adding that final layer to complete the mood. The interludes and the refrain are also very nicely done, the main and backup voices blending together seamlessly. The first time I heard this song, the refrain stuck in my head for days until I just had to listen to the thing over and over again to placate my overworking brain. It is very much a "mood" song, a piece you can very easily get lost in once lulled by the first strains of the rhythm guitar. I couldn't figure out what to classify it at first. It definately reminded me of mellower 70's rock tunes, but with a smoother, jazzier feel. The beat has a vague bossa nova-like thing going that never fails to have me dancing, swaying, or just plain moving along no matter how tired I am. And the bass... *___* okay, we know I'm a sucker for good basslines. XD All in all, a VERY nice offering from this up and coming band; every element is beautifully executed. Definately an excellent and welcome change of pace from the regular jrock fare. [ Mini-Album: Perfect Juice | Track 02 ] - MS - - Comment - It's 12:32 a.m., and Teru's still hugging his plant