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There are two versions of Dir en grey's last single, embryo. The original lyrics, which revolved around themes of rape and incest, were deemed too controversial for mass airplay so Kyo wrote an alternate version for the single. The original version remains on their album, Kisou.
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Spotlight on recently released songs. This is a rotating mp3 list and will be changed regularly to make room for newer songs, so get 'em while you can!
NONE RIGHT NOW DUE TO BANDWITH RESTRICTION. SORRY!
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http://jrock.pitas.com
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LARUKU AND SONY
I don't know what this means, but apparently all the Laruku members have deleted the links to Sony and Ki/oon Records from their sites. Tetsu's gone to Warner records, and Hyde and Yukki have both deleted the links from their personal sites. (Haunted Records is still with Sony though apparently, though maybe that'll change in the near future.) The Sony link is also gone from the main Laruku site.
Maybe that's the reason they're on hiatus? *hopes*
By the way, Tetsu's new single will be released on August 28. Check Helayne's post in the BBS for more details as well as a translation of the message on the front page of his site.
- Gerald -
- Comment -
It's 11:09 p.m., and Kaoru's still playing air guitar.
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And another one...!
ALBUM: CHUNKY GOD POP [TAKUI]
Takui's and Gackt's albums came out on the same day, but there the similarities end. I haven't heard Moon yet, but from what I've been told, it's pretty much standard Gackt, lots of experimentation and so forth. Chunky God Pop, on the other hand, is just pure fun, as you'd expect from Takui. He doesn't waste any time trying to be experimental, but goes directly into rock 'n roll worship mode as always.
There are only 7 songs on here, but all of them are great, and as I told NightMajik when talking with her about it, I'd rather have 7 good songs on one album than 10+ songs which are mediocre. Takui's songwriting abilities have definitely matured here, which might be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. There are no songs on here like Innovator or any of the harder rock songs with lots of screaming as there was on Nuclear Sonic Punk, so if you liked that style, you'll be kind of disappointed. However, his melody lines are a lot more sure and he's managed to blend his former obscure lyrics style with one that's more user-friendly. I don't know which I prefer. This is certainly easier to translate, though. ^_~
Takui plays guitar for songs #1, 2, 5, 6, and 7. As usual, he also does all of his own backup singing.
[1] PUNK (3:09)
An appropriate song for the first track on the album. True to its name, it's pretty much a pure punk song. The first time I popped the CD into the CD player, I thought I'd gone back in time and was hearing a hide song. Apparently Takui has been taking lessons from hide's style, though the punk style and lyrics here are a lot lighter than anything hide ever did. Very nice, bouncy, and quite catchy. The chorus of "wanna be your maaaan...wanna be your fighting stronger man...I want you to be my girl!" can get stuck in your head after a few listens.
[2] FEED BACK '78 (3:46)
Starts out with Takui yelling "FEED BACK 78!" and then rolls into a pounding, heavier song very different from Punk. Out of all the songs on the album, this is the song with the lyrics that most resembles Takui's older stuff. The title refers to his birth year 1978, and the lyrics of the song itself have a lot of references to the year ("Ore wa 1978," etc). This is, I suppose, another one of his songs where he sings about himself and his choice of career (as in Free for Free). A solid song, reminiscent of his older style.
[3] TRUE MIND (4:07)
Back to light and bouncy! A chorus of Takui singing falsetto high C and D over humming guitar chords transitions to a melody and style that sounds like a cross between Calling You and Destination. The lyrics are also nice, sweet, and rather bouncy to fit the music. It's not one of his more punchy offerings, but a nice song with strong melody and chorus.
[4] FAR EASTERN (6:01)
The "soft" song on the album. For those of you thinking back to Mother Sky on his first album, Far Eastern isn't near as balladic. The entire thing is rather soft, surreal, but has enough of a beat to keep it going through six minutes. Think of Glay's Miki Piano or Pierrot's Far East for comparison. As the title indicates, there are a lot of Asian harmonics and use of the Asian scale here, and Takui delivers the strong performance that he usually does on his slower songs. The ending is really nice and a little eerie too as everything fades away to what sounds like one single bass using overdrive (yes, that's what it sounds like. I dunno, may be some funky keyboard electronic thing...)
[5] STAY TOGETHER (6:11)
This is a song that Takui's been playing live but hasn't been released on anything before this. I'm guessing it might be his next single, as it's pretty general-audience/radio-friendly, both lyrics and music wise. It begins with Far-Eastern-like guitar picking, but then the drums come in and the whole thing reverts to Takui-style rock, and in fact the whole song reminds me of none other than Dearest Friends from the 20's Calborn demo tape. Interesting...Other than that, not much to say for this song.
[6] NO MORE NO DOUBT (3:55)
Definitely the weirdest song on here, but for some reason reminds me of "old Takui." The only melodic parts are the bridge to the chorus. From the electronic distorted introduction to the semi-rapping verses to the hide-like (yes, there he is again) chorus, this is good for fans of songs like I'm a Sod and Too Much Business.
[7] NOBODY KNOWS (3:48)
As soon as No More No Doubt ends, Nobody Knows begins, and it's kind of jolting before you get used to it. I peered at the CD player several times before being convinced they weren't the same song. This is the last song on the CD, written in pretty much the same progression as Stay Together but a lot harder and faster. It actually reminds me a lot of Punk or even Dummy Fake Rollers, and is definitely one of Takui's rock 'n roll worship songs. I mean, with lyrics like "GOD SAVE THE ROCK N ROLL ONE FOR ALL," what can you say? Except that Takui rules? =P
I'm not sure which album I like best (not counting 20's Calborn). Nuclear Sonic Punk was more erratic in its offerings, with many wildly differing styles, while Chunky God Pop is more standardized, more focused, more "professional" sounding. In any case, Takui sounds awesome as always, so this album is definitely worth your money.
PS: Thank you Helayne! =P
Album Information
CHUNKY GOD POP
Release date: 2002.6.19
COCP-31860 [2100 yen]
you can order it from CD Japan
- Gerald -
- Comment -
It's 03:32 a.m., and Kaoru's still playing air guitar.
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Ok since I'm back and have been trying to catch up on posting here, I'm going to be posting a long line of reviews and such. So here we go...
REVIEW: KOWARETEIKU KONO SEKAI DE [PIERROT]
I know this was released waaaaay back when, but I didn't review it then so I'm doing it now. I'll start out by saying that I don't listen to a lot of Pierrot, but this song really caught me when I first listened to it and I've been meaning to review it ever since I came out...but haven't. Forgive me, Pierrot fans ^^;; Because of my lack of experience in Pierrot songs, I can't really compare this song to anything they've done before. Think of it as a fresh perspective or something. Ahem. Anyway, moving on...
The title of this song means roughtly "In This Breaking World," so of course you'd expect something fragile-sounding, yet with a glimmer of hope, and Pierrot delivers. A haunting solo electric guitar starts out the song with Kirito entering softly above it, almost whispering the words. There's kind of an electronic buzzing that reminds me of insect wings beating. A farfetched comparison? Perhaps, but that's what it makes me think of. ^^;; The song grows louder at 0:52, picking up in melody until it almost dissolves into a really beautiful chorus. I've never really liked Kirito's voice, but for some reason, it sounds just perfect here.
As the chorus ends, there's a really nice solo bass thing for a few notes and then the second verse. This time, Takeo is there on drums to support him and the guitars, broadening the scope of the verse, sending it soaring, flying towards a nice, solid guitar solo and a bridge that is backed by whistling sounds (electronic? guitar?) that sound like whistling wind through a canyon, giving the song a very eerie, lonely feel.
Just as Kirito hits the first note of the second chorus, the instruments drop out and then Aiji (?) comes in with solo guitar in the accompaniment, making the first part of the chorus almost a-capella, sweet and soft. The instruments come back in as Kirito sings the second half of the chorus, beginning with Kohta's bass for a few notes and then everyone else, swelling to a very beautiful climax as Kirito repeats the chorus several times. The song ends with the same almost a-capella singing over Aiji's guitar, and as Kirito drops out, the overdrive builds and then cuts off suddenly, "breaking," you could say, just like the title states.
This is one of the best new singles I've heard in a while (I say "new" as encompassing the past 6 months or so). Everyone delivers a good, solid performance, and while there isn't anything flabbergastingly stunning about the parts of the song, everything comes together really nicely. Again, I don't know much about Pierrot, but I do know I love this song, and I do think that they're a band that really knows their stuff and loves it. Everyone should get this song if they haven't already. ^_^
- Gerald -
- Comment -
It's 03:30 a.m., and Kaoru's still playing air guitar.
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AND THE WINNER IS...
Takui, obviously. *points at the layout pic* Enjoy. Other nominees included Janne Da Arc (again? O_o), Lareine, Dir en grey, Due'le quartz, and The Brilliant Green. Better luck next time guys! =P
- MS -
- Comment -
It's 01:15 a.m., and Kaoru's still playing air guitar.
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