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Baku hits second issue! Yeah!
So again I've had fun and haste in making this issue but I believe it has come out quite well (though a bit compressed in article space and similar). I had to hasten up with this issue, but the next issue will probably be widen up to 3 pages or more. So look forward to it. Right now enjoy Baku!
The boys have not just released a new single this month but they have also toured the world going from Europe all the way up to America. I am certain that some of the Baku readers have been a part of this tour. To support Ayabie and to honor their achievements in this month Baku featured them as a cover artist.
But two more bands made it to the cover. The J-rock stars Kagrra,, who will certainly mark the summer both in Europe and Japan, and the jazz-rockers from Sugar. Sugar turned out to be the discovery of the month and as such they are this month's featured artist in Baku.
This time Baku had even more music reviews that really took the most space out of the mag. But in the next issue I'll make sure there is enough space for everything so the whole magazine won't look as a frontal crash of various articles.
Single: chariots - 独 ☆☆☆
Album: Nightmare - Killer Show ☆☆☆☆
Single: born - [-tHiNk-] ☆☆☆
Single: since1889 - DIABOLOS ☆☆☆
Single: 彩冷える - ミカヅキノキセキ ☆☆☆
RELEASE OF THE MONTH
Single: Sugar - antlion ☆☆☆☆
OHP: Sugar
Visunavi profile
Sugar on Rockerica
Founded: 2005.
Label: Graveyard Records
Status: Indie
Vocal: LOKI; Guitar: SIZNA; Bass: 真悟 (Shingo); Drums: 篤人 (Atsuto)
D'espairsRay - BRILLIANT
Even tough D'espairsRay have said that there won't be a new PV, it looks like they have changed their minds. Partially...
BRILLIANT PV is actually the live footage of this songs performance used as a PV. Though not even half as spectacular as the song itself the PV is still decent and shows how brilliantly D'espairsRay perform and put their heart and soul into it.
I have also reviewed this PV whose review and a few screencaps can be seen here.
Hopefully the guys will make a flashy, hardcore PV for their upcoming single KAMIKAZE. D'espairsRay rarely do have PV's but all of them (except this one) and mindblowing. So I'm wondering which is your favorite D'espairsRay PV? Mine is definitely Garnet :) because the PV perfectly fits the song and shows the disturbing, true side of Visual kei.
Listen to the Top 5 songs of the month
(okay momentary not, because I have got limited bandwidth and I can't upload them all but I will try to upload them on summer one day when I go to my dad's place where there is unlimited bandwidth internet. Sorry)
1. Sugar - Blossom
2. Sugar - Danshou to kuroneko
3. Nightmare - Djainism Batsu
4. Nightmare - TrickSTAR
5. Since1889 - celtic
Get the rest of the Baku here! Just click on the images and view them in original size. You may notice that the images are a bit bigger, I've made them like that so you can read Baku easier. And as always I look forward to your comments, suggestions, feedback, ideas and similar. Enjoy this issue of Baku.
As from today up to 12.7.2008. I won't post anything on Rockerica because I have to learn and I really don't have time to spend here. But after the short hiatus I will post reviews and everything else from this two week period. Thank you for your understanding and support.
And while I'm here please wish me luck in my entry exams for medicine college. If I pass I'll celebrate it, of course, here on Rockerica. I'll make a huge party on this site and you all are invited to party with me.
Till next time! ジャーネー!
Asari.
Date released: 25.6.2008.
Track list
1.ミカヅキノキセキ (Mikadzuki no kiseki) [PV]
2.デジタルネバーランド (Digital Neverland)
3. ハレノヒ [Type B] (Hare no hi)
3. ひなげし [Type C] (Hanageshi)
Don't get me wrong, I do love the sweetness named Ayabie and their last two releases were honestly just a step away from perfection. But unfortunately I didn't like so much Mikadzuki no kiseki.
Mikadzuki no kiseki reminded me of some older Ayabie works due to it's dominate horns, guitars put in background and a parade like feel. It's charming and catchy nevertheless, but rather forgettable and average for Ayabie. Digital Neverland could be a bit over-the-top for some listeners because of the upbeat, 8-bit electro-pop sound that you're likely to hear on a colorful Harajuku Para-para party (I can even imagine Aoi's coreography for this). Really saharoze and darn catchy but the aloof verses and chorus simply don't make it crappy/crazy enough to make you get all freaky on it. SuG does this better, unfortunately.
The B-sides are somewhat better. Hare no hi is a clap-along, 80's dramatic anime ending kinda song but without the drama, more kind of a happy-jerky Ayabie kinda way. I'm glad to hear more of Yumehito's and Takehito's guitars in the front and Intetsu's bass lines are as perfect as always. Still the song is rather unexciting, though kinda cool.
Hanageshi is probably the best song on the whole single, basically being Ayabie going Kagrra, with Japanese festival like sound, semi-fast tempo, good guitarwork and Aoi's innovative singing that I really like.
Ayabie, as always, perpared a small package of sweetness, power and happiness in their Mikadzuki no Kiseki single, but unfortunately it isn't as strong nor exciting as the previous few single's were. Nevertheless if you count Ayabie as a favorite artist you'll probably count this single as a new one in your collection. Though honestly, we have heard much, much better from Ayabie.
Date released: 18.6.2008.
Track list
1. antlion
2. 麝香漂う中で (Jakou tadayou naka de)
3. 男娼と黒猫 (antlion version) (Danshou to kuroneko)
Sugar actually turned to this month's top music discovery to me. I was going through some of their singles to warm up for their first Unplugged style single (as they've stated).
With antlion Sugar definitely proves the unhindered versatility of Visual kei, being a Visual kei band whose style can be described as jazz-rock, even more jazzier than your average jazz-ska-punks Merry and Nagoya kei lords the studs. And the resemblance of the singer Loki's voice with those of Mako is pretty tight, though Loki's voice is a bit more vibrant.
antlion sounds like the kind of music you'd hear on a terrace of a hotel at the seaside on a summer night. The kind of slow-tempo, saxophone enriched (and you don't hear a sax everyday in Visual kei at least) balladesque songs where couples (mostly old folks) go dancing slowly, close to one another. Interestingly the song goes a bit upbeat at the middle delivering a nice bass and drum solo, giving even more an impression of a jazz combo playing. And have I mentioned how floating and light Loki's voice sounds?
Jakou tadayou naka de goes a bit faster, still glimmering with the unmistakable jazzy groove and feel, making you wanna close your eyes on the passages and start dreaming. Glamorous, profound, feather-light and stylish, yes that is how you could describe this, a bit faster than antlion, ballad with this retro sound provided by the electric organ and the saxophone (which dominates this single).
I was really happy to see Danshou to Kuroneko (Manwhore and the black cat) on this single because it's my favorite Sugar song right after Blossom. And the antlion version really brings the greatness of the original in a new form. The intro opens with a slow, emotional and gentle saxophone and piano company and then goes with a tango-like melody and beat giving the song an extra rock-rebel-flair to it. LOKI's voice simply floats over the whole song, exploding together in a great chorus (sounding even more vibrant than the original thanks to the extra punch from the saxophone). The guitar solo after always blows me away with it's ingenious, minimalistic, pizzicatto like play interchanging with the saxophone and later with Loki's whispering, you just have to love it.
antlion is a excellent single, can't deny that, though it's a kind of a single music elitists would listen, even your folks would listen and not complain about it (if you have music elitist parents like I do =) ). The mature, serious and overall well composed songs really sting out of the most of the Visual kei releases, showing that Visual kei knows no borders nor dogmas, allowing almost all sound ranges as long as it can be classified as some kind of rock. That is one of the reasons I love Visual kei, it can never get boring and each band is unique.
As for Sugar, their music will suit even the most elitist tastes, though don't expect some heavy and crazy riffage, explosive choruses and agression in antlion. The almost puristic jazz-rock style may seem boring to the listener oriented more on the wild side of Visual kei. Nevertheless if you like jazz, good compositions, variety in sounds and a more unplugged and Nagoya kei approach, you might not resist the charms and style this band has. A warm recommendation.
Something's not quite right with this PV...
Can you guess what it is?
Can't wait to see this PV in full.
Date released: 4.6.2008
Track list:
1. I/M
2. ESCARGOT
3. THE 「C」BLOOD MANIFEST
4. celtic
As I've said this month is a month that requires some deeper scratching under the surface to find some releases. And as it's with Visual kei, going under surface means finding obscure indies. One of them who had a release this month is the awkwardly named band since1889 (whatever that year means to them).
DIABOLOS is a fierce release of this obviously fierce band. Just listening to industrial-screech monster intro like I/M will remind you of the also industrial-fused intro End of Finale by UnsraW. It's some kind of a ritual for every Visual-hardcore band to have this some kind of techno-like intro.
The band bombs with growling/death-grunts (I like them especially on the first few moments of ESCAGORT), heavy distorted guitars and double bass attacks on all of the DIABOLOS while the singer Kouta changes his voice from bestial to singing on the somewhat mellow choruses. It's interesing how his growls are loud and firm, while his singing voice is really gentle, quite and mellow, thus not giving enough charge to the choruses.
THE 「C」BLOOD MANIFEST has got some less growl parts, but rather a sinister feel and a melodious chorus. The song directly attached to it is the best on the album: celtic. celtic may not sound as the name suggests, but it has got this buzzing, shivering guitar-riff that creats a mysterious feel before launching a full-frontal attack of metal madness that will make every metal fans heart beat faster. Even the choruses have more crunch to them than on the other songs with Kouta's voice sounding ethreal, streching and shrinking building up a light mood to this heavy song. I like the silence-loudness attacks right after the first chorus.
DIABOLOS is just a kind of a single everybody should have in their music collection, not because it's outstanding or something, but because everybody gets the impulse for vicious growling and bashing once in a while. since1889 deliver a balanced fury package not sounding to extreme like Dir en grey, but yet with more breathing-space than UnsraW (and with a better vocalist up to the top, though I like Yuki's growls). Fans of the both bands will surely like the metalcore influenced since1889. Not outstanding, but not bad either.
Date released: 11.06.2008.
Track list
1. [ ]
2. [-tHiNk-]
[-tHiNk-] is the second demo-single by the young Visual kei band born. This single made me think about whether to consider it as a sign of a existing potential of this band or as just another average Visual kei release.
[-tHiNk-] has got this screaming, buzzing guitars running through the whole song, giving off a slight industrial feel like D'espairsRay's song PIG. The thick bass and dynamic drumming, with a lot of bass attacks speed up the song giving a extra punch and energy into it. It's not so often to hear such a power attack from a indie or demo band, so this energy is kinda plus for born. The chorus have got this singing in higher register, almost falsetto like that I really don't understand why so many singers torture themselves with such a high pitch, but luckly it's interchanged with the singer's Ryouga's normal voice higth and a young sounding timbre. What I like about the chorus is the distorted smashing of one guitar, while the other playes a simple, pulsing melody in clean, set into the background. It's like Karyu's playing in D'espairsRay, though less ingenious. Technical aspects aside, the song does have this underground feel to it, with early D'espairsRay and 2000-2003. Dir en grey flashbacks, making this song even more appealing.
born has got good influences and they do know how to use this influences in their songs, but they still have to work on their originality. Overall, without me making some philosphy about it, I kinda liked the single, not exactly something I'd listen to all the time, but once in a while it might be intereseting. If you're a fan of bands with a industrial and dark touch like D'espairsRay you'd probably like this single yet knowing that there are better songs.
Keep working hard guys, it'll pay out one day.
And they've said that there will be no PV. AHA! YOU LYING BITCHES!!!!!
But then again this isn't a actual PV, just the live performance of Brilliant from one of their recent lives mixed up with the CD version of Brilliant. LAZY BITCHEZZZZZZ!!!! In their almost ten years of existence they've released like what 6 PV's but each was a true little masterpiece for itself so this 5-minute edit feels as made just sio that the guys would get some screentime on TV. And I already had imagined the PV to be all flashy, like trickstar but with some broken glass, lotsa light effects and our boys looking as fierce as ever...
Oh well....
To the not so brillant PV for Brilliant.
Hi everybody.
I have concluded that this month is literally "release-dead". Probably the only release I'm really looking forward is Ayabie's Mikadzuki no kiseki, but other than that there is not particular release I'd check. So that means if I don't stumble upon some good and obscure indie band, there will be just one review this month.
And the single is going to be released on 25.6.2008!
Not good.... (oh well July is going to be over-flooded with releases)
Other Visual news and similar...
D'espairsRay are releasing a new single in August *shock* called KAMIKAZE (apparently KAMIKAZE is this some kind of a legendary live performed song that everybody seems to like; I haven't heard it and I won't even bother until it is released). If KAMIKAZE is going to be the same anthemic XXXX like BRILLANT or everything else released before on MIRROR I'll be glad to rip it in my review apart. BRILLIANT got me due to long waiting, but KAMIKAZE will surely have to be fierce to get the same praise as BRILLIANT. Speaking of D'espairsRay I saw on HearJapan their so called new logo thingie.
They'll change the most coolest logo in Visual kei into THIS!!! I could do a better logo than that in 2 minutes in Photoshop. SERIOUSLY this logo fails compared to the fierce old one. God, no comparison comes to my mind to show how this logo fails compared to the old one...it' like choosing a dump-truck over a Ferrari.
Oh and when I finally thought that when I have my summer holidays no band on purpose will play in Europe, a glimpse of hope sparkled before me: Kagrra, is going on a Europe tour!!! Hooray!
The concerts will take part as scheduled in:
8/17(sun) Sweden/Sweden [Klubben]
8/18(mon) Finland/Helsinki [Tavastia]
8/20(wed) Holland/Utrecht [Tivili de Helling]
8/21(thu) UK/London [Scala]
8/23(sat) Germany/Cologne [Kantine]
8/24(sun) France/Paris [La Loco]
8/25(mon) Spain/Barcelona [Sala Salamandra 1]
The best part of it all is that the closest to me (Germany) isn't on some obscure date so there might even be a slight chance that I would go on Kagrra's live. Kagrra, is one of my favorite bands and it would certainly be cool for me to be on their live (plus none of my folks/sister can jerk around that they are violent/that I'll get moshed to death/etc...). So If I'm REALLY lucky I'll go on a Kagrra, concert!
Oh and the guys from Kagrra, are releasing a new single on 9.10.2008. so I'm looking forward to it.
I have to mention that yesterday I received my DSD diploma. It is a diploma that shows that you have managed to reach the level C1 (C2 is the highest level of language knowledge; native speakers have C2) in German. So there is only a level of difference (and that is not such a big difference) between mine and a German native speaker's German. Heh...
The recieving ceremony was kinda cool and yesterday was really awesome (I even took some sushi from Zagreb back at my place). At the ceremony (which was in the German ambassadory) came Mile Kekin the singer of Croatia's most popular punk band Hladno Pivo (Cold Beer). He studied German on college, but he never actually had the chance to teach German as a teacher because he became a punk star. It was really cool seing him and his German is unbelievable.
So with the impression I've checked out some of Hladno Pivo's PVs and I have pick the interesting ones.
(Warning: these guys are nuts XD)
Hladno Pivo - Zimmerfrei
The song is the summer anthem of me, my sister and our half-cousin and we sing it every summer when we meet. The song is a very addicting ska-punk hybrid with a fun and catchy chorus and hilarious lyrics (just as all their songs). The lyrics are about how a day will come when tourist from all over will come to Croatia making it's economy bloom and what will Croatia do to attract them (like turn Slavonia (the largest valley region in Croatia) into a golf court).
The PV is fucking hilarious and you simply can't help but to laugh at the nutbags of Hladno Pivo.
Chorus:
To će biti TAJ DAN (It will be THAT DAY).
To će biti TAJ DAN (It will be THAT DAY).
Objesi ZIMMERFREI, lezii pod palmu i uživaj (Hang out ZIMMERFREI (German for vacant rooms), lie under a palm and enjoy)
Hladno Pivo - Šamar
Šamar (Slap) is a bit of a mid-tempo balladesque song. The video is cool and the lyrics are about jealousy and violence.
Chorus:
Kako te slijede pogledi (How the eyes follow you)
Kako se lijepe po tebi (How they crawl all over you)
Cijelim tijelom uživaš (You enjoy it with your whole body)
Misliš da ne vidim (You think that I can't see - not sure about this line, could be missheard)
Hladno Pivo - Biološki sat
Biološki sat (Biological clock) is said to be one of the strongest tracks of their recent album Knjiga Žalbe (Book of complaints). The PV was just released a while ago but it hasn't been uploaded on youtube yet, so I just found the slideshow version of the song (though the PV is awesome). The lyrics are fierce and it all has got a somehow rough and agressive sound to it. Like you wan't to beat someone up.
Chorus:
I sam ti rekao da (And I've told you that)
Al' ću ti reći sad (But I'll tell you now)
Jebem i tebe i tvoj biološki sat (Fuck you and your biological clock)
I really must take once some time and check them out. They sound really fun. Apparently we all who got our DSD diploma will have the chance to go on a free Hladno Pivo concert that will be held at the 10th year anniversary of DSD in Croatia :).
So anyway enjoy your J-rock news and Cro-punk craziness.
I can't express how happy I am to see you all liking Baku!
First International Wota gave Baku a recommendation and introduced a nice idea about the PDF version of the magazine. Though that was my initial idea I found it a bit more flexible for the readers to get the magazine in the regular, JPEG version. But the "year in review" version sounds really great and I'll will surely take it into consideration.
And I was totally speachless to see that Cliff wrote a post about Baku on Taion! Cliff is my favorite reviewer around and I was really honored to find him liking my magazine Batsu and even dedicading a post to it.
So people if there is anything you would like to see in the Visual kei cocktail of a magazine Baku please feel free to suggest.
And again thank you International Wota and thank you Cliff on your posts!
Date released: 21.5.2008.
Track list
1. パンドラ (Pandora)
2. DIRTY [PV]
3. the LAST SHOW [PV]
4. TrickSTAR
5. メビウスの憂鬱 (Moebius no Yuuutsu) [PV]
6. このは (Konoha) [PV]
7. レゾンデートル (Raison d’être) [PV]
8. WORST
9. ジャイアニズム罰 (Djaïnism batsu)
10. ジェネラル (General)
11. White Room [PV]
12. Cloudy dayz [PV]
13. 夜想曲 (Yasoukyoku)
Over a year has passed since the last Nightmare album THE WORLD RULER and Nightmare have returned with a new, again pretentiously named album Killer Show.
A glimpse at the track list reveals that almost half of the songs present on the album have been released before starting off from the dirty rock'n'roll roarer DIRTY, playful and relaxed ska song Moebius no Yuuutsu, slow and boring ballad Konoha, anthem-like, easy marching Raison d’être up to the over-the-top Cloudy Dayz. Those mostly mediocre songs somehow water down the album, with their similar refrains and sure composition.
Unlike that the rest of the album is pretty stunning compared to previous releases (which most are featured on the album). The album starts with the mesmerizing, almost meditaitive oriental rock song Pandora where Yomi's really good vocals shine with bliss and the guitar riffs sparkle mixing into a transcendental sort of feel. Very nicely done for the start. The playfulness goes even beyond on the swing and rock'n'roll hybrid the LAST SHOW delivering an almost theatrical feel to it because of the piano and horns placed at the front and the glamorous, yet settled refrain. Fun and catchy the LAST SHOW forces you kinda to get up and start dancing.
Another highlight is the excellent and upbeat TrickSTAR, my personal favorite on the album, with it's very singable and catchy refrain that has been brought to almost perfection with a hint of melancholy. Amazing and quite unpredictable for Nightmare. Even WORST is not that half bad with its surf-rock style, crazy riffs and again with an darn catchy chorus. And what would be an Nightmare album without a Djaïnism song? Killer Show's Djaïnism batsu features some really face ripping, alarming riffs and a lot of Ni~ya's slap bass, building up the tension just like in BOYS BE SUSPICIOUS and launching a loud and powerful chorus. And the explosive mass reaches with the probably most GazettE-like song ever not being written by the GazettE: Gerneral. General begins with almost identical riffs to those on the mosh-parts of alice nine.'s -Dice- and riffs of GazettE's AGONY going to the BURIAL APPLICANT like calm and omnious verses and exploding with the powrful and a bit jumpy chorus just like in CIRCLE OF SWINDLER. Surprisingly, Nightmare really manages to give out a good and fitting performance to General.
The last highlight of the album is the melancholic but strong ballad White Room which was released before, but on the live-distributed single. And then again I can't help not to notice the Kyomu no owari, hakodzume no mokushi resembling intro with a lot of dramatic riffs and piano notes. Unlike Kyomu, White Room is less darker and more firmer, though also with too much of a sure chorus just like it's GazettE pandan. The album ends with Yasoukyoku, a dreamy like parting song that you'll likely to forget.
The new songs featured on this album would have made a Killer mini-album, but unfortunately they are stuck together with the pretty mediocre former releases which in a way water down the quality of the new songs. Though this album has got less variety in songs than the WORLD ruler, Killer Show nevertheless has got more exciting songs I'll probably listen to more times. This album is worth checking, primary because of the exciting new songs that somehow return Nightmare to their fierce, dirty rock'n'roll soul. But as always with Nightmare, only fans will enjoy this album comepletely, while others will find their favorite bits.
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