...the reverse side of beauty..//..Mantified

Wow, wow, wow! Am at Tokyo and it's less than 24 hours since I watched the GazettE's live at Tokyo Dome. It's the best Boxing Day I've ever spent!

Once again, I really want to thank rawkstarr23 for getting tickets for me (I had a blast!) and I saw many interesting sights, even a girl who went alone was flailing her head without much help. Oh, and I saw someone in a Pikachu suit. Only in Japan!

There was plenty of fan service going on, and it dawned on me as I wrote the live report last night that I was merely metres away from Uruha, Ruki, Reita, Aoi and Kai, some of my favourite Japanese boys. They looked absolutely wonderful and once the live DVD will be up for pre-order, I'll be the first in line to get it and scream like a fan girl again like I did on the day. Hopefully the bling on my hands made it onto the screen since it's so ridiculously shiny!

The live report is now available on JRR. Enjoy!

It really has been absolutely crazy busy with all that packing to be done in order to cart back home after my studies (and adventures) overseas on the the island of Singapore. Ah...

But, right now, the one thing I'm extremely proud to announce: I went to the LUNA SEA live in Hong Kong on December 11th! It was an absolute blast as I twittered everything I saw and heard (which I felt of great significance) onto my swanky iTouch 4. Am really glad to have attained some followers who followed the gig all the way until the end.

Additionally, another something worth mentioning is my live report. I offered to write one for JRR as part of my contribution due to my love for the group. So, imagine my state of ecstatic-ness when it's up on the site!

Live report found here.

I'll be headed for Tokyo this Friday to catch the GazettE's live on Sunday. I will be doing a live report for the Tokyo Dome show, as well as do some twittering (maybe some on JRR's official twitter when over there, but I'll definitely be tweeting out of my personal username). So, if you're interested, follow me @taintedmantis and @jrockrevolution for updates!

It's out! FINALLY! So, take this chance to watch it!

Now to wait for the official release so that I can watch it on HD at home! As I always say, buy the artists' stuff if you want to support them.

This video is making me wish Christmas will come sooner. =)

Luna Sea hype is about to dawn upon us. Now how about reading some opinions from one of them, SUGIZO?

I'm so glad I can watch them in Hong Kong later this year! The political dispute between Japan and China is making certain things unnerving. *sigh*

Other than that? I've been punching eyelets. They're kind of like these annoying spiders that won't go away, but you have to deal with them else you might get bitten by one. And your outfit could be ruined if you're not careful enough. Bah.

If you're not already on Twitter, SUGIZO's already ahead of you! He has also set up his Official Facebook Page. It's really exciting to see all these JRockers on Twitter, which include the likes of Miyavi, Aoi and Ruki of the GazettE. Squee!

And of course, I'm now officially on Twitter too! I made it a while ago, but as opening up a web page on my lappy just to read tweets isn't really my style, I haven't used it much...that's until I got myself a swanky new iTouch 4! So yes, if you're interested in following, my Twitter is TaintedMantis. I've also linked this blog to Twitter, so updates will come to you straight away!

Welcome to my daily randomness!

It's been a long, long, long time. Sorry folks! Been busy crazy with the retake - makes me want to cry just thinking about it...

Anyway, an overdue update! If you haven't joined the Heresy fan club for a PSC band, good news! PS Company has announced that they've launched a global PSC fan club! And the best thing about it is that it doesn't matter how many bands PSC has, because the registration fee is the same! Might think about finally joining as an official fan - but need to save my money for now.

Details here!

And speaking of the GazettE, ever since I've got a swanky new iTouch 4, I've been following Aoi and Ruki's Twitter (along with a couple of other artists. So yes, they've announced that the preview for PLEDGE is now available for listening to on the OHP. I'm excited!

So far, no PV yet, but from the sounds of the latest single, it's set to be an amazing ballad. The sounds remind me of the chorus Without a Trace (even though I'm somewhat hoping for another Distress and Coma), so maybe we'll be getting something similar? I don't like the cover artwork as much, but their new look it's beautiful.

The official release date is out! December 15th! Instead of simply releasing the single in the form of Auditory Impression (CD only with 2 B-sides) and Optical Impression (CD with 1 B-side and the DVD video), they're releasing Type A Limited Edition (which has DVD), Type B Limited Edition (also has a DVD) and the regular edition (no DVD). The art work and contents haven't been released yet, but I'm totally excited that it will be a "winter ballad".

Get your copy soon! Wow, and just a week and a half before the Tokyo Dome live too! I'll definitely be able to watch this song live!

musicJAPAN+ is doing a package for foreigners who are planning to go to the GazettE's 1st Tokyo Dome live! While I probably wouldn't do the package (since I'll be making other plans there), it's definitely recommended if it's your first time in Japan or if you don't have a travel/concert partner to go to the live with.

More details here!

Is it true? Is it a fact?! Is it an unbearable fact?!

While I cannot confirm for sure, it really does seem like they've really set up a page on Facebook: FB Page

Wow, first it's Miyavi, then Luna Sea, now the GazettE's joining the cyber trends. Nice!

Not that I'm normally a fan of haunted houses, but after watching the promotional video (by Korean ex-pop star EnJel - it shows the decline of the Hong Kong music industry when they don't use someone who's local and decent in entertainment), I'm having some second thoughts about not going again this year.

As for the advert...I think it's fantastic! Even though it's kind of Lady Gaga, the make up, costumes and big hair (on EnJel) are wicked! It's one of those times when I really feel inspired to do something like that.

If I've got a chance this year, I'll definitely go! Significant anniversaries are the times when they'll make events more interesting.

The more I play SUGIZO's compositions as chill out music, the more mesmerized I become to his audio charm. I'm really glad that I've been able to get his COSMOSCAPE album, not only is it full of (good quality) electronica, there are also bits and pieces of wonderfully composed alternative sounds, ranging from jazz moods to romantic classical based pieces.

I was really disappointed when CDJAPAN emailed me back to say that SUGIZO's copies of C:LEAR are now sold out (even from the source). But hey, there will always be more of him in X JAPAN and Luna Sea! (I'm more for the latter, but ah well...)

Yes, I know I've totally been raving Mr. SGZ in previous entries. I just cannot get enough of his musical talents. I truly would love to spread his wonderful works of art. Would definitely go to see a solo live of his if I've got the chance (despite the fact that I'll be seeing him with Luna Sea in December, but it's more of a rock than a dance thing).

Here's to hoping that we'll be seeing some solo album releases some time in between Luna Sea and X Japan projects!

You've been hearing it from me for the last few days already, RED is officially out! I'm starting to like the single a little more now that I've listened to it a few more times. Still not sure whether it'll end up being one of the most played on the GazettE playlist, but we'll see!

The B-sides though, are definitely worth a mention. VERMIN is the lesser of my favourite, but it's a fun song in its own respect. Very much similar to No.[666], and very beautifully made. The contrast in the musical interlude adds a mysterious touch to the piece before jumping back into the fast paced craziness. And of course, I cannot neglect to mention AN UNBEARABLE FACT. It's a gentler form of rock, geared more towards a ballad, it's slightly abrasive, but yet it's very beautifully done as a form of hard ballad.Lacing the piano within the hard rock is worth an arrangement of its own. I like the fact that there isn't any weird screaming that you sometimes hear from the likes of Dir En Grey (not that I hate them, they're just not my type of rock). Just for that song, I'm really glad that I bought the Auditory Impression CD. Am hoping it will make it into the next album!

With all this hype going on with VAMPS' world tour starting on October at Los Angeles, I might as well jump on the band wagon!

Although I'm not as big a fan on VAMPS, I do enjoy their music style time and again with the fun rock: more of the jump up and down type. It's a really good time to catch Hyde (the vocalist) in VAMPS at this time before he goes back to L'Arc En Ciel activities. I guess VAMPS is about appealing to the Western audience since the lyrics are in English? I'll leave that for you to decide.

I love Revolution. The video sequence reminds me of Michael Jackson's Leave Me Alone. It's almost like a parody of something important.

BANG! ON! STOMP EVERYBODY!

Most Vidoll fans should know this by now, but for those of you who do not know, Vidoll is under hiatus as of September 18th due to vocalist Jui's deteriorating voice. It's devastating to hear this news as the voice is the life and soul for a singer.

I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like. Even though they are not my favourite band (a.k.a love them to the point where I would feel obliged to buy the majority of their music and other random goodies every time something comes out), I really do admire Jui's voice. He has a beautiful sense of gentleness, similar to Gackt's, with a little something to captivate your senses.

Please give them your support! I give you one of their last songs. Their last pieces are available from HearJapan as a farewell gift to their fans.

Jrockrevolution.com is doing a free ticket give away! So if you have no money to go watch VAMPS, or just want some freebie tickets, sign up! Of course, provided you're in the North Americas...hahaha.

Free tickets here!

It's here, it's here! The GazettE's official release for RED is due out tomorrow! Can't wait to hear the B-sides (as always...just a small reminder that I haven't been neglecting J-Rock).

In other news, even though I'm more focused on J-Rock, I still keep up with the likes of Koda Kumi (倖田來未). Her latest UNIVERSE Tour DVD is now available for pre-order from CD Japan - though priced at around HK$500 is a little pricey for my liking. We'll see though!

There are way too many reasons why I keep buying Koda Kumi's music and concert DVDs: main one is simply she has no problem making her work as fabulous as possible. For one thing, I love her dance music. Her electronica, hip-hop and RnB styling is meshed so well you can't help but want to dance to it (or at least pump it up in the car when going for a drive). Her costumes are always marvelous to look at - sometimes outrageously sexy, but never overdoing it to the point of tartiness...and sometimes really cute, even though I'm not a fan of super kawaii. And the stage settings are always something really fantastic to look at. They are always so beautifully adorned you can't help but say, "WOW!" And that happens every time I see a new concert DVD.

UNIVERSE is one of the songs from the UNIVERSE album. Even though I would have loved to see a PV to promote this song, I can't wait to see the stage version of it!

Wow! Didn't expect the PV to be available this soon! The single has the Regret feeling, which isn't my total cup of tea. I am awed by Aoi's new look though...he's got Uruha's old hair style! And Reita does have a near different look this time with his tribal head band thing going on. Overall, it's a dark glamour video. Maybe it'll grow on me a bit more? Can't wait until I can hear the B sides later this month!

It's very likely the Sony will remove this up, so enjoy it while you can!

Boy oh boy oh boy oh boy! Just when you think you've heard the end of Miyavi after a month long of Tokyo live streams, we have the next single!

I've been listening to TORTURE throughout the live and thought it was a pretty good song. While I preferred most of the live versions of his songs (Survive being one of them), this is most definitely one which sounds way better recorded than the live. Not to say that I don't like the live version of this song, but the basicness (is that even a word?) of raw Miyavi style rock without the bells and jingles in the song is outstanding in its own right. It's one of the more serious songs I've seen, i.e. no silly facial gimmicks or random spazz, and still very true to the Miyavi essence.

I'm loving this single!

Now to wait for the album release!

It's official! We can now see the artwork for the single covers for Red. I must say that they turned from concept art to more fashion photos, particularly starting from the last release with SHIVER.

You can see it in their OHP.

And only 21 days left before their release! Soon soon! *SPAZZES*

I'm writing this just after watching their press conference that was broadcast live on UStream TV. Luna Sea has announced that they will be going a world tour to celebrate their 20th anniversary. The main aims are to bring good music back on stage to thank their fans for their continuous support, in addition to reaching out to newer and younger generation fans.

The following are confirmed:

Germany (Bochum)
November 27, 2010

USA (Los Angeles)
December 4th, 2010

Hong Kong
December 11,2010

Taiwan (Taipei)
December 18 2010

Japan (Tokyo Dome)
December 23/24 2010

More dates and locations will be announced at a later time (when things are more organized). Ticket sales for the Hong Kong show will begin as from September 3.

There will be an official subtitled version of the press conference posted up later.

So...anybody wants to go to the HK show with me??

Okay, I've given in...I've actually bought Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty game...along with the Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction pack. I really haven't gamed in ages, and trawling through the fields of Act 1 and the jungles of Act 3 have really brought about a sense of nostalgia of why I loved gaming so much.

I really should think about getting back into Battle.net again. And play a corpse explosion necromancer while playing 13STAIRS[-1] in the background! Serious pwnage is needed for the Fetish kids...

I've finally got to "attend" Miyavi's lives! Well...not really, hahaha, but it is technically watching him live when he's streaming in real time.

So far, I've watched 6 lives...all of them were really awesome. Part of what I love is the interaction with the other fans on the chat channel. You could recognize some of them after a while too. And his lives tend to sound a lot better than the CD versions as well, I remember when one of his lives had a jazzy version of one of his classics. Of course, I always laugh whenever he sings What's My Name?, and I love some of the newer stuff too.

Guess I should pre-order that new album soon...

Seriously, when will these guys actually stop teasing us with different versions of this video?!

But anyhow, they have announced that they will be holding a press conference in Hong Kong, at 15:00 local time! WOW! And it will be broadcasted live on UStream! I'm really excited!

For your convenience, check some of the following time zones to see when you can watch the conference (may edit this at a later date).

Hong Kong 15:00
Japan 16:00
London 08:00
New York 03:00
Toronto 03:00
LA 00:00
France 09:00
Germany 09:00

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I laugh whenever I think about TMR's music video for Hot Limit. I'll get into that at a later entry, but first, a new single!

The single is very true to T.M.Revolution's style, though with less of the crazy costumes. It feels very retro, somehow... Maybe it's because he's keeping it more naturally cool?

I've finally got myself to sit down and watch the Cartoon KAT-TUN series! I've been meaning to watch them, but YouTube only has snippets of funny bits and all that randomness. I'm currently only up to episode 19 (out of 152 for all 3 seasons). Season 1 features 100Q, where guests fill up the questionnaire sheet of 100 questions prior to the show. Some of them were interesting, others were pretty boring (you would think so too if you have to endure watching one episode after another for 3 hours straight!)

Most of it features Taguchi getting his ass kicked (literally!) by Koki in the beginning, and I do love the Smiley Olympics, which is mainly made of Nakamaru's epic failure to smile. XD



And now that I've got my sound back (YIPEEEEE!!!), have to catch up on the other Japanese dramas. I've been aching to watch the Japanese version of Hana Kimi for ages. Nakatsu is hilariously funny when he's talking to himself. Oh! The music! The music that always get switched on when Nakatsu sees Ashiya! Ah...comic relief! Now, I should go and getmyself some Gokusen and Wallflower. Oh, how I <3 those streaming videos!

Ore wa homo ja naaaaaaaiiii!!!

After weeks of waiting, I finally got to listen to KAT-TUN's No More Pain album properly. Overall, it's a very pop fueled collection and definitely so compared to Queen of Pirates, which is still my overall favourite album. The good thing is that it didn't take me long to like the majority of the songs. I certainly had a hard time coming to accept Break the Records properly. Maybe it's because I had high expectations back then?

I also think it may have something to do with the solo pieces. Not that I don't like Tatsuya, but when he's always singing about flowers in every song, it gets old - particularly as every piece has always been some ballad. Rabbit or Wolf? surely came as a pleasant surprise. Given I've never been a fan of Taguchi's solos, Love Music really came across as a brilliant change. It's easy to listen to, and it doesn't feature that weird crudeness (sorry guys!). What an improvement!

A joy to listen to. Even though we won't be seeing Jin in KAT-TUN anymore.

I have been listening to my limited list of Nightmare songs on repeat the past week, which has been truly enjoyable for my want and desire to get to know them more. Ideally, I'd still like to add more songs to my inventory before starting to buy their releases. My amount of love comes first you know!

My favourite so far is the World. It's rock, wonderfully upbeat, not to mention extraordinary on its guitar solo. And, if it sounds familiar, it's one of the opening pieces for Death Note,which, I must say, is one of the most exciting thriller mystery series I've ever read for the manga...would definitely look into watching the anime for it too. The reason for adoring this single? It's the sort of auditory introduction for this sort of action-mystery fueled anime should be like: something with a moderately fast tempo, easy on the ears to listen to, and interesting arrangements. Nice! I love the original PV too, the use of tarot cards, candles and elegant candle stands, a cloaked being, Hitsugi blindfolded...it really all adds up to the atmosphere of not knowing what fate will do.

My favourite web-series The Guild is back with season 4 (which I didn't find out until last week or the week before...)!

Being the gamer geek I am, I watched the entire seasons 1 and 2 in one sitting (given episode is only around 5 minutes long). Love that Bollywood music video to promote the latest season!

Game On!

If you're a fan of the Fallout series (or just love a good RPG with the FPS feeling to a game), I'm certain you'll love the new Fallout that's set to be released this Fall...Fallout New Vegas

Oh boy! I'm totally excited for this new game! Using the same Bethesda game engine, Obsidian is making this one similar to the Fallout 3 game play, but with elements of things like reputation from Fallout 1/2 and a couple more old weaponry I haven't seen in ages in the new one.



I love the whole Las Vegas lush environment, which makes you think you're in some similar world like Sin City. *is hoping to see sex happening like in Fallout 2...not that you actually get to see anything, but at least with the possibilities...*

And companion commands got way easier to handle too! And with how agressive/passive you want your companions to be, you gain tighter control of how you want to battle the uglies, raiders and maybe a couple of deathclaws.

And there's a new trailer too! Check it out...



Can't wait to get back to the wasteland and hope for some ghoul pr0n...and guess I know what birthday/Christmas present to ask for this year!

Personally, I'm not a die hard BUCK-TICK fan (yet), but given there's so much hype going on over this legendary group...post worthy alarm bells!

It will be released on October 13. Razzle Dazzle is the name! CD Japan is already accepting pre-orders and, if you're into the technology, the limited edition comes in Blu-Spec format with a DVD included! How appropriate for a super group to celebrate its 18th album on their 25th anniversary! XD

Tokyo Hive also has a few more minor details about its track listing.

And! And, in closer to the present excitement, don't forget that their new single Kuchizuke will be out on September 1! And in 3 versions too! So...is anybody buying?

Just to give you some flavour of who BUCK-TICK is (as well as a snippet of what their latest single will be like), Sony Music Japan has provided a teaser for us. ^^

Methinks it'll be an interesting piece, but we'll wait until the actual release before the commentaries start flowing.

My favourite song is Zangai [残骸]. A totally seksi song and complementary video! XD Seriously, if all men could look this good as they age, the world would be filled with happy women.



Right, time to leave the flat...must try and stay awake after a night of no sleep. D:

As if there isn't already enough hype with the GazettE doing their finale on Boxing Day, there's a bus tour for fans going to Tokyo Dome for the show too! More details about it can be found on the musicJAPAN+ site.

Wow, if I wasn't actually going to the live with a couple of American guys, I'd probably have thought of maybe participating in the bus tour. Then again...it's already kind of crazy enough to drag some dudes around to watch other men. LOL.

Then again, I think the GazettE has already eaten a lot of money from me, and will do so again when I buy some fan merchandise on the day itself. We'll see what happens when I actually land myself some tickets!

CD Japan's now accepting pre-orders for the GazettE's single RED. The CD information's also available!

RED [Auditory Impression], Regular Edition
Red
VERMIN
AN UNBEARABLE FACT

RED [Optical Impression], Limited Edition w/DVD
Red
VERMIN

So...what will it be? A ballad...? A head bang piece...? I'm still hankering for another rock ballad as a single just because Distress and Coma is so beautifully done (and is still my favourite song). They sure know how to compose ballads that let you immerse into the moment.

Okay, major Miyavi update is in order...his new single Torture will be out on September 15 - his first single release in 3 years! If you buy the limited edition, there will be an extra CD containing some selections of audio recording from some of his lives in Tokyo, LA and NY, as well as a tattoo sticker. Limited Edition anybody?

He'll also be releasing a new album on October 13 called What is my name? (LOL, typical of him to name something like that XD), his first one in 2 years (and a first after his graduation from PSC too instead of simply a compilation).

Definitely something for your wallet to look forward to! Hahaha.

And, he's got a special surprise for us unlucky people who haven't had the chance to watch him live on his tour. We'll have 12 chances (yes, 12! You heard me right!) to see him live in action online as he continues his tour in Tokyo!

How awesome is that?!

Yup, he'll be Screaming out in Tokyo at the following times on UStream:

08/01/10 HARAJYUKU ASTRO HALL
08/05/10 SHIMOKITAZAWA SHELTER
08/13/10 SHIBUYA Lush
08/14/10 SHINJYUKU LOFT
08/16/10 SHIBUYA O-nest
08/17/10 SHIMOKITAZAWA BASEMENT BAR
08/18/10 AOYAMA TSUKIMIRU KIMI OMOFU
08/23/10 SHIBUYA LIVE STAGE GUILTY
08/24/10 SHIBUYA CHELSEA HOTEL
08/25/10 ROPPONGI morph-tokyo
08/27/10 LIVE labo YOYOGI
08/31/10 SHINDAITA LIVE HOUSE FEVER

open 19:00 / start 20:00 (JAPAN TIME)

Check your time zones for your convenience:
Tokyo pm8:00
LA am4:00 (JAPAN TIME -16hours)
N.Y am7:00 (-13hours)
Toronto am7:00 (-13hours)
Vancouver am4:00 (-16hours)
London pm12:00 (-8hours)
France pm1:00 (-7hours)
Germany pm1:00 (-7hours)
Brazil am8:00 (-12hours)
Mexico am5:00 (-15hours)
Santiago am7:00 (-13hours)
Sydney pm10:00 (+2hours)
Barcelona pm1:00 (-7hours)
Moscow pm3:00 (-6hours)
Shanghai pm7:00 (-1hours)

The link to the live stream: UStream.TV
UStream is also available on his MySpace if you forget the UStream link!

(Thanks to Murbella for the info!)

Personally, I'll probably try to catch the lives as from the 13th after I get my computer fixed: it really sucks when you have no sound on your lappy. D: He's certainly a trend setter for fan connections!

And as for purchases...I'll wait out for the album to allow my piggy bank to fatten up a bit first.

I've been listening to only a few sings, but I'm personally starting to love the group Nightmare (or Naitomea).

But before actually buying anything, I'll have to be totally passionate over their songs. Passion! Make me love them to the point I'll want to listen to them over and over again until my ears are overrun with Naitomea lurve. (If they can actually overtake the GazeRock. LOL.)

But yes! I think I should love at least 8 songs before starting to buy CDs of said acts. There isn't much of a point of buying an album if I'm only going to like 1 song out of 10 on it, right? So far, I've got 3.

For now, introducing their latest released single a:FANTASIA. While the PV is kind of iffy, being really dimly lit and I have no idea what's going on, the song is really catchy. Yomi's voice quality is decent (despite his occasional show of his unbumpy chest), and the song's arrangement has its own twist. I didn't expect the song to slow down its melody in the chorus without breaking the hardcore effect. The guitar solo is like adding some light to a dark song, weaved in between rather negative lyrics before reverting back to the bass domination. Overall, it's a good piece to listen to while you trash your flat apart.

Another song for another time.

I admit, SUGIZO's latest single Missing Link isn't exactly new news, but given he's made a massive update about his work in his MySpace blog, I feel (somewhat) compelled to make a sort of commentary here. Hahaha.

Missing Link is actually composed to aid Mick Karn for his cancer treatment. I normally wouldn't pay that much for just 1 song (without CDs/booklets and all that environmentally unfriendly packaging), but because I support the cancer cause, I've donated 10 quid to buying the single. It starts off with quite an airy feel, but when the trademark SUGIZO style dance music started after around 1:30 minutes, it just got better. And of course, his violin playing mixed with dance music does give the piece a new age style breath into the piece. It flows smoothly, without hearing weird noises that some people would put in to make it sound "cool". I think it must be the violin...it's the violin I say! It's one more (good) techno song to add to my collection! Personally, I'm not really a fan of techno because it's really horrible electronica music most of the time - but SUGIZO knows how to make it sound the way it should: makes you want to pump up the dance floor.

To get your own copy and to help Mick Karn financially (even if it's just 99p), please visit Mick Karn's page.

And of course, there is that Lollapalooza live with X Japan. Not exactly new news either, since it's quite widely publicized, but hell, he sure is busy with all that going on! Not to mention he's got Luna Sea's REBOOT event, whatever that is, as well as that fan club acoustic live show. And I wonder what Asian country he's going to jet off to...

Just hope he keeps safe throughout!

Messiah is still my favourite dance song though. =)

The new VAMPS album BEAST is out now! I did order it, but I'm waiting for some of the other releases to come out first before letting CD Japan ship it to me. Really excited to hear Hyde's awesome voice and singing though!

And I haven't talked much about gaming lately, but one thing worth mentioning is that Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty is in stores in the US now. I'm more of a Diablo person, but I truly believe that the campaigns are worth playing to get ahead with the storyline. In the mean time, I'm waiting for all the expansions to be released (and a computer upgrade) before making my move on the purchase. I wonder what Kerrigan's up to?

Okay, finally! My new layout for this blog is here!

I will miss the old layout and its colours, but this new one is exciting!

So what did I change? Mainly the comments. The old layout was under classic style, and despite claims that you were actually able to use the comment functions with that skin, it didn't quite work out for me, no matter how much I've edited the HTML and all that jank. Which really sucks because I do like the overall feel of that skin. And another reason: embedded videos always spill into the next column. Despite always changing the size to the smallest one to embed whenever I want to embed something from a video streaming site (mainly YouTube), sometimes the smallest isn't always small enough to fit into the body. So that also needed remedying.

As such, I decided to use the newer version of Blogger - using the widgets! It'll be easier to add (or remove) things from the side bar since I wouldn't need to fiddle around with changing the HTML so much. But at the same time, I needed bigger body space for my posts - most of the layouts I looked into were either too small, or too business-like, or the design sucked, or it looked way too much like a BBC page (or whatever news/magazine site). After all, I'm not focused on making it look too much like a magazine and I do want to keep it looking more personal than commercial. I did have fun creating the header, it is my favourite group after all. XD And of course, I kept the contents and the right side bar mostly the same and removed some unnecessary wording. The gifs stay though! I love them too much. I might change the background again to make it darker, but I'll give it a rest for now.

Moving on!

Oh...I meant to say...REBOOT (like Luna Sea).

The first thing that can easily put me off is the overall look. First impressions count, I know. It should also count for the internet. Yet, when I use the classic Blogger template, I can see loads of really nice layouts, but most of them have problems with the comment part. It pisses me off to see so few of these gorgeous layouts that can be used as the widget ones.

It's annoying.

And this brings me to my second point: function space. Half of the YouTube videos I embed here spill onto my columns. Not only that, my comments don't work unless if I use the widgets from the Blogger site.

Why must technology and design must be this difficult?

Oh. Boy. More money to be spent! Technically, I wanted to place this in the previous entry, but I feel that this one deserves an entirely new one of its own.

It's been announced that the GazettE will be releasing 2 new singles, RED and Pledge later this year, September 22 and some time in December respectively. Additionally, they announced at the end of their 1st live in the Nameless Liberty Six Bullets 01 tour that their tour finale on December 26th will be held in Tokyo Dome. More info in musicJAPANplus.

So that Boxing Day live definite! And at Tokyo Dome too! What news! And I'm really excited to hear what the new singles will be like. A ballad? Another hardcore? Not like they'll do any oshare, but in that interview with Uruha and Reita, they did mention that whatever they release after would always break their previous image. So nothing too remotely similar to SHIVER then.

What's next? A new album next year? Definitely really excited!

And I definitely need a new layout. Not that I don't like this one, but I hate it when the embedded videos always spills onto the columns on my screen, not to mention you can't even comment. I'm looking for something that's compatible with the Blogger in Draft (new layout template) though. *sigh*

If you haven't listened to them ever since Shiver came out, I suggest you do now. I feel that their B-sides are actually better than their actual release, maybe it's because it's more of their true essence?

First up, HESITATING MEANS DEATH. It's available on both [Optical Impression] and [Auditory Impression] releases. As I've said on the JRockRevolution Forums, the song kind of reminds me of a mesh of Toguro, Circle of Swindler, Leech and Discharge with slips of Ganges Ni Akai Bara and Before I Decay in Ruki's singing style. I can just imagine the way this song is played on stage as well as its imagery, starting out with flashes of light to give you a state of drunken dizziness, before belting "This bullet is all openings" and start doing random head bangs. It's probably one of those wild ecstasy song moments. I love his "whooooaaaaa!" it shows Ruki's gentler side. *fan girl talk* Hard and gentle in one song? I never thought it was possible without destroying the piece like 12012 did. (They did cute and hardcore, and it sounded a complete rip off of Leech, not to mention the song sounded like it had 2 styles that just did not go together, let alone a rather crappy video direction.) Then again, I've been waiting for a majorly Engrish song for a while - really exciting!



On the other hand, given the 2 B-sides, I would probably prefer listening to Naraku more. Easy listening purposes you know? Available only on the [Auditory Impression] release, it's definitely a worth listen to. I love that play-pause effect sort of like what Leech had in the electronica, but with a slower feel. I could certainly relate some of the bass style to 13STAIRS[-1]. I would definitely love to see how this song will be played out on stage. All in all, I love the arrangement for this song. It's almost a ballad in itself. Maybe a hard ballad?



Some Luna Sea news, yup, they've teased us again! So, what's happening on August 25? Announcement of a tour? New single? New DVD? Teasers!

It's here! I can't believe it's here! Fantastic song. I could imagine listening to this as a form of easy listening in the car. Now to wait for the real release on the 21st and the anime version.

What the shit what the shit what the shiiiit....I can't decide which wallpaper to use for my desktop! D: Either I'm going to use the new MySpace header (squee!), the Neo Genesis poster (!!), or Uru's portrait.

*brain dead*

I was told really early in the term that they were going to "choose which students to enter the fashion show". But lately...seems it was their original intention to shove all of us into the show. What gives?

My workmanship is shit. And because of this, I have to redo 2 of my garments. What the shit?

So...where's the "choosing" in all this? I would very much like to know.

At the end of the day, I'm just glad that it's almost over. I honestly cannot afford another year of not sleeping and doing terrible things to my liver and kidneys.

Firstly...the latest edition of Neo Genesis is out! May I just scream...I LOVE THEIR NEW LOOK!

The outfits certainly look really exciting, particularly the way the zippers run on Ruki's jumpsuit. Kai, for sure, looks more like Reita's brother with his new hairdo. And Uruha's sporting Miyavi style eye make up (which doesn't seem to suit him though).

I don't like Neo Genesis' new cover page layout though, I liked that white block of text with that font.

Okay okay, I'll stop here for now. Or else I'm going to be procrastinating even further more at this point. :P

But for now! Dig into KAT-TUN's latest PV No More Pain. It's got the Rescue look to it, really sci-fi with all that black armor. Kame, as usual, looks hot in that diva style eye make up, though I preferred it back in his Lips look. Tatsuya really stood out in this PV - that...I like. Why? Because he's normally shying away in the background in the other videos! Maybe it's that butterfly on his face doing it? LOL. He could probably start pretending to be Reita and put random things on his face. XD

Okay, back to work!

Finally! A preview of the song!



If it gets removed from YouTube for copyright reasons, the preview can also be heard at the Kuroshitsuji official site in the back track or on their offical homepage (watch or skip the flash introduction then click on number "10" to find the preview).

I love it - it's old school GazettE that sounds like Regret and Zakurogata no Yuuutsu, which we haven't heard in ages. I was secretly hoping for a ballad like Distress and Coma or another Before I Decay, but they aren't going to release singles that are too similar to their previous ones in consecutive sections. As in the TV interview with Reita and Uruha a few years back (around the release of Hyena), Uruha stated that whatever next single they'll release, they'll use it to break the previous image. It keeps things exciting and me always anticipating whenever something new comes up. So fat chance of another hardcore for me!

Another news is that they've switched from King Records to Sony Music. Initially, I was almost freaking out because I thought they were going to be some commercialized band, but the last line in the entry by Music Japan+ states that they're still part of PSC. Which brings some relief as I do not want to see them being associated to the likes of...I don't know...Johnny's Entertainment (nothing against the Johnnies, but given it's pretty much a boy group manufacturing company...hahaha). I would very much like the GazettE to remain true to themselves by creating songs they want to do - not because they're forced to associate themselves in some marketing scheme to grab more money.

Having said that, I guess I don't need to worry so much. Alien Ducky has translated Ruki's blog, and boy is he mad at the fans for misunderstanding the GazettE's association with the anime!

"What I want everybody to not have any misunderstandings about is the fact that it is not a song made to match an anime.

I have said so a number of times even in interviews and such, I absolutely will not, and cannot make songs or write lyrics in this fashion."

Well, thank God! Not that I have anything against them having a theme song with anime, it's just the fear that they might have changed musical directions. Or some nutty anime fangirls who will jump up and down around them because of the anime rather than because of their music.

And about commercialization? He really did make a strong statement.

"Next, there are also people telling us not to turn into a commercial band, but this is a foolish question.

I’m not about to go and make amends to the GazettE from it’s beginnings.

I’m human too, so with age my thoughts change too, and there is a part of me that grows into an adult.

What doesn’t change, what cannot change, is that we will play the music we want to play."

Thank you very much! As long as they remain true to themselves and continue to do what they do because they want to, I'm happy. I truly believe this is what artists should do: do it because they want to rather than do it because they're forced to. *more rave points for the GazettE*

The rest of the blog entry can be found in Ducky's Translations Blog (which I instantly hit the "follow" button just because I need more information and am really interested in what they say in interviews. XD)

Having said all that I just realized how much I hate doing art that's imposed on me. Is it because of this that I'm starting to resent some of the things I do? Is it my pride is getting in the way of thinking? I honestly don't know. Right now, I'm just too flustered and panicked to think clearly.

GAH.

I definitely need a break. I just got K.O.ed last night. I need to do a few more fucking all-nighters this week to finish my work.

Enough of that.

And finally, had I gone to the V-Rock festival last year, this is what I would have seen:



GAZEROCK IS NOT DEAD. *continues drooling at Uruha's wavy hair*

I...don't know what to say for this group. Yet I have this strange compulsion to make a commentary about Vidoll.

Methinks they're a curious band. Obviously, as music is the most important factor (followed by visual fashion styling and the PV art), so I'll just comment on their sounds.

As much as I like Jui's voice, it's been a hit and miss journey of Vidoll discovery for me. When I listened to Gothicaroid, it's as though I was listening to early GazettE - not the style I particularly admire when Ruki does it because it makes him sound like his voice hasn't broken yet. Vidoll's stop and go staccatos are not as difficult to listen to, though I suspect it might be because Jui's voice quality is gentler, softening the grunt effect. Then when I downloaded Orihime, my first reaction was: "VERSAILLES!!!!!" Can you really blame me when one of them (Shun or Giru, I still can't tell who's who yet) looks like a non-Renaissance styled version of Hizaki and there are repeated drum sounds that sound totally similar to Versailles' trademark beats? Only it's less Baroque and more upbeat.

They do have some plus points though. I suspect it may be my preference for vocalists who can sing the baritone ends and/or I prefer ballads and hard metal compared to things like...bubblegum rock that screams SuG, Antic Cafe or Kra. (Note: I'm not saying I dislike the said groups. They're just not my cup of tea. Is it because I'm such a depressing person? Hahaha.) I do like some of Vidoll's pieces - Innocent Teens is upbeat without the layer of sugar coating called "kawaii" (yes, there is something called "too kawaii" that exists), Blue Star is also a fast one that's got a strange sense of gentleness without being too cute, and my favourite so far...Cloud. The ballad is light, definitely not overwhelming with cheesiness, and ideal for easy listening.

Did I just give Vidoll a rave point? I might have. But whether I'll be a devoted fan in the long run (like I am for the GazettE, KAT-TUN, Koda Kumi, Miyavi, and lately Luna Sea and SUGIZO) will depend on whether their overall music will win me over enough to want to buy their CDs. I pay financial support to artists I like!

He's finally finished this project! And gave a super lengthy commentary too!

MySpace Blog

After reading all that, I simply cannot wait to listen to this. I'm certain it's totally made of WIN and EPIC. I cannot blame him; he got me totally mesmerized in Synchronicity the moment I listened to it. Recently, it seems he's more focused on making musical poetry of all sorts - I probably prefer this compared to his earlier solo works where he sings more. Although his voice isn't as godly as Ryuichi's, he's very well suited to the airy more electronic new age sounds. Maybe it's the voice quality?

Hopefully, a proper Luna Sea announcement will come soon after, but of course, that will depend on the other members too.

Finally, you can also read his thoughts on the current political situation in Japan. He is, after all, a modern philosopher too.

Okay, time to stop procrastinating. =P For now, Fatima to keep you company.

Finally! The title of the GazettE's new single's announced! It's called Shiver and will be the anime KuroshitujiII's opening song. I've never heard of the anime before, maybe because it's new? But we'll see if it'll actually interest me. I've already placed my orders...so I'm SO going to get my first press when the entire package from CDJapan's going to be delivered to my door after Film Bug II is released (saves me on separate shipping costs and my mail signer's time for having stuff delivered in one go).

Can't wait! *along with a couple of magazines I bought on the site*

Some more news. Luna Sea announced REBOOT in their MySpace page along with the following video. We're not sure what it means, but hopefully we'll be seeing something substantial soon!



I've also been following Luna Sea's SUGIZO a lot lately too. He makes really beautiful music and is possibly one of the most talented musicians and composers I've encountered. You know how most musicians have a tendency to stick to one genre of music and hardly ever do any crossing over? Being classically trained with the violin, his ability to play various guitars and the bass, the way he dabbles in different styles is simply amazing. I'd love to speak more about him, but for now, I leave you with Synchronicity from his 2001 film Soundtrack (he also did all the music for the film).

Only the last 10 seconds kind of grossed me out though. Hahaha.



I should get a new layout some time. I hate it when the YouTube embeds spill over to the other side.

Technically, I shouldn't even be typing this, but it really has been bugging me as I haven't updated this section in ages.

I've got a sort of new obsession: VAMPS' new single Devil Side. I totally love the chorus (particularly when Hyde sings "I'm in a trance with you").

Technically, despite the fact that it's my first proper VAMPS song, it's not the first time I've heard Hyde's voice - he was previously in L'Arc en Ciel and did one of the ending songs for the Rurouni Kenshin anime 4th Avenue Cafe, but it didn't last long as it was found that their drummer was associated with drugs and immediately dropped the single (reverting back to using T.M.Revolution's Heart of Sword).



In other news...the GazettE's releasing a new single AND a PV compilation AND doing, not 1, but 2 live tours! this is one of those times when I wish I were in Japan...but maybe I'll get to see them at the end of the year...hopefully!

Fingers crossed and here's to hoping!

Not only am I loving Miyavi's new single that's going to come out on March 24 (I've placed my order already!), I've also been falling in love with the classics.

That's right...the roots of many of today's JRock's influences: X Japan and Luna Sea (AHAHAHA...LUNACY). I haven't dug much into X Japan yet, but I do like Luna Sea's stuff. And by looking into LS, I've discovered much much more...I now understand why Uruha looks like the way he looks. It's all because of Sugizo of Luna Sea! (With many thanks - if Uru manages to look something like Sugizo by the time he hits 40, it's definitely a plus.)

So, I bring you...Luna Sea's Rosier. So let's play a game...(only good if you're unfamiliar with the band): Which one is Sugizo?? I think it's easy to guess once you've actually seen a close up of him. XD

I've been popping around the intrawebz...when I've stumbled upon some really really ancient videos of the GazettE. Music? Not as awesome as what they've got nowadays, and contains too much LOL factor. Style? Oh. My. God......No. Reita, that really isn't a good look, despite using the same nose band! And blonde hair really doesn't suit Aoi! Some of Ruki's actions are practically eeewwwwww (even though for him to come up with such stuff is normal in his case). And Uruha...*shudder*

I'm not slating them down. It's just a weird shock in some of these videos. Hahaha.



Machibuke no Kouen de probably looks the most "natural" out of all of them. The way they look (other than Reita) didn't shock me as much. You can sense Aoi's innocence in 1:25 and 1:32 - kind of kawaii in a way (and I normally don't even think of him as kawaii). But you can definitely already see Uruha's girlishness in 1:36 - sort of glad he's kept that aura around him when posing for other things, even in the seated shot in 2:31. Reita...eewww...(sorry dear!) Ruki's style isn't bad, and I kind of like the way he's made up. I think Yune could probably compete with Uruha in facial expressions and girlie smoky eyes. And the song itself isn't bad - very 90s feel, especially in the chorus. But I suspect that because Ruki's just made the transition from drummer to vocalist, the way he sings hasn't quite matured yet.



Senchimentaru Onigokko isn't a very nice song in my opinion. And despite the fact that I like red, Ruki's suit looks icky (oh those glasses!). I can't quite decide whether I actually like Aoi's black lipstick, despite his ability to look cooler than Marilyn Manson. But I love the video concept - the dark look, the grunge...and the way the song changes tone from this weird repetitive audio to something a little more interesting in 3:01 is definitely a plus.



Doro Darake no Seishun really does look like the most amateur video out of all of these I'm posting, despite the interesting visuals. Uruha my look like a cute (yet pervy looking, LOL at the person who made that comment on YouTube) school girl in a skirt, but that face pulling in 1:50 has minused like...30 points from him (hahaha). I'm glad he's left the face pulling to Ruki now...Oh God, that blonde hair on Aoi...blonde definitely isn't his colour! And I'm glad they've ditched the "let's jump together!" act in favour of head banging. The only reason worth watching this video (other than to see Uruha's bishojo-ness in a skirt) is the group's finger and roly-poly dance! And Aoi and Reita's poke fest in 4:43...

*still ends up nose bleeding from watching Uru - oh that hair and that pretty figure!*

*ahem* Moving on!



You can barely see their faces in Juu Nana Sai (literal meaning is "Seventeen Years Old" - for once I understood the title just from the romaji!). But overall, I like this ballad, and if the song could be reworked into their current standards - to the likes of Without A Trace and Nakigahara, I'm certain this could be a fantastically beautiful heartbreaking song when sung in a live.

Yes, they've certainly come a long, long, long way. I won't be putting the old stuff into my playlist (because most of these sound awful), but I have to applaud them for their improvement and long standing achievements to the present date. And to such a previously non-rocker like me to be converted into a Gazrock enthusiast.

*holler* GAZROCK IS NOT DEAD.

Well, it's been nearly 2 months since I've touched down in Singapore. Though there are some good stuff going on, I still prefer Hong Kong. For way, way, way...too many reasons.

The food here is awesome though!

Other than that, I've been updating on Project 365 everyday since January 1st. It's been great at documenting some of the stuff I've been doing here so far. I can't wait to see and feel what happens when I actually do complete 365.

My 365 blog here!