The J-Music Lovers' International Assembly

[Midnight~Circus]

I need all these girls to call up Daisuke Imai, Jeff Miyahara, and Shingo.S again.

 

[Midnight~Circus]

For real though... Go through the "works" section on their websites and it's like bop after bop.

 

I know right? They consistently produced high quality r&b music that sounded great.

 

Those were the days. *sigh* :unsure:

[Midnight~Circus]

lol what happened?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BABJLeqxCtM

 

:ahmagah: :ahmagah: :ahmagah:

 

Their voices are amazing. :ahmagah:

 

And some folks have the nerve to say there aren't that many talented male vocalists in Japan. :lol:

[Midnight~Circus]

The Namie discussions have been really weird around the internet these past few days...

 

There is so much praise for Namie, I get it she's your fave, but there's also a lot of unnecessary stuff being said. Stuff like "there are no producers in Japan who are fresh enough to give her the sound she wants." But what producers do you know? And stuff like "she's making the most cutting edge music in Japan today." This may be true if you're just listening to whatever tops Oricon. And "Japanese music today is horrible. Thank God Namie is here to save it!" It doesn't need to be saved though...

 

A lot of Namie fans also aren't willing to really discuss anything and they're very intolerant of criticism. If you bring up her lack of actual input in her work, you're called a elitist and non-musical elements are brought up, or things like "she picks the demos she wants to sing". A thing that really bothers me about this train of thought is people saying "it's just pop music, what do you expect?" I think this really craps on the whole idea of pop music. Pop music can be anything really, but some people see it as just fun music you can dance to when that is only one type of pop music. Shiina Ringo makes pop music, YUKI makes pop music, MISIA makes pop music, Ken Hirai makes pop music, ayaka makes pop music... There are so many types of pop music, but for some reason people still see it in this tiny scope. It's really weird seeing as how Japanese pop music really shows how many different styles of pop music there are. I mean it runs the gamut from Dempagumi.inc to JUJU.

 

I don't know... I think a big part of the Namie hype is due to that fact that she makes very Westernized pop music and some people are clamoring for that. I think another thing is that some people are still wrapped up in the whole "JPop queen" thing of last decade.

 

They've been pretty weird for the past few years and even weirder recently.

 

The idea that she is saving the music industry right now seems to come from those with a shallow perspective of the industry.

 

I'll also agree that Namie fans, particularly those on Arama, are very sensitive to any kind of critique of her. I won't comment too much on her input other than what I've already said. Also, it is pretty weird to say that because in a way you are implying that her music is basic if pop music is supposed to be shallow and not grand/amazing. People are still trapped in "Jpop Queen" mode because Namie is still being compared to Ayu and Koda (sometimes Utada). I never see her compared to other female soloist that top the oricon charts or make pop music like Shiina or YUKI. I think this all plays into the tiny scope you say people have when it comes to pop. There are a lot of artist in Japan across different genres that still incorporate pop elements into what they do. 

 

I guess comparing her to Koda makes sense because they do use western demos.

 

 

You both always think along the same vein as I do.  :lol: Whenever Namie discussions come up I just simply tune out or sit back and watch the nonsense unfold in merriment from the comfort of my home. Hold the salt on the popcorn please.

 

All this talk about her being this "divine pop deity" that has descended down to earth to save Japanese pop music is absurd. And it's as you said Documentaly, the pop genre is a mammoth of different sounds, textures, and mixtures. I find it aggravating when I see people say the pop genre being comprised of uninspired, shallow music is the norm like they are mutually exclusive and everyone should accept it. It just sounds nonsensical. This paltry disregard for pop music and its vast origins across cultures just shows how unfamiliar and dense some people are. Ignorance knows no bounds it seems.

 

What I don't understand is the perpetual need to drag other female pop stars whenever these discussions come up. It's childish. I've pretty much muted out the online overbearing "Namie Posse" due to their belligerent behavior. I don't understand this defensive culture that results in people spending hours of their time arguing with strangers on the internet over trivial matters such as music acts. I have better things to do.

 

In my opinion Namie's overall discography is nothing to write home about and very vanilla sounding most of the time. I, for the life of me, will never understand where the incessant praise she gets as an entertainer comes from. Ever. However, she does have some great pop gems that I listen to on a regular basis ("Ballerina" is my shit) and I actually pre-orderd "_genic" because it's the first album of hers I actually like as a whole minus the bland sounding "Birthday". I don't like mainstream pop music especially Western pop but Namie is one of the very few exceptions I make when she delivers which she rarely does for me.

 

Overall I feel that people should broaden their horizons in regard to Japanese music. This isn't 2007 folks. Japanese music has evolved and fresh new music acts have emerged and are making great music. You just have to look past or dig slightly under or the Oricon charts to find these treasures. 

[Midnight~Circus]

Can I ask which albums or songs you find to be the most vanilla sounding?. To me her recent output has been a bit 'vanilla' (FEEL, Tsuki single), but I wouldn't call her whole discography vanilla. 

 

Her praise as an entertainer is justified if you've seen her live. 

 

To each his/her own. Her pre-urban works were not necessarily boring just not my cup of tea in terms music genre. The albums I find humdrum is basically almost everything she's released since going urban. Her albums "Play" and "Past<Future" aren't as bad but even then there are only like 2-3 songs on those albums I like respectively while the rest bores me. There are a handful of songs that she's released that I adore like "Hide & Seek", "Wild", "Defend Love", "Higher", and "Ballerina", etc. So I do enjoy some of her music and I really like "_genic". :)

 

In regard to her lives, I don't think they're amazing. She's not a terrible performer, and anyone who says she is deserves to get verbally bashed, but she doesn't give me that "wow" factor that many other female performers do. I will say that she gives some of her peers a run for their money when it comes to stamina and live vocals, Lord knows she does, but aside from that her stage presence doesn't attract me. I find myself paying more attention to her backup dancers than I do her. :unsure:

 

I do have a feeling that her next tour under new management will be much better than her previous tours. :)

 

Ohh, I understood your English perfectly fine. It's funny you bring up Heaven because someone played it on the forum TinyChat last summer, and everyone (except the person playing it and I) said the same thing: "She doesn't even say heaven in the song!" We had to explain that she actually does.

 

 

 

You make perfect sense.

 

The bringing up of other female soloists... I've had people recently bring up Shiina Ringo when I criticize Namie. That is a such a mind boggling comparison. If you are at all familiar with Ringo's work, you wouldn't bring her up in a Namie conversation because the level of musicality is so on another level. I mean her solo work, Tokyo Jihen, her work for other acts... It's just really odd and speaks of ignorance. The only thing that can really say is she sells more. But when were sales even brought up?

 

And there's this idea that I hate Namie; I don't. I do think her music these past few years isn't as good as her previous work, which was lacking as well. Private, Let's Do The Motion, Love 2000, Leavin' For Las Vegas, Put 'Em Up, Want Me Want Me, What A Feeling, Brighter Day... I can rattle off Namie songs I like. I never really thought of her as this really amazing popstar. I just see her as kinda average, a Katy Perry as opposed to a Madonna.

 

Like has been said by others, a lot of people are stuck in the past. They can can come along for the ride if they want.

 

I'm sorry you had to deal with such ignorance. Comparing Shiina Ringo to Namie is a desecration to music and those found guilty need to be called out for their act of heresy. :imstupid:  They are no where near in the same playing field. Namie is a dance entertainer/singer while Shiina Ringo is a vocalist, instrumentalist, writer and composer. Ringo has written hundreds of songs and earns a killing from royalties hence why her Louboutin collection stays on fleek. Bye Felica.

 

And most of us are aware that you don't necessarily dislike Namie but you do have a tendency to be ruthless when discussing her. :lol: Then again it makes for great entertainment. :lol:

[Midnight~Circus]

This has been my western jam lately. I've had it as my profile video for a few weeks. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi4Cf6lkDr4

 

This song is dope. Thanks for sharing love. :lol:

 

In other news, I'm excited to see what Daichi Miura's new album will sound like since it was announced recently. I didn't become a fan of his until a few months ago. The album willl probably only have like four new songs on it but I'll take what I can get.  :happy:

[Midnight~Circus]

While I'm glad that Avex is finally uploading videos of their current and dropped acts, It's still sad that some great acts are no longer active. :cry:

 

[Midnight~Circus]

Happy Belated Birthday Owatari! :)

 

You and Ryusenkai are younger than I thought. Man I feel old. :lol:

[Midnight~Circus]

I was just thinking about Samurai Champloo this morning and seeing the ending theme posted in the thread brings back fond memories. It's still one of the funniest animes I've ever seen. Good times. :)

 

And the Sekai no Owari shade gave me life. I still can't fathom why they're so popular. :lol:

[Midnight~Circus]

Ah, Samurai Champloo. Some people may say I'm weird because I consider it superior to Cowboy Bebop (for me). Along with Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji and The Vision of Escaflowne, that one is on my top-tier.

 

Oddly enough, I also feel Samurai Champloo ranks above certain animes that people tend to put on a high pedestal. Forgive me but I would rather watch paint dry on a wall than watch N-G.Evangelion again.

 

To be very honest, I could never see the appeal for Escaflowne. Sorry. :lol: And the fact that the spin-off took a different turn from the original story didn't sit well with me either. The series does have some great music though.  :)

 

Sekai no Owari had a lot more potential soundwise when they started out, honestly.  Auto-tune was used a lot more carefully and tastefully and there were some clearer classical influences in their music that made their initial pop-rock style stand out.  "Earth" had its flaws, but it was still a pretty darn good mini-album.  Compare that to "Tree" where the whole album feels like one long, drawn-out song that reminds of an overly saccharine trip to the carnival and you can see where my problems with them at current are.  They're not untalented composers, but they pigeonholed themselves pretty badly with that release.

 

Still, I think "ANTI-HERO" is a step in the right direction for them sonically (though the lyrics are still pretty bad), so I guess we'll see where they go from here.

 

Their last album sounded like Disney, Nintendo, and Genki Rockets got in a car, picked up their 8-bit friends along the way, went to a 90's themed party, got drunk and slept over at Avicii's house.

 

I liken "Tree" to a very bland vanilla cake with an amalgamation of candy sprinkled throughout it. I'm glad their experimenting and exploring other genres but "Tree" was indeed too pop-sugar heavy for my liking. And don't get me started on the obvious auto-tune that was prevalent througout the album.

 

I understand and appreciate where he was going with the lyrics for "Anti-Hero" but the lyrics do not mesh with the song arrangement at all. It was almost as if he was reading a random page out of a novel and recorded it over a random song he composed .

Edited August 3, 2015 by Midnight~Circus

[Midnight~Circus]

^ Wow! I can't believe a lot of the animes we grew up watching are already 20yrs old and older. Damn I really feel old. :lol:

 

 

I don't understand where ignorant K-Idol lovers get the idea that the Japanese music industry is being surpassed by their Asian peers profit wise. South Korea and China have light years to go to catch up to Japan's massive market. Why else do these desperate Idol companies dump their acts in Japan? The Yen is more valuable than the Won will probably ever be. Someone needs to school these simpleton's on world economy with a focus on the music industry.

 

I personally can't stand a majority of the music Japan churns out nowadays whether it be mainstream or indie but I don't let my dislike breed ingorance and cloud basic common sense.

 

I'm not sure how I feel about VV Brown's latest efforts in all honesty. It sounds too disoriented to my ears. I actually really enjoyed her debut works and I'm shocked to hear that her scrapped 2nd album wasn't what she wanted to attach herself to. I'm really curious to know what direction it went in.

[Midnight~Circus]

I go back to school next Tuesday. I feel old still being in University but at least this time I'll graduate with a degree worthwhile and that I enjoy unlike some folks I know who are miserable with their jobs. That's life I guess.

 

[tweet]https://twitter.com/gzbchrist/status/634388183724093440[/tweet]

 

 

LOL, are they really doing that bad though? I have no interest in listening to their new album after seeing those lackluster videos.

 

I felt the same way after hearing the title tracks and didn't want to bother listening to the album. I eventually heard from people who don't like SNSD's music say the album was actually bearable. So I heard the snippets on itunes and was surprised that the rest of the album is actually decent.

 

I'm not a fan of their Korean music but I have to admit that the rest of the album is leagues better than the title tracks. Typical SM for you.

Edited August 25, 2015 by Midnight~Circus

[Midnight~Circus]

^ I love you both. :lol: Thank you for making me laugh after an exhausting day.

 

I still have several animes I need to catch up on. :derp:

 

 

*runs off to watch "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure"*

[Midnight~Circus]

^ Thank you! I haven't started watching it yet but I'll tell you how I got along with it later. The people in this section never fail when it comes to reccommending good music, shows etc. :lol:

[Midnight~Circus]

And OMG are you watching JoJo's? Please tell us your impressions!

 

Ok I just watched the first episode and I have to let this off my chest. I've never used foul language on the forums being that I'm against it, and I'm a classy lady, but Dio is a...[spoiler] FUUUUUUUUUCKING ASSHOLE! LIKE DUDE GO FUCK YOURSELF. :omgwtf: :omgwtf: :omgwtf:

[/spoiler]

 

Poor Danny. :cry:

 

Ok rant over. *goes back to watch the other episodes*

Edited August 25, 2015 by Midnight~Circus

[Midnight~Circus]

Current state of affairs:

• Midnight Circus has succumbed to JoJo's already, at least she's seen the first anime episode.
• Yourfishnets is a JoJo fan. We were calling Pillar Men names  :hoplz: She has also a soft spot for Dio Brandy
• Wiz doesn't know much about JoJo's, but I dropped the bomb already
• Then you came!

This people will appreciate your gratitude ;)

 

 

It is!!!!

But the dance is jarring for that kind of song, actually xD

 

I did a Jojo marathon last night and now I'm watching the "Battle Tendency" arc. It's freaking hilarious and a step up from the previous story arc. Joseph is my favorite character by far. :lol:

 

Summer Madness is 100% better with a live band. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI3telQG6Ik

 

This sounds leagues better with a live band. I tend to prefer when acts have live bands in their shows. It just brings a new dimension to the songs being performed.

 

Thanks for sharing Mandi! :)

[Midnight~Circus]

HAPPY NEW YEAR OH FAM! :meow:

 

You sluts are NOT gonna do queen a MEI like that.

She has better gay club songs.
 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=noXlhKOFk0E

Better ballads.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=cFvLq3rPeTk

And an alter ego that Na-meh Aburrido could never.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=lZn1tDDxnb0

https://youtube.com/watch?v=5O7hdU7ptmY

Bye!

 

 

Educate these simpletons. A-mei should never be compared to Namie. Ever.

 

That was just a bad picture of her. She's actually quite beautiful and definitely not a drag queen. :lol:

[Midnight~Circus]

Gesu no Kiwami Otome.'s "Watashi Igai Watashi Janai no" is back in the top 10 on Recochoku and iTunes. Not even the Japan Record Awards and Kohaku made that happen.

 

Of course his band is gaining more interest while Becky loses her endorsements. Japan never surprises me.

 

I'm actually interested in seeing how their album will fare on the charts now that his past tweets were exposed. *adds popcorn to grocery list*

[Midnight~Circus]

I guess I'm the odd one out in regards to Miliyah. :lol:

 

I've listened to most of her discography and I just can't seem to get into her music with the exceptions of "Style", and "for so long". I also feel the same way about Beni and Kana Nishino.

 

Oh well, at least I gave them a chance instead of writing them off completely. :)

[Midnight~Circus]

I can't believe David Bowie is gone and I wasn't aware that he was fighting cancer. His music is legendary.

 

My heart goes out to his family and his young daughter. :unsure:

 

First Natalie Cole and now David. :cry:

[Midnight~Circus]

I'm a week late but I just listened to Misia's new album 'Love Bebop' and I haven't been this impressed with an album from her in years. :)

 

I appreciate that she went back to experimenting with different sounds instead of just piling several ballads on one album.

 

Out of Beni, Crystal Kay, Juju, and Misia, all who released new albums recently, Misia's was my favorite by far. I had high expectations for Crystal but she let me down big time. :unsure:

[Midnight~Circus]

Is it worth a listen at all? I still haven't listened to it yet and I've seen less than stellar reviews for it.

 

You're not missing out on anything. Trust me. :lol:

 

I agree with Wiz in that FFXII is actually a great game with an interesting story. I too didn't bother to play it as first due to negative reviews and how it deviated from the other main titles. But after the travesty that was FF13, I decided to go back and give XII a chance and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the game. The world of FFXII is beautiful and unique. Some characters lack overall development but it's still a great game.

 

Please play it when you get the chance. :)

[Midnight~Circus]

That's unfortunate because I was team Crystal after VIVID. Even though I didn't like the album at first, it grew on me and so did her old material that I once found hard to get into. I think she lost her footing when she attempted to break into the US.

 

I think I'll give it a try since you and Wiz have done quite a job at selling it to me. :lol: But have either of you played X or X-2? I believe X is the first FF game I ever played, but I never made it that far. Is it worth getting and finishing? I see them both up and remastered on PSN.

 

Oh the days of renting video games from Blockbuster makes me feel so old.  :lol:

 

Yeah I'm most likely going to pick up 8 and 10 and then 12 somewhere down the line. :)

 

It is very unfortunate and I've been a fan of hers since 2005. Trying to break into the U.S. market was a huge risk but she said it was a great learning experience for her. Too bad that experience didn't translate to better music. Her new album outsold her last one in Japan but not by much.

 

I've played both X/X-2 but never finished X. I played the living heck out of X-2 though. X-2 is my guilty pleasure due to the dresspheres (glamorized job system), and being able to utilize different job classes in battle. I love both games but the voice acting is very cringe worthy at times in X. And I'm glad you downloaded FFVIII as well. It's not my favorite FF game, the story is meh, but it's still great to play.

 

So glad about SS501 sub-unit coming back, gosh I miss those days stanning them only along with TVXQ 

 

I'm also absolutely stoked that SS301/SS501 is FINALLY releasing music after so many years. I remember when they and TVXQ were the top male groups in K-pop. Man I feel old. :lol:

[Midnight~Circus]

I never understood the hype for SS501. Their music always sucked to me. Oddly enough, I've liked all of their solos...

Park Jungmin had the best releases. His Japanese alter-ego ROMEO was the one who delivered the masterpiece that is Midnight Theatre.

 

I can't argue with this. I think their solo works are FAR superior to their group discography. My personal favorite solo member's work was Kim Hyung Joon, (not to be confused with his publicly hated group mate Hyun Joong), followed by Park Jungmin and Kim Kyu Jong.

 

I'm just happy to get anything from them at this point. :lol:

[Midnight~Circus]

Mary Kitagawa infuriated with SMAP members who want to leave, a normal apology will not suffice if they wish to stay.
- Sports Hochi

She wants blood

 

She has no right to be upset with them for leaving. They've been her family's slave dogs for almost three decades now not to mention the amount of disputes they had to put up with behind closed doors. I wish the members the best of luck. :)

 

This is my favorite KPop song:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_p9sR7cCdQ

 

Oddly enough, this is my least favorite song from him. The tempo changes throughout the song sounds awful to me. :lol:

 

And I'm with you on the whole SMAP/Becky fiasco. What more can the Japanese press report on at this point? SMAP is done and over with and two careless people dated each other when they shouldn't have. We get it. They should report on the future of the Japanese workforce and how it's heading down a deep dark spiral. Just a suggestion. 

 

Hyungjun never released a full album, so I don't know how much of a solid piece of work he can create. Still, I rank him just under Jungmin.

 

1. Jungmin

2. Hyungjun

3. Youngsaeng

4. Kyujong

5. Hyunjoong

 

And I didn't put the woman-beater last for his woman beating, I swear. He was last since before that.

 

:happy: 

Hyun Joong was always last on my list too. I could never understand the hype behind him or his solo stuff. His scandal was just icing on the cake really. :lol:

 

I literally didn't give two shits about Park Jung Min when SS501 was around, but I love his solo releases

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V05AtNRBS0Q

I appreciate how he did something different 

I just threw up a little bit...

 

Me too. I paid him dust until his Korean and Japanese solo works took me by surprise. And I absolutely refuse to watch that embarrassing ikon video. I just can't get into their music and their company is run by an obnoxious troll. Not a good mix.