Doing a video post today comparing bands who look/sound like other bands.
Is it too much mimicry on the edge of song theft or are these bands just giving a lot of props to their influences?
All I know is that my list keeps growing...
MALICE MIZER vs Versailles ~Philharmonic Quintet~
It's expected of Kamijo (Gackt's biggest fanboy)to emulate MM in every possible way from piano solos to wardrobe choice. However, I was a little surprised when Hizaki and Teru copied Mana and Kozi in their God Palace -Method of Inheritance- duet. The fluttery twin guitar melody that starts at 7:34 is more or less the summation of MM's Voyage album. Pretty disappointing since the two take responsibility for making that band stand apart from its predecessor.
the GazettE vs AND-Eccentric Agent- and VELBET
GAZEROCK is not EVER going to die (not if these bands have anything to say about it). I feel like Velbet is a little more original than AND because AND's guitarist favors Uruha's style a little too much. However, both vocalists are serious about their Ruki impersonations. The best thing I can say is that these bands do indie GazettE better than indie GazettE in the sense that they just copy all the memorable songs and make updated versions of them.
An Cafe vs Zip.er and Lilt
What's creepier than An Cafe? Another band that looks and sounds just like An Cafe! Since the band went on hiatus, Zip.er can now take center stage in the whole sparkly synth rock genre. The vocalist and bassist even striking resemble Miku and Bou which puts them higher on my copycat scale over LILT.Please someone slappy the nyappy out of them.
Finally here are the runner ups who would have made the main list but I have no clever commentary for.
Kiddie vs HERO
Dir en Grey vs Para:Noir
Funny thing (which probably isn't all that funny), but I only enjoy 2 of the copycats (Para:noir & zip.er). Originals are better of course, but this was entertaining to read. ^^
ReplyDeleteI agree with every single comparison you identified! Especially the An Cafe vs. LILT and Zip.er. I was hoping an An Cafe hiatus would give the world a break from their nyappy crap for a very long time, but there is no escape thanks to these other two. Was I too harsh? Oh well...
ReplyDeleteAnd you just made me the happiest person in the world pointing out Kiddie and HERO. I think there's definitely an identity crisis there and even more!
As far as Gazette goes, I think AND is kind of moving into their own sound although when they first started getting attention, they just screamed Silly God. I don't know if there's any hope for VelBet, but they're pretty new, so I'll monitor them for a while, haha.
I think Japanese people may take a more lighthearted stance than we do. I've seen it explained that it's like with manga artists who often learn how to draw and attract their first audiences through what is essentially the manga form of fan fiction. Many of these artists go on to work for big companies. Some of these bands are probably going to break up and move on to bands that make it big.
ReplyDeleteOr if you're Dir en grey....evolve to something unique. xD
You may enjoy a book called "Faking it: the quest for authenticity." It really changes the way you think about music.
Thanks Laura, I'll definitely check out that book!
ReplyDeleteWith how competitive the industry is, I guess it pays to stick to a tried and true formula? I think Laura is right about the Japanese's attitude toward imitation (actually Asians in general if you look at how the pop world copies one another). It's a huge compliment if someone says he/she wants to be like you.
ReplyDelete