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.
December is winding down so I’ve decided to make a little best and worst list for this year. Also, I’ve enabled comments from anonymous users so everyone get involved with this! I want to know your picks!
Best Overall-Yoshiki's Reign Continues
A single blurb is not enough to explain Yoshiki’s triumphs this year so let’s break it down.
ABC NEWS- During the summer, Yoshiki was interviewed on ABC world news, being referred to as the next Bono. He promoted X’s tour and ambitiously declared that X would become the next Beatles. Farfetched? Maybe, but the bottom line is that the man made it to American primetime television.
Surprise, surprise-X Japan made it to the Tokyo dome (again), toured the US, released A LOT of shit, then added a few amped up PVs into the mix.
The Ultimate Sponsor- Hello Kitty was a loner until she met Yoshiki…Together they did something unheard of, they gave the rock star his own character and thus, Yoshikitty was born. The Yoshikitty line, released in May, includes plushies, t-shirts, stationary, you name it. Now if only Gackt could hop on board that money wagon and stop selling those bizarre FRIED CHICKENz products.
Most Insane Schedule-VAMPS and GazettE
Once every generation, there come few bands able to suffer so quietly when clearly being overworked. Congratulations VAMPS and GazettE, you’re well on your way to becoming the first bionic musicians! They keep going and going and going…
So what did they do anyway?
VAMPS- New Album Beast, World Tour, Three Singles.
When I talked to the VAMPS promoters at Otakon, they mentioned that they knew where VAMPS would be working every single day this year. Yes, every single day.
The GazettE- Tokyo Dome Live, 3 Singles, Move to SONY Records, Nameless Liberty Six Bullets Tour
GazettE really takes the cake on this one. The Nameless Liberty Six Bullets tour had 22 dates with a kick-off at the Nippon Budokan. The second leg ended the tour in november with 17 shows.
Best News-They’re Back…
This year was great for comebacks despite hearing news of disbandment left and right. In January, Kiyoharu announced the return of both of his bands, SADS and Kuroyume. SADS turned out to be the main focus for most of the year with 2 new albums and a single, but an album for Kuro is currently in the works. In august, LUNA SEA announced their comeback and went on to do their Reboot tour.
Over the summer, rumors ran rapid about a MALICE MIZER comeback when Mana announced that Moi dix Mois would be doing a live with ex. MM members Kozi and Yu~ki. Unfortunately nothing seems to be in the works for a return…at least not this year.
Most Inspirational-Gakido
Suffering from a car accident and losing your vocalist right before you release your first PV is certainly one of the most devastating setbacks a band can experience. However Gakido has really gone above and beyond to conquer what could have been the end. With only twin vocals (leader Yohya and guitarist Shutaro), Gakido returned with three singles during the summer. In October they added a third vocalist, Kahiro, and have announced a new single and album for early next year.
Worst name-0801弐209336
This band actually isn’t bad; they just have a terrible name. You don’t have to take marketing to know that the fan base is going to have a hard time explaining to people what exactly it is they’re listening to. I imagine if you catch the wrong end of the conversation, you might wonder why your buddy is reciting their bank account number. But like I said; decent band…just expect a name change if they go major.
Biggest Disappointment- DELUHI Hiatus
Three consecutive singles and a nationwide tour=hiatus? I have to say, I was pissed when I found out Leda’s brainchild was taking a break, especially considering how quickly they’ve grown in two years. Usually hiatus of course means imminent disbandment but who knows with this one. DELUHI does have a live DVD coming out this month from their Blitzkrieg tour so their winning streak has yet to screech to a complete halt.
Most Likely To Get Fired-GPK
If you read the Kiwamu interview from their US tour earlier this year, it’s obvious that the Darkest/Starwave overlord is completely fed up with his lazy band mate. It’s easy to say that perhaps Kiwamu was having a bad day, or maybe that even GPK has gotten his act together since, but the future still looks grim for the vocalist. My number one suggestion for anyone who likes a good laugh is to follow Kiwamu on facebook. The guitarist makes a habit of anonymously complaining about a certain someone (in great detail) on a weekly basis. Oh, and the posts come by the dozen. If GPK doesn’t get back to work, he’ll certainly be dethroned.
THIS YEAR
I tried to think of a proper title for this category but the more I thought, the more I realized that this year has been an incredibly somber one for jrock. 2010 was unfortunate because so many musicians and industry personnel were lost. Piyo (Gakido), Daisuke (Kagerou/the STUDS), Shunsuke(Eldorado/bis)…the list keeps going. Even the owner of Red List passed away, leaving its bands without a label and with little money to support their activities. Hopefully next year will be a year without such sadness.
As some of you may or may not know, Mana is finally releasing a new album this December titled D+Sect. The announcement is a few months in but may I say, it's about time! (All things considering his entire fan base being teased relentlessly with two new songs at V-ROCK festival last year)
So alright...D+Sect...hooray! Got that out there.
Now let's bring up the issue of what the hell is happening with Mana lately. Over the past two years I've heard a lot of bitching from angry fan club members who no longer receive their coveted Madoushou booklets.The fanclub members aren't getting their benefits and are getting even fewer explanations. Evidently Mana's staff, or the person who sits behind the curtain to answer emails (remember, pay no attention to him), or maybe his ongoing rotation of interpreters have abandoned Midi:Nette, because promotion for Mana seems to be at an all time low.
I remember seeing occasional live reports in Fools Mate or a blurb in SHOXX, but alas these signs of life are starting to fade.
Last March, Mana even moved to a new personal site (Monologue Garden) which is simply a blog. The posts are a little more informative, with Mana writing more about his album production, but it's nothing compared to the thrilling Monologue Theater website.
Even Mana's minions have better things to do, with Seth in ArtCube and K having joined a smaller band.
And at the bottom of it all, CD Japan is actively promoting Mana's music and clothing label, standing in as his only living friend.
My point is Mana, if you're trying for a slow jrock death, the fans are catching on. Then again, a big fat retirement check from SONY records does sound appetizing.
