JMusic, JFashion and JMovies

 

So recently I heard the brand new single by X Japan, the first single in 10 years! I must say I’m very impressed, and definitely touched too.

 

The new single holds their traditional power choruses, deep and thoughtful lyrics and the beautiful soft piano that they are well-known for. The whole song is just lovely because it differs slightly from time to time but it still moves smoothly. I first heard the song while watching the PV (Promotional Video) which has scenes from the movie Saw IV since it was for that movies credits.

 

I think the most heartbreaking thing while watching the video though, I was sitting the late hide’s guitar sitting there on its stand in front of the microphone all by itself. Seeing it, it finally hits you that hide is no longer with us, has long been gone and won’t be back. The chorus, which is the time you probably see the empty space so much, really saddens you since its almost as though Toshi is singing to hide.

 

Thankfully, hide isn’t completely forgotten. This beautiful song was written based around a guitar track that hide left behind before he died so it possibly makes it a little more heartbreaking because you can see the guitar, the microphone and you can hear him playing. Although, we do see some glimpses of him on the screens on the buildings below.

 

The PV takes place doing exactly that, a live performance of the band on the rooftop in Aqua Centre, Tokyo. In the streets below, people gathered around the screens on the front of other buildings to watch the band perform for the very first time in ten years. Some of the screens displayed hide playing guitar before he died which added the feeling that believe it or not, X Japan are still together and that even death won’t tear them apart.

 

While it’s more than just comforting to know that hide is not forgotten, by fans or by the band, it’s still saddening to see that guitar sitting there all alone and abandoned. Nonetheless, the song is touching, beautiful, very reminiscent of the early X Japan that we knew 10 years ago before the tragic event so I’m glad the band feels they can still move forward and that hide won’t be left behind.

 

The song…it’s lyrics just have something in it that’s beautiful, the way they’re written, the way they’re sung, the reason they’re so relatable; you can’t seem to listen to this song and not miss listening to X Japan. Their music is timeless and its great to see that even after so many years, even after going through so much, they’ve proven to fans that they can still surprise us after all this time and that they still have the strength and energy that they used to have.

 

My love for this band has come back, its been a long time since I’ve actually sat down and listened to them and truly understood what it meant to listen to this music. They’re back and they’re definitely here to stay. X Japan has just said to us with this single, they’re back and they’re not going anywhere for a long long time.

 

So from here on, there are a few shots from the Promotional Video for the beautiful song I.V:

And finally, the PV itself:

Visual Kei (ヴィジュアル系, vijuaru kei) refers to a movement among Japanese musicians that is characterized by the use of eccentric, sometimes flamboyant looks. This usually involves striking make-up, unusual hair styles and elaborate costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics. Some sources state that Visual Kei refers to a music genre, or to a sub-genre of J-rock (a term referring to Japanese rock in general), with its own particular sound, related to glam-rock, punk and metal, and with strong emphasis on its unique style of dress; and some sources state that Visual Kei's unique clothing and make-up fashions, and participation in the related sub-culture, is equally as important as the sound of the music itself in the use of the term.

 

Inside Japan, their fans are almost exclusively teenage girls, and as such they can be somewhat considered a uniquely Japanese version of a boy band. In other countries, the small quantity of Japanese visual kei followers is equally comprised by male and female adolescents and young adults. A notable difference between visual kei and boy bands is that boy bands usually are prefabricated and start with a strong marketing campaign, while there are a lot of cash-less indie visual kei bands that won't get promoted unless they first gain popularity.

A look that recently has became popular within this trend is called Gothic Lolita. Western observers sometimes confuse visual kei bands with gothic bands because of the makeup and clothing, but most Japanese goths do not consider visual kei to be gothic at all, and there is very little cultural crossover between Japanese visual kei fans and Japanese goths.

This trend was almost single-handedly started by X Japan in the 1980s and became popularized by 1990s bands like Malice Mizer and is one of the most popular trends today.

 

Popular Visual Kei bands are as follows:

 

【FIGURe;】

12012

After Effect

aicle

alice nine

Aliene Ma’riage

Amatarese

Asagi

auncia

Ayabie

Benom

Blood

D

D’arc-en-ciel

D’espairs Ray

Danger Gang

DEAD END

Dir En Grey

Dollis Mary

Dolly

DOREMldan

Due le Quartz

Duel Jewel

Eve of Destiny

exist†trace

GazettE(The)

girugämesh

GLAMOROUS HONEY

G-zas

hide

hide with Spread Beaver

Hizaki

jealkb

Kagerou

Kagrra,

Kajinaga Daishi

Kamijo

Kana

Kaya

Kozi

Kra

Luci’fer Luscious Violenoue

machine

Malice Mizer

mask

Megamasso

metronome

Mitsuyubi

Mix Speaker’s, Inc.

Miyavi

Moi dix Mois

Nightmare

Noise

Onmyou-za

-OZ-

Panic Channel

PENICILLIN

Pierrot

Plastic Tree

Psycho Le Cemu

Quappi

Raphael

RENTRER EN SOI

rice

Ruiza

ruvie

Sadie

Schwarz Stein

ScReW

Sendai Kamotsu

SHAZNA

Shinkou Shuukyou Gakudan NoGoD

Shiver

Shoujo Lolita 23q

Silver Ash

Siva

Soroban

SuG

Syndrome

TERU(Versailles)

The Candy Spooky Theatre

the kiddie

TOKYO YANKEES

UnsraW

Unzu

Versailles

Vidoll

X Japan

XYXX

ZIGZO

Thoughts:

 

Visual Kei is by far my favorite dress sense and even one that I don’t mind wearing once in a while, even here where it is extremely unpopular and anyone could be stared at for no reason. Possibly, I assume that if I’m going to be stared at for nothing, might as well give them something to stare at.

 

I adore Visual Kei, its dark and tough but its elegant at the same time which is amazing and not something that many people can pull off. I’m a fan of plenty of Japanese bands who follow the Visual Kei scene but the secret to Visual Kei is following your own style as well and adding your own personality. It’s good because these days too many people try to be like each other and individuality is important.

 

I think the style that bands such as Versailles have is very over the top and beautifully dramatic which I love and think that it suits them and their music. It definitely isn’t the form of dress I’d wear as an everyday thing, naturally but I definitely look up to them for going in that direction in regards to fashion. The detail in outfits like theirs is amazing and artistic, marvelous in my opinion.

 

My sense of style is more the type of bands like Girugamesh and The GazettE. I’m a person that loves my ‘tough girl’ appearance but naturally at times, like family gatherings and parties of those sorts, I need to tone down that tough girl attitude. The GazettE’s sense of fashion taught me that I can still look cool, tough and keep my dark image while still looking elegant and formal. I love Ruki and Uruha’s style the most but Aoi’s flowing in his lighter clothing also appeals to me.

 

Girugamesh is a new band on the Visual Kei scene and I really admire them, their fashion sense especially. The black baggy pants, the black and white stripped shirts and jackets nicely studded, now that’s something I’d wear on a daily basis.

 

So typically, I adore the Visual Kei fashion and the music closely associated with it. The fashion of Visual Kei is by far one of the best ones in Japan’s Harajuku currently. The make up, the clothing, the attitude, the music, everything all ties together and makes a great fashion to follow. It really is a shame that in many Western countries, fashions like this are confused as ‘emo’ or ‘goth’. There’s nothing wrong with those but people tend to classify Visual Kei as something it clearly isn’t. Maybe if people were more open about these things then the world would be a much better place.

 

One of Japan's most popular rock bands to date, GLAY's name originated from a deliberate misspelling of "gray" representing the wide range of genres that the band can fit into without being classified as "black" or "white". GLAY has not been afraid to experiment with different styles of music, and with songs ranging from gospel to pure rock.

Since their debut single, RAIN (produced by X Japan's YOSHIKI), they have produced over 9 albums and 39 singles. With record numbers of audiences attending their concerts and releases reaching #1 spot on charts, GLAY continues to have an impact on the Japanese music scene. GLAY celebrated its 10th Year Anniversary in 2004.

The band was formed in 1988 by TAKURO and TERU. HISASHI joined shortly after, when his band ARI broke up. The band became popular in their hometown. In 1990, when the members graduated from high school, they headed down to Tokyo to try and push their career even further.

However, things were difficult in Tokyo. The band performed for very small audiences, sometimes for only one person. The members had to work very hard to be able to keep themselves and the band together. It was not until JIRO joined the band, in 1992, that things started to change. JIRO came in with new ideas that opened the doors for them and helped them to get more success in the indies circuit.

In 1993, YOSHIKI watched one of their performances and signed them under his label, Extasy Records. Since then, they've been very successful, with consecutive #1 hits and million selling albums and singles. The band has performed in some remarkable events like the GLAY EXPO's (they've done three editions so far), which always gathers hundreds of thousands of people and established a record with the EXPO '99, as it had the largest audience in Japan.

In 2004 GLAY celebrated their 10th year as a major band with the EXPO 2004, which was attended by 100,000 people. It was one of the busiest years in the band's career, with the release of the album THE FRUSTRATED and four singles, along with other products, and appearances in a number of TV shows. The celebration finished in 2005, with the GLAY DOME TOUR 2005 "WHITE ROAD" in TOKYO DOME and the release of the compilation WHITE ROAD -Ballad Best Singles-.

Change In Record Labels

Although GLAY had just celebrated a decade of success, the band faced serious problems with its record label in 2005. They did not give details, but, reportedly, someone had been deviating money from them. The band split with Unlimited Records. They did not release any material that year, besides |the best album and the DVD of the 2005 Dome Tour. Their only new work was the single SCREAM, in collaboration with group EXILE, which was released under EXILE's record label rhythm zone.

In early 2006, still without a record label, they produced the tour "ROCK'N'ROLL SWINDLE 2006". Later, they signed up with Capitol Records and released three singles, G4, Natsuoto / Hen na Yume ~THOUSAND DREAMS~ and ANSWER, the latter, with their idol, Kyosuke Himuro. They also performed the concert "KYOSUKE HIMURO + GLAY SWING ADDICTION 2006" and the tour "GLAY TOUR 2006 ROCK'N'ROLL SWINDLE~Re-birth~", at the end of the year.

In January, 2007 the band released the single 100 Man Kai no KISS and, a week later, their 10th original album LOVE IS BEAUTIFUL which managed to reach #1 on the charts despite of the low sales compared to previous releases. In April 4th they released the single Kodou, which was the theme song for the movie Taitei no Ken.

Thoughts:

I seem to know very little about this band, not more than I know from what my Japanese friends have told me about them but even from that it’s easy to tell how far this band have come. They definitely have a great amount of potential and the talent is through the roof which is easy to tell from the moment you hear that it was YOSHIKI who discovered them and who signed them to his label first.

They have a wide variety of music which is always great as they’ve tried to do everything and while they haven’t best at all genres they definitely have some music that will cater to everyone like a lot of other bands have done.

 

Also, this band have managed to work it’s way back into the industry after so much that went on between their labels. It shows that they tried their best to get to where they are and they aren’t about to let problems like those stop them from moving forward in the industry, even with so many other bands as rivals in the modern day genres.

 

Although, this doesn’t seem to be as surprising as many old rock bands have begun to resurface after either disbandment or just hiatus. X Japan have recently released their new single and Luna Sea have held a reunited concert on December 24 2007 with the full DVD having been released on March 26 2008. Bands like L’arc-en-ciel, who were on a temporary hiatus in early 2005 and through most of 2006, also got back out of their solo projects and working hard as a band in L’arc-en-ciel.

 

GLAY are popular to this day and are due to release more music soon enough so any fan of Japanese music would love to hear what they’ve got next and anyone who’s beginning to get into the Japanese culture should definitely give them a shot.

General

 

Malice Mizer (1992- 2001) is widely considered one of the most influential bands of Japan’s Visual-Kei music scene right next to X Japan. Formed by Mana and Közi, the band’s name stands for Malice and Misery – the answer to the question ‘what is human?’ Malice Mizer were as famous for their one-of-a-kind music as for their spectacular live shows, featuring lavish historical costumes and stage sets, whimsical dance routines and band members ‘flying in’ suspended from wires. During their rocky history, the band went through several different lineups and three drastic image changes but their work always maintained the highest professional standards. Following a series of tragedies, Malice Mizer went into an ‘indefinite hiatus’ and effectively disbanded a little later on.

 

The Tetsu Era (1992- 1994)

 

Malice Mizer was formed in 1992 by Mana and Közi with Tetsu on vocals, both Mana and Közi on guitar / synthesizer, Yu~ki on bass and Gaz on drums. Malice Mizer’s sound during the Tetsu era was a mixture of early 1980s goth and strong classical influences. Their first official release was the song “Speed of Desperate” on the 1993 compilation Brain Trash. Shortly after its release, Gaz left the band to join KneuKlid Romance and KneuKlid Romance's drummer Kami in turn joined Malice Mizer. In 1994, the band released their first album, Memoire, on Mana's newly founded Indie music label, Midi:Nette, and shortly after re-released it with an additional bonus track under the title Memoire DX. Only days later, singer Tetsu left the band, reportedly due to creative differences.

 

The Gackt Era (1995-1999)

 

In 1995, after a year of inactivity, Malice Mizer recruited Gackt as vocalist. Under his influence, the band’s music became more wistful and romantic in its mood, incorporating even stronger classical influences as well as French pop music. Visually, the band abandoned their 1980s goth look for colourful historical costumes. In 1996, Malice Mizer released their second album, Voyage sans retour. The band became increasingly popular and in 1997 signed with the Major label Nippon Columbia, where they released a number of successful singles, a short film, Verte Aile, and, in 1998, their first and only Major label album, the hugely popular Merveilles. They even had their own radio show. In January 1999, at the height of Malice Mizer’s success, Gackt parted ways with Malice Mizer, taking a substantial part of their fan base with him. Malice Mizer left Nippon Columbia and returned to Mana’s Indie music label, Midi:Nette.

 

A few months after Gackt’s departure, drummer Kami died of a subarachnoid hemorrhage in his sleep at age 26, leaving behind a handful of songs, which the band eventually released as part of the mini-album / video boxset Shinwa. Kami was never replaced. From that point onward, Malice Mizer would only use support drummers and Kami would be credited as ‘eternal blood relative’ on all their future releases.

 

The Klaha Era (2000- 2001)

 

In the second half of 1999 and the beginning of 2000, Malice Mizer – still without an official vocalist – released a number of singles and began to work on a brand new album. Eventually, they recruited classically trained Klaha, previously a singer with visual kei / darkwave band Pride of Mind. By now, the band had abandoned the lighter pop music sound of the Gackt era for a dramatic mixture of classical music, goth and heavy metal music and adopted an elaborate funereal goth look. In the summer of 2000, they released what would be their last album, Bara no Seidou, followed by their most spectacular live show ever, featuring pyrotechnics, a choir of veiled nuns and a life size cathedral as stage prop. In 2001, Malice Mizer starred in a feature length vampire movie, Bara no Konrei ~Mayonaka ni Kawashita Yakusoku~, and released three more singles, amongst them the fan favourite Beast of Blood, but eventually the band members decided to go their separate ways and thus was the end of the Malice Mizer Era.

 

After Malice Mizer

 

Gackt and Klaha are both pursuing solo careers, Gackt being the most well-known of the two as a solo artist. Mana has formed his own solo project, Moi dix Mois, and simultaneously pursues a career as fashion designer for his Gothic Lolita fashion label, Moi-même-Moitié. He continues to also run his own Indie music label, Midi:Nette, and is still looking for more bands to sign and produce. Közi has joined Haruhiko Ash’s goth and industrial music band Eve of Destiny and also has a solo project on the side. Tetsu went on to be in ZIGZO, and is currently in NIL. The whereabouts of Yu~ki were unknown until he resurfaced in 2004 as co-writer of one of Közi’s solo songs.

 

 

Thoughts:

 

This band is most definitely a classic and it’s just very hard to keep their music out of my playlist for more than a week. I have no preference of any era and love all their music for its beautiful gothic and classical sounds with its occasional sweet and romantic melodies. Like I’ve already said before in the profile, Malice Mizer were very well known for their live performances with their very elaborate old clothing and their generally great stage presence. The performances all made each song really come to life and gave a hidden story behind each of the songs which was great, since it’s very well-known that not all songs by any band have direct meanings so it’s lovely to watch stories unfold within songs without it being a boring and unbelievable musical.

 

Overall, this band has been a great influence on the modern Visual Kei scene, no matter how different some Visual Kei bands of today seem so I’m definitely grateful to this band as I am to bands like X Japan. Without bands like X Japan and Malice Mizer, music today would probably be very different because of the great impact they’ve had on people world-wide. This band is definitely one worth listening to and watching a few of their lives on DVD or on Youtube or something of the sort.

 

On a side note, even at age seven or eight when Kami died, I already knew about a lot of Japanese rock and I remember crying at the idea that he died. Unlike hide from X Japan, who’s news of his death I heard about a few years after, I knew Kami’s death from the day they found his body. Kami was a respected, kind and loving person and the greater part of Malice Mizer in my opinion so it really is a shame that he’d passed away so young.

 

Malice Mizer lives in the hearts of millions of fans all over the world, young and old and even though they no longer make music together, we shall always remember them for their great personalities and outstanding work, especially Kami who made parts of future songs possible by leaving behind more great work.

 

 

X Japan, or X which was their initial name when they first began, was a Japanese Visual-Kei band, the brainchild of Yoshiki. Their sound started as typical Japanese rock speed metal, and later went toward alternative rock, but always with a huge emphasis in ballads.

 

General

Plans for the band started in 1976, when its original members, Toshi and Yoshiki, were only 11. The band's first name was NOISE, later on changing to X in 1983.

Between 1976 and 1987, many people entered and left X, but its most famous formation was already in place when the band went major in 1987, with the release of their first single オルガスム ("Orgasm"). The members at that time were: Yoshiki on drums and piano, Toshi on vocals, hide (The famous Hideto “hide” Matsumoto), Pata on guitar and Taiji on bass. No record labels would sign the band because of their transgressive way of dressing and performing. Not to be stopped, Yoshiki created his own record label, Extasy Records, with money he and his mother helped provide by selling the family business.

In 1992, X was widely known in Japan, and they intended to start focusing in America. In US there was already a band called X, so they were forced to change their name to X Japan. A little before changing the name one of the many arguments that used to take place between Yoshiki and Taiji led to Taiji's departure of the band. Taiji's last three live performances were three sold-out gigs in Tokyo Dome 5.-7.1.1992. He was replaced by Heath later in that same year.

 

After leaving, Taiji worked with Loudness, D.T.R., and Cloud 9 for a while, and is now in another band with his little sister on vocals, Otokaze. They performed at hide's birthday celebration on 2003.12.13, and Taiji covered hide's "ROCKET DIVE" as well.

 

X's music, under the caring but determined supervision of Yoshiki, never stopped evolving. Amongst their music one can find songs for everybody: harsh but very emotive speed metal tracks like "Sadistic Desire," "Phantom of Guilt" and "Vanishing Love;" even more acclaimed ones like "Kurenai" and "Silent Jealousy;" moving piano ballads like "Forever Love" (the ending theme for the anime film X) and "Tears;" and alternative yet powerful tracks like "DAHLIA" and "Rusty Nail." One particularly notable song was "ART OF LIFE," a carefully crafted piece that was almost half an hour (28:56) long and that the band played twice, both during their "X JAPAN RETURNS" shows in 1993.12.30~31. The flexibility with their music was most definitely the reason they remained popular for so long. Anyone in the world was bound to find something they would love about their music at any point in their careers.

Almost all X Japan's tracks were composed by Yoshiki alone, with a handful of pieces composed by hide and even some early ones by Taiji. Yoshiki loved classical music, and this influence can be specially noted in tracks like "ROSE OF PAIN", "ART OF LIFE" or his symphonic composition "Amethyst." He led a project called Eternal Melody which consisted in X's songs rearranged by George Martin and other arrangers for classical performance. The double album, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, was released in 1993. YOSHIKI also selected some classical pieces for two compilations called YOSHIKI Selection and YOSHIKI Selection II. He also remade the song "Black Diamond" by KISS into a classical piece that listed in 1994's Kiss My Ass album, a tribute to the aforementioned band.

End of Toshi

In May 1997, Toshi, shocked the fans that the band had all over the world, announcing that he was leaving the band, which led to its dissolution in 22nd September 1997. Toshi then joined a kind of cult, related to nature and music therapy, lead by a man called Masaya. Many say that this cult influenced Toshi's departure of the band. After that, he continued his solo career, saying that his friend Masaya was a great inspiration for his new compositions. Toshi himself alleged he was becoming frustrated by the excessive work demanded by the band, and couldn't do what he wanted to do; so to avoid disappointing the other members and the fans, he decided to leave. He has also said that he hadn't enough time for his family and he just couldn't sing anymore Yoshiki's sad and touching songs.

X Japan's last live concert was held on December 31, 1997 at Tokyo Dome.

The Death Of Hideto "hide" Matsumoto

After the dissolution of the band, hide continued his very successful solo career with his band hide with Spread Beaver, Pata performing with him sometimes.

Posterior to these events, it is said that Yoshiki and hide were secretly planning to resurrect X in 2000, sans Toshi, looking for a substitute singer. In the very last case hide would be both, the singer and the guitarist. These plans were tragically scrapped when hide died on May 2, 1998.

He was found in his apartment early on May 2, 1998 after a typical night out of hard drinking. He was found hung to a doorknob by a towel at 7:30 am. hide died on the road to the hospital. This news stunned Japan's youth: four fans around the country attempted suicide, two of whom died. A lot of speculation about his death has taken place, but no definitive explanation has been found. An apparent suicide, it's thought to be an accidental death, but there is not a clear motive for either suicide or murder. Following hide's death, Yoshiki entered in a depressive state for almost three years, being unable to compose or play.

After

In late 2000, Yoshiki recovered, and announced the creation of his new project, Violet UK, a project involving music, visuals, mode and art. In 2002 he produced and starred in three commercials for 7-11, using some Violet UK music and concepts for those. However, up to date, not much else from Violet UK has been shown or released. In 2002 also, Yoshiki announced he was joining the J-Pop band globe, to help his long time friend Komuro Tetsuya (in 1991 Yoshiki, on drums, and Komuro, on keyboards and vocals, did a musical collaboration under the name of V2, releasing a single and performing one live concert). Currently Yoshiki is working with his new project, S.K.I.N., with famous Japanese musicians Gackt, Sugizo, Miyavi and Ju-Ken.

Reformation

For a long time, Yoshiki's official blog and Toshi's website assured that plans to re-form the band where underway.

The reunion was officially confirmed on June 4th, 2007. The band had its first live performance since nearly 10 years on October 22, 2007, on the rooftop of a shopping center called Aqua City in Odaiba, Tokyo. It was to film the PV for their new Single called "I.V." (pronounced "Aye-vee"). This song is also used as the main theme for the horror movie "Saw IV" all over the world. Written by Yoshiki and recorded by all living members of the band it uses unreleased music samples by hide which makes it an amazing thing to listen to considering it has all the original and loved members of the band.

Other

As a side note, Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichirou has said that he is a big fan of X Japan and that his favorite song is Forever Love, which helped create his image as a different type of politician more in touch with average Japanese citizens.

Thoughts:

I suppose its rather simple what I think of this band. X Japan are the creators of the Visual Kei scene in general and their input of the Japanese music industry has been amazing. As mentioned above, there is plenty about this band's music that makes any one become a fan of theirs. They are truly amazing for all the hard work they've putten into their music and into making this band as great as it has been over the years. Anyone would love to see this band press forward.

Possibly, for me, the one thing that makes this band not worth listening to as much anymore is the loss of hide. Don't get me wrong, this band is still amazing as it is, especially since it still uses unreleased work of our beloved guitarist but, typically, when I think "X Japan" aside from their beautiful ballads and their over done looks, I think mostly of the lovely and full of personality guitarist that we've all come to know and love. For this, I'm sad that hide has passed away, it was definitely a heart breaker and it will be as well this year when in May, X Japan will be paying a large tribute as it will be 10 years since the pink-haired guitarist burnt his image into the minds of millions of people.

X Japan has truly been an inspiration to many people, especially me but I really do hope that now that they move ahead with their careers that hide and all his hard work will not be forgotten.