Japanese darkwave/visual kei band Velvet Eden was founded in 1998 by vocalist Dada (the longest remaining and most influential band member) and keyboardist Kalm. Two years later, Kalm left the band and was subsequently replaced by two different generations of new members, although the debut lineup had the most distinct sound and image.
The band's ethereal sound, often compared to Depeche Mode, is accompanied by Dada's deep-pitched and frequently distorted vocals, along with hypnotic performance. Their song lyrics are based on a series of stories created by Dada, often from the point of view of one or more characters (which include a fortune teller, spiders, and a prostitute named Alice, among others). His explanation of these stories can be found translated to English here: http://www.lerman.biz/asagao/velvet_eden/storyline.php
The band ended in 2002 when Dada, said to be displeased with the more rock-styled direction in which their music had been turning, suddenly didn't show up to a live gig. No official statement was ever released. Other members took turns on vocals for a few shows, before renaming the band to The Velvet (which has also disappeared without official comment).
In addition to his work with Velvet Eden, Dada is also known for an earlier brief stint with the band Pride of Mind, in which he was credited as Yusuke Gotoh (which may or may not be his real name). He has contributed artwork to Dir en Grey, and is also widely recognized as a drag fetish/fashion model. Kalm has also been involved with several projects - most notably, composing for Kaya of Schwarz Stein (a duet which Hora, a member of Velvet Eden's second lineup, had gone on to) and other artists - some of his new work can be found on his official Myspace.
「異形姫」 ("Igyou Hime", translates to "Deformed Princess")
"Maze"
「サーカス病」("Circus Byou", translates to "circus illness")
「人形娼館」 ("Ningyou Shoukan", translates to "Doll Brothel")
VOTE TO APPROVE REFERENDUM 71! PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS!
I saw a long line of bigots lining the streets today, and it really made me sick. Don't let this turn into another Proposition H8! Please repost this link and spread the word, this issue isn't getting nearly the attention it needs to.
So, recently I joined an awesome social media site in the making: Lockerz. It's still in pre-launch stages, and lots of features have yet to be added (including a store, games, music, and video features), but it's already off to a great start...with awesome free prizes! ♥
I just got my Orange Micro Crush amplifier the other day...great practice amp, no screech feedback no matter where you put it or where you go with your instrument, very portable and can even run off a DC 9V battery. I'm impressed by the sound quality - I plan on getting a full-sized Orange amp in the future!
Some of the other great prizes available include snowboards, iPods, video games and game consoles, Skullcandy headphones, designer handbags and shoes, paintball guns, sunglasses, laptops, cosmetics, and more - completely free, no shipping charges. You can even redeem for charity donations!
All you have to do is earn points ("PTZ") - it's as easy as logging in daily, answering a simple question (along the lines of your personal tastes and opinions), and sharing the site with friends - with more opportunities on the way.
Membership to the site is invite-only, so if anyone wants to join, leave me your email address by comment or private message (no disposable email services). Feel free to ask any questions! ♥
Although best known for her stint as a teen idol in the late 1980s, Tiffany has worked across many genres; a dynamic artist that is still releasing albums to this day. She got her start singing in early childhood, with an avid interest in country music, and toured with George Jones and Jerry Lee Lewis at a young age. She has credited one of her biggest inspirations as Stevie Nicks, which is evident in her vocal styling.
However, it wasn't until 1987, at age 15, when she released her self-titled pop debut album and became a household name via the innovative The Beautiful You: Celebrating The Good Life Shopping Mall Tour '87. Her first single was "Danny", however, her first (and best-known) hit was a cover of Tommy James and the Shondells' "I Think We're Alone Now", which shot to the top of the Billboard charts - with "Could've Been" later following suit. Her followup album, Hold an Old Friend's Hand, featured top single "All This Time", as well as "Hearts Never Lie", a duet with Chris Farren.
In 1990, in addition to the release of The Jetsons Movie (to which Tiffany contributed 3 songs + the voice of Judy Jetson), her album New Inside took her in a different direction, leaning towards a more urban, R&B-influenced sound. Its title track features a rap from Donnie Wahlberg of New Kids on the Block (whose careers she is largely responsible for the success of - they first gained popularity as her opening act) under the codename "Dennis Cheese".
Recorded shortly after the birth of her son Elijah, 1993 saw the Asia-only release of her fourth album, Dreams Never Die (this was rereleased internationally in 2005 by former manager/producer George Tobin, with bonus demo tracks added). This album has a smooth, light rock sound, with some tracks (particularly "Sam Loves Joann") clearly showing her country influences.
After an unsuccessful attempt to break into the Nashville country scene, her next album wasn't released until 2000's The Color of Silence, which received great reviews and drew comparisons to Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill, but was ultimately only available in limited quantities due to a distribution error and limited promotion. This album shows a more soulful side and features several songs which Tiffany co-wrote, for the first in her career - which she has continued to do on all subsequent albums. The first single, "I'm Not Sleeping", is a duet with Krayzie Bone of Bone Thugz n Harmony.
In 2005, she independently released Dust Off and Dance, an electronic album which generated significant airplay on dance stations and topped the CDBaby sales charts. Although sharing the same title and genre, it is unrelated to the 2008 track she recorded with Hydra Productions.
Two years later came her seventh album, Just Me, with single "Feels Like Love", loaded with pop-rock and gentle pop ballads.
Tiffany has also contributed tracks to many compilation and tribute albums, with original tracks as well as covers ranging from U2 ("New Year's Day" with Front Line Assembly) to J-pop megagroup Morning Musume ("Sexy Baby").
Recently, she has announced to the press that she has a new country album in the works, although other details have not yet been released. Tomorrow (October 2) marks Tiffany's 38th birthday!
"Feels Like Love"
"All This Time" (embedding disabled, but this one is a must)
A unique blend of garage rock with heavy blues and British punk influences, Thee Michelle Gun Elephant formed in 1988 in Tokyo while the band members were attending university, and their lineup was finalized in 1991. They have cited inspirations from The Stooges, The Who, MC5, The Roosters, Gene Vincent, The Clash, Iggy Pop, and Kiyoshiro Imawano. Their first major label release was 1995's Wonder Style, produced in London by Chris Brown, who had previously worked with Radiohead and Pink Floyd.
During a gig in Los Angeles, The Brian Jonestown Massacre members were so impressed by the band that they told Alive Records owner Patrick Boissel about them, which led to the United States release of their Gear Blues album in 2000, and a subsequent US release in 2001 - a best of compilation titled Collection.
Their often eccentric usage of English is highlighted by their name, which is derived from Thee Headcoats and a former bassist's mispronunciation of The Damned's album Machine Gun Etiquette. A billboard advertising their 1997 album Chicken Zombies and single "The Birdmen" (alongside the band members wearing football helmets spelling "F U C K") is featured on Engrish.com.
After the band's 2003 breakup, vocalist Yusuke Chiba, with his uncommon blend of ragged screams and perfect pitch, went on to the bands ROSSO (with bassist Toshiyuki Terui from Blankey Jet City) and The Birthday. Guitarist Abe Futoshi died on July 22, 2009 of an acute hematoma.
The single most successful and influential rock band in Japanese history, X formed in 1982, adopting the name X Japan in 1992 to avoid confusion with the American punk band X. With their flamboyant glam rock look, they are largely credited with pioneering the visual kei movement, though in later years the band's image toned down considerably.
Their sound is best described as a mix of power metal (among their harder rock singles include "Easy Fight Rambling", "Standing Sex", and band anthem "X") combined with orchestrated, heartfelt ballads (such as singles "Crucify My Love" and "Endless Rain"), with many songs falling somewhere in between (such as "Silent Jealousy" and 「紅」["Kurenai" - translates to "crimson"]), and a clear influence from classical music as much as from rock. One of their most notable releases is "Art of Life", a 29-minute song of varying speeds released as the sole track of their fourth album, which bore the same name. The album "A Music Box for Fantasy" consists of music box versions of some of their most popular songs. Since the band's recent reformation, they have released one single, "I.V.", which topped iTunes charts on its release day and was the theme to Saw IV.
The band dissolved in 1997 when vocalist Toshi quit; however, they reunited in 2007 and are currently active today. Legendary lead guitarist Hideto "hide" Matsumoto died in May 1998 of an apparently accidental self hanging; although Sugizo of Luna Sea, also one of Japan's top rock bands, joined the band in 2009, he is not a replacement member - the band frequently uses unreleased previous recordings of hide's work in addition to several touring support guitarists, including Richard Fortus of Guns N' Roses and Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit and Black Light Burns.
Many members have worked on side projects, most notably drummer/pianist Yoshiki (who also composed and produced the vast majority of the band's works), who in addition to producing the soundtrack to Repo! The Genetic Opera, spending a short time in the pop group Globe, and recording a single with Queen drummer Roger Taylor, is also a member of supergroup S.K.I.N. alongside Gackt, Miyavi, and Sugizo. hide also released several solo projects from 1994 until his death, alongside the bands Zilch, and Spread Beaver, which had a more alternative rock sound.
Whereas most Japanese visual bands fall into the genres of hard rock and/or gothic, Psycho le Cému's music has a more upbeat, pop-rock sound. Most of their songs are extremely catchy and could be described as cheerful or very romanticized, occasionally incorporating electronic beats and traditional instruments.
The band formed in 1999 and in addition to their Japanese fanbase, has acquired a fairly large international following, even having two short tours in the United States. They are particularly well-known for their use of cosplay - their videos usually feature fantasy themes involving magic, science fiction, history, or mythology, in which each member typically takes on a certain character role.
In 2005, following lead singer Daishi's arrest for methamphetamine abuse, the band went on hiatus, returning briefly in 2006 with the release of album ~Epilogue ~ 語り継がれる物語 (Kataritsugareru Monogatari - translates to "handed down story"). In June of 2009, the band reunited a second time for their 10th Anniversary - Legend of Sword tour.
「浪漫飛行」("Roman Hikou", translates to "Romantic flight") - a cover of the 1990 hit by Kome Kome Club
"Prism"
「激愛メリーゴーランド」("Gekiai Merry-Go-Round", gekiai translates to "intense love")
"Love is Dead"
「夢風車」("Yume Kazaguruma", translates to "Dream pinwheel")
Formed in January 1992, Malice Mizer (マリス・ミゼル, pronounced mah-lease me-zehr) is among the most well-known and influential Japanese visual kei rock bands.
Taking cues from classical music and French pop, among other unlikely genres, Malice Mizer had a very distinct and innovative sound and image which constantly evolved over the course of the band's diverse lifetime. Their peak of popularity hit at the time of their Merveilles album, which took a bit of an electronic direction, especially on tracks such as "Ju te Veux"and the bondage anthem "Illuminati".
The band is as much of a theatrical presentation as musical - their videos and stage acts feature elaborate costuming and thematic elements which serve to enhance the songs themselves, and the band also released two movies - silent films featuring the band's compositions as soundtracks.
There were three major, defining eras of the band, each with a different vocalist: Tetsu until 1994, who was replaced by Gackt, who left the band in 1999 to start his solo career. Klaha took over as vocalist until the band's "indefinite hiatus" was announced in December 2001. Also in 1994, original drummer Gaz was replaced by Kami, who died in 1999 of a subarachnoid hemorrhage - after this, no drummer was credited as an official band member.
Gackt is now particularly notable as one of Japan's top selling male solo artists of all time. Klaha was previously known as a member of darkwave band Pride of Mind; after Malice Mizer's hiatus he also released solo works. Founding member Mana (perhaps best known for his development and popularization of gothic lolita fashion) went on to Moi Dix Mois, which has also achieved success. Rumors of a reunion abound; it has been confirmed that all members of the final lineup are again in contact with each other.
「月下の夜想曲」("Gekka no Yasoukyoku", translates to Moonlit Nocturne)
"Illuminati"
「虚無の中での遊戯」 ("Kyomu no Naka de no Yuugi", translates to Nihilistic Game)
Haunting melodies, exquisite storytelling, lush dark imagery. Luci'fer Luscious Violenoue (Violenoue is pronounced viola-new) is the most notable female artist in Japanese visual kei and gothic music. After getting her start as the frontwoman of Gille' Loves in 1986, later renamed to Fiction (note: this is not the same Fiction as in Buzznet's music database), the androgynous performer started her solo career in 1994 with the release of 病める薔薇、或いは癒さない傷口(Yameru bara, arui wa iyasanai kizuguchi - translates to Dying rose, a wound impossible to heal).
Her enchanting epic tales carry such themes as lost love, vampires, and mythological/historical references (including the moving World War II-era "Lillie Marlene"). Many of her lyrics and writings can be found translated to English on the largest western LLV fansite, http://luciferluscious.com (which I also credit for the header image found here).
With only a limited production budget (all of her solo works, as well as much of her work with Gille' Loves/Fiction, were self-written, self-composed, and self-produced) and less than state-of-the-art tools to work with, she was able to achieve stunning works that any musician should be able to respect and feel inspired by. Sadly, little is known about this woman of immense talent, even in her home country of Japan. She disappeared from the music scene in 2006 with the closing of her official fanclub - though on an open note, hinting that she will be seen again.
"Sweet Sweet Dream"
"In a manner of speaking"
「Luciferというな名のお人形」 ("Lucifer to iu na no o-ningyou", translates to "The doll called Lucifer"), with Fiction
Very few ingredients required, and you won't even need to use the oven!
I just made an adaptation of the mug cake recipe. _________________________________________________ 4 tsp. flour 4 tsp. sugar dash of salt 1/2 cup chocolate soy milk 1 banana handful of chopped nuts (optional)
Mix everything up together in a standard bowl, and microwave it for approx. 5-7 minutes on high (most microwaves will probably require a little less than mine). Allow to cool a bit, and enjoy! It's a little ghetto, but still delicious.
A lot's changed...and yet, my situation really hasn't much at all.
I've been wearing glasses lately...been meaning to get a decent picture, but life gets in the way sometimes. My left eye has some permanent damage from the drama before, but at least it's corrected most of the way and I don't notice much as long as I'm not using it to focus.
I have no idea where my life is going.
I've been getting reacquainted with an old friend - my collarbone.
This cold just won't give up. I've been at the very end stages for probably a week now.
It's officially spring here, but it may as well still be winter. At least it's an excuse to wear my vintage muff.
Dihydrogen monoxide addiction confirmed.
I'm thinking of getting a perm.
2009 has been the worst year of my life so far, and it's barely started.
All that plus a chance to win an iPod can be found at the link above! ♥ Give the playlist a listen (particularly Velvet Eden - Doomed Love, which has a shamefully low play count), and if you like it, please buzz to increase my ranking! If you have an entry, feel free to link it in the comments here and I'll return the favor. Thank you, dears! ♥
Remember: As much as I appreciate the buzz on this journal, where it really counts for the contest is on the playlist itself. ♥
Daniel "Kain" Eaton, 23, of Waterloo, Ontario, president of Tenkei Media, so many things to so many people...you will be missed. I'm sorry there's so much you never got to accomplish with your brilliant mind and so many talents. I'm sorry I never got around to doing the pixel work for your project. Thank you so much for all you've done for me over the years, as my web host and as a good friend through some tough times in my life, even when I know I was a pain in the ass to listen to.
I should probably be either sleeping or cooking right now. Instead, I'm just burning some incense, listening to cheesy music, and preparing for the long overdue rerelease of my personal website! <3
I never thought I'd intentionally listen to Jessica Simpson...hahahahahaha.
To everyone celebrating, have a happy Thanksgiving! (And if you're not, have a happy November 27th anyway, dears.) Yay for Quorn roast and baked carrots! <3
(1992-1994 lineup)
(1995-1999 lineup)
(2000-2001)
