Tag Archives: music

Visual Kei

Visual Kei

Visual kei is a style movement in Japanese music. KISS would be proud of their heavy makeup. Although the hair styles might be a bit too much work for the old school rockers. Visual kei is also full of flamboyant costumes and often makes you wonder what sex the musician really is.

Some people consider visual kei as a music genre as opposed to just a fashion. Visual kei bands are often punk or heavy metal.

The style ranges from glamorous to goth and to cyberpunk. The glam visual kei bands often remind me of 80′s rockers like Dio with their over-the-top music videos. Visual kei groups often dress in feminine clothing: Victorian dresses and other gender bending outfits. Each band has their own theme or time period they draw inspiration from.

The style is pretty open ended. Some look almost like zombies. Other bands like Malice Mizer look more at home in ...

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the pillows

the pillows

the pillows is an iconic Japanese rock band for many anime fans. They’ve been around since 1989 and introduced many Americans to Japanese music.

They are best known for their work with Gainax in 1999…you should know what anime I am referring to: FLCL. (That’s pronounced Fooly Cooly). FLCL is a wacked out science fiction, surreal comedy that has giant robots, the pillows constantly rocking out in the background,a Vespa scooter, and a Pirate King.

the pillows produced 2 new songs for FLCL: “Ride on the Shooting Star” and “I Think I Can.”

Take a watch:

http://media.japanpowered.com/videos/music/the-pillows/ride-on-shooting-star.flv

Ride on Shooting Star

http://media.japanpowered.com/videos/music/the-pillows/I-think-I-can.flv

I Think I Can

Their sound is varied and can loosely be called punk by American classification.  They remind me of Green Day with their rhythm. Minus the angst. They sound very American; there are rarely sounds we consider Asian…although I am in danger of stereotyping Asian music. the pillows broke many of those stereotypes when ...

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High and Mighty Color

High and Mighty Color

High and Mighty Color started as a Metallica cover band and worked their way up to fame until they broke apart in 2010. Honestly, I didn’t know Japan had Metallica cover bands. The band started in Okinawa like many other bands. American and Japanese music traditions mix and swirl on that island apparently. (Perhaps to Japan’s misfortune?)

I’m just kidding. High and Mighty Color was a really good band.  I was sorry to see them break up. The lead vocalist, Makii, had an ethereal angelic voice that contrasted beautifully with the raw metal instrumentals and vocals of the band and Yuusuke.  I don’t much care for scream-metal but this band had a nice balance on their albums. The way Makii, and later her replacement Halca, sang nicely offset what I normally find annoying about metal bands.

http://media.japanpowered.com/videos/music/high-and-mighty-color/Ichirin-no-Hana.flv Ichirin no Hana, the 3rd opening theme for Bleach.

The band does remind me of Metallica ...

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Hatsune Miku – Vocaloid

Hatsune Miku - Vocaloid

Hatsune Miku is computer software made in Japan that can produce singing by just typing in lyrics and a melody. Technically the backbone of the Hatsune Miku is Yamaha’s vocaloid software. Vocaloid even has released albums. The singer is known as Hatsune Miku and is an anime girl around the age of 16. Yeah, that is her in the image. Now what is interesting about “her” is the fact she goes on music tours. It is a computer singing and dancing live…as a 3d hologram. No joke here. The “band” actually has fully dancing and singing 3d holograms that put on shows in Japan. The computer sings and dances along with a live band in real time to a full crowd. Here are a pair of high definition music videos:

http://media.japanpowered.com/videos/music/vocaloid/world-is-mine-live.flv

“World is Mine” was performed live in front of the audience. ...

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Home Made Kazoku

Home Made Kazoku

Home Made Kazoku ( in English it’s “Home Made Family”) is a feel-good hip hop group from Japan. Now normally I can’t stand hip-hop, but this group has uplifting beats and lyrics that makes me smile. The group isn’t anywhere close to the American (c)rap that just talks about ehem “bitches, bling, and guns.”

Home Made Kazoku’s trio, Micro, Kuro, and DJ U-Ichi, grew up in the United States before moving to Japan. Their music is upbeat and generally pretty happy sounding. Some of it is down right funny like the line from the song ZokuZokool: “Who are you gonna call? Girl Hunters!” The trio uses a lot of English in their works.

http://media.japanpowered.com/videos/music/home-made-kazoku/thank-you.flv Thank You!! The second ending theme for Bleach

The trio has produced many theme songs for anime. Among them is “Shonen Heart” for Eureka Seven: Psalms of Planets, “Thank You!!” the seconding ending theme for Bleach, and “No Rain ...

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