Oh my...

Well, I had a whole entry written, but Xanga killed it.  The long in the short of it: new musics are out, they are good, download them.

Rayflower is Takayuki from Waive and Sakura from L'Arc.

L'eprica is dark, melodious joy.

SCANDAL is cute and bouncy.

SID is LOVE.  ALWAYS.

Download HERE.

Wow, it's been a long time since I wrote any jrock reviews for this blog!  Bad Kellie!  How will people know what to listen to?  -shamefaced-  So, without much further ado, here we go!

Matenrou Opera - Genesis (Single)

1. Genesis - I like Matenrou.  I like how they are kind of old-school, but still sound fresh most of the time.  That said, this opens with some guitars that sort of scream early-era Luna Sea.  It's a very 80s sound that kind of took me by surprise.  I don't think they pull it off all that well, and I'm not sure that this sound is still all that relevant.  That said, there is some BRUTAL guitarwork in the bridge that is far too short, because it rocks.  -sad face-  I'm pretty ambivalent about this track.
2. R - Single letters make such convenient titles, don't they?  Doesn't require much thought.  Hmph.  That snide comment aside, this song rocks and swaggers and sneers with a kind of vitality that reminds me that v-kei is still alive and kicking.  Driving percussion and bass, scratchy guitars and some sweet riffs make this song lots and lots of fun.  Sono's vocals are getting much better, too!  Definitely a standout effort from Matenrou!

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ClearVeil - Black Velvet (Single)

1. Scar - ClearVeil is disbanding.  That kind of annoys me, because I had hope for them.  This is single is one of their two final releases.  Well.  This first song is one of those songs that starts off kind of thrashy, then suddenly goes all mid-tempo, then has a bouncy chorus.  On the one hand, it's catchy enough.  On the other, I've heard this literally a THOUSAND times.  And the vocalist (forgot his name) is trying really hard to sound like Kyo of Dir en Grey fame.  Again, I am impressed by the young guitarists here, but that's about it.  -sigh-
2. Garnet - Oh, this sounds like Gazette!  Very, very loud and heavy guitars at the beginning, accompanied by some weird sound effects and shouting.  I'm not convinced, guys.  My problem with this song is that there is nothing that sets it apart from the million other songs it sounds like, and there's no memorable melody to latch onto.  It's all technically sound and well-played, but there's no spark.  Still, I give them props for trying.
3. Riot Girl - More loudness here, which can be a good thing, and there's some actual singing going on as well.  The production is kind of a mish-mash, and I can't hear the guitars as clearly as I'd like.  The punky chorus is a nice change of pace, and I can actually believe that they are a heavy band here instead of people pretending to be a heavy band.  Yeah.  Best track of the single.

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ClearVeil - White Satin (Single)

1. Blazing Star - Ooh, it's v-kei pop!  I like this kind of song more than is probably healthy.  It has an edge, but it's far brighter and sparklier than anything on the previous single.  Also, the arrangement is more playful and unique, and the guitars have a nice shimmer to them.  The singer sings well in his upper register... overall, this is so much better than anything on Black Velvet that it's like listening to a totally different band.  Sweet!
2. creature - Remember how great Pierrot's CREATURE was?  Ahhh, nostalgia... Oh.  We were talking about ClearVeil.  Sorry.  This is a kind of dark, mysterious song with some echo-y bits and whispered lyrics and whatnot.  More shouting, too, but this sounds like ClearVeil rather than ClearVeil imitating more well known groups.  I actually quite like this sound for them.  Too bad they are no more.
3. SNOWFLAKE - Yup, it's the obligatory ballad.  Haven't had one of those for a while!  This one is pretty typical, but it's well-sung and nicely played.  Some unexpected chord progressions keep things interesting even when the lyrics wander into ClicheVille for a while.  Overall, this is slightly more mature ballad than what I expected, and it never turns overly melodramatic (could be a minus for those of you who appreciate a little melodrama).  A touching little goodbye from a band that had a lot of potential.

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Rin - Rin (Debut Single)

1. Rin - Rin is the new band by Kisaki of Phantasmagoria/UnderCode Productions fame (infamy?).  The singer is Riku, also of Phantasmagoria, and there are some other members, too.  Err.  -mental note to look up their names-  This sounds like Phantasmagoria; i.e. lots of shiny production, heavy guitars, and semi-gothic flair.  Riku's shouting is as good as ever, and this style of song suits him so much better than his previous band, chariots.  I'm really glad that there's a band doing this kind of pure, unabashed visual kei again.  Oh, and whoever the lead guitarist is, he's good!  Nice, clean solo here!  Yay!  I'll be looking forward to more releases from these guys!

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Phantasmagoria - diamond dust (Single)

1. diamond dust - Speaking of Phantasmagoria, they released some of their previously unreleased tracks recently.  This is a very upbeat, happy song for them.  It's almost... saccharine.  Luckily, Riku's vocals give it just enough edge to keep things from getting sickening.  I can't really decide if I like it or not... it just doesn't feel like Phantasmagoria to me.  I can imagine an oshare kei band making a song like this... Hmm.  Nope, not sold.

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Phantasmagoria - seeds of brain (Mini-Album)

1. seeds of brain - Is this the Turks theme from FFVII?  No?  God, this takes a while to get going.  Oh wait, this isn't a real song!  It's an opening filler track!  Curse you, Kisaki!
2. Cry... - Ah, this is a song!  Wow, it's fast!  And shouty.  I like noise rock as much as the next person, but Phantasmagoria tends to go kind of overboard.  After the shouting, we get distorted spoken lyrics.  -sigh-  Well, I guess they're kind of sung.  Sort of.  Rinse and repeat.  God, I'm getting bored.  Maybe there is a reason this track was unreleased!  When we get to the bridge things improve, and the chorus is decent, but at this point I no longer care.  Even Riku sounds uninspired.  Blah.
3. desperate resolution for my soul - Good title.  I like it.  Riku starts sort of whisper-singing with some synths, and then things start sounding like 'hikari ni furu ame'.  The verses are sort of sleep-inducing, not helped by the fact that the melody consists of about three notes.  Ergh.  Kisaki and company are capable of so much better than this.  Zzzzz...
4. MY MENTAL STATE - Ballad time!  Again!  The opening overstays its welcome, but the dual guitarwork after that is nice.  Again, I'm not impressed by the verse at all.  As the song continues it picks up the pace, but it's starting to feel like too little, too late.  These songs were unreleased, and they should have stayed that way.

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Phantasmagoria - actuality (Mini-Album)

1. actuality - Okay, so the last release got the red card of doom... I certainly hope this one does better!  The first track opens with some nicely haunting piano and Yoshiki-esque spoken lyrics.  This is also a filler track, but I actually like it!  It sets a very dark, intriguing mood.
2. Lie Light & Lost Sky - I like that title!  I don't know what it means, but I like it!  We start off with some acoustic guitar (finally!) and keyboards... more spoken stuff, by a girl this time!  Then Riku breaks in with his falsetto, and the guitars take off running.  Already, this is better than the entire seeds of brain mini!  -relief-  I think what I like about this is how it reminds that Phantasmagoria was a great v-kei band.  Classic.
3. hikari ni furu ame ~strings version~ - This was always a great song.  It was the pinnacle of indies ballad goodness.  So a new version definitely piques my interest.  Riku sings it better here, as his voice has matured a lot.  The arrangement is simple and a bit too slow in places, but it's still a beautiful melody.  I like being able to hear the vocals so clearly. 
4. Fictitious Theory - This song is super dark and explodes with a scream... But unlike the stuff on seeds of brain, this has a discernible melody and a multi-layered arrangement that keeps it interesting.  You can hear here why Phantasmagoria was one of the best bands on the scene a few years ago.  It's a shame they retired, but they did leave us with some great music.  Recommended!

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