The butterflies have disappeared and the caterpillars are being born
January 2nd, 2009
Fuck me sideways, I’m already late. I honestly don’t know why I’m writing this now. I have a raging headache, my neck needs a neckbrace from headbashing last night, my pants smell of spilt beer, my hair is still waxed from last night and it looks like some guy from Dragonball Z, I’ve lost my voice completely after singing countless songs, I’ve only had 3 hours sleep and I still haven’t had a shower…so I’m sitting in my own filth after a night’s partying with great mates of mine. I hope your New Years were just as epic as mine. What a wonderful way to start 2009.
I think this year was for me to find my identity, both as a blogger and as a person. As a person, I haven’t hit the point yet. I’ve tried, although I haven’t given up. My identity as a person is quite muddled to say the least. But going to university and choosing what I wish to do for university definitely helps in creating paths for ways to find myself. But something I just don’t fully understand is when I graduate is “what should I work for?” Should I work for happiness and sacrifice the riches? Or shall I sacrifice happiness and work for money? For goodwill perhaps? For the goodlife? Or even as my friend Dave says, “WORK FOR SEX”.
It’s hard to sacrifice so much just for one thing, but will the benefit outweigh the cost? Will I regret such a decision? By sacrificing so much do I go past the point of no return? Can I interchange my choices? Or do I have to stay committed to one belief?
Should I change my life for better? Should I be selfish in my decisions? Or should I help the needy?
Am I taking everything for granted? Should I share my “wealth” of knowledge around? Should I work for the underprivileged?
Questions have been cluttering my head for months and I doubt it would be clear soon. So has my goal of self-identification been fulfilled?
Not even close. The idea of sacrifice and compromise is tough to swallow. However, the idea of moving forward and finding “Who I am” is more important than short-term pleasures.
Even a simple task for having an identity as a blogger is hard. The thought of being yourself seems simple at first glance, but as time keeps up with you, it slowly turns to utter calamity whether you want to achieve writing for oneself and your own feelings or writing for a wider audience which then you would have to conserve those raging feelings inside a concealed box within your head and write informatively. Balance of both? Wouldn’t work, you’ll either more bias to one or the other. Your heart is always to one, whether you want to fully express your feelings or whether you want to capture the readers’ attention.
I’ve tried both formats, one is bland and robot like, the other is tedious (at times) and you have to dig REAL deep which at times is energy-consuming and tiring. Although I prefer the latter, it’s hard to keep up week by week to write something. The main reason why it’s such an unreliable writing style is because that you have to wait for something significant to crack open your heart like a blood to a shark.
My goal during these holidays was to be writing, a lot infact, but I’ve done nothing except for my mink post, which felt in after reading it again was an entry which had a bouquet of emotions chucked into a blender and in the end all the flavours just negate each other and just taste bland.
My good friends at IW have been helping me out by smoothing out the path towards writing and hopefully a better person, although the influx of paedophile jokes don’t really help my reputation at all. Nevertheless, they’ve been good mates to me this year and I couldn’t find a better word than thanks. It’s a small work with little meaning for people who have done so much for me through these past 9 months.
Fucking Saaya Irie and her huge fucking chest.
That girl corrupted me for the days. After Saaya, I moved to the little girls of Hello! Project and they have totally ruined me, from the stomach of Maeda Yuuka to the legs of Chinami; they have made me fuck myself so many times this year. But I wouldn’t call myself as a predator on the street however. I don’t think my paedophilia thoughts have gone that far since there is distinction between idols and little girls in general. I think as supporters of these idols have placed them on such a pedestal that we forget these girls are only children and really shouldn’t be “idolised” in such ways. I mean, UFA can place any girl from the street into Berryz or C-ute and they will be idolised. However, if Airi was just a normal kid going to school, would it be the same? Perhaps not.
While I changed quite a lot since 2007, I’m still the same guy. I still portray a “meat and potatoes” outlook, but I’m a “ballad and tears/roses and candles” when I’m in my own space. I can come back from a hard night’s partying and sit down in front of my computer with my headphones listening to “Mikazuki” or “Sakura Mankai” and be watery eyed. I can go for runs and have testosterone running through my body but I’ll lie as still as a rock with my headphones on thinking of ridiculous things while Hikki massages my ears and my heart. “Last Forever” can comes on and mixed emotions come at me like a tidal wave crashing onto a beach.
Not even little girls can save me from this disease. Not even alcohol can break me, which is surprising since I would rather make a total fool out of me then reveal what I am deep down.
Album Picks
A Son Of The Sun – Uyama Hiroto
Before Wu introduced me to Nujabes, I thought Hip-hop shouldn’t be called music, but rather as rubbish. Of course, I was basing it on my basic knowledge of hip-hop being well, Souja Boy and all the mainstream crap. After he introduced me to Nujabes, my mind was blown away. The relaxation qualities in his music were sublime. It wasn’t rubbish, it was music. Classic ambient jazz fused with essences of hip-hop is what it was.
A few weeks back, Wu told me he found something better than Nujabes. At first, I thought he was kidding, until he sent me it. And you know what, it is. But for this to be my favourite album of the year is quite remarkable in itself. Firstly, it is hip-hop/jazz/ambient music and secondly, it has no lyrics, it’s just instruments. Just imagine café music, but with thumping beats in the background. It blends classic jazz with contemporary beats. At first this combination sounds f’d up, correct? But trust me, it’s absolutely sublime. I had my mates over for drinks a few days ago and I was playing this album and they just loved it. Its brilliant background music for drinking or relaxing or you can just chill to it by yourself. Either way, this is a stellar album blending the best of both worlds. This album deserves a lot of praise, and I couldn’t think of any more adjectives to compliment it.
GAME – Perfume
Do I even need to give an introduction for these girls?
Three girls, catchy tunes, captivating yet simple choreography, one super electropop group.
GAME is, to be frank, sensational. A collection of catchy tunes combined with three synthesised voices, is simple, but surprisingly addictive. While everyone says techno music is just repetitive music, Perfume puts a different spin on that perspective. The use of vocals of three girls and by not being a few repetitive words being muttered over a space of 10 seconds makes the world of electronica a more bearable place to the mainstream public. With their success of GAME, came the likes of Aira Mitsuki and SAWA. While on-stage, their catchy lyrics, simple choreography and their bubbly personalities captivate the viewer, they are nothing without Yasutaka Nakata. He is the one that makes their tunes, he is the creative one behind Perfume and if one day, his boundless creativity stops to a grind, our favourite electropop trio will disappear.
First 9uality – THYME
As I’ve said in my previous review of their album, it’s simple. Simple not in the sense it’s been half-assed made, but in the sense that it’s easy on the ears. Simple music which has been made well is stunning. I think the mentality that most bands have with the more complex the song is better it is. But when you make a complex song, you have more things that you can mess up on than you can for a simple one. For a complex song you have to refine so many things and usually you tend to miss a few things, with simple songs you have time to go over things and refine individual aspects of the song. I think that’s what THYME have capitalised on. As I’ve said, while it’s simple, it’s definitely not quiet. Thyme has the skill well when the song has a rockier or a softer background, and her band mates provide her the platform in which she works so well in.
VAMPIRE – 9mm Parabellum Bullet
‘Termination’ and especially their previous EP’s were killer, masterpieces of fast edgy rock. I was surprised when they released ‘VAMPIRE’, maybe because they’ve been out for so long on their tours. VAMPIRE is …full of surprises. It’s a mix of slower rock but they mix in their traditional fast edgy and aggressive side as well. Listen to “Hide and Seek”, it definitely caught me by surprise. But it’s not all just pots and pans smashing against each other, its good catchy music that is favoured well not with just me, but with the Japanese public as ‘VAMPIRE’ reached #1 on Oricon. While 9mmPB are hard to get into first, their crazy complex and technical riffs will get your head banging in no time…a complete contrast to THYME and their ‘first 9uality’.
Would I say it’s better than Termination? Yes, while they haven’t changed, their songs on ‘VAMPIRE’ are much more melodic than some songs on ‘Termination’ and thus feel more complete, but ‘The World’ and ‘Gjallarhorn’ still sit on top. But this album is a must listen for 2008.
23 – RYTHEM
After I heard ‘Houki Gumo’ a few years ago, I fell in love with this duo. But since then, I’ve forgotten about them until I heard ‘23’. I love this album mainly because of how easy it is to get into. From the RnB styled “Love Call” to the swing-based “Like a Friend”, it’s like a buffet of different genres into one single album. But traditionally, an album which has more than two or three genres stuffed in it would usually be a plane without landing gear, which is well…not exactly brilliant to say the least. But these girls have pulled off something spectacular not just by making an album with variety that doesn’t suck ass, but because usually these girls have ties with piano and acoustic guitar ballad ties which does get a bit tedious. So with a twist here and there, the album doesn’t sound like it’s a track played over and over again. A beautiful album with variety pulled off correctly.
Café Buono – Buono!
I love these girls, I really do. But it’s not just their beauty that makes me love this album, it’s how they included three girls from two groups and made a group which its music was centred on guitars, bass and drums. I wouldn’t call “Café Buono” or even Buono! To be a world apart from what Hello! Project are, because there is still the poppy idol element in their songs which is pretty much embedded in their DNA after they sign the contract. But what is different is not the yummy tight leather pants, or even the pimp hat, or even the heels that Miya wears; it’s the consistent usage of guitar, bass and drums and the mixture of girly idol pop which gives it a nice rockier feeling but keeps the innocent schoolgirl playground feeling which is only apparent in a few Hello! Project songs. ‘Café Buono’ to me is hard to define. I couldn’t call it a rock album just because it just isn’t but I also couldn’t call it a pop album because of the ballads inserted in it are absolutely gorgeous and the just the emotion from their voices are touching even though they are only 13-16. The harmony from all three girls in”Kimi ga Ireba” is flawless in execution, simply sublime. A well made album which is good from start to finish.
Single Picks
Remember – HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR
‘Remember’ is hard to give an overall summary with simple words such as passionate or chilling but it is hard for me to come to terms with. It’s my favourite single because it holds a special significance for me. For a vocalist that is leaving a band which was one of the first JBand’s I know…it’s not exactly easy to swallow. While it is the song is for Maki, I feel there is a hidden message of it also symbolising a brand new beginning for the band. While “Remember” is symbolises something significant for me, it’s not the only reason why it’s up there. “Remember” isn’t some sort of sappy song with crying sounds entwined within the song, it’s a hard rocking song in typical Haikara fashion. While Maki’s voice tries to vocalise thoughts into emotion, Yuusuke raps for future of the band and stays composed even though the woman that brought this band alive is now leaving. The B-sides on “Remember” were fantastic especially the live of their debut song, “Pride”. It’s a fantastic single, not just because of its significance but because it dives straight back into what Haikara are known for.
Kurage, Nagareboshi – Ai Otsuka
A beautiful ballad not only touches the heart, but touches the soul within. Ai’s heartfelt voice adds another layer to the already soothing sounds of the harp and piano playing. Ai hiding “Kurage, Nagareboshi” for several years from her producer until she felt it was the right time to release it is quite special. While the thought of her declining popularity may have something to do with it, but the essence of “Kurage, Nagareboshi” being not just another one of her love ballads is a nice feeling. The PV is amazing mainly because of where it was shot. The scenery of that place was just amazing, the long grass, the piano in the water, the tide going out, clear night…beautiful.
Somaru Yo – chatmonchy
The reason why “Somaru Yo” is up here is because this single is a definite return to “chatmonchy has come” roots. The vocalisation of raw emotion is every present here like it was in “chatmonchy has come”, which is a contrast to their singles before “Somaru Yo” as it focused more on the music rather than telling a story from the heart. No, my head isn’t a bit warped, because that’s what I feel about chatmonchy in all seriousness. It feels like Ecchan tells me a story from her heart and the music only helps the flow of the story when listening to Chatmonchy. “Somaru Yo” is chilling, almost numbing, but it’s the feeling I’ve been waiting for so long for chatmonchy to ‘give me’.
Dschinghis Khan – Berryz Koubou
Yes, it is quite ridiculous, although to be fair, ‘Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance’ was worse. Why do I love ‘Dschinghis Khan’ so much…I think it’s quite a mental song, but it’s not as mental as ‘Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance’ but it’s not as bland as ‘MADAYADE’. Watching Berryz perform this utterly ridiculous song helped me like it even more, especially the dance moves. I mean seriously, I was dancing to this stupid song with one hand holding my notes trying to remember stupid biology notes for my exam the next day.
Take me home tonight…
2008 was an awesome year of great releases, with indie rock and electropop groups spawning out like t-shirts in a Chinese sweatshop factory. But these groups aren’t left to collect dust or to be placed in some dark warehouse; they have exploded onto the stage with electrifying hits and small bands are tasting success. It’s hard to understand what has triggered such an influx of indie bands appearing from nowhere as the reception of indie bands have slowly increased when compared to electropop which has pretty much hit hard on the industry with the much hyped “GAME” having instant success. And with such success comes artists who want to cash in on Perfume’s extraordinary success of “GAME” such as MEG, Ami Suzuki, SAWA, Aira Mitsuki…While I think expanding the electropop genre with different artists is a good thing for the genre, the original Perfume and their producer is what keeps the boat rowing. I personally think, once Perfume finishes off…which is blasphemous for me to even mention that…the whole era of electropop will come crashing down. Perfume are special, the public love the girls, no doubt about it, and with such love breeds success. If the girls can keep the Japanese public behind them and if Yasutaka Nakata can keeps his beats fresh, then the era will consist to exist because Perfume is pretty much the “flagship” group of electropop in Japan. But if Perfume disappears, there cannot be a replacement.
International Wota is my whanau or my big extended family, which sadly I’ve been spending less time with, both on #wotachat and my lack of write-ups doesn’t exactly help either. It’s not like I’m TOO busy to do any write-ups, but it’s the mentality of me doing only write ups on other stuff that interest me except for Hello! Project. I think this approach is highly flawed as it only allows me to cover only a few blogs and those blogs aren’t exactly my favourite, or rather, bring up and articles which interest me except a few such as Rockerica. Rockerica’s persistence in bringing her readers fresh releases from J-Rock is amazing, and her writing style is very elaborate and complex but very easy to get into. While listening to the track you’ll slowly sense her writing is true to her heart and to her passion of J-rock is undeniable. Her UROBOROS review was absolutely spectacular.
So perhaps, I should try and change my attitude in write-ups and actually start to enjoy covering funny and enjoyable posts which are lacking in the blogs that I find bland, posts such as “Yurina gets owned by a Tomato” from Shirow at Wotaku Now! are ABSOLUTELY fantastic! I couldn’t stop laughing. Witty captions with perfectly timed screenshots are a thing of beauty.
International Wota is an incredible resource and I’m ever grateful to be part of this fabulous team of people from all around the world with one aim, and that aim is to spread the love of Japanese music to the world. It’s a simple aim, but that single one aim has brought over many friends and people I would classify as extended family. We are by no means just focused on Japanese music, we love each other like a big family, it’s “a whole lotta loving”.
But International Wota wouldn’t be here without the effort of the bloggers themselves. Hours and hours of work are spent on writing for others enjoyment and such a feat must be admired because of how bloggers strive to post regularly which means a lot work and a lot of thinking goes into a post which is read in less than 5 minutes. When here’s an input, there has to be an output. And the lovely contributors, editors and admins of International Wota are the output. Their relentless dedication to the site has not just lead to the fruition of a successful site, but the fruit of their success breeds seeds which grow into more trees, hence the rapid expansion of this community of bloggers and “bloggers for bloggers”.
I hope 2009 will be just as success not just for me, but also for others as this is just a new beginning, because if you try and believe hard enough, it will happen. I wish everyone a very happy new year, a year of happiness, prosperity, good luck and good health.
Kind Regards,
Michael – SecondBlossoming
Tags: 9mm Parabellum Bullet, Ai Otsuka, Berryz Koubou, Buono, chatmonchy, Hello Project, HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR, Perfume, RYTHEM, THYME, Uyama Hiroto
Posted in Album Review, Personal, Single Review | Comments (Comments)
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