~Music Reviews~

Contents:
-001 BUCK-TICK- Lokita
-002 9GOATS BLACK OUT- Lokita










001

~Lokita



Nowadays, in a business where up-and-coming, critically acclaimed “Saviors-of-Rock” bands release only a single or two before fading into oblivion, a band that manages to stick around for more than a few years is practically unheard of. And, when a band proves they can not only stick around and release multiple albums, but constantly see places on the Oricon charts for two decades, they’re nothing short of amazing.

With the release of their 15th album (or 29th, depending on whether you include the special albums), Tenshi no REVOLVER, BUCK-TICK sheds their previously gothic image (which is a shame because I was extremely fond of it) and instead opts for a more Western look. …Western as in saloons and duels with six-shooters and towns (which are never big enough for the two of us) where sheriffs wear shiny gold badges pinned to their vests and ride in on horses and where your “Howdy, partners" and “Yeehaws" are never hard to come by.

Rarely does a band come along that can so flawlessly shift into a completely new sound–and image–with each album. Because of this, BUCK-TICK is one of the most-recommended bands to anyone just starting out in Jrock, or to Jrock fans looking for something different to listen to. Whether you are a fan of dark wave, electronic, and/or techno (Mona Lisa OVERDRIVE); gothic rock (13kai wa Gekkou); or pop (Seventh Heaven), BUCK-TICK has an album that’s bound to tickle your fancy. Since the middle of the 80s, they have been releasing album after album, all the while managing to create an entirely different sound with each one.

While bands like X JAPAN were just getting started with their very first Indies singles, BUCK-TICK was by then already signed to a major label and had an album or two under their belt. What really set them apart from their contemporaries at that time, however, was the fact that their music was much more mainstream and accessible. To this day their singles still tend to gain approval of the mainstream crowd, although fans will tell you that the real masterpieces are found on their albums.

Tenshi no REVOLVER is a 13-song album that can only be described as rock with a country flair, as strange as that sounds. The opening song, Mr. Darkness & Mrs. Moonlight is a song that I constantly find on repeat. From the very beginning the country/cowboy influence is evident. The chorus (which, I must say, is catchy as hell) comes complete with a choir. Atsushi’s English is absolutely flawless, not just in this song, but all throughout the album. There is a line in this song that gives a nod to Robert Johnson, a blues musician who has influenced many, many artists such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and The Rolling Stones, and is referred to as the Grandfather of Rock-and-Roll. “Playing the blues like Lucifer, losing at the crossroads” references a line in Johnson’s Cross Road Blues: “Standin' at the crossroads, tried to flag a ride.” Legend states that Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for being one of the greatest blues musicians of all time. I was immediately hooked on this song the very second I heard it–it was an excellent opening to this album.

RENDEZVOUS～ランデヴー～ was one of the two singles off this album, the other one being Alice in Wonder Underground. This is yet another song that I have fallen madly in love with and have thus listened to it numerous times. Imai starts off the song by singing “Be my baby/Be bop a baby/She's my baby love,” three little lines that I guarantee will get stuck in your head. I’ve found that this is a fairly easy song to learn, particularly if you don’t know Japanese. Atsushi sings pretty slowly and very clear so it’s easy to hear not just every word, but also how every word is pronounced. Another thing that makes it a pretty easy song for beginners is the fact that the lyrics are a bit repetitive - but not such that it becomes boring. There are multiple ‘thank you' and ‘I love you’ phrases scattered throughout this song. This is actually a rather touching song, which is rare for BUCK-TICK, a band known for their raunchier songs.

It honestly pains me to say this since I absolutely adore BUCK-TICK, but MONTAGE, the third track, is one of their weaker songs (both on this album and out of their entire discography). This sounds a bit harsh, but I would admit to hating this song if any other band had released it. BUCK-TICK is this song’s saving grace. I truly do not like this song. The ceaseless ‘yeah yeah yeah’ in the chorus end up getting on my nerves, the guitar solo is terrible, and the music is just boring. The only interesting point about this song is the random Oswald mentioned throughout the verses. It’s never stated who this Oswald is, but the only one I could think of is Lee Harvey Oswald. It’s such a shame that after two outstanding songs, this one comes along. I tried to recall how this song went after it was over and I was surprised when I couldn’t–mere seconds after the song ended it was already gone from my memory.

Tenshi no REVOLVER bounces back with Lily. This song is great, though it took me a few listens to warm up to it. Just like MONTAGE, the guitar solo isn’t exactly the greatest, but the rest of the song makes up for it. It took me a while to figure out what was so catchy about the chorus and around the fifth listen I finally realized it: the bells! There are twinkly bells in the chorus and they make it so bouncy and catchy and wonderful.

The fifth song on the album is La Vie En Rose. Unfortunately, the title makes me think of an old Jrock band of the same name. I was never a fan of that band and therefore expected to be extremely disappointed with this song. I suppose in a sense I was, though I greatly enjoyed the chorus. The rest of the song didn’t capture my interest at all though; I oftentimes found myself completely forgetting I was listening to this song until the chorus came on and caught my attention once more. For the second time a musician is mentioned in Tenshi no REVOLVER. La Vie En Rose talks about Serge Gainsbourg, a French musician who was infamous for his sex-laden works (it comes as no surprise to me that BUCK-TICK would include this man in one of their songs).

It’s extremely fitting that the next song is a sex song–they had to have done this on purpose. CREAM SODA quickly became a fan favorite, simply because it’s so fun and dirty. The title is actually a play on words. In the opening line, Atsushi sings ‘kuruisou da’ which sounds very similar to ‘cream soda.’ Also, there’s the blatant imagery that accompanies it. This song is the answer song, or sequel, to Black Cherry, a song they released in 2003. I can’t help but giggle like a school girl every time I hear this song.

The album suddenly turns very serious with the 7th song, Rain. It’s been more than a month since this album came out and I still am in awe of how gorgeous this song is. The lyrics are absolutely breathtaking. I honestly cannot find the words to express how wonderful this song is. Although there are some really fun, catchy songs on this album, Rain is definitely the best song out of all 13. Earlier I mentioned that the real masterpieces can be found on albums, rather than singles. Rain is that masterpiece.

The pace is picked up once more with Beast. I’m not sure if it’s the song itself or if it’s because it comes directly after Rain, but I find myself not all that fond of it. It’s not bad at all, but it’s definitely not a song that I would put on repeat. I find it extremely amusing that the word ‘sextacy’ appears in this song though. Also, I’m a bit concerned with Atsushi’s sex life. Throughout the song he rambles on and on about sex. That doesn’t bother me–hell, you really can’t be a BUCK-TICK fan if you’re not fond of sex songs. The part that concerned me was a line in the chorus. Atsushi makes it extremely clear that this song is about sex, but then sings the line ‘the scent of death.’ ..what? What kind of sex has this man been having that he feels the need to liken it with smelling like death?

Zekkai aggravates me simply because it sounds so familiar. I really don’t think it’s because I’ve listened to this song numerous times. I suppose it sounds like I’ve heard it before because the music is slightly reminiscent of 13kai wa Gekkou, which is both awesome and confusing. It’s splendid because 13kai wa Gekkou is my favorite BUCK-TICK album, but it’s also really confusing because that album had a gothic/dark/carnival-y sound, whereas Tenshi no REVOLVER is all about cowboys.

Lyrics-wise, there really isn’t much to Snow White. However, the music is fantastic and what little lyrics are there are wonderful. This is one of the slower songs on the album which suits the lyrics. Snow White is actually a slightly depressing song, but so, so beautiful. The lyrics are definitely my favorite out of all 13 songs (although I might make an exception for Cream Soda...). Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.

The 11th song is Spider and–surprise, surprise!–it’s yet another sex song. It’s evident that Atsushi has never learned the act of subtlety with lyrics like “Shake the bed, more, more” and “Shake Hip Hit! I've scattered.…” Oh, Atsushi. I can’t help but love this song and sing along to it–much to the dismay of my mother.

I fell madly in love with Alice in Wonder Underground the very first time I heard it (it was released as a single in August). I was actually ecstatic when I saw the PV–the outfits suggested that they were going to stick with their gothic image that I had loved so much. Unfortunately I now know that wasn’t the case. This is easily one of my favorites off the album. I constantly find myself humming/singing parts of this song all throughout the day. The “devil, angel, and epicurean, let’s go” line is a nasty little earworm. I challenge anyone to listen to this song and walk away without it being stuck in your head for days.

Tenshi no REVOLVER closes with the aptly titled REVOLVER. This is a rather strange song. The beginning is just plain weird. Who the hell is that singing? Honestly, apart from the music in Mr. Darkness & Mrs. Moonlight, this song is the only one that I would associate with cowboys and even that would be considered a stretch. The title is obvious, and all throughout the chorus Atsushi repeats “Shoot it! Full of holes!” and “Shoot it! Puncture!” Other than that, this song has absolutely nothing about it that would make someone think of cowboys or the Wild West.

Overall, this is a fairly decent album. It’s definitely not my favorite, but it’s also not one that I would throw away. Tenshi no REVOLVER has its share of ups and downs (Rain and MONTAGE respectively), but what really disappointed me was that it felt as though I was lied to. When they announced this album would have Western influences (and started dressing accordingly) I expected this album to be some sort of Jrock-meets-Country fusion. I’m extremely relieved that it wasn’t, but I still can’t help but feel let down by all the hype.










002

~Lokita



On January 25th, 9GOATS BLACK OUT's eagerly-awaited debut album was released. The album, devils in bedside, features six songs. Due to the first press completely selling out in a matter of days, anyone interested in getting a copy of their own will have to wait for the second press which will go on sale starting February 2 and will only be available through their webshop.

9GOATS BLACK OUT is the brainchild of ryo, formerly the vocalist for bands such as GULLET and D'elsquel. For the other two members, utA (guitar) and hati (bass), this marks their introduction to the Jrock scene.

devils in bedside opens with sink, an absolutely gorgeous, gorgeous song. Apart from being insanely beautiful, it also dispelled any preconceived notions of this band that I might have had. Since I hadn't listened to any samples beforehand, I went into this completely blind and was pleasantly surprised. Judging from their name I was expecting a hardcore/screamo band. Instead I got a band with a sound comparable to that of Gazette, Alice nine., MUCC's lighter stuff, and D'espairsRay.

When sink ended, not only was I left wanting more, but I was rather reluctant to move on to the second song. Unfortunately I've discovered that many, many bands have albums that start off strong, only to get weaker and weaker as it progresses. 690minute definitely doesn't disappoint. It has a much heavier, more rock-ish sound than sink did and the vocal effects remind me of the majority of PIERROT's discography.

夜想 -nocturne- is yet another great song. It brings to mind some of Dir en grey's more toned-down, melodic songs in which Kyo actually sings. Although I'm not a Dir en grey fan, I do like 夜想 -nocturne-, despite its resemblance to a few of their songs. I was caught completely off-guard by the end, however–it happens so abruptly. This song is just over two minutes long.

I'm told that Den lille Havfrue means The Little Mermaid. What I really like about the title is that, although it's in a foreign language, it's not in the 'go-to' German or French that bands seem to be so fond of. Who knows: perhaps Danish will become the next craze that sweeps through the Jrock community. If I had to choose one song off devils in bedside as my favorite, it would definitely be this song–the music is great (the piano is featured heavily), ryo's vocals are beautiful, and the lyrics are breathtaking (though the lyrics for all the songs are equally amazing and extremely poetic).

raw is part goth, part rock, and all awesome. ryo's half whisper/half falsetto sends shivers down my spine with every listen. I cannot imagine anyone else singing a song about an aborted fetus and manage to make it sound so haunting and beautiful; I'm constantly finding myself humming various parts of this song.

The album closes with float, a song which appears to be the fan favorite and rightly so. This song is flawless save for the rather confusing English lyrics: "Diddle pastime, parabolic/why don't know/hound follow me," "Pia mater was bursting me/dido I'm sorrow," "Couldn't have done glow thorn me mind."

All-in-all, devils in bedside is a fantastic album and I cannot wait to see what's next for 9GOATS BLACK OUT.
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For BT new album I dont bother too much about the lyrics. The song, melody and music is good, nice, beautiful and beautiful vocal from Atsushi to listen is okay to me. I like the song Zekkai.

Lmao, their lyrics are all either incredibly beautiful, horribly depressing, or outrageously filthy.

At the risk of sounding fangirly, I have to admit that I adore Atsushi so, so much. He is, without a doubt, my number one favorite Japanese vocalist.