So far this year has been filled with disappointing announcements of good musical acts disbanding, some being my favorite bands. I’m pretty bummed by the news, but there was one announcement that made me forget about those for a bit; and that was the return of Tomoko Kawase. The vocalist of The Brilliant Green returns with both her alter-egos in a double album, february & heavenly. Yay.
Butterfly in the Sky
L'Arc~en~Ciel's Butterfly
Long-standing band and one of the most recognizable rock acts in Japan, L’Arc~en~Ciel has released a new studio album in nearly four years. I used to be a strong follower of L’Arc, but their stuff the past few years has not impressed me as much as they used to. When I heard they were releasing a new album I thought it would be a good start to get back onto the L’Arc train again. Let’s see if Butterfly has what it takes.
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February 9th, 2012 by boykun
Bright Music from a Land with No Light
moumoon's No Light Land
In a music industry dominated by armies of bubbly girls and boys with overstyled hair, moumoon dares to make a stand and put out their own brand of pop music. While Idols may rule in Japan, there’s still plenty of room for plain old good music. So hot off the presses in Japan, the duo has just released their third full length album No Light Land.
February 8th, 2012 by tenkei
Camping with Childish Gambino
Childish Gambino's Camp
Childish Gambino, better known as Donald Glover, better known as the black kid from Community, released his major label debut album Camp a couple of months ago. At first I listened to it because one track had caught my attention. But after excessive spins, the album has grown to be a pretty normal fixture on my mp3 player. (more…)
February 1st, 2012 by tenkei
Set Adrift in an Idol Sea
Idols in 2011
Even though I’ve already went on and on about the music I’ve enjoyed this year, I had to reserve a special article about the Idol scene in 2011. As far as I’m concerned, 2011 was really the year of the Idol. The wave may have started back in 2010, but it didn’t reach its full potential until this year.
December 22nd, 2011 by tenkei
Do You Hear What I Hear?
2011 in Music
It’s freakin’ December, man. Not only is it December, it’s the last half of December. This year has gone by extremely fast (oh, hi clichés), I don’t even believe it. Despite the relative speed at which this year has seemed to pass, I’ve experienced a butt load. Let me break down all the crap I’ve been privy to this year, starting with my passion: music. (more…)
