J-Rock

FACT: BURUNDANGA

By Paris365 on May 19, 2013

FACT: BURUNDANGA

FACT's unique sound incorporates elements of several different genres including post-rock, hardcore, metal, metalcore, electronic, punk, skatepunk, death metal, visual kei and even pop.

FACT released their self-titled major label debut in Japan in 2009 -- a decade after they were formed in Japan's Ibaraki Prefecture -- and quickly gained a strong national and international following. They have since become one of Japan’s biggest and most-loved rock bands of the decade. In fact, their first two albums reached the top 10 in Japan and their popularity has only grown since, their third album, In the Blink of an Eye, debuting at number 6 on the Oricon weekly chart. Burundanga is their third album and their long-awaited U.S. debut.

CLUTCHO: BILLY BILLY

By Paris365 on May 16, 2013

CLUTCHO: BILLY BILLY

Clutcho deliver a pair of energetic, highly enjoyable rock tunes.

Clutcho is a Japanese rock band consisting of Yuto on vocals and guitar, Shinichi on bass and backing vocals and Shingo on drums. They made their debut in 2002, yet I could find surprisingly little about them online.

PASSEPIED: FEVER

By Paris365 on April 26, 2013

PASSEPIED: FEVER

Passepied's new single "Fever" is a fast, bright and vibrant J-Pop tune of the artsy variety.

Passepied is a Japanese indie pop rock band with strong jazz influences. And that's really all I was able to learn about them online. Well, aside from the fact that they're on tumblr, but they only post videos and photos there, so I wasn't able to actually learn anything else from them bio-wise. But they certainly seem artsy, which is pretty obvious from listening to their music.

SAITO KAZUYOSHI: ONE MORE TIME

By Paris365 on April 19, 2013

SAITO KAZUYOSHI: ONE MORE TIME

Saito Kazuyoshi is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his career this year. He's released over 50 singles, many being huge hits, and his latest, "One More Time," is vibrant, energetic pop rock song sure to capture your attention.

Japanese singer/songwriter Saito Kazuyoshi debuted in 1993 with the single "Boku no Mita Beatles wa TV no Naka." In addition to continuing to release music of his own, he soon found himself writing music for television commercials and songs for artists like Puffy and Isa Koutarou. To date, he's released roughly 50 singles and over 13 original studio albums, plus a half dozen best of type compilations. Suffice to say that he's quite accomplished and has a massive fanbase. He will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of his career this August.

[CHAMPAGNE]: FOREVER YOUNG

By Paris365 on April 05, 2013

[CHAMPAGNE]: FOREVER YOUNG

[Champagne]'s "Forever Young" has a grandiose, larger-than-life vibe, making it one massive arena rock gem.

[Champagne] -- they always stylize it like that -- is a Japanese rock band that was formed in 2007. They are said to have chosen their name because it symbolizes being rich and famous, two of their biggest goals in life. In 2010 they played major festivals including Rock In Japan Festival and Summer Sonic 2010. They apparently cite Michael Jackson, Nirvana and Oasis as their influences. They released their second album, I Want to Go to Hawaii during March 2011 and it quickly rose to the top of Oricon's indie chart.

GIRL NEXT DOOR: STANDING FOR YOU

By Paris365 on March 13, 2013

GIRL NEXT DOOR: STANDING FOR YOU

Hot on the heels of their hit singles "signal" and "all my life," girl next door are back with their new single "standing for you."

Hot on the heels of their hit singles "signal" and "all my life" -- remember, they don't like CAPS -- girl next door are back with their new single "standing for you." The song begins with singer Chisa cheerfully singing along to sunshiny synth, courtesy of keyboardist Daisuke Suzuki. Soon guitarist Yuji Inoue enters the picture, helping to give the up-tempo pop rock track its solid rhythm, though the song is definitely dominated by the glimmering synth and Chisa's sugary vocals.

THE SKETCHBOOK: スプリット・ミルク|REFLECT

By Paris365 on March 08, 2013

THE SKETCHBOOK: スプリット・ミルク|REFLECT

An anime group becomes a live IRL group in The Sketchbook and their songs are ultra-catchy.

The Sketchbook is a J-pop/rock trio originally formed on an anime show. I'm not sure what the show's name is, but I think it's Sket Dan, which is the name of the trio's group on the show. In the series, each member of the group starts off playing with another band but those bands fall apart just before a battle of the bands show, so these three musicians come together, forming Sket Dan for the talent show, which I believe they win, and they remain a group after that. Apparently, Sket Dan is also the name of a campus support group at Kaimei High School on the show.

MAN WITH A MISSION: EMOTIONS

By Paris365 on February 27, 2013

MAN WITH A MISSION: EMOTIONS

Man With A Mission can do rock and they can do pop. But whatever they do, they do it wearing wolf masks. Yes, wolf masks.

Man With A Mission is a Japanese band who make music that ranges from hard rock to dance pop. The members all use stage names: Tokyo Tanaka (vocals), Jean-Ken Johnny (guitar), Kamikaze Boy (bass), DJ Santa Monica (disc jockey), and Spear Rib (drums). As if some of those names weren't strange enough, the members of the band wear wolf masks when they play concerts or appear in their music videos. Yes, you read that correctly -- they wear WOLF masks. And Wiki has a weird explanation for why they do that.

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SHISHIDO KAVKA: MUSIC

By Paris365 on February 26, 2013

SHISHIDO KAVKA: MUSIC

Shishido Kavka is a super-talented singer/songwriter and drummer and her songs are sure to rock you.

Shishido Kavka is a model, actress, drummer and singer. That's right -- she plays her own drums. I think that's the first time I've come across an instance where a J-pop or J-rock singer plays his or her own drums. So, props to her for that. And I'm pleased to say that she's equally skillful behind the microphone and the drum kit.

KYLEE: DAISUKI NANONI

By Paris365 on February 18, 2013

KYLEE: DAISUKI NANONI

Kylee's "Daisuki Nanoni" is one of the catchiest J-rock songs we've heard in a while and the B-side, "Anywhere," is a keeper, too.

Kylee is a Japanese American singer/songwriter, though thus far she has only released music in Japan via DefStar Records, a division of Sony Music Japan.

FAYLAN: GOD FATE

By Paris365 on January 22, 2013

FAYLAN: GOD FATE

Faylan continues to get heavier with the rocking "God FATE," her first single since last August.

FAYLAN: GOD FATE

Faylan -- or Feinyan, as her fans call her -- is back with her first single since last August's "Realization" with her new single "God FATE," the opening theme of the new TV anime series Hakkenden: Toho Hakken Ibun, which is based on the popular comic book of the same name.

AMMOFLIGHT: アルタルフ〜この恋の終わりに〜

By Paris365 on January 21, 2013

AMMOFLIGHT: アルタルフ〜この恋の終わりに〜

Ammoflight continue to be one of Japan's greatest pop rock bands of all-time with their stellar new single "アルタルフ〜この恋の終わりに〜."

Ammoflight continue to be one of Japan's greatest pop rock bands of all-time with their stellar new single "アルタルフ〜この恋の終わりに〜" (Google translation: "At the end of this love ~ Arutarufu ~"). Their soulful vocals, rich guitars, luscious bass and driving drums all sound entirely fantastic, but even more noteworthy is their colorful, melodious songwriting, which is what ultimately makes this song such a winner.

DIR EN GREY: 輪郭

By Paris365 on January 18, 2013

DIR EN GREY: 輪郭

Dir En Grey present a cleaner, more melodic sound on their new single "Outline," but, fear not, the B-sides will still make you feel like your teeth are being kicked in.

Dir En Grey continue to refine their sound with their latest single, "輪郭" (Google translate: "Outline"), which features lots of melodic singing in lieu of the old school death metal screeching found on so many of their past releases. Everything about their sound is cleaner and crispier here. The guitars are less grimy, instead possessing more of a clean sound like you would expect from bands like Helloween and Anthrax. Sure, there are still some crunchy guitars and the rhythm section still projects a doom-like vibe, but this is more accessible than most of their previous singles.

KANAE ITO: COLORS!

By Paris365 on January 04, 2013

KANAE ITO: COLORS!

Popular voice actress Kanae Ito goes the pop rock route with pleasant results.

Super popular voice actress Kanae Ito's new single "COLORS!" is one of those songs you either love or hate and it only takes one listen to decide. At least that's all it took to hook me. It's full of hooks, in fact -- guitar hooks, vocal hooks... You get the idea. This is a wonderful up-tempo pop rock gem. Kanae sings it totally upbeat, like she's having the time of her life, and that enthusiasm and passion that she puts into her vocals is nothing short of contagious. The guitars reach out and grab you, too. Honestly, if you don't like this song then you probably don't like J-pop.

SPYAIR: WENDY ~It’s You~

By Paris365 on December 28, 2012

SPYAIR: WENDY ~It’s You~

SPYAIR's latest single is inspired by everything from grunge to ska to early '90's hip-hop. It grows on you though.

Spyair is a Japanese rock group hailing from Nagoya. They were formed in 2005 and the members are members are Ike (Vocal), Kenta (Drum), Momiken (Bass), Uz (Guitar) and DJ Enzel. The band initially produced and released their music themselves, later doing so for an indie label called U-PROJECT, but in 2010 the finally signed a major label deal with Sony Music. Earlier this year, their song "Love Game" was featured in the new movie The Amazing Spider Man.

YO SHIBUSAWA: 花はここに咲いています

By Paris365 on December 27, 2012

YO SHIBUSAWA: 花はここに咲いています

Yo Shibusawa is here to rock you until your ears bleed. If that doesn't sound like fun, move along. If you need something to channel your anger to, listen away.

The title of this mini-album's English translation is "Flowers Are Blooming Here," which is actually quite funny when you listen to it because the first four tracks especially sound nothing like flowers or other sunshiny things. On the contrary, they're full of anger and attitude and they can leave you feeling downright assaulted -- like a brick has struck the front of your head -- if you're not a fan of gritty, down and dark rock 'n' roll with smidges of punk and metal.

The mini-album opens with one of its most brutal tracks, "破壊BOSSジャム聖飢魔IIメイク" (Google translation:

HARUNA RUNA: OVERFLY

By Paris365 on December 19, 2012

HARUNA RUNA: OVERFLY

Haruna Runa - a.k.a. Haruna Luna - delivers three highly impressive new songs on her latest single, "Overfly," calling to mind none other than the great Ayumi Hamasaki.

Well, it seems Haruna is still having an identity crisis. You may recall that when her first single, "空は高く風は歌う," came out earlier this year everyone was calling her Haruna Luna, Luna evidently being a homage to that single. But, for better or worse, that nickname has stuck. Mostly, anyway. If you search for her as Haruna Runa on Yes Asia you won't find her. But Haruna Luna finds her immediately. It's the opposite on CD Japan, which has her listed as Haruna Runa. It will be interesting to see what happens as her career progresses.

KOMINAMI YASUHA: 121212

By Paris365 on December 12, 2012

KOMINAMI YASUHA: 121212

121212 finds Kominami Yasuha cleverly releasing a mini-album entitled 121212, the day of the mini-album's release. Better still, there's a song on it called "December 12, 2012." And all 5 songs on this release are nothing short of brilliant. If you like Anna Tsuchiya, you must hear this!

Singer/songwriter Kominami Yasuha's new mini-album is called 121212, in other words 12/12/12, which happens to be the date of the mini-album's release. Better still, it even features a song called "12月12日," or, as translated by Google, "December 12, 2012." I imagine that even the Mayans couldn't pull off -- or predict -- something this calculated. That said, calculated isn't a word I'd use to describe her music. On the contrary, it's raw, bleeding and rough-around-the-edges and that's part of her charm.

FT ISLAND: POLAR STAR

By Paris365 on December 04, 2012

FT ISLAND: POLAR STAR

The Korean rock legends are back in Japan with their 9th Japanese single and it certainly lives up to their impressive standards.

FT Island -- sometimes written as F.T. ISLAND or FTIsland -- is a Southern Korean pop rock band which also releases material in Japanese and has a strong following in Japan accordingly. The group's members are Lee Hongki (lead vocals), Lee Jae-jin (bass and vocals), Choi Jong-hoon (guitar and keyboard), Song Seung-hyun (guitar and vocals), and Choi Min-hwan (drums). The group made their debut in 2007 and have been scoring hits ever since.

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TAKUMA TERASHIMA: MAGIC WORDS

By Paris365 on November 30, 2012

TAKUMA TERASHIMA: MAGIC WORDS

As a voice actor, Takuma has starred in over 50 anime films. But is his singing debut worth your attention?

Takuma Terashima is a hugely popular voice actor who has worked on over 50 anime films since he started in 2005. Some of the films he's worked on include One Outs, Shigofumi, Princess Lover!, Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu, The Idolmaster, Mobile Suit Gundam AGE and Kokoro Connect. He is a graduate of Tokyo Announce Gakuin where he studied voice acting. Until the end of 2008 he was represented by Holypeak, but since then he's been represented by AXL-ONE. Magic Words is his debut as a singer.

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