 In January of this year, BiSH released their second album "FAKE METAL JACKET". I wasn't a part of A-To-J at the time, but I reviewed it on my own personal blog. Since A-To-J never released an official review of it, I decided to go back and do an updated review; kinda like a second opinion, where both opinions are my own. This is definitely fair. "FAKE METAL JACKET" starts off the same way BiSH's debut album did; with "Spark", "BiSH - Hoshi ga Matataku Yoru ni", and "MONSTERS". The 2016 versions of these three songs include the group's new members, and sound pretty much the same with some minor differences (which are barely noticeable to the casual listener). The first new song we get is "Primitive", an emotional rock ballad which has a vibe similar to the BiS classic "primal". One of my favorite songs is next; "beautiful sa" is so incredible, it's just unforgettable in my opinion. It's not that BiSH is doing anything particularly new here, it's just some really high-level songwriting.  There's a re-recording of the 2015 single "OTNK", which sounds great, then we get "Migatte I need you". This is a little bit heavier than the preceding songs, and has an amazing chorus. I love hearing the way BiSH's voices compliment one another, it's just beautiful. "Departures" is next, an even harder rocking song. By this point, even a new listener should know that every singer in BiSH is impossibly talented. I can't believe there are so many perfect voices harmonizing together on this album, and this song is just more proof of that. "Want" is another pretty heavy one, though it's dialed back just a bit. The downstroked guitars sound pretty awesome, it's a great song. The last re-recorded song we get is "Saraba Kana" off the first album. In proper re-recorded BiSH song fashion, it sounds fine. It's the same song. The next song, though... I think I may have actually died. That's the only possible explanation for "All You Need Is Love", which is one of the most beautiful and powerful songs of all time. I love this song. I can't put into words how much I love this song. Just listen to it, if it's the last song you ever hear. It's a really pretty and downtempo love song, nice and calming, for the first half. After the halfway mark, right when you think the song is over, BiSH kicks into overdrive and just pummels through a powerful fucking masterpiece. Listen to "All You Need Is Love" before you even finish reading the review. The reason I say that is because the last two songs are great, but they shouldn't be following THAT. "DEAR..." is SUPER heavy with some awesome chanting, one of the most energetic songs on the whole album. "BUDOKAN ga Moshiku ha TAMANEGI" is the closer, and it's a nice ballad. It's pretty, emotional, and a nice ending to an amazing album.  If "Brand-new idol SHiT" was a great album, "FAKE METAL JACKET" is an AMAZING album. I do disagree with the choice to include so many old songs on here, but I don't dislike it. From what I've heard so far, I think this may just end up being my number one album of 2016. I'm glad I did this second review, because the first time around I didn't think it was as good as BiSH's debut. I'm really in love with "FAKE METAL JACKET", though. Favorites: beautiful sa, Migatte I need you, Departures, All You Need Is Love, DEAR... -Justin FAKE METAL JACKET Tracklist: 1) Spark'16 2) BiSH-Hoshi ga Mataku Yoru ni-'16 3) MONSTERS'16 4) Primitive 5) beautiful sa 6) OTNK'16 7) Migatte I need you 8) Departures 9) Want 10) Saraba Kana'16 11) ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE 12) DEAR… 13) BUDOKAN ga Moshiku ha TAMANEGI BiSH Is: Cent Chihiro Chitti (Captain) Aina the End Hug Me Momoko Gumi Company Lingling Hashiyasume Atsuko For More Information: Website: http://www.bish.tokyo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BiSHidol BiSH - MONSTERS MV BiSH - ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE MV  NOT IDOL, NOT KAWAII. BILLIE IDLE® is an anti-idol group half made up of ex-BiS members First Summer Uika and Hirano Nozomi (plus Momose Momo, who was never in BiS but was ALMOST in BiS). Contrary to other anti-idol groups, they're actually a much more upbeat and cheery kind of group. They refuse to call themselves idols though, and take heavy influence from punk rock music and culture. The group was formed immediately after BiS disbanded, by former BiS manager (and current BiSH manager) Junnosuke Watanabe. Teriyaki Boyz member/fashion designer NIGO is also involved in their management and public appearance. BILLIE IDLE® debuted in 2015 with the A M A Z I N G single "anarchy in the music scene". This is one of my favorite idol (or not idol?) songs of all time, hands-down. Shortly after they released their debut album "IDLE GOSSIP". "IDLE GOSSIP" featured not only "anarchy", but some other incredible songs like "be my boy", "moments", and "po pe pa". Their sound falls somewhere between cute idol pop and Polysics-flavored electro-dance punk. Their live shows are full of energy and even stage diving, which is normally banned by idol group management. First Summer Uika in particular was known for stage diving during her time in BiS. BILLIE IDLE® - anarchy in the music scene MV  Later in 2015 BILLIE IDLE® released their SECOND album, "ROCK"N"ROLL IDLE". Just as good as the first, this album brought us "Darling ni wa Naranai", "Kanata ni...", and "be-bop tu-tu". With BILLIE IDLE® now solidified as one of the best working groups in J-pop, it's only a matter of time before they take over the entire world. The group's image is highly centered on fashion, including some awesome outfits you can only buy in NIGO's "STORE BY NIGO" in Harajuku. They don't actually play live that often, it seems, so each show really is a big event. They once played in a wrestling ring, which was just as amazing as it sounds. BILLIE IDLE® is set to release "4-in-1: The Official Bootleg" in April; it's an EP where each of the 4 songs will be written and sung by one member of the group. After that, who knows? Another album would be welcome about now, if you ask me. Something about this group just makes them impossible to ignore. Their musical styles are as varied and unique as their personalities, and the songwriting and performance of those songs is just incredible. These really are four of the most talented singers in J-pop today, as far as I'm concerned. BILLIE IDLE® - be-bop tu-tu MV Between 2015 and 2016, BILLIE IDLE® headlined an ex-BiS tour; the "BRAND-NEW IDLE SOCIETY: IDLE IS DEAD" tour would featured BILLIE IDLE® themselves, former BiS leader Pour Lui's new band LUI FRONTiC AKABANE JAPAN, Saki Kamiya's group POP (Period of Plastic 2 Mercy, formerly Pla2me), and Maison book girl (featuring Megumi Koshouji from BiS). Ex-BiS-member-turned-DJ Tentenko also appeared at the finale of the tour. This was one of the best tour lineups of all time, and don't let anybody tell you otherwise. I only wish I could have seen them. I hope BILLIE IDLE® continues to put together amazing events like that, and an international tour would not be unwelcomed. If you're a new listener to BILLIE IDLE®, I highly recommend you start with "anarchy in the music scene". After that, all of "IDLE GOSSIP". It has all those great songs I listed above, plus "Konin Todoke wa Tomaranai", plus "idle fellas" (also the name of their official fan club). You can't go wrong with any of the songs on that album, it's perfect front-to-back. After that, listen to "ROCK"N"ROLL IDLE". And after that, well, cry because there's nothing else to hear. Yet. But just wait until April. I'm gonna write about that EP so hard. It's not even an album, but it's gonna be one of my favorite albums of the year. Guaranteed. -Justin BILLIE IDLE® IS: First Summer Uika Hirano Nozomi Momose Momo Yasui Yuuhi For More Information: Website: http://www.billieidle.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/b_idle_official YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG1VeRu87NHxaNuEt_a3jzw  BILLIE IDLE® - be my boy MV  I've always been a fan of my idol music coming with a side of screaming. PassCode is an idol group who meets all the requirements for a perfect, uh, meal? They have the screams, the heavy techno-meets-metal backing music, and a pretty cool cyberpunk-lite aesthetic. This latest MV, "AXIS", serves as a nice appetizer for their upcoming album in May, and also the last time I describe music as if it is food.  Backed by some Babymetal-inspired digital hardcore, "AXIS" is a nice and heavy song. "Digital" is also a good word to use here, since there's a lot of vocoder/autotune vocals going on here. It's pretty fitting for a group who calls their fans "hackers". I hate to compare them to Babymetal (that's such a common comparison for any idol group who uses metal elements) but there are a lot of musical similarities. PassCode breaks free from their contemporaries with a few unique elements, though. The song has a fairly dark tone, something hiding deep in the melody that even cute idol vocals can't quite break free from. It's like all the sweetness is being fought back by the digital madness going on in the production. We also get an element I absolutely can't live without, in the form of Imada Yuna's black metal screams. This group can dance and smile all they want, but there's no escaping the pure darkness of this video. Speaking of the video, it's probably good to touch on that quickly. The group members dress is all black and white hoodies, with standard idol uniforms nowhere in sight. It's a minimalist video for sure, mostly featuring the group and their backing back playing in front of greyish backgrounds. There's some cool visual glitches and minor color effects enhancing the cyberpunk atmosphere, but it's mostly just a clean and minimal video. It fits the song pretty well! "AXIS" is an exceptional entry into the "idol-meets-digital-hardcore-meets-metal" formula; I firmly believe that PassCode is one of the best groups in the genre. I'm looking forward to "VIRTUAL", the full-length album dropping on May 25th. Until then, I do really hope they drop another single soon. If their last album is anything to go by, "VIRTUAL" might just blow us all away in a glitchy mess of hardcore EDM metal. -Justin PassCode Is: Takashima Kaede (高嶋楓) Imada Yuna (今田夢菜) Minami Nao (南菜生) Ogami Hinako (大上陽奈子) For More Information: Website: http://passcode-official.com/ Blog: http://ameblo.jp/passcode-official/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi0W2TYXQYftZFHoNcL1JIw Twitter: https://twitter.com/passcodeO Vine: https://vine.co/u/1091681703380062208 PassCode - AXIS MV  Seiko Oomori is one of the most interesting pop singers around right now. Not quite an idol, but not quite your basic J-pop singer either, she's about the closest thing you can get to anti-idol without being an actual idol to begin with. I recently wrote about her awesome single "Aishiteru.com", and now we have "TOKYO BLACK HOLE" which is also the title of her full-length album which comes out later this month.  "TOKYO BLACK HOLE" is a nice and soothing song. Seiko Oomori has what is in my opinion one of the most outstanding singing voices in the current music scene. She's always doing something different in every song, and can pull off just about any style you can think up. In terms of melody, this isn't my FAVORITE thing she's done, but it's nowhere near bad either. The whisper-thin vocals on the verse pair nicely with the gentle background of acoustic guitar. It's a little bit long and somewhat of a ballad really. I can see this being a great closing song for the album (though it's actually the opening song, which works just as well). This is a super pretty song, blissful even. On the album it's gonna be followed up by the PERFECT song "Magic Mirror", but we'll get to that when the album comes out. For now, "TOKYO BLACK HOLE" is just what I've been wanting; a little bit more Seiko Oomori to keep me hyped for the album. Seiko Oomori's new album "TOKYO BLACK HOLE" will be out on March 23rd, 2016. -Justin Seiko Oomori - TOKYO BLACK HOLE MV  North American based group 4TE (pronounced ‘for-tay’) recently released their second single ‘Leave a Message’. To begin with, the music video is a very mesmerizing piece that focuses on a flashy, eye-catching club-like atmosphere. There is a fairly heavy focus on geometry and filtered colors that exude a sense of surreal reality. To round out the well-done package, the ladies perform a wonderfully choreographed dance that really accentuates the feature of each individual member. I especially liked that the dance follows a steady tempo to keep with the beat, which is something that seems to be lacking in modern music a bit more than I’d like. The video, helps to tell the story of the song, with scenes that flash to their bedrooms mixed between the dancing and close-ups at the club setting. With good choreography, fun outfits and a very mesmerizing theme, the video is outstanding.  Ultimately, the video wouldn’t work without an awesome song. ‘Leave a Message’ is most definitely an awesome song. It opens up with some ringing and an answering machine to set the mood. It then has a steady flow into a poppin’ electronic beat. There’s just enough of a mix of synth and natural talent in the singing to help propel the electronic tone of the song while still showing off the 4TE’s singing abilities. To help break up the flow and keep things exciting, there are a couple of really cool and cute rap sections too. I’d have to say that my favorite thing about this song isn’t how catchy it is, or how balanced it is or even how much fun it is. My favorite thing is how smooth the song flows. That is the thread that holds everything together and makes this song something more than just another generic and catchy electronic tune. If 4TE is able to keep up this kind of amazing quality, they’ll soar above and beyond the North American scene. With a fantastic video and an outstanding song, ‘Leave a Message’ is a must buy for those of you who like Jpop inspired music. Links for where you can purchase the song and more information are provided below.  4TE is a unique group that is conducted and created almost solely through the internet. It’s a compelling blend of cooperation that is accomplished through an immense amount of work that most groups would have trouble with. They’re definitely worth keeping an eye on.  - Teepu 4TE is: - Chii - Mei - Jenny - Micchi Official Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omByNlt_lJo Purchase on Bandcamp: https://4teofficial.bandcamp.com/ Purchase on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/4te/id970221540 4TE Site: http://4teofficial.com/ 4TE YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/4teofficial 4TE Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/4TEofficial 4TE - Leave A Message MV  Zenbu Kimi no Sei Da is a yami-kawaii idol unit, the sister-group of equally yami-kawaii Yukueshirezutsurezure. They caught my attention when they were featured as guests on that very same sister-group's debut single last year, but now they've arrived with their debut full-length album, "Yamikawa IMRAD". It's actually a huge departure from what I was expecting. but it's not a bad album at all. In fact I'm pretty comfortable saying that I love this album. "Yamikawa IMRAD" starts off with the IMPOSSIBLY catchy "Neo Jealous Mero Chaos". It's a hyperactively jumpy song and so, so, so catchy. The album shoots off from there bringing song after song of sickly-sweet pop. Where their sister group takes the sickly-cute level to horror-like standards, Zenbu Kimi no Sei Da is firmly on the side of yami-kawaii where they plan to give you cavities if you listen for too long.  One of my favorite songs is the fourth track, "The Battle of Identerror". It has some hard guitar riffs underneath the sweetness, owing a huge debt to the sounds of early BiS. Something about the hard-hitting rock and the adorably sugary vocals mixes so well. It's a sound I'm hugely into, but Zenbu Kimi no Sei Da has really perfected the formula. This song just blows me away every time I hear it. The other notable high point on this album is the closing song, "ShitEnd Placebo". The lead single from this album "ShitEnd Placebo" is much more of what prospective fans were probably hoping for pre-release. It's darker, it's thicker, it's actually really different in tone to the rest of the album. It has most of the same elements found on the album, but just turned up to 11. The screams near the end of the song really sum up what I want out of this recent yami-kawaii hype. It's a perfect end to the album.  "Yamikawa IMRAD" is one album I can recommend without hesitation, to any type of idol fan there is. Whether you want the hyper-cute and bouncy pop or the dark and sinister side of idols, this album has a strong mix of both. Even if the darker side is hidden pretty deeply here, it's noticeable. I have a strong feeling this might end up being one of my favorite albums of 2016. Favorites: Neo Jealous Mero Chaos, 哀whynot, The Battle of Identerror, ShitEnd Placebo -Justin Zenbu Kimi no Sei Da Is: -Mogeki Aza -Kisaragi Megumi -Narumi Gomochi -Mashiro -Hitomi Yotsu For More Information: Website: http://kiminosei.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/zenbukiminosei Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zenbukiminoseida Zenbu Kimi no Sei Da - Neo Jealous Mero Chaos MV Zenbu Kimi no Sei Da - ShitEnd Placebo MV  The ridiculously-named idol group Yukueshirezutsurezure is a brand-new (I mean REALLY brand-new) unit who is set to blow the world away whenever they get around to releasing their first album. Before that can happen, though, everybody should really check out their debut single (and to date the only song they have released*) "Kyousoukaichinari". (*they actually "released" another song last month, but immediately took it down before any of us could listen to it) The PV for "Kyousoukaichinari" was released in December of 2015, and it's really something. Yukuetsurezure (the shortened name most fans use because, like, honestly????) are going for a "Yami-Kawaii" (sickly-cute) style, and they're really pulling it off. The PV is super overblown in white, and feels like something out of a horror movie. The girls hang out in a forest (also maybe a hospital?) and it all just looks really creepy even if nothing much is happening. The video isn't what's important here though, it's the song. And what a song it is.  "Kyousoukaichinari" features Yukuetsurezure's "sister group", Zenbu Kimi no Seida, as guest vocalists. Zenbu Kimi no Sei Da is another great group to check out (which I will, soon!) but Yukuetsurezure is the real focal point here. This song is WILD. Anybody familiar with Maison book girl (a fantastic group featuring ex-BiS member Megumi Koushoji) will recognize the cute, slightly-nostalgic and gentle pop music this song pretends to be, at first. Without warning it explodes into the most hardcore thrash I've ever heard from an idol group. The song bounces back and forth between these two styles, and I LOVE it. It's dark, it's heavy, and yet it's also just so cute, somehow. The gentle "la la la la" blends perfectly with the girls screaming their hearts out. This is the perfect rebel idol anthem. Yukuetsurezure has an EP coming out in May, so watch out for that, because it's sure to be something amazing. As for "Kyousoukaichinari", it's the only work we have available from this group. Listen to it, again and again. Forever. Because it's amazing. Yukuetsurezure is amazing. -Justin Yukueshirezutsurezure - Kyousoukaichinari MV |
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