Japanese bands/artists I loved in 2009 - Part 2
Continuing on from my last post, here are more bands/singers I loved in 2009. I have a feeling this half is going to be a bit mellower. We will see.
In alphabetical order...
Amuro Namie - Her album just came out like a day ago but whatever she needs to be here. PAST < FUTURE is a hot album. I'd put up a PV but I think avex had them all taken down and I'm too lazy to look elsewhere. Still, fabulous album.
KREVA - He should've been in part one but I failed. Most people know about KREVA, right? I'unno. Anyway, his Shinzou album is verrry good.
People In The Box - I don't really know what to say about them other than I find their music really pleasant so I was happy when they put their new album Ghost Apple. I dunno, I like the melodies and the singer's voice. Here's their most recent PV.
plenty - They're very new to me, but they seem to have a following and are already creating some buzz. Their first album Haikei, minna-sama has songs that are catchy in a way and get stuck in the brain, but a they can be a bit repetative. Still, I am really digging this band.
Psysalia Psysalis Psyche - I went from being kinda meh about this band to liking them a hell of a lot. After seeing their Titan Arum PV I had no choice but to check out their album and I was not disappointed.
...this post needs some color.
QUATTRO - This band is pretty jamming. They have a cool garage/psychedelic/whichever rock'n'roll sound so they have more of a western feel, especially with the English lyrics. Good stuff.
Rin Toshite Shigure - aka Ling Tosite Sigure. This band. I avoided them for the longest time even though it seemed like everyone else couldn't stop raving about how great they were. I didn't get it; the vocals really bothered me. However, one day I decided to give one of their albums a try and now I am so hooked.
Sakanaction - I like them more with every song I hear. I sometimes forget about them and when a song comes on I'm like, "Who is this? I really like this song." This year they put out a great album Shin shiro, which I really need to listen to more. Let's dance:
Sekaiichi - I love this band. Nothing fancy, just pretty songs, a little funky at times and when I hear them I really feel it.
sleepy.ab - You want something nice and mellow? Look no further than sleepy. They're often compared to Radiohead, which I can understand, but I don't know enough about Radiohead to completely validate that. Anyway, they just released paratroop, which is quite nice. I recommend checking out their past work as well.
SPARTA LOCALS - And now for the bastards who broke my heart, SPARTA LOCALS. Excuse my bitterness, they recently decided to disband and I am still crying over it. LOL I'm not really mad at them, just disappointed. Anyway, they suck you in with their catchy, upbeat songs and surprise you with the slower, emotional ones. They made this year pretty awesome by being a part of Japan Nite, so I got to see them live, get their autographs, and took pictures with them. I am a happy fan.
the telephones - They're weird and crazy and I can barely understand a word they say in their songs, but I don't care. I feel like I use the word fun a lot to describe music but it really is fun. All their stuff is good. Great electro/new wave rock band with a fondness for the word "DISCO." XD
Yoshida Yamada - And now for something different. So far they've only released one single (that I know of) and it's soooo cute. This song makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. XD
I just realized Yamada's wearing a skirt lol. He's like Yasuda Shota level cute. I can't even.
YOUNGSHIM - She is the younger sister of PUSHIM, "Queen of Japanese Reggae" (whom I also love). I really love her album Distance; very well produced R&B. I actually wasn't crazy about her at first but I listened to her album and was very pleasantly surprised. It's definitely one of my top picks of the year. I am very picky when it comes to J-R&B - so much of it sounds the same and is sooo boring - but Distance really stood out for me.
your gold, my pink - And last, but not least, a band very new to me. I was drawn to their name and then their PV sucked me in. I can't listen to/watch it once and walk away. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Their album is pretty decent and I would love to hear more from them.
And... that's it. I'm probably forgetting others, but this covers most if it I think.
Thanks for reading. :)
In alphabetical order...
Amuro Namie - Her album just came out like a day ago but whatever she needs to be here. PAST < FUTURE is a hot album. I'd put up a PV but I think avex had them all taken down and I'm too lazy to look elsewhere. Still, fabulous album.
KREVA - He should've been in part one but I failed. Most people know about KREVA, right? I'unno. Anyway, his Shinzou album is verrry good.
Click to viewPeople In The Box - I don't really know what to say about them other than I find their music really pleasant so I was happy when they put their new album Ghost Apple. I dunno, I like the melodies and the singer's voice. Here's their most recent PV.
plenty - They're very new to me, but they seem to have a following and are already creating some buzz. Their first album Haikei, minna-sama has songs that are catchy in a way and get stuck in the brain, but a they can be a bit repetative. Still, I am really digging this band.
Psysalia Psysalis Psyche - I went from being kinda meh about this band to liking them a hell of a lot. After seeing their Titan Arum PV I had no choice but to check out their album and I was not disappointed.
...this post needs some color.
QUATTRO - This band is pretty jamming. They have a cool garage/psychedelic/whichever rock'n'roll sound so they have more of a western feel, especially with the English lyrics. Good stuff.
Rin Toshite Shigure - aka Ling Tosite Sigure. This band. I avoided them for the longest time even though it seemed like everyone else couldn't stop raving about how great they were. I didn't get it; the vocals really bothered me. However, one day I decided to give one of their albums a try and now I am so hooked.
Sakanaction - I like them more with every song I hear. I sometimes forget about them and when a song comes on I'm like, "Who is this? I really like this song." This year they put out a great album Shin shiro, which I really need to listen to more. Let's dance:
Sekaiichi - I love this band. Nothing fancy, just pretty songs, a little funky at times and when I hear them I really feel it.
sleepy.ab - You want something nice and mellow? Look no further than sleepy. They're often compared to Radiohead, which I can understand, but I don't know enough about Radiohead to completely validate that. Anyway, they just released paratroop, which is quite nice. I recommend checking out their past work as well.
SPARTA LOCALS - And now for the bastards who broke my heart, SPARTA LOCALS. Excuse my bitterness, they recently decided to disband and I am still crying over it. LOL I'm not really mad at them, just disappointed. Anyway, they suck you in with their catchy, upbeat songs and surprise you with the slower, emotional ones. They made this year pretty awesome by being a part of Japan Nite, so I got to see them live, get their autographs, and took pictures with them. I am a happy fan.
the telephones - They're weird and crazy and I can barely understand a word they say in their songs, but I don't care. I feel like I use the word fun a lot to describe music but it really is fun. All their stuff is good. Great electro/new wave rock band with a fondness for the word "DISCO." XD
Yoshida Yamada - And now for something different. So far they've only released one single (that I know of) and it's soooo cute. This song makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. XD
I just realized Yamada's wearing a skirt lol. He's like Yasuda Shota level cute. I can't even.
YOUNGSHIM - She is the younger sister of PUSHIM, "Queen of Japanese Reggae" (whom I also love). I really love her album Distance; very well produced R&B. I actually wasn't crazy about her at first but I listened to her album and was very pleasantly surprised. It's definitely one of my top picks of the year. I am very picky when it comes to J-R&B - so much of it sounds the same and is sooo boring - but Distance really stood out for me.
your gold, my pink - And last, but not least, a band very new to me. I was drawn to their name and then their PV sucked me in. I can't listen to/watch it once and walk away. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Their album is pretty decent and I would love to hear more from them.
And... that's it. I'm probably forgetting others, but this covers most if it I think.
Thanks for reading. :)