|Official Site|
From a young boy in a group called Folder to becoming "Japan's Smallest Soulman", Daichi Miura has a strong standing in Japanese R&B to the point he's been compared to the late, great Michael Jackson. Recently, he has had a very successful tour and released a new single, Turn Off the Light. Today (or yesterday in Japan time), he released a new album featuring his last single, "Lullaby", and "The Answer".
Despite being part of the major label Avex, I feel that Daichi is an underappreciated talent. Not only does he possesses an amazing vocal range worthy of praise, but he can move effortlessly on the floor. The man writes his own lyrics and constructs his own choreography for Christ's sake! He also has the capability to crossover to the U.S., which has been mentioned countless times here. Never giving his fans anything less than perfection, Daichi continues growing as an artist and perform while staying humble with his accomplishments and positive commentary.
Here's an awesome compilation of his PVs.
In contrast to UROBOROS's "SA BIR", "Kyoukotsu no Nari" shares a similar horror movie aura. It uses an aggressive, muffled guitar in the background with loud distortions and a sprinkle of old school horror dramatic piano effects. There's a little vocalization that I wouldn't be surprised that Kyo produced himself, but matches the mood of the album. "THE BLOSSOMING BEELZEBUB" carries the raging, muffled guitaring but adds another layer of great guitar work on top that pulls you in. It's a fairly long track, but it features so many amazing details that make it awesome. Strategically placed piano, haunting vocal harmonization, simplistic drumming that meshes well with the other instruments, and a great range of vocals from growling to singing. There's also some great musical shifts that keep the listener interested for the whole seven and half minutes. "DIFFERENT SENSE" was a promotional song for this album and I already enjoyed the fast pace drumming, the in your face guitar riffs, and Kyo's deep vocals and high screeches. The guitar duet sounded very different than what the band normally produces. It reminded me of the younger, lesser known jrock bands, but I'm not complaining. 
"AMON" was released with a remix of "ZAN" in a magazine/book to promote more hype...it really didn't need it. Anyway, it's another fast pace, growly song that melds well with the previous track. It's fairly simple, but has some intricate detail work as it trails off at the end. "'Yokusou ni DREAMBOX' Aruiwa Seijuku no Rinen to Tsumetai Ame" features emphasized guitars and bass work with soft vocals. It's a nice shift from all the raging vocals from the previous two tracks. Although, it picks up wildly toward the middle and simmers back down after the solos. I hardly remember "Juuyoku", but it kind of touches similar elements from their older stuff. It's a bit all over the place and wild with fast drumming and various vocal effects. "Shitataru Mourou" appears to be a soft piece for a few seconds then the guitars and bass kick in for a moment. It has an almost poetic vocal arrangement as the music seems to trip over itself. The bass definitely stands out a lot more in this track than the previous. "LOTUS" was another promo track for the album and what convinced me that DUM SPIRO SPERO had the potential to be as good as the previous album. It has a great vocal arrangement and the instruments don't overpower Kyo's singing. Yes, singing. They soften themselves around the verse and bridge, then highlight the chorus beautifully. "DIABLOS", the longest track on the album, brings back that haunting aura. It starts off with classic sounds of horror and soft drums, then Kyo joins and some roaming guitar sounds later. The song is very predatorial 
"Akatsuki" brings bits of UROBOROS sound and the more developed elements together. It features contrasting guitars and commanding vocals with a small sprinkle of traditional Japanese flavor. "DECAYED CROW" is another track I hardly remember. It's very fast pace and tons of high and low growling. Very aggressive stuff. "Hageshisa to, kono mune no naka de karamitsuita shakunetsu no yami" is the last of the promotional songs featured on this album. It was featured on SAW 3D's soundtrack...for some reason. It's typical Diru with screaming, growling, and fast pace instruments trying to keep up with each other. It's an entertaining song and appealing to the ears, especially the smooth transition from verse to chorus. Chorus definitely sticks and the section when Kyo's wailing simple echos. "VANITAS" is like a Dir en grey history lesson. It wraps every part of the band from past to present into one masterpiece. It is the softest piece on the album and it really needed it. I enjoyed UROBOROS for it's great balance of aggression and beauty. This track has a great range of what the band is capable of and that they can be more than just hardcore. "Ruten no Tou" reels back the aggressive instrumentals, but keeps it tame to follow the flowing vocal arrangement. An awesome way to end an awesome album!
Upon first listen of the starting track, it bothered me to no end that I couldn't remember what song they were remaking. After I dug through my discography, then confirmed it online...I learned it was "Rasestsukoku". I was never a big fan of the song, but I never really disliked it either. The new version makes it a little heavy in the intro, but keeps the crowd pleasing high energy to the overall song despite the changes. In essence, it's the same song, it just grew up to a full blown monster that new fans will be pleased with. Next is "AMON (Symphonic ver.)", which features an almost music box sound that would be placed in a Tim Burton movie opener. Once the intro is complete, the heavy guns...er...guitar jump in. Unfortunately, the combination between the original arrangement with orchestral and piano elements didn't quite mesh well. It's a bit messy. "Ruten no Tou (Unplugged ver.)" is next on the chopping block. It starts off with a hard, dramatic piano intro and Kyo singing along the rough melody. The piano is a little all over the place in some spots and I think they should've softened Kyo's vocals or at least reduce the echo. 
"DIABLOS (Demo2010, Short ver.)" shares similar elements from it's original, but perfectly toned down. I actually prefer this version a lot more. "Akatsuki (Demo2010)" has more instrumental presentation than vocal. Even though I'm not a big fan of the song in general, I think I prefer the other version over this one. When I reached "THE BLOSSOMING BEELZEBUB (remix)", I was curious what they were going to do to this masterpiece. Pretty much they hollowed out and electronicized the vocals, ditched the original musical arrangement, and added minimal sound with a little guitar. Wasn't very pleased, but happy it was slightly shorter than the original. "'Yokusou ni DREAMBOX' Aruiwa Seijuku no Rinen to Tsumetai Ame (remix)" truly reminded me of old school Sega Genesis Mortal Kombat. It has an intriguing overall arrangement between the music, sound effect, and vocal choices. It kinda reminds me "Gyakujou tannou keloid milk (plucking Mr.NEWSMAN) -NEW JAPAN MIX-". 
"Shitataru Mourou (remix)" has distorted, almost muffled vocals and a brightened musical backing. I'm not very fond of this remix, mostly because of the vocal effects practically destroying the song (and my ears). I guess they really like this song because there's an "Akatsuki (remix)". It has a softened, slightly muffled vocal and an electronic sound meshed with Silent Hill vibes in some places. "DECAYED CROW (remix)" closes out the second disc with minimalistic music, subway screeching noises, flutes, tribal drums, and drawn out, distorted growls. Meh...not impressed.
After their set was over and four filler songs, I listened to everyone yell and such when the curtains opened and Miyavi and Bobo appeared. I was a little anxious myself, since Miyavi hasn't quite reached my high expectations on his live performances. 
Miyavi had an interesting selection of songs. He mostly stuck with newer things from his last album, threw in some unreleased tracks, and even took some requests from the audience. One of the new songs required some audience participation and the other was just...sexy. One of the staff members brought in a stand with a booklet and one of the songs he needed his Mac for the lyrics. He moved around a lot and had mics strategically placed on all areas of the stage to give the fans the most from the experience. There was one MC that stood out from all the others. No, he didn't announce he was having another kid...although, I wouldn't be surprised if he did. He told us how he was happy to be back in Texas and tried to say some Texan words like "y'all" and "rodeo". I'll give him a B for effort. It was cute. Everyone tried to help, but eventually he was like "fuck it" with a smile. Apparently, he's become a fan of Tex-Mex. His English is about the same give or take. He still has that mumbly thing going on and his pronunciation could be better, but it's understandable and that's all that matters. Another thing that stood out was the set up of the whole performance. I believe last year he had a three person show, but this time Miyavi was the one working the electronic platform...even though there was some minor difficulties. Another cute moment. So, here's the set list. There could be errors, but you know I try.
I'm sure everyone is aware of the hallyu wave in Japan. More and more kpop groups are entering Japan for more global exposure and profit. One problem with this is the lack of original material geared toward their Japanese fans. I don't understand why they're not making new material! It makes them appear lazy, especially rookie groups that are barely established in South Korea. 
I'm mostly disappointed that YG Entertainment has fallen victim to this lazy procedure. 2NE1 has recently entered Japan territory and came with no original tracks. Their appearance has become increasingly ridiculous and their music video remakes are a lot weaker than the original like Japan can't handle it. My disappointment lies with their past work with SE7EN and Big Bang. They both started with original material...a whole album even.
In Gokusen, we have Kumiko "Yankumi" Yamaguchi who is heir to her grandfather's yakuza clan. This is her biggest secret, but Kumiko's goal is to pursue her dreams as a teacher. When she is hired at an all boys private school, she is assigned the worst class in the school that constantly causes trouble for each other, her, and Vice Principal Goro Sawatari. In the end, Yankumi turns things around and her students adore her.
In GTO, we have karate expert and ex-biker gang member Eikichi Onizuka. He went to a third rate college and was always considered trash in his high school days. Despite this, the school's director sees something in Onizuka and grants his wish to become a teacher. He hits several bumps along the way that cause trouble for his students and the school's faculty, but eventually his students become very fond of him.