Miko's Declutter Journey/Unboxing: Chaotic Harmony's COVID Cheki Project

Miko's Declutter Journey: Organizing Cheki

Top 5 Recommended Music Videos

"ざんげの花道" by D=OUT
It has been so long since a D=OUT PV has stood out to me along with their music. Although the presentation of the video isn't anything new to me as I've seen this same setting with Kagerou and I'm sure another jrock band I can't think of at the moment, it actually looks like they're having fun. The music sounds like they're going back to their roots, minus the mix of traditional Japanese sounds, but there's a definite D=OUT flair in the sound. The members let loose and dance around the stage while offering their fans beauty shots of them in these really polished areas. The energy is definitely a lot purer and positive compared the past couple or so PVs they've released, even though not much is going on content wise. Nonetheless, I think D=OUT fans will be pleased by this shift and I hope I can see more of this sort of energy from them in future PVs, even if the content and concept is simple.



"SOSes!!" by TRIAMPERSANDY
This group was introduced to me by a friend who was a fan of GYUN and her former band Gollbetty. Honestly, I haven't been keeping up with this band at all, but what I've heard is pretty good. This song starts off pretty soft and slow, then when everything pauses for a moment, a burst of electric energy comes out with quick guitar riffs and GYUN's high vocals. The video is very band centric, but adds a unique color palette of neons and light flairs. The members transition in and out of the scene as duplicates, between set pieces, and as a whole group. There's some fun, random special effects that match the chaos and fun of the song.



"Metronome" by Jay Park feat. Simon D & GRAY
I believe Jay Park has been a bit silent in the music creation spotlight, but has been working pretty hard on his label and even snagged amazing "new" talent GRAY and legendary rapper Simon Dominic, mostly known from being half of Supreme Team. After listening to GRAY's debut mini-album, I expected a lot of great things from this trio and it was the breath of fresh air I needed. Fusing together R&B and hip-hop effortlessly, Jay Park plays to his strengths of transitioning his vocals to fit this fusion while letting GRAY loan his rough, confident vocals to the chorus and Simon D complete the fusion with some impressive rap bars. The video is sleek and classic to fit the mood. It tells a story of a couple whose relationship is off balance and uses props to symbolize the movement of a metronome while matching the artistic flair of the special effects. With this partnership, I hope I see more from this trio as they work extremely well together.



"Amazing -Bad Lady-" by Cross Gene
As mentioned in my follow up rookie post, I confessed that I don't pay attention to this group as much as I would like, but they have great talent. Sometimes their material tends to blend in with the rest of the rookies of that year and a bit of the following year. I was happy to see something this stylish stood out from what was out at the moment. It uses a video style that I like which is sticking to a monochromatic color scheme with pops of color. When there is full color, it's darkened or muted so it doesn't seem too jarring to the eyes. The choreography is still good, even though I think the crotch dusting is awkward, but the catchy and unique melody paired with great vocals make up for that. I really get this similar U-KISS vibe from them in a recognition sense more than anything. I look forward to more material on this level.



"Hug Me" by Crush feat. Gaeko
A lot of fresh faces have been standing out a little more on the mainstream front and I believe Crush is one of those faces. Similar to Jay Park and GRAY, he fuses hip-hop and R&B together with a hint of electro-pop. His vocals border between those lines of hip-hop and R&B which matches the music of this video. The verses have a smooth melody with just enough bass and electronics, the transition has a little electro-pop, and the chorus has more of booming hip-hop energy. The visuals tell a simple story about a relationship or the potential of one. It matches the music fusion by featuring sweet romantic scenes, clean choreography with the right amount of confidence and sensuality, and clichés from both music genres such as fancy cars, flashing lights, a throne-like chair, and hip-hop clothing that isn't too overwhelming or obvious to the viewer.

Top 5 Recommended Music Videos

"Papaoutai" by Stromae
I guess this has been circulating on Tumblr for a while, but I just now recently saw it on my dash. Anyway, I think this is a great example of understanding a foreign song through visuals that are both entertaining and emotion filled. The story is something people can relate to whether they've been through the same situation of abandonment or not. Aside from the visuals, I really love the choreography a lot and the song is both catchy and kinda odd, especially at the beginning.



"熱愛発覚中" by Shiina Ringo
When I saw that Shiina Ringo and Yasutaka Nakata of capsule were teaming up, I was immediately excited. This video and song combination was a win-win for the two Japanese musical innovators. With kick-ass visuals that properly represent Shiina's power and humor, it doesn't lose itself in the dance driven music and heavenly, light vocals. This is definitely one of those videos you can watch repeatedly and still find extremely entertaining, fun, and fierce.



"DOOM DADA" by T.O.P
What is this? A Big Bang related music video in the recommendations? Haven't seen one of these in my list, right? I have my reasons. I might explain in a possible future post about their solo projects, but for now let's focus on this visual cluster of images. To me, I don't find it all that odd as most do. It kinda strokes my inner cinemaphile in a very good way, obviously. Strangely, I think the hypnotizing music, playful but odd lyrics, and collage of imagery work very well together. It doesn't seem too out of place for T.O.P's character either. It combines his mature, sophisticated self, his stoic, confident demeanor, and his humorous, random self effortlessly. One more thing I want to add that I find amusing in the lyrics. Most of have heard the phrase "he/she could sing the phone book/alphabet/something mundane and it would sound amazing". Well, one line in this song is just the alphabet and sounds just as hypnotizing as the rest of the song. Thanks for proving that theory right, T.O.P!



"Party Rock" by Boys Republic
I think it's been a hit and miss for rookie groups this year for me, but I've been giving them a chance when something is released. I'm glad I gave these boys a chance, whether I continue to follow or not. This song is very upbeat and fun, good to bounce and dance around to. It's cute and charming and has an amusing visual story. The set pieces do remind me of a couple other kpop videos, but I kinda like this one the best.



"感電18号" by D=OUT
It's a shame how PS Company ignores this band's true talent. They have so much charisma and uniqueness compared to a lot of visual kei bands out there, especially the newer ones. This song brings me a lot of joy and reminds me of their pre-PSC days. It's very upbeat, catchy, and fun. The guys look confident and carefree as they perform with their instruments, sing, and act. I hope they continue to have more PVs that bring back their joyful roots and freshen up their bogged down image since the label move.

Top 10 Things I'm Excited About in the Music Industry

10. lynch.'s first major release
It was announced in July that the band was finally going major. I was so excited and I'm looking forward to them advancing in their work. I'm hoping they'll get more exposure and possibly make an appearance in North America.

9. D=OUT's first PS Company release
Along with BORN, this band has joined the ranks of PS Company, a jrock label noted for bands such as the GazettE, Alice Nine., and former guitarist of the label Miyavi. Some people thought it was an understandable label change for them to go under as their sound and appearance would blend in with their future labelmates. I just hope their sound will continue to progress and they are able to do bigger and better things in the future.

8. vistlip updates
At the end of July, the band was involved in a car accident and their manager Ms. Asako Sakakibara (31) was unfortunately killed. The members and two other passengers had a few minor injuries. So, I'm hoping that the band can push forward through this tough time and continue creating music for their fans. Although, it was long ago, I wish Ms. Sakakibara's family and friends the best.

7. Sizna (ex-Sugar) joining Moran
I was surprised when I found out Sugar was disbanding last year, especially after I saw them live at Oni-Con. I was even more shocked when Zill, bassist of Moran, passed away recently this year. Moran has managed to keep it together and continue spreading their love through music and Sizna occupied himself with his solo work, TIME SECTION #. The two bands were pretty close, so it was refreshing to see the talented Sizna join the remaining members of Moran. I'm very anxious to see how things work out and commend them with their future memorial live.

6. Aoi's (ex-Ayabie) solo single release & DNL's debut
Along with the passing of a couple great musicians in the jrock world, Ayabie's disbandment was a huge surprise. I wasn't worried about Aoi's solo release, since a lot of artists do it when they're in a band like Hyde, Yasu, and Kirito. When I read the news, it appeared that the other members "abandoned" poor Aoi and created a new band, DNL. I'm interested in how this band will pan out and who will be taking over the vocalist role. On the other hand, I've always admired Aoi and his vocals, so I'm looking forward to his solo work and other future projects he has planned.

5. Mikaru's (ex-Dio - distraught overlord) new band DIGRAS
Erina, former guitarist of DiO and current guitarist of VII-Sense, left the band and then the members ended up turning things around with their words and broke up earlier this year. I was disappointed, but there was an announcement of a session band with Mikaru and two other former DiO members, Ivy and Denka. Now, DIGRAS has been introduced to the public, but the only members revealed is the great demon Mikaru. I'm excited to hear his deep, erotic vocals and see who fills in the remaining positions. I hope Ivy and Denka are part of it. Definitely gonna miss Kei.

4. Nega's 5th anniversary live DVD
Recently, they have released a new album compilation of various releases and a PV collection DVD. Now they're going to share their 5th anniversary live with the world, before going on a little hiatus to recharge. Nega has jumped the charts in my heart as my favorite Under Code band, since Vidoll and 12012 graduated, Dali has been in and out of the scene, and Phantasmagoria disbanded. They've always had a solid place in my heart, but they just keep getting better and better. I can't wait to get my hands on it.

3. 2NE1's first album & overseas debut
It's been pretty quiet for the girls of 2NE1, but it was announced that they've been working on an album. It will contain their previous releases and six new songs. Along with the album announcement, they're working on debuting overseas, like Japan and the U.S. I'm really hoping they can spread their wings a little further than California so I can check them out myself.

2. Miyavi's new album release
My love for Miyavi has been a long and rough one like my relationship with Dir en grey. I haven't been purchasing most of his stuff and I wasn't too fond of the Kabuki Boiz era. After listening to his latest releases of "Survive", "Gravity", and "SuperHero", I think I'm liking this new graduated Miyavi style. Hearing the new material live, made me anticipate new releases even more. In short, I'm very excited about the album and I haven't been this excited about his releases in a long time!

1. ALSDEAD live in Texas
I believe it was last year, LM.C was suppose to be the musical guest at A-Kon 20, but due to the "outbreak" of the swine flu, they had to decline the invitation. So, Cure brought ALSDEAD on the scene with Camino on their side to perform. Unfortunately, I had to miss out on the wild performance. Now, Cure is bringing them back to Texas for a performance at SoniCon. I know a lot of people complained and went "wtf" at the announcement of the band being at a hedgehog convention, but hey! it's something.