Top 13 Recommended Music Videos

"Bones" by Rose Noire
I'm so glad Kiwamu hasn't ditched these talented musicians. Sometimes it's just nice to listen to some melodic, haunting vocals accompanied by some beautiful violin. This is definitely a step up production wise for these two and I hope they get more backing this year with their music. They're sadly underrated and exude so much talent.



"SOMEBODY WANTS DAYS YOU CLOSE" by NOISEMAKER
After "PLATINUM SHOES", I was thrilled to see something new from this band and it was equally, if not as, incredible than what I heard before. The title of the song doesn't really make sense to me grammatically, but I'm willing to ignore it. The setting reminds me of P.O.D video and shares some small similarities to it. This is definitely a memorable, emotional effort from this band and I am anxious to listen to this new mini-album.



"Cheeky Ren" by DALATH
I must admit that I was confused by watching this the first time. I thought it was another all female band, but it wasn't. I was a little disappointed, but I kept listening and ended up liking what they had to offer. It's a simple concept and reminded me of old Girugamesh visually. The vocals aren't extremely clear, but they are tolerable and quite good for what it's worth. I'm hoping to hear more from this band in the future.



"愛國革命" by R-shitei
I don't think I've ever mentioned this band on this site, but I've been following them since they were called Catheline. Anyway, this is a totally new direction and it still manages to suit their upbeat, slightly dark style. It's a very high energy song and the visuals are interesting. They can be a little overwhelming, but your eyes get used to the over use of white. The only odd part for me is the dubstepish dance break that reminds me of SuG and xTRiPx.



"Take My Chance" by DOLL$BOXX
Remember Acid Black Cherry's "SPELL MAGIC"? Well, this video is just like that. The girls play with the stereotypes of cutesy girls and lonely male otaku audiences, then flips it around to blow the crowd away with an epic rock sound. The vocals are very strong and I always admire when a drummer does back-up vocals well. It has a playful, but decently hard fun sound. I'm looking forward to hearing these girls' first full length album.



"BEZOARSTEIN" by Megamasso
I think its been a while since I posted anything by these guys, but they have progressively gotten better and better with each release. This PV further proves my point. The band shows off some intense attitude, emotion, and passion. The transitions are smooth and share their signature style they've carried throughout the years. It's hard to believe that it's possible for them to continue to exceed my expectations with each release. Keep it up!



"and Cry" by JAWEYE
A friend introduced me to this band through this PV and I'll give a warning that there's a lot of flashing lights in this video. So, if you're sensitive to that, then this isn't a good video for you to watch. It's a a simple blue-greyish tone PV that's very band centric. It has some cool slow motion moments and plays with the simplistic set to make it interesting for the viewer. The music is energetic and you can definitely rock out to it in your bedroom. I'm thankful I was introduced to them.



"HALO" by BLUE ENCOUNT
With JAWEYE came my ventures off to more amazing non-visual artists. This is another simplistic, band centric video. It might seem boring, but I like the lighting they chose for this video. It's almost as if the members are merely shadows playing instruments, but you can clearly see them excluding their faces. The song is quite upbeat and kinda has this pseudo-college rock feel, perhaps. It's familiar, but fresh. Forgive me for having a hard time explaining their sound, but it's good!



"sympathy" by KEYTALK
I think I have a little easier time describing this one. The sound reminds me of a more upbeat Plastic Tree without the wispy vocals. It's a fun song and you'll have a hard to resisting those lalala's. The PV is quite artsy and clever. Lots of geometric shapes, play on colors, and doesn't distract you from the overall feel of the song. It's definitely a nice feel good song of sorts.



"二時二分" by Suck a Stew Dry
Unlike the previous non-visual bands above, I couldn't quite hook myself into these guys. Please don't let that discourage you from checking out this PV though. I have my reasons for posting it, like other videos where I didn't care for the group. The song is quite simple throughout the verses and has a nice storytelling feel to it, then the power hits near the chorus. The visuals are once again band centric, but they nicely compliment the storytelling aspect with handwriting, scribbles, doodles, and a pink/purple color tint.



"moody pavilion" by mudy on the 昨晩
Another non-visual band that didn't quite stick to me, but I really like this song. It's kinda eerie, especially with that upside down body floating in the middle of the room. There's a lot of eerie atmosphere actually and some interesting artistic moments with color splashes and falling pieces as the band plays. It's intense and very easy to lose yourself in that you completely forget that there's no lyrics. It also feels too short as well, but still strangely satisfying.



"Sweetest vengeance" by Pay money To my Pain
I'm still trying to figure out how I missed this track, but it's great. It's chaotic and mosh worthy. It has some nice melodic moments and the visuals are just as chaotic and mesmerizing. Watching it now makes my heart melt for more reasons than one. I'm hoping K recovers soon and rests up for more energetic, aggressive, and emotion filled songs like this.



"Mayaku" by Lycaon
Another PV that I have no idea how I missed, especially since I've listened to the single. It's a simple band centric video, but it speaks volumes. Yuuki is absolutely beautiful in this and you can feel the emotion from his voice. I'm glad that theykept this so simple visually, because the music fills in all the important gaps for the viewer to lose themselves in. Also, Satoshi's solo is amazing!

Quick Music Review

MEJIBRAY - Sabbat (2012, Japan) Rating: 2/5
Favorite Tracks: Sabbat

After VanessA disbanded, Genki changed his name and joined MEJIBRAY. Now, I wasn't a fan of VanessA and the only reason I know about them was through a good friend (and some jrock news feeds). She sent me the PV for "Sabbat" and I checked it out. The song is pretty garbled at first with growls and heavy instruments. It has a few musical moments, but it all sounded like screaming noise. I wished there was more singing than screams and growls. On the other hand, I liked the visuals of the PV for it. "Akercock" begins with some more promising heavy instrumentals, then the screams and growls kick in...throughout the whole damn song. "Divergence" has some nice strong bass moments and the music is a little lighter than the previous tracks. I was so happy there was some actual singing, despite a few screams, but the sound is very generic visual kei and the vocals don't stand out that much. I think they've improved a little, but not by much. I might check back on this band and see if they've grown later, but for now I'm not that impressed.



Se7en - SE7EN 2ND MINI ALBUM (2012, South Korea) Rating: 3/5
Favorite Tracks: 내가 노래를 못해도, 그런 사람, 이해해, MAKE GOOD LOVE

From what I've seen through music videos for this album, I felt really bad for chicken shop owner Se7en. I was not excited to listen at all. "SOMEBODY ELSE" is a slow, electro-pop song that's a mixture of Big Bang's electronic leftovers and some borrowed arrangements from 2NE1 that never hooked me. This song is so...bland. Even the lyrics area blase. "ANGEL" is another soft song with acoustic guitar and sweet piano. It's about the same tempo as the first song and his voice sounds really nice, but the lyrical content is boring. How many songs in this world do we need that calls their loved one an angel? "내가 노래를 못해도" is a crossover with JYP, if you didn't hear it in the trademark vocal stamp. I really like the simple piano melody and the music is pretty simplistic too. Surprisingly, I like this way more than the previous tracks. It sticks to the original Se7en sound without all the fancy stuff and cheesiness. "그런 사람" features more piano, simplistic music, and highlighting the vocals. It has some pretty good transitions too to make the song more interesting. If you haven't noticed, this mini is very low tempo compared to Digital Bounce. I'm not complaining too much. Him and Rain are two of the few who can get away with ballads most times without making me annoyed. Anyway, "이해해" slows it down even more and is the purest sounding song on here. It's quite lovely with the soft vocals and violin/piano duo. If I had to pick a favorite track, it would be "MAKE GOOD LOVE". Now this could be borderline horny R. Kelly R&B track, but it's not that bad. It's a little more uptempo using string effects and classic R&B bass while cleverly layering the vocals effectively. After listening through this a couple times, I guess I can understand some fans' complaints about it being all slow songs, but if you're truly fan, you can find some good in these songs. They show his vocal skills off a lot more, if done right, and I'm not a big ballad/slow song fan either.



SHINee - Sherlock (2012, South Korea) Rating: 1.5/5
Favorite Tracks: Sherlock (Clue+Note), Alarm Clock

Still not fan of theirs, but I still listen to Lucifer proudly. I was curious how their comeback would turn out, especially with those uncomfortable gay French teaser photos. Then I saw "Sherlock (Clue+Note)" and the song wasn't that bad. It featured some retro horns and mixed it with some modern pop elements. Now the video, on the other hand, tempted me to start reviewing music videos on here because there was just a lot going on that made me facepalm (like Taemin's weave). Someone stop the Korean male weave epidemic, people! Anyway, back to the song, I think it has some great transitions and the boys' vocals are getting stronger too. Now the biggest "wtf" of this mini-album is that the first track is a combination of tracks 2 and 3. What was the point of separating them if they sound good together!? So, all the pop/dance bass whatever and horns are featured in "Clue" as well as the breakdown I liked. "Note" is all the upbeat, dancing sections and chorus, which sound a bit plain alone in some parts. I think "Clue" sounds more interesting than "Note", but this whole thing is confusing as hell and I don't know if SME was trying to troll or they're just being lazy on the tracklist for SHINee's comeback. Let's just move onto "Alarm Clock", which isn't that bad of a song. It's slower and the music is really unique. The harmonizations are just as good and I have a feeling I'll probably listen to this song to relieve the headache of trying to solve the first three tracks. "The Reason" is a slower song with some acoustic work and emotional vocals. "Stranger" brings in the intensity and a somewhat dancing feeling, but it sounds like a Super Junior reject song to me. "Honesty" closes out the comeback mini-album with some acoustic guitar and soft, "feel good" vocals. After writing this out and thinking about how I felt the first time I listened to this, I have a slight headache inkling in the back of my head. Thanks a lot, SHINee~



NOISEMAKER - PLATINUM SHOES (2012, Japan) Rating: 4.5/5
Favorite Tracks: Platinum Shoes, rule, CONTACT

Let me relieve my confusion with a new jrock band I came across. "TRUTH" starts off with some skilled guitar work and immediately pulls you in with intensity. The musical arrangement is a little all over the place, but it kinda follows the odd vocal inflections. If you saw in my recommendations, "Platinum Shoes" is responsible for getting me here on this review. It has some really great musical moments, admirable transitions, and the vocals feel so familiar to me like old ROACH, coldrain, or something. "rule" starts off softly with some wandering bass notes and subtle drums, then bursts out full on until it calms back down to a reminiscent Limp Bizkit echoy sound during the verses. I love it! "CONTACT" also highlights some bass guitar and slowly picks up the other instruments before the vocals join. It has another Limp Bizkit sound to it. I'm not complaining, it still sounds fresh. "TITLE IS MYSELF" goes back to the sound of the second track with prominent bass and wandering guitar notes. The vocals show a few flaws in the high notes, but it doesn't take away from the song. "WE SHOULD COME BACK" closes out the mini-album with a more aggressive sound without going overboard and trying to sound like other heavier bands. It kinda sounds like Rage Against the Machine in the drumming section, but it quickly detours a different direction.



VII-Sense - Silent Assassin (2012, Japan) Rating: 4/5
Favorite Tracks: Silent Assassin, Yuki no Kiseki...

If you haven't read before, I really enjoy "Silent Assassin". It takes a different direction both musically and vocally. Shaura sounds less like a Kamijo clone and the music doesn't make me think of Dio leftovers either. The transitions are very unexpected, but it keeps you even more interested in the song, especially the guitaring. "Blind Resentment" begins a bit cheesy with Victorian era sounds and dramatics. It's a big downgrade from the sounds of the previous track, especially with the opera vocals. "Yuki no Kiseki..." brings back all the hope I had from the beginning of this single and a little more. It is a beautiful track and really shows off the band's progress. It's sad to know now that this young band is breaking up this year, but I'm crossing my fingers that someone can save it from disbanding or something. Either way, this single is amazing and I'm very proud of them.


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Top 5 Recommended Music Videos

"French Virgin Party + Battaille!" by Glen Check
Who needs fancy sets and vibrant clothes when you can do some clever furniture tricks, get a blank screen, and use some retro 90s lighting effects while the band members jam out. Yes, I found this through the k-indie playlist brought to you by EatYourKimchi. Occasionally, they pick some good ones. This mixes retro electronic sounds and good old lounge rock together. It starts off as one simple song with a drum machine, drums, and good old bass notes, then the party really kicks off when the title screen shows up. It's really catchy, simple, and easy to listen as well as move around to.




"Painkiller" by SPICA
Have I mentioned how much I love this group already? There's been some comparisons to 2NE1's "Ugly" (or maybe it's "Lonely"), either way I think this way better than both of those songs combined. Just a little reminder, I wasn't very fond of either of those anyway. This song has a powerful R&B beat that really emphasizes the emotion of this song and the vocals are astounding! The girls aren't the most flashiest of dancers, but I think it worked well for this song. Even if there wasn't any choreography, this video would still be amazing. I think I have a little crush on Boa Kim. Keep going strong, ladies!




"Hot Right Now" by DJ Fresh feat. Rita Ora
Throw in some retro 80s gear, street tagged scenery, and the most simplest form of dance music and you have this song. It has a little reggae thrown in there too, but the lyrics pretty much sum a lot of how music fans are when it comes mainstream music. This is a nice feel good, dance song which could be borderline generic but still enjoyable. Rita Ora is quite a pretty young woman and I'm curious what the rest of her material sounds like in the future.




"Platinum Shoes" by NOISEMAKER
I discovered this band on my Facebook feed from a friend. I clicked on it and I liked it, so I checked out their mini album. Pure love! I believe it's on my list of reviews. Hopefully, I'll be back in the groove of dishing those out to you guys. Anyway, this is one those generic warehouse settings, but they throw in a couple outdoor shots and keep the warehouse scene interesting with some clever camera angles. The music is very familiar and people who don't normally listen to jrock can easily appreciate the sounds these guys are putting out. I also really enjoy this guy's voice as well. It kinda reminds me of ROACH's Taama in ways, but softer.




"RUN" by Mizu Natsuki
[If embed does not work, click here to watch]
This video was introduced to me by a very good friend and I wish I could find the mp3. ;~; Anyway, this former Takarazuka actor kills her audience with her amazing voice, great, simple choreography, and powerful personality and charisma. I love seeing women in such androgynous roles, but still maintain their femininity in subtle ways. This song is very dramatic in music, setting, and vocal arrangement that it leaves you in awe by the seemingly effortless theatrics.




"Baby I'm Sorry" by B1A4
*sings* "I'm so curious, yeah~" *clears throat* Not a fan of this group in the least. A lot of their songs (at least ones that have videos) lack punch and just remind me of a lesser Block B, but this song and video is actually pretty good. The music is nice, even when it breaks down to the simplest form as generic as it sounds. The vocals are really good as well. Although, I wish there was less autotune. It would've made the song better...unless the guy really has some bad vocals, I don't know. The video is pretty interesting as well more than their past stuff, but I wish it was less recycled shots and scenery from other kpop groups. Maybe next time?