It's taken a while but I've finally found bands akin to Cradle of Filth... well akin in the grand scheme of things at least (there's no other band like CoF in pretty much the whole world, mores the pity).

A big problem though is a lot of these extreme metal bands seem to sing/scream in English, which is obviously no good to me. I'd discovered the likes of Endless Dismal Moan, Sigh, Sungoddess, got very happy then found out there's not a lick of Japanese in them.

But eventually I've come across:

Mononofu
Moi Dix Mois
BLOOD

The problem with the last 2 being they use clean vocals which is hard for me to swallow, but at least this means I'll be able to understand them better, plus the tunes seem to be awesome anyway.

A handful of songs' lyrics are included on the Mononofu but does anyone know where I can find the words for the others? (tried typing Moi Dix Mois 歌詞 etc. into Google without any joy).

plumage Wrote:If you do not have a MySpace account, I'd recommend getting one. I find it useless for almost everything but this: finding Japanese music. Start with 1-2 bands/performers you already know, then browse through their top friends, many of which will be bands/performers they like (so they are pre-filtered by an aesthetic you trust). Just about every band has a MySpace page already. Then visit their friends' pages, rinse, repeat. Each band's page has a few entire songs to sample, and you can easily spend all day collecting new bands this way. Have found a few I like already.

Using last.fm or iTunes' Genius feature is a lot easier I'd think, especially since most Japanese acts don't have myspace pages.

I'm probably the only person with this problem, but the music that I prefer[vastly] just doesn't have lyrics. Going all Japanese here would help nothing, and severely limit me.

playadom Wrote:I'm probably the only person with this problem, but the music that I prefer[vastly] just doesn't have lyrics. Going all Japanese here would help nothing, and severely limit me.

You can still get use out of it by being a fan and reading their websites and whatnot. I probably learn more reading artist news than listening to lyrics.

Jarvik7 Wrote:

playadom Wrote:I'm probably the only person with this problem, but the music that I prefer[vastly] just doesn't have lyrics. Going all Japanese here would help nothing, and severely limit me.

You can still get use out of it by being a fan and reading their websites and whatnot. I probably learn more reading artist news than listening to lyrics.

That's probably a good idea.

nest0r Wrote:When I speak Japanese, I do it using what I learned from listening to Kazuki Tomokawa, and people flinch and look at me funny. So then I start talking using what I learned from Kudo Reiko, and they start crying and feeling sorry for me.

Also, there's something to be said for finding and listening to Japanese music without vocals in terms of it adding to the sense of immersion. Or just listening to it, since most of my favourite composers (orchestral-electronic) right now are Japanese. Must be something in the water.

I don't think Japanese people limit themselves to Japanese composers though...

nest0r Wrote:

playadom Wrote:I don't think Japanese people limit themselves to Japanese composers though...

I don't get it.

Ah, I get it, I think. Well, my goal isn't imitating Japanese people, it's about counterbalancing the place I live and its own cultural biases by searching out folks who are usually separated from me by, for example, the language barrier. This results in what would be excessive to a Japanese person, but isn't nearly enough for me. I want to be able to dismiss Japanese composers whose music I dislike just as easily as I dismiss other composers.

I see what you mean. Just speaking personally, only about 10% of what I listen to is by American composers[I live in America.]

Melt-Banana: mind numbingly awesome noise band. its really hard to describe if you havent heard of them. maybe an elephant on crack will do it for you?

Plastic Tree: my faveourite band at the moment. their stuff is ledge, you must listen.

Alice Nine: -dreamy- JRock, Visual Kei.

Asian Kungfu Generation: Alternative, but good.

Girugamesh: At times screamy, but the guy has a great voice.


I agree with phauna. It was hard trying to find the kind of english stuff I like but in Japanese. Heck, I still find it hard to go without Tegan & Sara, Tokyo Police Club and MGMT.

Is there any hope for someone who is hardcore into hip hop/rocksteady/lovers reggae/soul music/funk but can't find any Japanese music that has the same ooooooooh factor (umpth, or soul) that these American/jamaican artists have?

I pretty much hate J-rappers (producers are good: dudes like Krush, Samon Kawamurai, Shingo Suzuki, Nujabes, etc.) , and I don't think I'll find any soul music that sounds like Tower of Power, Marvin Gaye, or the Four Mints. Plus I don't think the crooning-group harmony thing won't work for Japanese language. As for reggae, been bumping Bagdad Cafe the Trenchtown and a lil bit of Dry and Heavy (theyre japanese but their songs have English...might as well listen to the Jamaican originals).

Help me out please!

it's enka !! I love Kiyoshi, but I wouldn't call that groovy :p
e.g.

Does anyone know the name of this Japanese rap Mario Bros. remix thing?

http://purenintendo.com/2008/09/21/colle...mario-rap/

the name of the song is "B-Dash" by TONGARI KIDS i love their music ah mario thats what i needed...

konakona50 Wrote:the name of the song is "B-Dash" by TONGARI KIDS i love their music ah mario thats what i needed...

Thanks!

Do you know if there's any other songs like this based on video games that are sung in Japanese? Preferably with lyrics.

If any of you guys are into Indie music, I've found an interesting Japanese musician that fits the bill I believe:

http://www.last.fm/music/Shugo+Tokumaru/_/La+La+Radio

I think of it as kind of radio_edit/nostalgic music...

Also, an interesting artist that works with visual/music connection:

http://www.last.fm/music/%E9%AB%98%E6%9C...3%E5%8B%9D

You can listen to some of their music from the links I provided.

Anybody know what the lyrics mean from the first one? I'm not yet proficient enough in Japanese to understand....

eltheoldsoul Wrote:Is there any hope for someone who is hardcore into hip hop/rocksteady/lovers reggae/soul music/funk but can't find any Japanese music that has the same ooooooooh factor (umpth, or soul) that these American/jamaican artists have?

I pretty much hate J-rappers (producers are good: dudes like Krush, Samon Kawamurai, Shingo Suzuki, Nujabes, etc.) , and I don't think I'll find any soul music that sounds like Tower of Power, Marvin Gaye, or the Four Mints. Plus I don't think the crooning-group harmony thing won't work for Japanese language. As for reggae, been bumping Bagdad Cafe the Trenchtown and a lil bit of Dry and Heavy (theyre japanese but their songs have English...might as well listen to the Jamaican originals).

Help me out please!

Well, I'm pretty hardcore into Hip Hop, so I'll try recommending some.

For the whole reggae thing, I'd try checking out Boy Ken. I've never listened to him by himself, but he always does the whole reggae/funk thing in a lot of collab song I love.

For straight Hip Hop check out the following:

Rhymester - My favorite, definitely. Check out the albums EGOTOPIA and リスペクト. Both are excellent and have a lot of classics on them. They also have a best of album, but if you pick that up, be sure to get EGOTOPIA for tracks like 知らない女 and the GOD/the MAD.

Twigy - Recently picked up some of his stuff. Really good, at least his older stuff. A lot of word play and the like. Good at rhyming.

Tokona-X - Unfortunately dead, but has one of the best Japanese flows I've ever heard.

SOUL SCREAM - Excellent. Their best is their album called "The DEEP". It's a really good album with good production and flow, over all the tracks. Listened to this straight through many times.

Zeebra - Obviously very good. Most of what he touches is gold. Check out his Anthology collection for his best. It was well compiled.

King Giddra - Group with Zeebra and K Dub Shine. Also really good, as both artists are wonderful.

スチャダラパー - Get flows, pretty good production, and excellent lyrics. They always make me laugh. Check out 今夜はブーギーバック. Classic.

That's for it now. Start with that stuff and let me know what you like.

The_Dude Wrote:I can't find any Japanese music that doesn't suck.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eri_Sugai

I love her! I even wrote a review of Mai. It's in German though:

http://www.exitmusic.ch/rezensionen/aelt...i_mai.html

bwesting Wrote:If any of you guys are into Indie music, I've found an interesting Japanese musician that fits the bill I believe:

http://www.last.fm/music/Shugo+Tokumaru/_/La+La+Radio

I think of it as kind of radio_edit/nostalgic music...

I saw this guy in Philly last Fall. He opened for the Magnetic Fields. Not bad, but nothing I went out of my way to continue to listen to.

(End pointless rant.)

Umm.. the first post is mad offensive. it's like insulting something you don't know... just because mainstream j-pop or whatever only has boring music etc doesn't mean all of it is (I don't have j-pop just 95% of it - not sure about percentage but i do like some). there is good music in fact thre's lots of great japanese artists... you just haven't found them.

ummmmmm there's way better indie artists than shugo blahbblahbalh. He's okay but nothing compared to others...

SUPERFLY
advantage lucy
aobouzu
tsubaki
cune
sleepy.ab
straightener
thyme
brilliant green
spangle calli lilli line
ali project
school food punishment
last alliance
jill decoy association

dorlis

shiina ringo'

monkey majik

lamp
tokoyo jihen
baseball bear
ikimon gakari
unlimits
younha
asian kung-fu generaiton
elephant kashimashi
monobright
go! go! (i forgot their number)
anam maki
roly poly rag bear
acid black cherry
flum pool
radwimps
quruli
scandal

umm join some forums with music downloads or livejournal communities or just google and just download up (and hopefully buy later).

I think at leas tfor this tainted-world would be up your alley, that place has "variety" from visual kei to j-rock to really good rock and screamy rock, etc.

By lamp do you mean lampeye?

If so, where can I find more from them. Love them but can't find anything...

howtwosavealif3 Wrote:ummmmmm there's way better indie artists than shugo blahbblahbalh. He's okay but nothing compared to others...

um thre's lots of great japanese artists... you just haven't found them.

SUPERFLY
advantage lucy
aobouzu
tsubaki
cune
sleepy.ab
straightener
thyme
brilliant green
spangle calli lilli line
ali project
school food punishment
last alliance
jill decoy association

dorlis

shiina ringo'

monkey majik

lamp
tokoyo jihen
baseball bear
ikimon gakari
unlimits
younha
asian kung-fu generaiton
elephant kashimashi
monobright
go! go! (i forgot their number)
anam maki
roly poly rag bear
acid black cherry
flum pool
radwimps
quruli
scandal

umm join some forums with music downloads or livejournal communities or just google and just download up (and hopefully buy later)

Hey, thanks a bunch. I've just gotten into Japanese music and I'm a total newbie! I've got alot to look forward to.

no I mean LAMP as in jazz/indie

lamp
speaking of lamp is roly poly rag bear

and i hate lamp eye. lol. checked out vid on youtube, sounds mad annoying to me...
(my tastes anyway).

I mean I understand your frustration as a newbie. I had to try to dig through j-pop albums/etc on livejournal etc and i realized so much was crap and realized i really like indie/jazz/rock (other genre than pop). I do like some pop but most of the time it's just too boring/cliche/cheesy (I listen to the small minority of it). Also my tastes have grown. You juts have to keep digigng like googling and tkaing the initiative to find the music YOU LIKE.

my last.fm if anyone has same tastes as me - to be quiet honest some of the artists i only like a couple songs and only addd for the sake of adding (get recommendations)

Ahh, well they're pretty good.

And I probably should have warned you, lamp eye is pretty much straight hip-hop, haha. I understand a lot of people don't share those tastes, but I'm a hip-hop head, and I happen to think Japanese hip-hop is some of the best non-English in the world, along with French.

To me is the opposite.... I can't find good american's music ...
Especially I don't like at all hip pop's and all these 'singers' like Rihanna, Byoncee' , Akon...
Will I Am ... the 'music' they do for me is not music at all ...
I prefer the sound of japanese's music....... XD

I'll admit (following the orders of the mighty khatz..) i starting listening to Japanese Music. finding a radio station that isnt bubblegum pop is a little tiresome however, so i mainly go off recomendations.

started listening to Nightmare.. (visual kei) because of DeathNote. Its not bad, but not really my style..
however DeathNote did lead onto.. Maximum the Hormone.
Im being honest. I feel this band was created for me, my brother said to me if they sung in English i'd probably not listen to them, but thats balls.. they combine all of my usual listening genres into 1 and make it work.

Ska,Punk, Rock, Screamo,Metal, Funk, Rap.. and that can switch genres that quickly in the space of a single song ..

Listen to Rock and Roll Chainsaw for a good example.

Bu Ikikaesu has removed RATM's debut as my favourite album of all time, (altho RATM still my favourite band)

If you wana listen to a band thats clearly having as much fun playing as you probably will be listening, check them out if you havent already.

Some good, quality female vocal music:

Piana （ピアナ）one of my favourites。　

chara　
rurutia (ルルチア）
Kokia