The Weekly Quickie: JILLED RAY, Kenji Furuya, Bar DraganoV, KAZHA, Shonen Knife, Perfume, Nocturnal Bloodlust, ALSDEAD, Dir en grey

Japan Visual TV will be hosting an appearance by the members of JILLED RAY on March 24.  Japan Visual TV streams live on YouTube and hosts a wide range of appearances and performances, so be sure to subscribe to their channel so you don't miss out.  The March 24 broadcast will include an appearance by the members of JILLED RAY as well as live footage from their one-man at Ikebukuro EDGE on March 6 so keep an eye on that countdown clock so you don't miss it.

Stylish Wave COUNTDOWN '14-'15 on NICO NICO LIVE 12/31

If you're like me and not in Japan for New Years, here's the next best thing! Stylish Wave will be airing their year end count down through NICO NICO. You need to register to watch, but registration is free! Make sure you don't miss your favorites. The set times are below in JST!

Watch HERE!

[- Time Table -]

15:30-15:50 えんそく

16:05-16:25 黒百合と影

16:40-17:00 DuelJewel

17:15-17:35 LUCHe.

17:50-18:10 アルルカン

18:25-18:45 BORN

19:00-19:25 GIGAMOUS

19:40-20:05 Moran

20:20-20:45 RoNo☆Cro

21:00-21:25 the Raid.

21:40-22:05 Jin-Machine

22:20-22:45 Jupiter

23:05-23:30 GOTCHAROCKA

23:50-24:15 Lycaon(カウントダウン)

24:30-24:55 NOCTURNAL BLOODLUST

The Weekly Quickie: X-Japan, Nocturnal Bloodlust, My Bacteria Heat Island, LM.C, SuG

As you all probably know, X-Japan played Madison Square Garden in their first show in what seems like a hundred years.  From what I'm hearing, the show went great and came with a big announcement.  X-Japan has confirmed the release of a new album and a world tour!  No details as of yet, but we'll be sure to keep you posted.

PV Analysis: Nocturnal Bloodlust - 'Desperate'

Comprised of Hiro (vocals), Cazqui (7-string), Daichi (guitar), Masa (bass/vocals) and Natsu (drums), Nocturnal Bloodlust is a deathcore/metalcore visual kei band formed in September 2009. Their first mini-album Ivy was released in January of 2012, and their singles catalogue features 8 entries with a ninth due out by the end of the month. The video for their current release ‘Desperate’ features some brutal imagery that suitably illustrates the tone and content of the track.

The Weekly Quickie: Avril Lavigne, Nocturnal Bloodlust, X Japan

Do I really have to talk about this?  I know it's not really Jrock, but it certainly seems to have the Jmusic and fashion fan community in an uproar.  90's alterna-pop princess Avril Lavigne has gotten people talking with the release of her newest video, Hello Kitty.  Sporting a powder pink skirt and spouting random Japanese, her strange electro tribute to Jpop culture has gotten the American fan community screaming everything from cultural appropriation to outright racism.  Personally, I don't see what all the fuss is about and I'm ready for it to just go away.  Check out the video above and let us know what you think.

Speaking of fan uproar, heavy metal rockers Nocturnal Bloodlust got their fans in a tizzy when their official YouTube account posted a rather nasty warning on another YouTuber's account for illegally posting songs from their at that time unreleased new single, Desperate:  Delete all of NOCTURNAL BLOODLUST songs immediately. you are violating copyright law. If you keep uploading our works illegally, we are going to sue you and we will stop selling CDs to overseas.  Their actions have triggered the eternal debate over internet piracy and net neutrality, even triggering this writer to throw in her two cents, and gotten some of their fans a little butthole sore.  I don't know why they're surprised.

I'm sure everyone has heard by now that X Japan is scheduled to play Madison Square Garden in October 2014.  Did you know they are also releasing a greatest hits album?  Called The World - X Japan Hatsu no Zensekai BEST, the two disc limited addition with include remastered versions of the top songs spanning 25 year, such as Silent Jealousy, Kurenai, and a live recording of Without You.  The album is slated to drop June 17.

And, that's the Quickie.  Peace out!

The Problem With Piracy

Image by: nickthenack999

We've all done it.  Downloading music and movies for free off the internet has become commonplace in this technological age and is a constant area of debate between fans and industry alike.  The desire to protect intellectual property has resulted in many counts of litigation and the proposition of some intense (and very scary) government regulation of the internet and the flow of information on it.  The introduction of Napster in the 90's virtually changed the face of how we share and consume media, giving us access to thousands of free songs and movies at a click.  As internet speeds increased with T1 and Cable, so did piracy, giving us the ability to do in seconds what used to take days (am I aging myself here?  I feel like I am).

The piracy debate seems to be an even more sensitive subject in the international Visual Kei community.  Not surprising when you are dealing with a (mostly) young fanbase and a sometimes prohibitively expensive product.  Given that Japan-made CDs and DVDs are more expensive from the start, once you factor in international shipping and exchange rates, it is not unusual to pay upwards of $100 for a single release.  Understandably, not everyone can afford these prices and many turn to piracy in order to get ahold of the music they love.

This argument has once again been brought to the forefront by the actions of heavy metal rockers, Nocturnal Bloodlust, concerning the uploading of tracks from their newest release, Desperate, to YouTube.  The band's official channel left a very harsh comment on one of the videos:  "Delete all of NOCTURNAL BLOODLUST songs immediately. you are violating copyright law. If you keep uploading our works illegally, we are going to sue you and we will stop selling CDs to overseas."  The response has been, as you would expect, quite mixed, but I've noticed a trend in the arguments that I have to say, as a writer and someone who also hopes to someday profit from my intellectual property, make me....well....angry.

Review: Nocturnal Bloodlust - Gears of Omega

About the Band:  Nocturnal Bloodlust is one of those genre-bending bands that can sometimes be difficult to categorize.  The best way I’ve found to describe them is Visual Melodic Metal-core.  The lineup consists of Hiro on vocals, Cazqui and Daichi on guitars, Masa on bass and Natsu on drums.  Since their inception in 2009, they’ve released 6 singles, one mini-album, and two full-length albums and show no sign of slowing down.  Gears of Omega, released on 3/19/2014, marks their first DVD release.