I know not everybody is interested in this kind of music but i think it would be fun to have topic for it here.
i will post here several profiles with examples {1 post= 1 group}
in general the japanese music is same as in the rest of the world.
J Rock
J POP
Visual Kei
Metal
Indies
etc....
I listen to a couple of Japanese groups, The Pebbles and Do As Infinity...I'd definitely like to get into Japanese music more, both traditional and popular.
I've been waiting for someone else on this board to open up to Japanese music. Some of my favorite artists include:
-Ayumi Hamasaki (浜崎あゆみ): The reigning queen of J-pop. She's done virtually everything that can possibly be done in a lifetime. Eight albums, forty singles (most of which have gone straight to #1), countless tour DVDs, dozens of commercials, even her own talk show for a while. Everything she touches seems to turn to gold. She cannot be classified into any one genre. She's done pop, rock, dance, alternative, everything. God, I love her.
-OLIVIA (Olivia Lufkin): I really hate to compare her to Amy Lee, but that's about as close as I can get to comparing her to a Western artist. She's actually half-American, and spends a lot of time in the States, mainly in Philly and Boston. Thanks to this, most of her songs are sung either partially or mostly in English, which is pretty sweet. Her style ranges from grungy alternative, to trip-hop, even crafting some damn beautiful ballads with that purely angelic voice of hers. It's really a toss-up as to who I love more, her or Ayu.
-Kaela Kimura (木村カエラ): She's got a heavy British pop-rock feel, which isn't surprising considering she's half-British. :P Her music is crazy addictive, and her sense of style is second to none. I advise you not to watch her videos right before bed though. They're incredibly weird and often confusing, and have given me strange dreams on more than one occasion.
-HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR: Well, consider this band a mix between Evanescence and Linkin Park. Soulful female vocals are complemented perfectly by a loud, screaming (and often rapping) male counterpart, making for one heck of a punch for those who aren't ready. It's actually taken some time for me to get into this band, but now I can see the brilliance of their ways.
-YUI: Her heavily-acoustic, folksy sound COULD be compared to Michelle Branch, but I hesitate to do so. YUI actually sounds much better in my opinion, and isn't afraid to release an all-out rock song when she needs to. Her voice is what initially drew me to her, and now its got a death grip on me that just won't let go. :P My ears are in heaven whenever I hear a YUI song.
-DRUM:KAN: This band doesn't seem to be very popular at all, and it's a shame because I think they have something of a wonderful sound that's just waiting to be exposed to the masses. The lead singer actually reminds me of Kurt Cobain, with that grungy, raspy feel to his voice. The music follows suit, much in the style of an early '90s grunge band, but perhaps a little more orderly and melodic. They sing a lot of stuff in English, too, so there you go.
-ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION: I'm just getting into this band right now, so I can't really say much about them. They've got an infectious modern rock sound, infused with hints of melodic pop-punk and garage rock that almost reminds me of old-school Weezer. And I love Weezer, so these guys have a good chance of sticking in my playlist.
-the brilliant green: Saving the best for last. I absolutely love BuriGuri, as you can probably tell by looking at the chart in my signature. Basically, they've taken elements from all the best '90s alt-pop-rock bands, tossed them in a blender, and came out with a distinct sound that I'm sure everyone can enjoy. Most of their songs are sung in English, which makes it easy to look past whatever language barrier there may be, and Tommy's voice is every bit as angelic as she herself is. Soft and soothing on the acoustic songs, and appropriately powerful on the more upbeat, rockin' tracks. If you could roll utter perfection into a band, this would be the end result.
By the way, if anyone is interested I could upload some stuff for you guys to check out. I have a lot of songs from each artist on my list a few posts up, plus songs from a bunch of other artists as well. Just let me know.
Some more artists to check out:
Ai Otsuka (大塚愛): A very talented pop songstress whose piano-heavy ballads and cutesy, upbeat guitar-driven pop-rock tunes perfectly suit her cautious, yet powerful voice.
Aya Kamiki (上木彩矢): Her voice really reminds me of Kelly Clarkson; strong and able to hit the high notes with ease. Her style is much more rock-influenced, though, and if you ask me she's much more beautiful too.
Do As Infinity: One of the legendary J-rock bands, known all around the world for their contributions to various animes. Though they were only around for six years, they left behind quite a library of monumental, solid rock tunes.
Hitomi Takahashi (高橋瞳): A very underrated pop-rock singer who draws influences from our very own Avril! She cites Av as one of her favorite artists and her first album is full of fun, punkish-styled rock songs.
Nana Kitade (北出菜奈): A young guitar-playing gal whose style is somewhere along the lines of Gothic Lolita. Musically, she's somewhere between alt-rock and punky melodic pop-rock.
Tommy heavenly6: Remember my post about the brilliant green? This is one of the lead singer's solo projects. She's got a drastically different sound than BuriGuri, a much harder modern rock style with a perfect mix of Japanese and English lyrics. Highly recommended.
Japanese Music
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