Tales of a Tokio Hotel

While j-rock is my go-to, always dependable mix on my iPod, occasionally I wake up to the fact that the radio isn't a black hole of manufactured pop music, and on most good days I can find something new to spark my interests.  Even so, these past two holiday seasons I've stumbled upon music I knew I should have been listening to for quite some time, and just never picked up.  Last year, it was Paramore and Flyleaf.  This year it's Tokio Hotel.



I originally discovered them in Europe when I bought a copy of Rock One magazine as a souvenir (well, it came with a sampler CD, calendar, stickers, and Ruki was on the cover, so it wasn't such a random purchase XD). The main article was about their most recent tour at the time, and they were promoting their live DVD release of Zimmer 483.  They'd yet to hit America and their eclectic style really made me take notice, since I couldn't read much of the French article.  While Bill has the more punk rock vibe, his brother Tom has a decidedly more hip hop look about him.  But the clash here works to their advantage, their unique personas balancing each other out perfectly.

Not long after, they were featured in an American fashion magazine (pretty sure it was Vogue) upon their US debut in an article mapping out goth/emo/punk inspirations that were taking over the runways at the time.  I checked out a couple of songs then, mostly in their native German, but left my search at that.  Occasionally they would pop up on my fashion radar while flipping through magazines, but the few songs I had procured lingered on the lost playlists on my iPod, until recently I decided to revisit them and give "Humanoid" a long overdue listen.



I became hooked.  I instantly fell in love with the pop and elecro-infused "Human Connect to Human", "Love & Death", "Automatic", and "Dogs Unleashed."  After a good solid week of "Humanoid", of which I couldn't get enough, I quickly procured "Scream" and got a feeling for the more punk-rock vibe of their earlier music.  Now I'm in the process of backtracking to find some older releases, especially some more in German.

As far as outfits, they've only gotten better from when I first discovered them in Rock One.  Bill's hair is probably the most epic accessory he has, next to his classic leather jackets and superior bling of heavy chain necklaces he seems to favor.  As for the pieces I really want for myself, Bill's jacked from "Automatic" is high on that list.  Feathers, sequins, and asymmetrical sleeves?  Yes, please.

Images found via Google Image Search

Shades of [Dir en] Grey

The 5 guys of Dir en Grey have come a long way from their visual kei wearing days, and although they've changed quite a bit over the years, their image has remained as tough as ever as they continue to push boundaries with their music.  Their musical style has evolved a lot since the early days of GAUZE, continuously experimenting as they formed their own niche in Japan and the world over.  Even after all these years, there is something captivating about Kyo's guttural screams, the powerful guitar work of Kaoru, Die, and Toshiya, and Shinya's drums that I can't stay away from.

Their show at Irving Plaza this past week showed just how strong they are today as they were when they began.  (Not to mention the RIOTOUS crowd that gathered around the stage helps to prove this point!)  Although I had to leave the show early, the few new songs I heard were typical DEG flavor; Kyo screaming at the top of his lungs (and then some) Kaoru and Toshiya rocking out on our end of the stage, and Shinya banging happily on his drums at the back.  Never has unleashing all that pent up anger looked so beautiful and done in such style.

Ah, Diru is great, I cannot wait for their next show!  They are a powerful force that cannot be stopped and all the more appreciated when seen live.

The opening act was a welcome surprise, the Birthday Massacre!  This Canadian Gothic rock group enchants with beautiful yet haunting vocals and metal background.  They were the perfect warm up for DEG in my opinion and a special treat!  Think Evanescence to start with, but they have their own unique style that sets them apart and makes them a strong act in their own right. 

Rock the Halls- SuG and ViViD x Jury Black

On a recent splurge of Japanese fashion magazines (long overdue!), I found this feature spread in MIX -rock style magazine- that made it a must have in my collection.  From what I can tell, Jury Black looks like a men's fashion brand that caters to visual kei and street style tastes in Japan, and here they showcase collaborations with both SuG and ViViD for Autumn/Winter 2011.  The looks are stiking and completely wearable, with a great mix of textured fabrics, plus lots of leopard!

Takeru of SuG

Chiyu and Takeru of SuG

I love SuG's performance style as well as their music, so finding this was a special treat!  I kind of want the leopard bag Takeru's got, and his "vampire hoodie".

On the other hand, I hate to say I don't know much musically about ViViD, but their styling here is pretty amazing, and makes me want to know more.  I'm especially loving Ko-ki's cosmic print pants and the boucle jacket below.

Ko-ki of ViViD

What's not to love about allover leopard?

Be inspired!  Check out the Juy Black web site here.  Even if you can't read Japanese, it's worth a look around at all of their products!

All scans from MIX- Rock Style Magazine

Black & White

(Image found via Google Image Search)

Ok, I'm on a GazettE kick, and I'm not apologizing for it. 

Whoever is in charge of outfitting these five guys is earning their paycheck.  This is a look Uruha wore at the end of last year for the Nameless Liberty Finale at the Tokyo Dome, and I re-discovered it recently.  Isn't it striking?  I'm very tempted to make this, or something like it.  My favorite part is those contrasting lace up armbands, but take those off and flatten down the collar, and you've got a perfectly marketable, edgy leather vest.  I mean, can't you see someone like Rick Owens or Balmain doing something like this?

Miyavi's Mahem on Halloween Night

If there's one artist everyone should see in the flesh, it's Miyavi.  He's truly a one-man-show (well, him and Bobbo, his drummer and partner in crime!) and to see him and his mastery of the guitar is awe inspiring to say the least.  Before last year's tour (his first in the US) I could say I was a casual listener and liked his music at best.  After seeing him live, I was a bonna fide, #1 fan.  "What's My Name?" is such a strong release that new listeners can easily get hooked on his powerful guitar work.  Just remember, in most cases, what you're hearing is the work of 2 people at most.  Enough said.

So upon his return on Halloween Night, how could I resist such a show?  Miyavi doesn't just play guitar, he controls it and plays behind his back, on the ground, and all around, as if it's more an appendage than an instrument.  He played a fantastic show with a lot of old hits, some new ones, and finished it all off with Futuristic Love, promoting love and peace all around the world.

And since it was Halloween, Miyavi and his crew hit up a Ricky's and got all decked out (as a proper Spanish vampire) for his performance of Senor, Senora, Senorita during the encore!  A perfect end to a perfect show.

 Curious about Miyavi?  Check him out on iTunes!  I recommend "What's My Name?", "Miyavi-Miyavizm-Shugi", and the "Survive" music video.

A Toxic Circus

Above- Images from Toxic special art book, and the Suicide Circus PV.

There are a lot of things I love about the GazettE. The range in their musical style plus their dynamite fashion sense drew me to them like a moth to the flame. There is hardly a song or look that disappoints, IMO, and they are constatnly evolving. Hardly have to say then that when TOXIC arrived in the mail I was thoroughly overjoyed!!! I listened to it for pretty much a month solid, and can say I love every single song on this album.

Since DIM, which was pretty metal and ballad heavy, we've seen a lot of variety in GazettE's singles, and even a major anime theme song! (SHIVER, as the opening for Kuroshitsuji II.) All the B sides have been to-die-for (I think my favorites were Vermin and THE TRUE MURDEROUS INTENT) and TOXIC continued in that general direction with some tried-and-true rock hard anthems, beautiful ballads, and some complex guitar work that is a central formula to the GazettE's signature sound. The Intro and Outro tracks set the mood with cool electronics mixed with some guitar and bizarre reverberating vocals, keeping things fresh and modern. (Not unlike the mood setters in Disorder and Stacked Rubbish.)

As for the main body of their work, I can usually divide most of their songs loosly into 3 catagories: rock-hard and metal anthems, beautiful and sometimes chilling ballads, and dance-happy tracks that just make you want to jump around. TOXIC has a little bit of each, and sometimes 2 of each catagory in one song. Their most head-bangable songs here seem to be PSYCHOPATH and RUTHLESS DEED, which follow the footsteps of CIRCLE OF SWINDLER, MOB 136 BARS, OGRE, and DISCHARGE, to name a few. Their livelier, but still complex and loud tracks include VENOMOUS SPIDER'S WEB, SLUDGY CULT, VORTEX, and TOMORROW NEVER DIES. MY DEVIL ON THE BED reminds me of a new version of HEADACHE MAN, and is just as addictive. My new favorite GazettE ballad is without a doubt UNTITLED, which although it starts off slow, Ruki's voice in enchanting and ties back to PLEDGE quite nicely.

And now, to the fashions!!! The GazettE has been practically living in black for their recent career, and this is no different for their new PV track the Suicide Circus. It's a mix of all we love from the GazettE and what's new, and is definitely one of my new favorite songs. Their more polished looks of late speak to the fact that they've risen from their days of visual kei hopefuls to heavy hitters in the genre, influence spanning the world over. Let's take a look at what everyone's wearing :)

Ruki, obsessed with sparkles much? This is the 3rd PV post-DIM era that he's been sporting some sort of allover bling, though this is a little more spaced out than RED or BEFORE I DECAY. I almost feel like I'm looking up at the night sky when I'm watchin him in this PV as he dances through a bunch of slightly creepy circus performers. And I quite like it. Who doesn't want a shimmering suit in their closet? Classic with a twist.

Oh Uruha, how is it that I want EVERY ONE of your outfits? This PVC/leather look takes the whole suit jacket look and accentuates it with extra large lapels and doubles them on top of one another. And also, he cut and died his hair! It's definitely a new look that I think works pretty well.

Aoi's look (though hard to see here) is a take on the suit look as well, though with layered tees and always cool jewelry! He too had a hair makeover (the red was cool in VORTEX, but when it looked pink it just reminded me of Hide) and works, borrowing Reita's fauxhawk for this PV.

Reita, always with a cool, toile-like noseband, has been looking very classic here too in black and white, messing up his hair a bit in this PV. Hard to see the details here, but I'm sure there's more going on that meets the eye. (The whole PV is pretty dark, literally and figuratively.)

And then we get to Kai, the head of the band with the cutest smile ever :) There's a nice bit of surface detail working on his look that I can see, I just wish I could see more! His hair definitely has that classic VK feel and he keeps it classy the whole way.

If you don't want to pay insane shipping, you can get all of TOXIC from US Itunes! Just don't get it confused with this one:

A Picture's Worth A Thousand Songs

Sometimes there's nothing better than an artful photoshoot which takes clothes from the realms of necessities to art. Even better are collaborations between musicians and fashion houses, a trend as old as the artforms themselves. I haven't posted on high fashion in awhile, and I was so excited to find this issue of WWD Japan I had to share!

Ayumi Hamasaki in Viktor and Rolf

Tokio Hotel in Yohji Yamamoto

Maki Nomiya in Louis Vuitton

(Her lashes, I'm obsessed!)

Miyavi in Thom Browne

Definitely captured Miyavi's spirit in this shoot!

Pink Lady in Gucci

Kara in Prada and Tiffany

Juno in Adidas Originals by Jeremy Scott

This has to be one of my favorite looks- love the boldness, details, and colors of Jeremy Scott.

Alisa Mizuki in Alexander Wang

Choshinsei in Dsquared

All images scanned from WWD Japan, Fall 2011