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BABYMETAL J-pop and Metal infused to form insanity.

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Z

Zweisy1

Member
Metal is my favourite genre of music, love pretty much any style of it from progressive metal to thrash to oldschool death metal but... my god this is annoying to listen to.. just another idol group with some heavy distorted guitars.

How come Japanese vocalists are so weak in general?
 
V

vas_a_morir

Banned
Zweisy1 said:
Metal is my favourite genre of music, love pretty much any style of it from progressive metal to thrash to oldschool death metal but... my god this is annoying to listen to.. just another idol group with some heavy distorted guitars.

How come Japanese vocalists are so weak in general?
Click to expand...

Well, these are idols. They were picked for probably every reason in the world besides their singing ability.
 
Z

ZombiePlatypus

Member
shuri said:
This is so weird.. and terrible. It's pretty interesting to see how those j-pop bands are making shitload of money in their markets while they would get laughed out of the stores in Europe and the Americas. It's like the asian market (i know this is a rather wide range..) is living in their own plane of reality that is strangely 10-15 years behind current musical thread.

but eh, it's making them tons of money! more power to them
Click to expand...

This is just another Idol group though with a new flavor/gimmick. You're usually not gonna get artistically compelling stuff from these Idol bands, so it's not fair to define Jpop music by their output.

Artists like Shiina and Hikki have some amazing stuff.
 
V

vas_a_morir

Banned
ZombiePlatypus said:
This is just another Idol group though with a new flavor/gimmick. You're usually not gonna get artistically compelling stuff from these Idol bands, so it's not fair to define Jpop music by their output.

Artists like Shiina and Hikki have some amazing stuff.
Click to expand...

If you are referring to Shiina Ringo, I wouldn't say her voice is considered broadly-appealing. I'd wager 40% of people who hear it are immediately turned off by it.
 
K

Korigama

Member
Not as much to say about the song in the OP, but...
OniBarubary said:
Oh my god.

A little searching has lead me to the most surreal thing I've ever seen (yeah yeah).

As an enormous enormous fan of Chthonic...apparently Babymetal and Chthonic did a set or song or something together?

This is unreal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eRvLeUq9pg
Click to expand...
Peru said:
This Babymetal tune / performance is huge http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjQsayrmMoU
Click to expand...
I definitely liked these.
 
L

lmpaler

Member
Dimefan3 said:
Matt Heafy from Trivium. (Yeah I know - the metal band some love to hate.)
Click to expand...

Don't even get me started.

And to top it off I saw them with DevilDriver(DD went on first, dual headliner) and left after the first song because they sounded terrible live. I do not know what happened to them because I backed them hard for years and Shogun is still a great(their best) fucking album, then they just went to shit in my opinion. I have tried and tried to listen to the new stuff and I just can't.
 
A

Astral/H3X

Member
Literally my only problem with this are the two younger singers. When it's the older one singing, it isn't bad, and the nice mix of pop and metal is awesome. But as soon as those other two open their mouths, it makes me want to toss my computer out the window.

I blame myself, as I've kind of developed an allergic reaction to "that kind" of singing voice. I listen to Jpop regularly (actually primarily) and I hate that prepubescent sound.
But as soon as those other two hit puberty hell yeah this is awesome.
 
G

Gunstarheroes

Member
Have we talked about the fact that their album is now the #1 Metal album on Itunes, and cracked the top 100 overall? I had no idea this had gotten this popular.
 
E

EndlessSky

Member
Gunstarheroes said:
Have we talked about the fact that their album is now the #1 Metal album on Itunes, and cracked the top 100 overall? I had no idea this had gotten this popular.
Click to expand...

As of now, for both Japan and the US it is ranked 4th for Rock Albums on itunes. I don't pay attention to rock albums in the US, but I'm honestly impressed it's so high up in the US.
 
D

Dimefan3

Member
So I've had a listen to the album a few times. All I have to say to the haters is don't judge it on the one song ('Gimme Choc'), there are some almighty freaking broodal riffs on this bad boy.
 
P

Piccoro

Member
I have to thank Soup Bar (the OP) for this thread. Ever since I saw this thread, I've been addicted to Babymetal. As a fan of both Metal AND J-Pop, this was a godsend...

To anybody who hasn't seen it, here's BABYMETAL promoting the Japanese premiere of Metallica's Through the Never:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwzY01rzx7A
And here they are chillin' with Hammett:
59bcdf1e3c6a8ccb21111e353c4c9d8c.jpg
 
I

Infinite

Member
Very good article about Baby Metal and current trends in the idol industry. Well worth the read.

This is where Babymetal comes in. Many of the trio’s songs are the work of Nobuki Narasaki (usually known by just his surname), the frontman of post-hardcore/shoegaze/metal/screamo band Coaltar of the Deepers — a band with a deep well of underground cred.

Narasaki has past form here, having written songs for idol superstars Momoiro Clover Z along with avant-pop musician and composer Kenichi “Hyadain” Maeyamada. Meanwhile, songwriters such as Etsuko Yakushimaru of new wave band Soutaisei Riron, Yasuharu Konishi of Pizzicato 5 and Nobuya Usui of technopop performance troupe (M) otocompo have also been able to get their music out via various idol groups. Even Yoshiyuki “Jojo” Hiroshige of noise legends Hijokaidan has made a mark on the scene, producing a collaboration album with self-described “anti-idols” BiS.

What has happened is that by adopting the simplistic but effective marketing model of cute face + whatever = ¥¥¥, the idol scene has opened up a new route for alternative musical ideas to enter the fringes of the mainstream. And by catering to subcultural fan groups, they have, aided by the growth of the Internet, given voice to aspects of culture that the core mainstream’s drive for homogeneity has ignored — building strong, die-hard fanbases in the process.

The idol scene has now grown to such a level that it’s starting to show cracks and is splitting off into different directions. Parts of the indie scene have cottoned onto this and you can see the focus-on-the-girls model of promotion that has always been indie music’s shameful secret moving more out into the open as stores such as Tower Records increasingly start to push musically unrelated acts together as “girls bands,” and subculture events increasingly adopt idol-like presentation and marketing. The rabid misogyny of otaku-focused acts such as AKB48 sits poorly with the more egalitarian indie and subculture fans who have lately colonized the idol world, and they tend to prefer the less overtly sexualized and more musically out-there groups such as Momoiro Clover Z, Dempagumi.inc and now Babymetal.
Click to expand...

I definitely enjoyed the shots taken at Western internet publications for deciding to take the "look how wacky and crazy Japans is!" approach when reporting about the group.

The British are mad, aren’t they? That Kate Bush with her crazy gyrating around a cello in the video for “Babushka,” that daft loon Robbie Williams with his funky skeleton costume, those kerrr-azy Tellytubbies with their wacky dance routines — what is it about the British that makes them so totally off-the-wall bonkers?

Not the kind of report you see very often, and one that would probably seem a bit lazy, under-researched and perhaps just a touch racist, but replace the word “British” with “Japanese” and replace Kate, Robbie, Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Lala and Po with the likes of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and current BuzzFeed favorites Babymetal, and . . . well, you know, the Japanese are mad, aren’t they: What more is there to say?

When something seems mad, it may very well be the result of a unique and oddball talent like Bush, but when it seems to be happening institutionally and across the board, it’s more often a rational response to irrational circumstances. To a large degree that’s what’s happening in the idol scene in Japan’s dysfunctional pop industry.
Click to expand...

link
 
M

metsallica

Member
I've been wondering the very same thing, because I will be there. Oh yes, I will be there. I have to repay the insane people who dragged me to KPP!
 
T

tarheel91

Member
PlayALLtheGames said:
So I thought I heard "chocoratu" in the chorus and, sure enough, the song is about chocolate.

The lyrics translated into English are pretty hilarious: http://babymetal.net/babymetal-translation/babymetal-give-chocolate-english-translation/

Check-it-out chocolate. Can I have a bit of chocolate?
But my weight worries me a bit these days.
However, chocolate. Can I have a bit of chocolate?
But wait a while! Wait a while! Wait! Wait! Wait!

I did it so hard. I did my best.
So, a bit (heart). I ask you just a little bit.
Quickly chocolate. Please give me chocolate quickly!
Pass me chocolate! Chocolate please!
Click to expand...

They get the jist of it across, but wow does that English sound formal (and awkard). The part that makes it even better is that the Japanese is actually really girly and informal, which juxtaposes hilariously against the metal background. Just imagine some girl going back and forth about whether she wants some chocolate or not before finally giving in.

It's basically the Japanese equivalent of "totes adorbs," albeit maybe slightly toned down.
 
C

ComputerMKII

Banned
Speaking of stupid lyrics:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jbEflL9uJU

Yeah! I want to eat a Hamburger!
I want to eat a Hamburger!
I want to eat a Hamburger!
I want to eat Junk Food!!!

Yeah! I want to eat Cup Ramen!
I want to eat Cup Ramen!
I want to eat Cup Ramen!
I want to eat Junk Food!

It's just Junk Food
but I need Junk Food
You are al dente, al dente
al dente, al dente

Yeah! I want to eat Sausage
I want to eat Sausage
I want to eat Sausage
I want to eat Junk Food

Yeah! I want to eat Corned Beef　
I want to eat Corned Beef
I want to eat Corned Beef
I want to eat Junk Food

It's just Junk Food
but I need Junk Food
You are al dente, al dente
al dente, al dente

No More body fat
Oh No I got enough of that
No More gourmet shops
Oh No al dente Yeah! NO!

Yeah! I want to eat a Hamburger!
I want to eat a cheeseburger!
I want to eat a Hamburger!
I want to eat Junk Food!!!

Yeah! I want to eat Cup Ramen!
I want to eat Cup Ramen!
I want to eat Cup Ramen!
I want to eat Junk Food!

It's just Junk Food
but I need Junk Food
You are al dente, al dente!
al dente! al dente! Yeah!
Click to expand...
 
indigo-cyclops

indigo-cyclops

Member
I just came across one of their videos (Megitsune). I mean it's fucking cheesy as hell, but also catchy as fuck. As a metal fan it's hilarious, but man...J-pop does it again.

Very interesting that the musician(s) behind the group have some underground cred. I've heard of Coaltars of the Deepers...
 
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