What happens when you take American heavy metal and infuse it with the kawaii saccharine of j-pop? Kawaii metal. At least, that is what the metal group Babymetal wants to create. Babymetal is a j-pop idol schoolgirl trio set against the demonic riffs and imaginary that defines metal. The outlandish whiplash mix reminds me of…
Tag: music
Rockabilly in Japan, Baby
Rockabillies – or as we call them in the States: Greasers – is a fashion style that can still be found in Harajuku district in Tokyo. The rockabilly (or rokabiri in Japanese) is a strange import from America. Despite being in the style of Greasers, the fashion has roots in country and western music, dating…
Visual Kei
Visual kei is a style movement in Japanese music. KISS would be proud of their heavy makeup. Although the hair styles might be a bit too much work for the old school rockers. Visual kei is also full of flamboyant costumes and often makes you wonder what sex the musician really is. Some people consider…
the pillows
the pillows is an iconic Japanese rock band for many anime fans. They’ve been around since 1989 and introduced many Americans to Japanese music. They are best known for their work with Gainax in 1999…you should know what anime I am referring to: FLCL. (That’s pronounced Fooly Cooly). FLCL is a wacked out science fiction,…
High and Mighty Color
High and Mighty Color started as a Metallica cover band and worked their way up to fame until they broke apart in 2010. Honestly, I didn’t know Japan had Metallica cover bands. The band started in Okinawa like many other bands. American and Japanese music traditions mix and swirl on that island apparently. (Perhaps to…
Hatsune Miku – Vocaloid
Hatsune Miku is computer software made in Japan that can produce singing by just typing in lyrics and a melody. Technically the backbone of the Hatsune Miku is Yamaha’s vocaloid software. Vocaloid even has released albums. The singer is known as Hatsune Miku and is an anime girl around the age of 16. Yeah, that…