Best of 2007!

Okay, so this year wasn't so great for jrock. It really wasn't. But I'll do this anyway because it's December. Why do I say this? Well, most of the releases this year in jrock have been limp and disappointing. Hence the decline in jrock blogging lately! Ah well. So here's the best (and some of the worst) of the year.

Best album: Coaltar of the Deepers - Yukari Telepath. It has heavy moments, pretty moment, zone out moments, everything that a really good album should have. The vocals are absolutely amazing. From high pitched almost whispered singing, to midranged singing, to deep roars, they never bore me. Almost every song is very interesting to listen to, while others only sound dull due to the songs they're next to. There's so much going on here; there's no definate sound or set of rules this album at all. Every song has its own legs to stand on. Amazing.

Runners up: Dir en grey - Marrow of a Bone, LM.C - Glitter Loud Box, Screw - Fusion of the Core

Best single: MaveRick - Silent Death. I've never heard a VK single so solid. It has the somewhat melodic somewhat heavy main track, the weird heavy one, and the (quite tasty) softie. Kray's vocals have gotten so much better since their beginnings. The guitars don't sound like crap. All that kinda stuff. It's actually a single that if I bought it, I wouldn't feel ripped off. It's three really good songs. Which is pretty much what one gets out of a Gazette album. And people pay for that.

Runners up: Dir en grey - Dozing Green, Billy - Butterfly United, pretty much all of the singles xTripx released this year

Best Mini Album: The Piass - Dolei. I was hyped about it and it delivered. It took me a while to get used to, but I love it. I was expecting the new vocalist, Tatsuya to be either really good or really bad, but he's in the middle. A good medium. He has a nice scream, and can sing pretty well. That's all they really needed at the moment. I've never found myself being bored by this mini album. I just have to be in the mood for it, as always with this band. But nonetheless, they are one of my favorites. I'm pretty sure this sounds alot better live, too. Just like almost all of their music. And, as a side note, I actually like the sugary soft song on this. A first!

Runners up: Skull - Ugly Black Showcase, OZ - Six, the studs - studs

Jam of the Year: Koda Kumi - But. JUST KIDDING! Actually, it's xTripx - Room No. I wish I could list every xTripx song from this year here. They have such addictive music. This one sticks out in specific, though. It has those awesome parts that I just can't get enough of. I almost chose Fall to U or Cherry, but I didn't. Because this one is awesome.

Runners Up: Phantasmagoria - Kami Uta (That chorus type thing is ridiculous in an awesome way), Julius - Imitation Scars, Rentrer en Soi - Amongst Foolish Enemies

Artist of the Year: Dir en grey. This year they have grown so much. They've shown much more personality than they have since 2002. Kyo actually looks like he's really enjoying himself (he actually.. dances now), they're working so hard, and not giving in to the negative fan attention. Whether or not people think they're bad, think they're posers, or think they're too noisy, they kept on doing what they love most. Even after people thought they'd disband soon. In actuality, they've never been stronger. They're finally who they want to be, and are expressing themselves freely, no matter how bleak the fans' views, or how skeptic they became of their togetherness. Props to Dir en grey.

Fail: Alice Nine. 2006 was a bit bumpy, and now 2007 is a gravel road. Yuck. All of their music has become boring and personalityless, and the fans eat it up because they're good looking and amusing. After that... album that began with a Z, I stopped caring and just tried them in little taste tests. They may have an incredibly adorable guitarist, but that is not enough to make me want to like them. Miyavi can get away with a whole year (2006) of iffy releases-- however, Alice Nine, you are not Miyavi.

Runner up: Mana. He's stagnant and consistent to the point of staleness.

Lose: D'espairsRay. The Alice Nine of the elite folk. The people that can string together a proper sentence. Not very good, actually quite generic and monotonous, but still majorly popular because of who they are and the music they represent. While Alice Nine is on the prissy rock side, D'esRay is on the side of the generic hard rock. When I first turned on Mirror, I was getting into it until it did donuts. It may be a tiny bit amusing for cars, but in music, that's something I call "lack of creativity". So, in the end, all the people who bitch about how 'western' Dir en grey is... should try saying what is so 'Japanese' about these guys. Not that sounding 'western' is bad, but erm. HYPOCRISY!

Runner Up: Gazette. After all of 2006's awesome, they just did what they do every year. Make three good songs.

Hype for the good: Erm... Uh.. The stuff I actually enjoyed that was hyped even to a small degree was later STOMPED.

Hype for the bad: Abingdon Boys School. I'm sorry, but, when I hear something I never heard, I want to hear just that. Something I never heard. Not the same old crap I didn't like in the first place-- now delivered with zero passion or energy. A cover of a Buck-Tick song I can't stand doesn't help either.

THERE YOU HAVE IT. All the stuff this year everyone either hated or didn't even know existed. I mean-- the stuff I thought was awesome! Have a happy new year! 8D8D8D