deadmau5 – Ghosts n’ Stuff (feat. Rob Swire)

Also, Bumblebeez 81′s Pony Ride. But I’m not too big a fan of that song.

Unless no one else can see (hear) what I’m talking about, in which case this post never happened.

Edit: Okay, I checked it out on YoutubeDoubler and it’s mostly just noise. Uh…sorry for wasting your time.

I’m not sure if everyone will like it, but there it is.  I didn’t put much thought into the order, I’m sorry to say, except for the first track and the last few.  Sort of bittersweet.

Should I post the track list or let you find out for yourself?

Once the lights went out, indicating that Dir en grey was about to perform, we felt a surge behind us.  Bodies were rubbing against us, sweat and stink and all.  Kyo cried out “Dallas” and we got excited.

Something I love about seeing Dir en grey live is that there aren’t many breaks between songs – most of them just go straight into the next.  This makes for bodies tired from relentless jumping, throats raw, but willing to keep on.  About half way through I wasn’t nearly as ready to jump, partially because I was tired, partially because all the bodies squishing me limited my movement (when I pushed back, the bodies pushed harder), and partially because I wanted to take the time to look at Die, Shinya, Kyo, Toshiya and Kaoru.  And I’m glad I did – they had amazing stage presence.  As it turns out, we were allowed to take pictures, but because I had expected not to be allowed, I didn’t bring my camera.  I regret it, but not too much.

There was head-banging and screaming and crying out and hair-pulling and scratching and pushing and punching and pinching and hate and violence and music and silence and utter adoration and fighting and more dirty looks.  Christie was getting crushed so she asked to be taken out, but she was still able to thoroughly enjoy the show without fear of getting lost in the folds of a fatty.  To protect my comrades, I started pushing around.  Eventually, a large Indian girl started rubbing against Benita and scratching us and generally rubbing her large breast-arms against us.  All to try and usurp our spots on the barricade.  Her hand had forced itself on the rail between us, so with arm-pumping we made it a point to hit our elbows against her fingers, hoping the pain of being crushed would make her release.  But the mighty fortress would not be persuaded.  So we started elbowing her and pushing and punching and beating her to shit.  Girl must be made of pillows or something because she wouldn’t budge.  But neither would we.  We owned our spots at the barricade until the end.

I can’t remember the set list order exactly, but once it is made available on the internet I’ll put this in the proper order.

Sa Bir:

OBSCURE:

Grief:

Agitated Screams of Maggots:

Agitated Screams of Maggots UNPLUGGED:

Ryojoku no Ame:

Repetition of Hatred:

Disabled Complexes:

Clever Sleazoid:

Merciless Cult:

Saku:

Kodou:

THE FINAL:

The Fatal Believer:

Hydra -666-:

The IIID Empire: Kyo preceded this by repeating “Last song!” over and over while pointing to the cieling.  Eventually the remainder of Dir en grey and the audience followed suit, and they jumped into this old gem.

Kaoru and Die did autographs afterwards, but it wasn’t very intimate.  They only allowed us to get the CD discs signed.  But I’m still grateful.

Last night’s show was an amazing experience, and I can’t properly communicate everything that happened, but I have my memories and that’s all I need.

Dir en grey Inward Scream Tour ’07 – Dallas, TX – February 19, 2007

So I’ve listened to the new Dir en grey single.  Don’t let the subtitle fool you, I adore it.  I’ve just been reading different opinions around the ‘Net, and decided I may as well assert mine.  Though, I sort of did that in the last post.  But anyway.

Concerning the unplugged recording of “Agitated Screams of Maggots.”  I think that it’s not supposed to be musical, in the sense of melody, harmony, beat, composition, etc.  I noticed that some people were pissed off, some creaming their pants over the prospect of listening to it in the dark.  Approach it as an aural work of art, in the same way that a painting or a novel may not intend to entertain.  Popular music is very personal to the composer, rather than intended to please an audience. I remember once reading an interview where one of the band members (I can’t remember which!  I think it was Kaoru?) mentioned something along the lines of music transcending language barriers yet still managing to communicate.  Perhaps this new “Agitated…” is just another way of doing that exactly.  The intention is to make you feel uncomfortable.  The piano backing is reminiscent of silent movies.  Remember Nosferatu?

I could be completely wrong, but that’s alright. Is grainy piano and screaming a viable art form?  Debatable, but we would not be questioning this if no one tried to pass it off as one.

The title track itself, “Glass Skin”, is gorgeous.  Every Dir en grey appreciator has at one point considered Kyo-screaming vs. Kyo-singing.  I think he keeps a good balance of them on each album.  I do want to note, however, that when he goes a capella and starts beating the shit out of himself on stage I felt like I could die with no regrets.  (That’s an exaggeration – it was just fucking amazing in a beautiful, bittersweet way.)

Like I said, “Glass Skin” reminds me of “kasumi,” and maybe a bit of “CONCEIVED SORROW.”  Ballads.  Yeah, that’s a better word.

The new “undecided” arrangement is just as great as the original one – for different reasons, though.  It has another dimension to it – you can tell that the group collaborated on this version and everyone’s strengths really show.  Kyo’s vocals are still as great as ever, but now with more confidence and clarity.  Kaoru plays a more prominent role, yet you can still hear the Die (who composed the original arrangement).  And the drumming.  Oh, the drumming.  Shinya is a contradiction.  Such a tiny, gentle, fragile man…such Amazon drumming.  Have you seen his drum kit?  It’s a behemoth of a set.

And, finally, “Ryojoku no Ame” – one of my favourite tracks from The Marrow of a Bone.  It would be hard to disappoint me.

Final Verdict: YEY.  If it were financially convenient for me, I would spend more money on Dir en grey merchandise.  You, however, can, by purchasing “Glass Skin“.  I think I’ve done my part, buying outrageously-priced tickets, waiting hours outside with disappointing pizza pies, enduring shitty opening bands, and blowing the rest of my money on the posters and t-shirts that are still exactly where I put them when I got home that night.  Totally worth it, though, and I’d do it again.  In fact, I’m going to.

Just wanted drop a few quick lines before I start on my lab write-up (for the lab that…we haven’t done…yet…).

The Dir en grey single, GLASS SKIN, drops today, and although I don’t doubt that there has been a leak of it for days, I decided to start looking for it now.

So far, I’ve only managed to find the PV and samples of the tracks.  And, it’s pretty damn great.  It’s making me very psyched for UROBOROS (to be released November 12 – two weeks before I get to see Dir en grey perform again!).  It’s pretty chill – in terms of style, it makes me think of “kasumi.”  I think that just goes to show that they’re still relatively versatile as musicians, particularly when composing the music.  Admittedly, the lyrics are usually the same drivel, but it’s not as if I understand what Kyo is singing anyway.  I’m just making that assumption based on translations I’ve found dispersed through the Internet.

In any case, I thought it was significant enough to me to spend fifteen minutes and full sentences on.