M a r u k u ' s  p i c k s

Last update: September 29th, 2007

Look at that! I've finally put up a new rotation, and it's exactly 5 months after my last one! My apologies; life has been more hectic than ever before and I'd be deceiving myself if I said it would be eased up soon. Soooo... sporadic as this has turned out to be, I hope you enjoy what goodies I have to offer.

NB: Happy Birthday to Kryz!! (Oct 6th, 2007)
Previous rotations

Date of Upload: Friday, October 5th, 2007
Date of Expiration: Sometime in November. Psh. Be grateful. (*lazy*)

Dir en grey - Kisou (bonus!!)
I decided to offer you a fine helping of Dir en grey in the form of their album, Kisou. Get it while it's hot. This album has some excellent single songs of varied genre, although one of my chief complaints is that there are definitely some obvious filler tracks (specifically, two "Shinsou" tracks). Standout tracks include one of my personal favourites in 24 ko Cylinders, a mournful song with tearful melodies; Filth, an eccentric song which ends creatively with a dramatic change in mood and tempo; Bottom Of The Death Valley, written on bass by Toshiya, but also features some excellent, headbangable guitar riffs by Die; Embryo, with its mesmerising bass lines, finger-plucked for once by Toshiya; Undecided, a beautiful ballad, boasting one of the best solos on acoustic guitar I've ever heard; Mushi, hands down one of the best Dir en grey songs that exists; and Jessica, which is really the second time they've recorded this song.

Dir en grey - Six Ugly (EP) (bonus!!)
And here are the 6 songs that belong to the EP "Six Ugly". This was somewhat of an experimental album, whose style ultimately passed onto their subsequent albums as Dir en grey continued to write heavier songs. Or, in other words, this album heralded the headbanging. Although there are only 6 songs, they are all great. It wouldn't make a lot of sense to attempt describing them separately since their song structure remains similar, but generally much emphasis has been placed on metal riffs and the energy of the songs. There's almost a live feel to every song, and it's simply wonderful when you just want to lose control.

Date of Upload: Friday, September 28th, 2007
Date of Expiration: October 27th, 2007

Dir en grey - VULGAR (bonus!!)
This is the entire VULGAR album. I'd uploaded it the other day for a friend who had misplaced his copy. All of the Dir en grey albums have been great, but this one is one of my favourites simply for its all-round consistency. You can sit down and listen to this album end-to-end several times without skipping a track. It's a heavier album than those which had preceded it at the time, and you realise this on listening to the very first song (audience KILLER LOOP). Other stand-out tracks include: the melodious Sajou No Uta; Red . . . [em], complete with its steady rhythm and catchy riffs which persist throughout, and featuring a rare, full-blown guitar solo by Die; the melancholy Kasumi and DRAIN AWAY; the dark, haunting and overall creepy OBSCURE; the fan-favourite, crowd-pleasing, sing-along selection, CHILD PREY and, last but certainly not least, the sad, yet inspirational, AMBER. Enjoy!

Incubus - A Certain Shade Of Green
I hadn't listened to old Incubus for a while, and this is one of their best early songs. Long before Drive, Wish You Were Here and Anna Molly, the Incubus guys' primary focus in their songs was to have fun and show off their abilities on their instruments, rather than to write a uniform song. While there are obviously advantages and disadvantages to this, here's an example of the guys simply getting it right. The chorus comprises a simple metal riff, which rocks nonetheless, and the verses feature a little bit of subtle slapping by Dirk Lance on bass. I personally prefer the current DJ Kilmore to his predecessor here, but hey, even the slightly abrasive DJ effects complement the metal feel. <3 Oh the nostalgia!

Muse - Starlight
Muse is a new favourite of mine, but what an awesome band they are! Starlight is the second single off their new album, Black Holes And Revelations and, while those in the US are understandably a bit confused when it comes to the chronology of this British band, it rocks just as much as their old stuff (Absolution, Origin Of Symmetry). This one emphasises the softer side of Muse. A clever, repeating riff played on distorted bass (and overdubbed on keyboard) carries this tune, punctuated by intervals of characteristically heavy, distorted choruses on guitar. And let's not forget Matthew Bellamy's gentle-but-powerful vocals that truly epitomise every tune by this wonderful band.

Muse - Hysteria
After having put up the subtle beauty above, I felt obliged to show off a bit more of Muse's talent and diversity. The most dominant aspect of this song is its fat bass line, which is sure to stay with you long after you've listened to it for the first time! Seriously, this guy (Chris Wolstenholme) is quite the impressive bassist, even going so far as to play this stuff with his fingers. "Dom" Howard's drumming has deliberately been kept in a minimised role here, but his simple beat works. Bellamy's choruses jump out at you and make you want to yell them right back.

Enigma - Sitting On The Moon
Now this is just a pretty song. The gentle synthesisers and steady beats lull you towards peacefulness, and the vocals begin to sound like someone murmuring in the distance. Then the chorus comes along, and you begin to sympathise with the murmuring. I wouldn't suggest listening to this while driving.

Tool - Lateralus
Another band I've grown to really like recently. I'll admit that I wouldn't have liked many of Tool's songs, had it not been for the superb vocal abilities of their frontman, Maynard James Keenan; but the fact remains that I like many of their songs. Danny Carey's drumming is a bit unorthodox (he admits to enjoying attempts to mimic tabla and other forms of ethnic drumming), but you've got to admit, drumming in a progressive band is never a straightforward task. Adam Jones usually has a conservative approach on guitars, but his dominant riff here for the choruses and otherwise is super-catchy! The bass really picks up in the outro when everyone just seems to lose it. Overall, a good listen if you have free 9 minutes.

Ayumi Hamasaki - TO BE
One of the prettiest Ayumi songs that I've heard! I really love the chorus and the buildup towards it; so much that I'd edited this and since made it my ringtone. There haven't been many excessive studio attempts to edit Ayumi's voice here though, as far as I can tell. The chorus is made beautiful by means of harmonised vocals alone, and the verses are soft and sweet. This one doesn't rely on Ayumi's trademark guitars (at least not the distorted ones); it's carried by a steady bass line and highlighted by a bright piano. Overall, it's a worthy addition to any Ayu collection.

Ayumi Hamasaki - YOU ~northern breeze~
Another sweet song by dear Ayumi. A similar song structure to TO BE, in many ways, but just as good a listen. Whenever I listen to it, I always have the impression of people ballroom dancing because it seems to fit so well. The melodies are less cute than the previous song, but perhaps a tad more introspective, and this makes up for it. A song that just makes you want to smile.

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