Le’cielers Metropolis

Ken new solo works cd->

creature creature mp3s preview is now uploaded,it’s only radio ripped anyway..so their quality is kinda low.Well..If u re really curious bout it,why don’t try it once?^^

creature creature - Paradise

creature creature - Kaze no Tou

it’s uploaded in ysi,so it’s gonna expired soon..If u need us to upload it once more,just pm us!

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE

My Chemical Romance is an American alternative rock band that formed in New Jersey in 2001. The current members of My Chemical Romance are Gerard Way (lead vocals), Mikey Way (bass), Bob Bryar (drums), Frank Iero (rhythm guitar), and Ray Toro (lead guitar). The genre of music the band plays is highly debated, but they generally combine elements of punk rock, post-hardcore, glam and emo. While many consider them to be "emo," the band (and most of their listeners) deny it. In a recent interview, lead singer Gerard Way said: "I don’t think emo ever fit us…even in the beginning…maybe geographically, but at that time, when we would play VFW halls…we were always odd man out." Their sound has been described by Rolling Stone as "Queen meets The Misfits."

The band cites their main influences as The Misfits, The Smiths/Morrissey, and Iron Maiden. Some other bands/artists that the band has claimed to have made an impact on their music are Black Flag, Nirvana, Thursday, Ozzy Osbourne, Queen, Green Day and The Smashing Pumpkins. Growing up, they were also very influenced by horror films and comic books, and therefore their music, lyrics, and image all have overt elements of fantasy, storytelling, horror, and theatricality. The band members hail from Belleville, Newark and Kearny, New Jersey, except drummer Bob Bryar, who is from Chicago, Illinois. Bassist Mikey Way coined the band’s name from a book entitled Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance, by Irvine Welsh.

some downloads update~!

Hiyaa!!~~since we could not decide wut to put in the photo albums..we’ll let u decide then,we got some magazine scans and would u like to request them??then,we’ll put them in a new photo albums!PM us if u would like to or leave it in the comment section~^__^

………..

29 December 2005

The b-side of Season’s Call will be Unexpected -rock version-!
Source: official site

10 December 2005

Hyde’s new single will be "Season’s Call" and will be out February, 22nd 2006!! It will be the opening theme of Blood+.
Source: official site

22 November 2005

On November 23rd at Ginza Kyobunkan, Ooishi Megumi will partecipate at the reading of the first chapter of the book "Narnia: the lion and the witch" by C.S. Lewis
Sources: http://www.centforce.com/topics00-01.html
http://www.kyobunkwan.co.jp/Narunia/index.html

17 November 2005

Hyde’s official site, Hydeist, will be offline because of upkeep between November 30th and December 8th.

03 November 2005

The Monoral have taken part in the Halloween of the Living Dead together with Hyde and now they are produced by his label, the Haunted Records!
Sources: http://www.monoral.com
http://www.haunted-records.com

02 October 2005

Yesterday, October 1st, Hyde performed Countdown (US version) at a secret live in Roppongi Hills Arena. 1000 people attended this event, which was linked to the release of the movie "Stealth".
Sources: http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Info/haunted-records/news.html
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/hochi/geinou/oct/o20051001_60.htm
http://www.sanspo.com/geino/top/gt200510/gt2005100204.html

21 September 2005

Hyde has announced in Hydeist Times that he will perform live at Club Citta in Kawasaki for HALLOWEEN OF THE LIVING DEAD on October 29, 30 and 31. There will be other artists: Monoral, Olivia and more.
Source: http://www.halloweenofthelivingdead.com/

18 September 2005

Here the cover of "Countdown"

And this will be the tracklist:
01. Countdown
02. Countdown (US)
03. Evergreen (DIST.) 

13 August 2005

From Haunted Records: the new single "Countdown" will be out on 5 October 2005!
Code: KSCL 888
Price: 1,020 ¥ (tax incl.)

July

From Hydeist and Laruku official site: in October "COUNTDOWN", one of the new Hyde’s solo songs, will be used in the Japanese version of "Stealth", an American movie.
Links: Official US site - Official Japanese site (in this site you can see a trailer with the song)

June

From official site and Laruku official site: Hyde wrote a song for Mika Nakashima, who is starring in the movie "NANA" released this autumn. The song will be the the theme of the movie. Also the original author, AI YAZAWA, wrote the lyrics of this song. The title is "Glamorous sky". This is the first time Hyde had ever written a song for another artist.
The song will be sung also by Hyde in his next album.

April

From official site: Hyde has started doing tunes for the new album, that will be produced with Kaz, as 666, and it seems it will be heavier than 666! He also talked about a secret project.

February

Dowango started a service called "Iro Mero Yobidasi-chuu no Oto". With this service you can hear the voice of an artist instead of the tone of the phone "ringing" when you call someone.
The first service features Aya Ueto and HYDE’s voice!
Sources - http://www.16melody.com/imode/i_top/i_index.htm
http://www.dwango.co.jp/news/iromelo/iromelo_20050119.html

February

26 February: "Kagen no tsuki - Last Quarter" DVD will be released in Japan.

update->>>news~!

L’Arc~en~Ciel was the first Japanese band I ever got into. I might go as far to say that they were the ones responsible for getting me interested in Japanese rock. I first noticed them when back in 1994 I heard their song "Blurry Eyes" used as the opening song for the anime series D.N.A.². I instantly became captivated by their style of sexy vocals, pop-like guitar style and eclectic musical accompanyment that was all fused together in a way that engulfed its listener in the mood of the song. Not something I was used to hearing from rock bands at a time when heavy metal was dead and grunge was starting to lose my interest. I immediately set out to find more of their music and never looked back. Even now after knowing them for the past five years they remain one of the most creative and moving bands I’ve ever had the priviledge to know. They’ve changed their image a lot these past few years after becoming more and more popular, but still their music is always pure inspiration.

Tout les francophones a qui je montre mes CDs sont pas mal surpris qu’un groupe japonais ont adopté un nom français. Indeed the term l’arc-en-ciel is French for "the rainbow" (literally "the arc in the sky") and like their namesake L’Arc~en~Ciel has a sound and style that covers a wide spectrum of moods from their uplifiting and upbeat pop-rock songs to their dark and gothic songs. Their music is rich in imagery and emotion. Likewise it has a profound effect on its listeners. Much of their sound, especially in their early career is a somewhat European dark pop sound with a latin/gothic flair while others are fun pop guitars songs.

They always used a variety of ethnic and classical musical instruments outside those of a usual rock group to give their music a more international flavor. Their music did, and still continues to amaze with the depth of its creativity. From their grungy rockin’ songs to their mellow songs of melancholy, there is both mystic beauty and excitement in every song they produce. If I had to compare them to an English band, I’d say they’re not unlike U2 or early Depeche Mode yet with an ancient mediterranian influence. But even that generalization doesn’t come close to L’Arc~en~Ciel’s sound and sense of style which is really quite unique. I’ve never heard anything quite like it. Their sound has evolved into more mainstream rock these past few years, but underneath it all they’ve remained as eclectic and eccentric as ever.

When I first became a fan L’Arc~en~Ciel had made their major debut earlier that year. Prior to that they were an indie band with a very loyal following. Their music style was dark and gothic yet quite beautiful and spiritual. As for their look, it definately matched their music. The whole group’s look, like the music style, seemed to be inspired in part by Spanish gypsies. All in light, flowing clothes adorned with beads, bare feet, and makeup. And they all played the part accordingly. It sure made things interesting to watch althought I must admit it took me by surprise when I saw them for the first time. With all this, L’Arc had become one of the top visual bands in Japan, but still had not attained mainstream recognition. Even in that small demographic that made up their fans, even though they had a lot of male fans, the number of female fans were far greater. And it was perhaps because of this inbalance that they did not yet have the recognition they deserved.

But with hard work and consistently great performances, they began to become more and more popular each year. The music gradually started acquiring a more mainstream pop and rock sound and they started letting go of the whole visual kei motif and wearing more hip and contemporary fashions. Possibly because of their efforts to be seen as a rock band and not a visual kei group, in the last couple of years L’Arc~en~Ciel has become the hottest name in Japanese music. A while back, after a certain crisis in the band nearly underminded all they had worked for, they’ve come back and have been promoting themselves like mad. Following their previous album in ‘97, they’ve released 8 singles which have absolutely dominated the charts, sometimes with two or three songs listed in the top 10 at the same time. By now, that they’ve completely abandoned their earlier visual style they appeal to an even wider audience, but still I’m nostalgic for the old good old days.

The first thing that made me take notice of L’Arc was lead singer Hyde (pronounced "haido"). Not only is he a great artistic performer with a poetic soul, but he has the most increadible voice I’ve ever heard out of any male rock vocalist (and he knows it too). Hyde has an unusually powerful and sensuous voice with a wide range. He switches vocal octaves effortlessly. It can be both gracefully mellow or gritty and masculine. He excels at slow ballads, but can rage and scream better than anyone. I just never tire of hearing his voice and wish I could sing like him. I even practice singing like Hyde in the shower for karaoke. It’s almost hard to believe that this powerful voice comes from Hyde since he’s so short and boyish looking. He’s somewhere in his early 30’s by now, but still has the looks of a 17 year old. In the earlier days of the band when he’d dress in a gypsiesque fashion with long wavy hair, this made him look very much like a young woman. (My sister likes to call him the "Drama Queen" because of his over the top theatrics, dress and vocal stylings at the time). Hyde’s pretty much the one who convinced me that androgyny could be a cool thing. Later when he cut his hair, he started looking more like a wild little boy.

Hyde is undoubtedly a excellent entertainer. His first love was the guitar long before he ever considered singing and used to be a guitarist for a band called Jerusalem’s Rod before Tetsu recruited him for L’Arc~en~Ciel. For some songs Hyde still plays guitar. Sometimes he even plays harmonica, saxophone or a simple tambourine. He also writes practically all of the lyrics for the music and is responsible for much of the middle-eastern or mediterranian aesthetics of the band.

The band was started by the bass player Tetsu in 1991. Since he created L’Arc and is a mother figure to the band, he’s considered to be the band leader. Tetsu’s song writing sensibilities are more on the pop side having created songs such as Blurry Eyes, C’est la Vie and Kaze ni kienaide. All of the members songwriting have touches of pop, but not as much as Tetsu. I never appreciated it at the start, but in live performances, I came to realize how much Tetsu is an increadible bass player. One of the best. His bass plays a very strong role in the sound of the band. L’Arc~en~Ciel has far more frontal use of bass in their songs than most other bands and is always well done whereas most bands have basslines that play in the background and are scarcely heard clearly.

Ken the guitar player is the oldest member of the band. Although all of the members do contribute to writing songs, the vast majority of songs are written by Ken. So he’s a huge part of their sound. He’s a pretty funny guy who doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously and has quite a bit of energy on stage. He wears makeup more often than the others, but with his looks instead of looking feminine like some visual rockers try to do, it just makes him look like a really obvious cross-dresser. But I think that’s the gimmick he was going for. He doesn’t do it much anymore though. Now he has the "unshaven, chain-smoking rock star" look going for him and now looks like he aged ten years even though it’s only been since last year. Ken’s guitar skills are very distinct. There’s a very unique quality to his guitar playing which I don’t think I’ve ever heard from any other guitarist. It’s this guitar style that I came to equate as the most identifiable feature in the band music. More than Hyde’s voice or Tetsu’s throbbing basslines, Ken’s guitar style is the most distinct part of the L’Arc sound.

Sakura, who is no longer with the band, is an excellent performer who played drums as well as a variety of other percussion instruments. He’s a pretty strange guy who rarely gives a straight answer and prides himself as a bit of a womanizer. His relationship with Hyde was very unusual and it was quite enjoyable to watch their humorous interactions on TV interviews. Sakura was an integral part of the band’s sound and persona, moreso than most drummers who are usually the least important members. But Sakura is no longer with L’Arc~en~Ciel. In March of 1997 he was arrested for heroin possession and found guilty. He was put under probation and by November of 1997 it was announced that Sakura was no longer a member of the band. 1997 was a very hard year for L’Arc~en~Ciel. Apparently before the arrest, they were already having problems with Sakura which were threatening the band’s future. With the arrest it made things a lot worse. Throughout the year without this one very important member, the activities of the band were put on hold. All releases of their single at the time the Fourth Avenue Cafe (one of my favorite songs) were pulled from the shelves and the whole thing was cancelled. It seemed to be a real possibility that they could disband indefinately. But luckily they eventually pulled together and went on to become even more popular than before. It is not totally clear why Sakura had to leave. I’m not sure whether it was the other members, Sakura himself or the record company that made the final descision. But the case seems to be that their management forced Sakura out so that the unsavory stygma that he carried would not endanger the band.

I’m a bit divided over the whole issue. On one hand I really miss what Sakura contributed to the band. Without Sakura it’s just not the same anymore. But on the other hand I’m mad at him for putting the band in jeopardy this way and being so foolish. But I know that he’s now regretted his mistakes and misses the band, so I’ve forgiven him. I’m a bit more irritated at the record company officials for making such a big deal out of such a small thing. Countless rock stars in America are caught with drugs and continue to have careers as long as they make an effort to rehabilitate (or at least try to pretend). Kicking him out permanently seems a bit too drastic. Anyway it’s all water under the bridge now. L’Arc~en~Ciel has moved on to greater successes.

All the while L’Arc was without an official drummer, they had a support member in the background which was Yukihiro. He was an ex-member of another band "Die en Cries" which had disbanded in 1995. He had known the other members for a couple of years prior so they had a slight history together. As of January 1st of 1998, Yukihiro was made an official member and became the regular drummer. I don’t think they could have found anyone more different from Sakura than Yukihiro. This was what a lot of fans have complained about. Forget that charismatically speaking, Yukihiro doesn’t measure up to Sakura or any of the other members for that matter. Musically that’s a non issue and I like to think I’m above such shallowness. The big deal is their difference in style. Yukihiro has a much harder rock style with stronger beats while Sakura’s style was more smooth and eclectic. Some new fans like Yukihiro’s style since it’s stronger and has more techno influence, but I feel that Sakura’s drumming fit the band’s style more accurately. Of the songs Yukihiro has had a hand in creating, the style is a harsh new-wave style that I’m not to fond of personally. I also miss the family-like dynamic between the four original members. The way they were so closely knit together made them an increadible team onstage, and really fun to watch offstage. Yukihiro is not bad either but the feeling that he’s an adopted member of the L’Arc~en~Ciel family is always there. The interaction is friendly, but quite different from what it used to be.

In late ‘97 and throughout ‘98 and ‘99 L’Arc~en~Ciel has successfully climbed the ranks of Japanese recording artists to become among the most famous and sought after bands in the industry today. But along with their increased popularity, their music is slightly different. Most of their newer songs are less spiritual and mysterious. L’Arc’s sound is becoming more and more rock based than before and feature little of their earlier innovative and experimental sound. Esentially it still bears the trademark emotionally driven music that one comes to associate with the band, but to me the overall mood and sense of creativity is not the same. I’ve begun to miss their older music style (not to mention fashion style) but I can’t complain too much since they’re still making great music. Their current style is still very cool. Even now L’Arc remains one of the most creative bands you’ll ever come across.

Notes:

- As mentioned L’Arc~en~Ciel has been releasing a lot of singles in the recent past. They had 8 new singles out since late ‘97, but still no new album. Mind you at this point, an album would mostly just consist of the old singles and have very little new to offer. Not wanting to disappoint the fans, amazingly they produced two albums, with four singles on each and released them at the same time. Not a double CD set, but two totally seperate albums. One titled "ark" the other "ray". With these two albums, you can tell how the band is no longer the same. Their rock songs are really harsh while their poppy songs are very pop. With the exception of a few songs like Snow Drop and Dive to Blue, it no longer has that trademark sound I used to associate with the band. Although it was evident since their last album, here it truly becomes a concrete reality. They’ve truly been reborn and will no longer be the L’Arc~en~Ciel we all used to know. But I’ll support them no matter which direction they decide to take their music.

- L’Arc~en~Ciel has done quite a few tie-in songs with TV shows, anime and movies. As mentioned, Blurry Eyes was used as the theme to DNA². The Fourth Avenue Cafe is another song which was used for a short while in the second season of the Rurouni Kenshin TV series as the ending theme song (but was quickly removed after the Sakura fiasco). Niji was used as the main song for the Rurouni Kenshin movie. Also their song Shinsoku~Lose Control was part of the soundtrack for the Japanese release of the Godzilla movie. There were some others, but nothing American fans would have ever heard of.

- Hyde is apprently experienced in Shaolin Kung Fu which his father made him take at a young age.

- Despite their cool image, Hyde, Ken and Tetsu often speak in heavy Osaka dialect. The speaking patterns and accent of the dialect is considered by most other Japanese to sound unrefined and goofy. You rarely see the dialect on Japanese TV except for in comedy. So it does throw people off whenever they hear those three speak naturally. Usually they try to affect a Tokyo dialect that Sakura taught them, but sometimes they do slip up.