[REQUEST]recommendations on some Jpop/Jrock male artists/bands?

[Chiharo]

Everything by I listen now is Female Jpop/Jrock.
I never really even though about trying male artists or bands...but
I decided to try some out,but I don't know which one should I start from or which songs are good.

So can anyone help me please?
I'm sure lots of you here listen to a lot of Jpop male artists ^^
So which ones do you think are the most worth to listen to?

Thanks in advance!

[Hazuki]

I would definitely, HIGHLY recommend these two artist:

- UVERworld; A Japanese 5-man Rock band, formed in 2003, now under gr8! Records, since 2005.
Up to now, they have 10 singles and 3 albums.
I've loved UVERworld since their debut, and surprisingly, I like every single one of their songs. They sing from rock to ballads. Takuya (the vocalist), also beatboxes and raps.
IMO, their lyrics can be really nice~

I'll link to their new songs and some that I like.

From their new single:
Gekidou
Just break the limit!
-------
Kimi no Suki na Uta ~ Acoustic
Colors of the Heart

UVERworld is my favorite band, so I hope you'll like them!!
If I think of anything else, I'll post again, okay? ^^

EDIT

Are you interested in boyband pop? If yes, then I have a lot for that XD

[Bad Wolf]

I don't have much patience for male Jpop, so I can only go with some Jrock here... (surprise surprise) I'd recommend Dir en grey.

They've been around for about 10 years, have out 6 full albums, 1 remix album, 1 mini-album and three compilations ones (just released last year) and have gone through some really interesting musical changes on each album. Each record, IMHO, is just as good as the last, though I generally favor one or two over another, they're still not bad and haven't disappointed me yet. Some of these musical changes range from Kyo, the vocalist, actually singing to Kyo peppering the songs with interesting.. screams. He still sings, but he does what I like to call "vocal gymnastics" in some songs, in that he goes from a falsetto to a regular male singing range and then to something crazy all together that sounds like a puma. o_o; Honestly, it's good music, though.

Kyo writes all the lyrics and the band does the music (individual members sometimes or the band as a whole), and honestly? Kyo is one of my favorite lyricists in music today. He's probably up there / surpasses Ayumi and Hikaru and I LOVE how those two write. He tells such fascinating, albeit a little disturbing, stories with each song, and then the WAY he sings them just rips your heart in half. ;~; particularly on tracks like "zakuro" and "-mushi-", which I think have a LOT more oomph if you can manage to track down their "Blitz 5 Days" versions - if not, I can send them to you if you're curious.

Since I'm a writer and not a musician, I tend to focus on the person responsible for the lyrics (in this case, Kyo) so while I know about the other lovely men in the band I feel a little silly commenting on them besides to say that they're all very talented and a vital, necessary component to the band. Everything they do just fits.

Recommended songs~

from their first record, GAUZE:
- Tsumi to Batsu
- -Zan-
- Akuro no Oka
- Cage

from their second record, MACABRE:
- Deity
- Hydra
- Hotarubi
- MACABRE - Sanagi no Yume Wa Ageha no Hane -
- zakuro

from their third record, Kisou:
- ZOMBOID
- undecided
- -mushi-
- Karasu

from their fourth record, VULGAR:
- audience KILLER LOOP
- KASUMI
- CHILD PREY
- OBSCURE

from their fifth record, Withering to death.:
- Merciless Cult
- -saku-
- dead tree
- THE FINAL
- Beautiful Dirt
- Kodou
- Higeki ha Mabuta wo Oroshita Yasashiki Utsu

from their sixth record, The Marrow of a Bone:
- CONCEIVED SORROW
- Ryoujoku no Ame
- THE PLEDGE
- GRIEF


I'm pretty sure someone posted their discog on this site, too, so... enjoy if you go through them?

(I was thinking of recommending the Gazette but from what I've heard of their music, it's really just like a watered down version of Dir en grey, with very few exceptions :\)

[KarenPang]

male solo artists ::

Ken Hirai - if you like R&B / Soul , you probably might like him . Then again his music's not considered the typical Jpop stuff so it's either you will like it or not

I was nuts over him for the past 6 months & even though that infatuation has somewhat died , I still like his music

for starters , try his 1st best collection album Utabaka which contains all his songs from his debut in '95 all the way to '05 .

His latest album FAKIN' POP is good too

T.M.Revolution - if you like dancey stuff , you probably might like his works

recommended tracks - INVOKE , BOARDING , vestige , ignited & the latest reasonance

male bands :

abingdon boys school - they're like 1 of my fave jrock acts ever . They debuted 2 years ago although techincally the quartet has been around for a very long time .

Frontman Takanori who fronts the solo act of T.M.Revolution switches really well between dancey techo stuff to JRock at its best in here . The remaining 3 members in abs has a hand in helping out in Takanori's T.M.R project since day 1 (I think) & also they do a mean cover of Luna Sea's Sweetest Coma Again

recommended stuff - BLADE CHORD (single) & their debut self titled album

KAT-TUN - they dabbed in rock and r&b & somehow they married both genres really well

recommended album - their latest KAT-TUN III QUEEN OF PIRATES which probably goes down as my fave album for the year , it's that good

recommeneded single/s - all of them since debut single Real Face . Latest no. DON'T U EVER STOP is a must

ARASHI - they have great harmonies going on in their songs & some lovely melodies in their material

recommended album/s - personally go for their 6th album ARASHIC . I think it's their strongest album outta the 4th - 8th albums that I have listened from them . Their 7th album Time comes in a close 2nd .

Their latest 8th album Dream "A"live is not bad although you need sometime to get used to the non singles

recommended single/s - Listen from their 12th single PIKANCHI DOUBLE although some of their older works like the rock influenced Jidal , PIKANCHI are great too & of course their debut single A.R.A.SHI is damn catchy

not to mention , their 22nd/latest single One Love's a winner

GReeeeN - I'm sure you probably have somehow heard of this current IT quartet at the mo

I'm still quite new to their stuff but go for their breakthough/3rd single Ai Uta & their latest one , Kiseki

[Chiharo]

Originally Posted by Hazuki

I would definitely, HIGHLY recommend these two artist:

- UVERworld; A Japanese 5-man Rock band, formed in 2003, now under gr8! Records, since 2005.
Up to now, they have 10 singles and 3 albums.
I've loved UVERworld since their debut, and surprisingly, I like every single one of their songs. They sing from rock to ballads. Takuya (the vocalist), also beatboxes and raps.
IMO, their lyrics can be really nice~

I'll link to their new songs and some that I like.

From their new single:
Gekidou
Just break the limit!
-------
Kimi no Suki na Uta ~ Acoustic
Colors of the Heart

UVERworld is my favorite band, so I hope you'll like them!!
If I think of anything else, I'll post again, okay? ^^

EDIT

Are you interested in boyband pop? If yes, then I have a lot for that XD

Hazuki and InorinoUta,thank you for these ^^

I'll definitely DL UVERworld's Gekidou because I really like the song!
(and btw. the PV is great!)
I also liked Kimi no Suki na Uta and Just break the limit!
I may DL their whole album actually because they really sound great!!

Oh,and yes,I'm interesed in boyband pop!
Thankies!!

And InoriNoUta,I just found the DL thread for Dir en grey,and I'll try out the songs you recommended!
And,wow,Kyo writes better lyrics than Ayu?!
I so gotta try Dir en grey then
(It's because lyrics are the most important to me in the music).

to Karenpang,I never really liked the image of Ken Hirai (since I've seen him around here),but I never listened to his music but I think I'll try because,if I'm not wrong,he has a song titled "Itsuka hanareru hi ga kite mo",and LOL,I really like the title!(yeah,just because of that )

T.M Revolution?Hm...dancy stuff? O_o,I think I'll try them out!
Lol,abingdon boys school sound kinda weird,but since they are your favourite jrock acts ever,I'll take a look on them as well.

Oh,and KAT-TUN,I just DL-ed their HELL, NO song (because I loved the title xD) and I kinda like it!
SO I'll definitely be trying out more of them,especially the album you mentioned!

I'll give a try to others as well

[KarenPang]

to Karenpang,I never really liked the image of Ken Hirai (since I've seen him around here),but I never listened to his music but I think I'll try because,if I'm not wrong,he has a song titled "Itsuka hanareru hi ga kite mo",and LOL,I really like the title!(yeah,just because of that )

T.M Revolution?Hm...dancy stuff? O_o,I think I'll try them out!
Lol,abingdon boys school sound kinda weird,but since they are your favourite jrock acts ever,I'll take a look on them as well.

Oh,and KAT-TUN,I just DL-ed their HELL, NO song (because I loved the title xD) and I kinda like it!
SO I'll definitely be trying out more of them,especially the album you mentioned!

Ken Hirai - haha well I don't blame you considering the type of image that he portrayed

Itsuka hanareru hi ga kite mo - that's his 29th single & it's a recut single from his FAKIN' POP album . It's actually my least fave song on the album though

T.M.Revolution - actually T.M.R's 1 man band only which's fronted by Takanori who's incidentally the frontman of abingdon boys school

T.M.R's music is very different from abs I can say . If you watched Gundam Seed Destiny , you probably might heard the insert/opening songs before . That's from T.M.R

KAT-TUN - I love HELL , NO

It's 1 of my fave songs on their QOP album

give ARASHI a shot also if you wish

[paper_doll]

InoriNoUta: Dir en grey FTW


For rock, I'd recommend MUCC. Like Dir en grey, they've been around for 10 years and have a bunch of albums, singles and DVDs out. All four of them are really talented and their vocalist has a great voice. Not all of their music is really heavy, they venture into pop as well sometimes.

Songs I'd recommend: Ryuusei, Fukuro no Yurikago, Gekkou, D.O.G, Haribote no Otona, Suimin, etc, etc.

Other good bands are Kagrra, Plastic Tree, Merry, heidi.

[Hazuki]

You're welcome! I'm glad you like them
I found a link for their whole discography in 320kbps!

Livejournal
It isn't locked~ ^^

I second Karen's recommendations on GReeeeN, T.M. Revolution, abingdon boys school, ARASHI and KAT-TUN!

T.M. Revolution:
Hot Limit
Ignited

abingdon boys school:
HOWLING
Lost Reason
BLADE CHORD

KAT-TUN:
Real Face
SIGNAL
YOU


Since I didn't see that you listen to ARASHI, here's some songs!

Kitto Daijoubu
Sakura Sake
Happiness

I adore their upbeat, happy songs, but this is my no.1 favorite from them:
Love so sweet

Karen pretty much said for the boyband pop, but there are others too~ ^^

NEWS
weeeek
Taiyou no Namida
SUMMER TIME

[Raiu-Ayu]

NEWS is pretty good. They are your basic Johnny's boy band really but they have some pretty good songs
from touch
-Akaku Moyuru Taiyou
Back in the days of 8 members (OLD!!) but its probably the best song on touch. Its kinda dancey/trancey type music
-I.ZA.NA.I.ZU.KI
Its an ok song but the lives are pretty famous (more like just talked about a lot lol) because of Shige's 'kuchizuke wo' hand movement lol

After that album I recommend everything of theirs! Its just fantastic, especially weeeek and BAMBINA

[Amai Yume]

Okkk, I'm glad somebody recommended NEWS or I would've been sad.
NEWS - Ai no Matador!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!
But basically their pacific album and their new singles Taiyou no Namida + SUMMER TIME

[kirei_ayumi]

how about Rain(Bi)? he's korean but sings both korean and japanese songs (and such a hottie ). I highly recommend his japanese album Eternal Rain

[Miku]

GLAY ~ is One of Japan's most popular rock bands ^^
recommend: LOVE IS BEAUTIFUL(album), BELOVED(album)

the pillows ~ are a Japanese rock band, best known for their music in FLCL, an anime series by Gainax. The band's name is not meant to be capitalized.
recommend: Pied Piper(album) their latest album is great ^^

Mr.Children ~ Jrock band..
recommend: HOME(album) great album ^^

[AyUta]

Originally Posted by Hazuki

I would definitely, HIGHLY recommend these two artist:

- UVERworld; A Japanese 5-man Rock band, formed in 2003, now under gr8! Records, since 2005.
Up to now, they have 10 singles and 3 albums.
I've loved UVERworld since their debut, and surprisingly, I like every single one of their songs. They sing from rock to ballads. Takuya (the vocalist), also beatboxes and raps.
IMO, their lyrics can be really nice~

I'll link to their new songs and some that I like.

From their new single:
Gekidou
Just break the limit!
-------
Kimi no Suki na Uta ~ Acoustic
Colors of the Heart

UVERworld is my favorite band, so I hope you'll like them!!
If I think of anything else, I'll post again, okay? ^^

EDIT

Are you interested in boyband pop? If yes, then I have a lot for that XD

Yes! Try UVERworld out Chiharo! They are my favorite band too

You should also try D-tecnoLife and their newest album PROGLUTION. Also BUGRIGHT, their second album. That one was amazing


Also, how about Girugamesh? They are awesome too and the lead vocalist (Satoshi) sounds awesome in their ballads, especial Fuaki no Yami. Listen to that!

Hm....that's all I got XD

[KarenPang]

Originally Posted by Hazuki

I second Karen's recommendations on GReeeeN, T.M. Revolution, abingdon boys school, ARASHI and KAT-TUN!

thank you

Since I didn't see that you listen to ARASHI, here's some songs!

Kitto Daijoubu
Sakura Sake
Happiness

I adore their upbeat, happy songs, but this is my no.1 favorite from them:
Love so sweet

I forgot to mention last night in that the very 1st song that got me hooked into ARASHI's music was Kitto Daijoubu

it's still 1 of my all time fave/s coming from the guys . I suppose if I have not heard how great & insanely catchy Kitto Daijoubu's , I wouldn't have come into contact with their stuff

+ the part that Ken Hirai said that he was so obsessed with it when he mentioned about this during his Ken's Bar '06 Winter performance helped too

Karen pretty much said for the boyband pop, but there are others too~ ^^

NEWS
weeeek
Taiyou no Namida
SUMMER TIME

weeeek was the very 1st song I heard from NEWS . Great song & the PV's fangirl love <3

who can't resist a sextet that has been suited up

UVERworld is really great, their songs are amazing and TAKUYA's voice is amazing also. I really recommend them, like Hazu did.

ARASHI is that group you listen to when you want to be cheered up. A lot of their songs are really fun, catchy, and poppy. So I definitely recommend them.

KAT-TUN has been going into a more rock-ish kind of stage and if you like that, definitely try them out. Their latest album is really great, but their first is definitely the best.

Rain (Bi) is OK. Some of his songs are pretty bland, but he does have some great dance ones.

If you want really good Korean male music, then try Se7en. His voice is really passionate and strong and his songs are really good too. He also has songs in Japanese and soon English!

NEWS is good too. Most of their stuff sounds pretty generic, so if you like stuff from boybands in the 90s, NEWS is definitely a group you should check into. However, they do have some really great standout tracks - but not much. =/

[KarenPang]

ARASHI is that group you listen to when you want to be cheered up. A lot of their songs are really fun, catchy, and poppy. So I definitely recommend them.

KAT-TUN has been going into a more rock-ish kind of stage and if you like that, definitely try them out. Their latest album is really great, but their first is definitely the best.

ARASHI - they seldom have angsty songs (ok that's if you count Cry for you in their Time album as a angsty driven 1) & most of the singles that they have put out are all cheery happy tunes

KAT-TUN - like what Kaori said , both their 1st & 3rd albums are really good but personally I go for their 3rd 1

there're some great hard rock no.s in QOP like LIPS , Ai no Command

[Bad Wolf]

@ paper_doll - Dir en grey is love~ (kinda lolol)

And InoriNoUta,I just found the DL thread for Dir en grey,and I'll try out the songs you recommended!
And,wow,Kyo writes better lyrics than Ayu?!
I so gotta try Dir en grey then
(It's because lyrics are the most important to me in the music).

I personally think he writes just as nicely as Ayu (and in some cases better), but it's a matter of opinion . There's actually several songs of Ayu and Dir en grey's that remind me of each other on the lyrics alone. I made a whole playlist out of them lol.

And lyrics are the most important to me, too~ They can make or break a song, IMHO: if the words don't make sense it can put off a whole song for me.

Hope you enjoy them~ But it's okay if you don't XD.

[CHE.R.RY]

Originally Posted by InoriNoUta

I don't have much patience for male Jpop, so I can only go with some Jrock here... (surprise surprise) I'd recommend Dir en grey.

I looked them up for the first time today and I really liked 'Koudo' and 'Dozing Green', but I watched the Pvs of Zan, Obscure, and Clever Sleazoid and they fightened me lol. I don't mind metal, but I don't really think they're for me. Man, I was really excited too when I read that they had toured with Korn :O.

[KarenPang]

I totally forget to mention Kobukuro and the duo of Tackey & Tsubasa !

Kobukuro :

recommended singles - listen from their 11th Single - Kokoni Shika Sakanai Hana which's their breakthough hit

they have some great melodies going on in their songs like Sakura , the soaring uplifting Kimi to Iu Nano Tsubasa (Wings that are named you) & of course their 1st no.1 single Tsubomi

Tackey & Tsubasa :

recommended singles :

their 6th single Venus was the very 1st song I heard from them & it's so catchy it hurts !

Go for their 2nd single Yume Monogatari which's incidentally their 1st no.1 single

others worth to try are 7th single Ho ! Summer , 3rd single Serenade , their 8th single 8th Single - x ~Dame~ + Crazy Rainbow , 5th Single - Kamen + Mirai Koukai

their latest 10th Single - Koi Uta + PROGRESS is not bad although I prefer Koi Uta more

You also can try the duo Tegomass too who comprises of NEWS's Tegoshi & Masuda .

They only put out 3 singles so far but recommended one has gotta be their latest single Aiaigasa

[prussian blue]

how about miyavi?