*
Denying that you just said that SuG is positive metal* Seriously though, they're rock. NOT metal. I'm saying this as a metalhead that doesn't partake in the consumption of babies and dreams in my spare time.
A GREAT band to try out is
Galileo Galilei. However, finding stuff of their not removed from YouTube is a bit tough. They're an indie band whose popularity exploded when they did the theme song to AnoHana. Understandable, as that song has both lovely melodies and lovely lyrics. As I don't know how to add videos in BBS (and the "editor for dummies" isn't popping up for me)
I'll leave you a link.[/url] It's slightly different from the original, but it's the best copy I found of it one YouTube. Another darling of theirs is Boku kara kimi e (can't find it on YouTube at the moment ): )
Another good J Pop group is Perfume. Sorry, not good, [u]GREAT. Their producer, (the holy) Yasutaka Nakata, is well-known for making the catchiest electro beats right now. And the girls in Perfume are adorable. I seriously want to be gal pals with them so I can experience the ultimate cuteness that is them more often. Sorry if I'm gushing, but they are just so cute. Fortunately, finding their stuff on YouTube is MUCH easier :) Their dancing is very well-done too; they're like perfect little robots of happiness, joy, and rainbows! My favorite songs from them are
Natural ni Koishite[/url] (first song I listened to from them), Spring of Life, Spice, 575 (it's sung in haiku!), Macaroni, Nee, Chocolate Disco, Laser Beam (used in Cars 2. As much as I love the girls, I will NEVER watch that movie. The PV's ending cracks me up!) and Voice (I love the PV).
Another lovely J Pop group is Our Love to Stay. There's not much information about them (in English), which is a darn shame. Heck, I only found out about them by looking at some random artists on JaME-world! They're a group that makes 50's swing jazz with some light modern pop elements. It's just awesome! I can only find two songs of theirs on YouTube, Sweetie and Haru. [u]LISTEN TO THIS GROUP!
Kanon Wakeshima is an awesome artist. She worked under Mana (weird-as-hell guitarist/synthesizer player that's great at music, but awkward with people). She started working under him when he wanted to produce someone who will represent the female side of him. She plays the cello! So if I had to describe it, it's neoclassical with modern pop elements. Her debut song,
still doll, was used for the anime
Vampire Knight. Other songs that I adore are
Dokushoka himegimi,
Marmalade Sky,
celmisia, and
Shoujo Jikake no Libretto.
MALICE MIZER is a freakin' classic for Visual Kei (glamorous and complicated outfits ahoy!) and Japanese rock in general. Depending on the singer (they had three), you'll hear different styles. The first singer did "harder" styles (left early because he didn't like the abundant visuals), the second singer (GACKT, very talented and handsome, but scares me for some reason) did prettier styles, and the third singer (Klaha, the best singer out of the three in my opinion) did more classical and gothic styles. Since you prefer J Pop stuff (at the moment), listen to the GACKT era stuff. My favorite song from this era is
au revoir (prettiest song in existence). Others include
ILLUMINATI (the PV is very sexual, even by today's standards),
Le Ciel, and
Gekka no Yasoukyoku. But seriously, ALL of their stuff is good. And if you can handle really classical and gothic stuff, give
this beauty a try.
I'll just list some big-name artists that every J Pop/Rock fan ends up listening to, as I feel like this thread doesn't feel right without their names plastered all over the place. There's
Utada Hikaru,
SMAP,
Otsuka Ai,
Arashi,
Ayumi Hamasaki,
Shirota Yu (or just
U. He's not a big name yet, but I just love the guy. This is my favorite song from him),
GACKT,
capsule (project that Nakata guy does), and
Angela Aki. Others shall be listed eventually.
And a great band is
Golden Bomber. They are an Visual Kei air band, and their performances are HILARIOUS. Their
official YouTube channel has full versions of all (I think) their PVs as well. You should watch
this one first, as it made me love them :)
Sorry for the long post; it's a habit. I should just start working on my novel
Japanese pop culture opinions and observations from a girl in small town USA who writes too much about things she finds cute: too much time on her hands. But hey, at least there are a lot of recommendations!
