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More J-Rock, but Do Not Dance!

The first video is a mashup of various songs by $ALOVERS in the middle of their new track Hot Hot Hot. I would have much preferred to have one of the song itself, because it sounds really good, but the decision on how to make things available is up to the band and the record label. The next track is the latest from Maximum The Hormone, a Heavy Metal/Power Pop/Ballad tune, almost schizophrenic in its style. Of course, it might also be a mash up of multiple songs from their latest release, but edited together much better, and then how would I be able to tell? The final track this time is HEY-SMITH’s Dancing Is Illegal, a great little alt rock anthem that seems to be lodged somewhere between power pop and punk rock.

If you were wondering, it really does appear that the poliece are raiding dance clubs all over Japan, hauling the patrons off to jail and making them pee in cups, including in Osaka and Tokyo. There is quite the controversy about it, and that is far from the only recording protesting the situation.

Thanks for the heads up on these tunes to J-Rock Explosion, if you like quality rock out of Japan that is a site worth checking on a regular basis.

Something to Do: Movies, 16Aug13

There are two tasty choices this weekend; Kick-Ass 2 could be even more off the hook than the original. Hit Girl gets grounded, and Kick-Ass teams with a group of costumed vigilantes inspired by their original antics. Based on the trailers I have to say Jim Carrey’s character looks well and truly twisted. The other film worth checking out this time around is the docu-drama Jobs, and there is one thing I am hoping they deal with. That is their near mythical raid on Xerox PARC, where they supposedly stole the idea of the mouse and its use with clickable icons to create a graphical user interface. That GUI format was later supposedly stolen from them as Bill Gates madly played catch-up and replaced DOS with Windows in his bid to compete with the Mac. As with all such mythologies, the reality was a bit more complex than that (see the Stanford story linked above), but it made a great story.

Something to Watch: DVDs, 13Aug13

My favorite movie release this week has to be The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec, the Luc Besson French Steampunk masterpiece. The film is the first in a series based on the graphic novels by Jacques Tardi, which are also being released in hardcover volumes in the US for the first time since the 1970s. It was previously available in the US only as an import from Canada at a noticeably higher price point. You can watch it in the original French with English subtitles, or dubbed into English.

From Hong Kong, The Guillotines is a historical martial arts epic about the effect of the import of firearms on a traditional secret police organization who’s primary assignment is assassination. The short answer is, nothing good, as they find themselves under attack by both sides. The Korean fantasy A Werewolf Boy is the story of a feral child taken in and taught to eat at a table and otherwise pretend to be normal. When his bestial strength and speed are displayed to protect his benefactress, he is abandoned with a promise of return. This one is a bit of a tearjerker.

The US film of note this time is a documentary, A Band Called Death, about one of the earliest Punk bands. Their 1976 album was only released in 2009, after the discovery of their 1974 demo track generated some serious interest.

In TV, Once Upon a Time: The Complete Second Season hits the shelves. I am happy to report it looks like this show is coming back for a third season, as it just seems to keep getting better.

In Anime, Eureka Seven Astral Ocean: Part 1 is a sequel to the original series, taking place on an Earth caught between warring alien armies. The young Ao flies into combat in a giant Mecha that is somehow connected with his missing mother, being chased by monsters. This is the first twelve episodes in the new series. Blast of Tempest: the complete 1st season has a banished sorceress and a murdered girl triggering a war across time and space. Again, the first 12 episodes of the series.

Sword Art Online: Aincrad Part 1 is an excellent series, cyberpunk virtual reality game play at its finest, but with just 7 episodes in this package and a price tag starting at $40 and heading up from there, it is a bit overpriced. While I am waiting for a more realistically priced edition, I will continue to watch it streaming on Crunchyroll, which is why I chose the link I did for it. Finally, Shining Hearts: the complete collection is the story of a peaceful island where elves and humans live in harmony, untroubled until a beautiful castaway washes up on shore. She has amnesia, and so can not explain why pirates and brigands are suddenly invading the land, searching for her.

Steampunk Coffee Maker

While I can not stand the smell or taste of coffee, the device itself is beautiful in its construction and elegant in its execution. I particularly like the blend of the Steampunk with the microchip tech, even though purists will no doubt not care for it. But the temperature stability is important to the flavor of the results, and I have always been a member of the Whatever Works School Of Technology. I wonder what other interesting hybrids are waiting for one of us to invent? Thanks to Worlds Without End for the heads up on this one.

More J-Rock: LoVendor, Superfly

A few more interesting J-Rock tracks, starting with LoVendor’s kick ass song, Nemurenai Yoru, followed by their new track, Sexy Boy. OK, maybe not new, but new to me. Next comes Superfly’s How Do I Survive, just uploaded last week. There is always tasty music coming out of Japan, you just have to look for it a bit…