黒色エレジー - Esoderic Mania

by request, here is 黒色エレジー LP Esoderic Mania (i'm sure that was supposed to be "Esoteric" Mania, but blame the band, not me). it's a splendid female-fronted goth album (what other kind of goth would i possibly be posting here, right?). the best part about this album, without a doubt, are those guitars. they're absolutely perfect on every song. just the right amount of new wave influence, as well (like most goth i post here, whatever).
the vocalist is also great, because she can switch between a high pitch little girl voice and a deep crooning voice. actually, for all i know, there may be two female vocalists, but i doubt it.


1. Sun Stroke
2. 邪宗門
3. 花粉犯罪
4. 夢の成る頃
5. 安息日
6. 鵺の想い
7. 太陽眼
8. 訪れざる宴
9. 満月の夜
10. Warrior
11. Goddess
12. 揺籃の刻
13. 神々のレース
14. 虹と蛇のブルース


ENJOY

Sex Android - SEXAROID CAPSULE SCHNEIDER

Sex Android (not to be confused with the angura kei band SEX-ANDROID) was the solo project of Phaidia's vocalist, Gilly. Phaidia were legends in the japanese goth-rock scene. as far as i'm concerned, however, this is much better than anything that Phaidia ever did. now, don't get me wrong; i love Phaidia. but this is just so . . . intense. the a-side of this single just roars with sexuality. Gilly croons the lyrics, groaning and panting the whole time. and that guitar riff makes me fucking melt. jesus fucking wept.

the b-side is also really delicious. it suggests longing and lust, but it's much less feral than the title track. really catchy stuff.

[as a side note, what exactly is a sexaroid? because i've seen it in multiple places (for example, Voiss has a song called "Sexaroid Insane", and most famously YAPOOS had a song called "Barbara Sexaroid"). i'm going to assume it's like a, well, "sex android". in the video for the YAPOOS song, Togawa kills some business men (or are they spies?), played by the other members of YAPOOS, and then there's a segment during the spoken word bit where the video uses english words to describe how Togawa (playing Barbara) is half robot, or something.]


1. SEXAROID CAPSULE SCHNEIDER
2. GLAMOROUS LADY


ENJOY

ミシン - 走れ馬車馬

so, here's an excellent little post-punk album by ミシン. they were signed to nagomu, as far as i know, and only put out three releases (this, plus two little EPs). their sound kinda reminds me of The Cure's first album Boys Don't Cry, but much more interesting (probably due to the weird awkwardness; nagomu pretty much only signed bands who were kinda awkward, as i'm sure you all know by now). there's a building intensity on this entire album, like there's something laying right underneath that is about to explode. a primal scream, per say.

anyways, this is a really wonderful album. download this now.


1. 走れ馬車馬
2. パートさんの手紙
3. Jamaican Eskimo
4. 険しい等高線
5. ペーター牧場へ行く
6. 南極観測隊員


ENJOY

SYOKO - SOIL

SOIL is a perfect pop album from Syoko, the vocalist of G-Schmitt. this was her first solo album, and it was released the same year as G-Schmitt's brilliant sin, secret & desire. it was even recorded in the same studio as that album.

when first listening to this album, i kept getting reminded of the OST's for Tonari no Totoro and Tenkū no Shiro Rapyuta, as well as a few other early soundtracks by 久石譲. and that's because, as i later discovered, this album was produced, composed, and arranged by the mastermind behind so many of Studio Ghibli's films. yeah, i shit you not. the very delicate, raindrop synths on this album sound very much like some of the less childlike songs from Tonari no Totoro (which remains not only my favorite OST by 久石譲, but also my favorite film by Studio Ghibli).

so, this album is absolutely perfect to my ears. it features my favorite vocalist and my favorite contemporary composer. what's not to like? the songs are perfectly structured, and wonderfully elegant. Syoko has such passion in her voice. i am absolutely swept away by the grace she exhibits here on this pop meets post-punk masterpiece.

(ps. unfortunately the first track sounds a bit off because the vinyl was apparently very scratched, but it clears up a bit about a third of the way through the song, and luckily you can still hear exactly what's going on this song. what i'm saying is it is by no means ruined; it's still probably my second favorite track on the album, after the excellent "Sphinx In The Night". anyways, thanks to BlackiceLORD for this!)


1. Erewhon
2. Criminal Shuffle
3. Sphinx In The Night
4. Magie
5. Sunday Never Comes
6. Sunset


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MENSU - MENSTRUATION

MENSTRUATION is a 1993 noisy post-punk/no wave album by the mysterious (me being lazy: i don't know anything about the band) band MENSU. it is my assumption that the band is probably all female. maybe i'm wrong, but with this sound it just seems likely. anyways, the vocalist bark and breaths and moans sexually. basically she's either trying to seduce the listener or mimic a macaw the entire album; it's really incredible. some of my favorite vocals that i've encountered in a while. really crazy stuff here. another thing is that the vocals seem to be barked over a megaphone or something, because they're muted and they have a mechanical distortion sound to them.

it also has a light no wave influence. once or twice on the album you can hear jazzy guitar or piano. the whole thing kinda reminds me of Non Band if Non Band wasn't so painfully kawaii.

most certainly grab this if you like really angry/sexy girly punk.


1. MY FUNNY CHRISTMAS
2. LUNA
3. MENSES
4. UTERNAGY
5. MARBLE
6. LOFTY
7. GARACHIA
8. LIFE
9. PILLET


ENJOY

ＡＬＬＥＲＧＹ - EL DORADO

El Dorado was, as far as i know, ＡＬＬＥＲＧＹ's only studio album. it's brilliant. i still prefer their live album that was recorded at the Shinjuku Loft, but that's simply because of the energy. that album remains my favorite live album ever recorded. this is just really great source material, i suppose. and it's awesome to hear how they sound here, and then compare it to the live album; they perform better live. i always wonder how that comes to be; does the producer force them into a different sound (like with the very well known case of Joy Division, where their producer wanted them to have a much more mellow and less punk sound for their album). regardless, i don't care too much in the long run, as this is still a perfect album. any fans of the live album should enjoy this, without a doubt.


1. Poker Face City
2. 追放者
3. Burning Angel
4. El Dorado
5. Joker
6. Our Time
7. Tokyo Frustration
8. Double Think
9. J.B.の夢
10. Plastic Toy


ENJOY

ＲＥＡＬ - REAL

ＲＥＡＬ were a self-published (starting after this EP) post-punk band. they put out quite a few EPs, beginning with 1981's REAL, but they didn't put out a full length until 1991. i haven't heard it, so i can't judge it's worth, but all of their EPs up to that point were sublime. this first one is no exception. it's a banging and growling monster with harsh feedback, rolling piano, and grunted vocals. it's also absolutely stunning to listen to.

most certainly check this out if you liked ＡＬＬＥＲＧＹ.


1. 前夜
2. A級戦犯
3. 1981（シークレット・パージ）
4. MAI


ENJOY

ＡＬＬＥＲＧＹ - Last Live At Shinjuku Loft -1984.10.27-

this is the live album by post-punk band ＡＬＬＥＲＧＹ (or is it アレルギー? impossible to say, considering they used both. i'll stick with the unicode spelling). it was released by Teichiku Entertainment, which also put out music by Pizzicato Five, Urban Dance, Shi-Shonen, コシミハル, ゲルニカ, 細野晴臣, and plenty of other new-wave and related bands. they also did the japanese releasing for some mediocre western bands, but we'll forget about that for now.

i present you their live album because it is superior to the studio album that i have. in energy and performance, sure, but also in song choices. for example, the live album doesn't have their brilliant "『　　　』　(かたち)" which i can't. stop. fucking. listening. to. jeeeeesus christ.

this reminds me a bit of ＳＯＤＯＭ's hardcore era, but only in delivery. i guess it really doesn't sound too much like them, though. it sounds more like すきすきスウィッチ, actually. or maybe OFF MASK 00. either way, the music is very frantic and the vocalist is absolutely manic in his delivery. it's one of the best live albums that i have ever heard. if i had the option, i would sell my soul to have been at Shinjuku Loft on the 27th of october in 1984. what a fantastic show that would have been.

download this now or regret it forever.




1. Tokyoフラストレイション
2. Plastic Toy
3. ポーカー・フェイス・シティ
4. Our Time
5. Automata
6. 二重思考　(ダブルシンク)
7. J.B.の夢
8. 情事
9. 消えた影
10. 『　　　』　(かたち)
11. Game
12. Cosmic Ray
13. 20th Century Boy
14. エル・ドラド　
15. 笑う土
16. Monkey Drive
17. 追放者
18. バーニング・エンジェル
19. ジョーカー


ENJOY

ＳＯＤＯＭ - BEYOND

here is, as far as i'm concerned, ＳＯＤＯＭ's greatest achievement: BEYOND. it is the only time (as far as i know) that ＳＯＤＯＭ performed such luscious post-punk. sure, they did post-punk on TV MURDER, but that was an entirely different beast. although i love every single album/EP/single that ＳＯＤＯＭ put out, this is easily my favorite. few post-punk singles even come close, as far as i'm concerned, to the grandness of "Castle In The Air" and the title track.

on the title track, "Beyond...", the sound is just so . . . indescribable. it is exotic and lofty; heavenly, in a word. not terribly threatening, but with this single/EP/whatever they really didn't try to be loud or aggressive. with this song they achieved a beauty that i have rarely heard anywhere else. it sends shivers down my spine.

the b-side, "Castle In The Air", is almost as powerful as the title track. i can't get over the percussion on this track. it's so catchy, so perfect.

while i loved what they did after this single, i feel it was a mistake for them to move on so soon to . . . whatever it is they were doing on King Ov House.

(credit goes to elias for sharing this with me.)


1. Beyond...
2. Castle In The Air


ENJOY

DAS:VASSER - VASSER...

VASSER... is one of my all time favorite albums from the visual-kei scene. it is also one of the first to get me into the entire scene. the music that DAS:VASSER makes here is absolutely filled with emotion and violent intent. the vocalist stumbles about, the guitars whine and crackle, groan and hiss. and yet it's so pure; when the vocalist stutters or when his voice cracks it just feels so genuine. it is perfectly imperfect.

this is quite a bit different from previous VK albums i've posted; it's much more accessible, and yet it's still completely crushing as a final product. most certainly check this out.


1. VASSER...
2. 「桜」
3. Cutting Extacy
4. 寡黙
5. attempt suicide (ノンフィクションヴァージョン)


ENJOY

パイナップル4.9 - YAWA YAWA

YAWA YAWA is an album by the fantastic パイナップル4.9. they were an eerie psychedelic post-punk band that Stalking Duppi's C.PATERA described as being "almost like a no-wave band with all the nervous tension drained, leaving them diffused and skeletal". i'm not entirely sure if i agree with that or not, but i certainly see how it's possible. sometimes it does border on the sort of sound that bands like Non Band were working with; a fairly mellow, relaxed sort of no-wave.

this band deserves much more attention. if you enjoyed the likes of ウニタ・ミニマ and ルナパーク・アンサンブル then you'll probably like this. fans of ＬＩＢＩＤＯ might enjoy this, too, as it has the same sort of atmosphere.

p.s. i can't remember where i found this EP . . . i downloaded it a while back, but i wish i could remember.


1. Diamond Crack
2. 猿の山（幽霊は私の頭の中）
3. サバンナ
4. 神様
5. やわやわ


ENJOY

Madame Edwarda - ヒステリックな侯爵夫人

at long last, i am able to share with you this brilliant album by Madame Edwarda. this album is beyond perfect. i am convinced that this is one of the most important goth rock albums ever made.

from the first track to the last this album is a force to be reckoned with. this has much more experimentation with sounds than the average goth rock album (but, then, Madame Edwarda were never "average"; every song that they ever released is masterfully crafted, particularly the epic nine minute long "Lorelei" and its sister track, "Arabian Nights"); there are only passing and very brief resemblances to any sort of pop sound on this album, unlike a great deal of japanese goth. every track on this album can stand alone perfectly fine, but they really deserve to be listened to as a whole.

if you like goth or post-punk then you must have this album in your collection. nothing else can quite compare to the splendid majesty that is Mme Edwarda.

(supplied by elias of evil-en-lucifer. he recently purchased a copy of the album, so he suggested that i share it here.)


1. Introduction
2. Opéra
3. Nosferatu
4. The Horror Cave!
5. Nostalgie
6. Le Sabbat
7. Trench Coat
8. 悪の華
9. メッキ II
10. White-Darkness
11. Never Say Good-Night


ENJOY

not all that interesting for a cover . . .

nonetheless, ＳＯＤＯＭ's cover of "Cry" by The Birthday Party is certainly an interesting root of how the band's constantly changing sound came to be.

annnnd, here's the original:

i say it's not particularly interesting because it is, besides the intro, an exact remake of the original. all the same, ＳＯＤＯＭ's cover is superior.

DIE-ZW3E - AZITO~空カラノ手紙~

AZITO~空カラノ手紙~ is a really great album by post-punk band DIE-ZW3E. they were heavily inspired by heavy metal and hard rock, but their sound is still very post-punk. this of course was a very common sound in the early visual kei scene (with other bands like VOIS having a very similar sound). tracks like "空からの手紙-From your friend-" have that undeniable post-punk and borderline goth sound to them.


1. AZITO-少年の日-
2. FUCK-拝啓世間様-
3. For My Tomorrow-現実の中で-
4. 空からの手紙-From your friend-
5. 夢のいた頃-路地裏の風-
6. DOCTOR-修正不能？-
7. PRIDE-昨日までの自分を超えて-


ENJOY

少女人形 - 愛の嵐

愛の嵐 is an incredible album by 少女人形, a hardcore band with many post-punk influences. though they didn't start out as a band with any post-punk influences, by this album they had become very post-punk. that actually seems to be a common theme with hardcore bands in japan (even The Stalin put out a post-punk album (FISH INN)).

everything about this is perfect. one of my favorite albums as of late.


1. Lost Lost
2. Inside Reality
3. Kill Age
4. Shining
5. Moon Light Love


ENJOY

cali≠gari - 第2実験室

第2実験室 is, as far as i'm concerned, the best album that the legendary cali≠gari ever put out. cali≠gari started out as a band with eroguro themes, after the literary movement in the 1920s/30s in japan. of course, as a reader of this blog i'm sure you already know a thing or two about eroguro, so i won't go into that.

instead, i'll just talk about the music that they present here. cali≠gari has had two eras of music, one being with one vocalist, and the other being with the vocalist to follow (both were named Shuuji). the sound that they used is also different, even though Ao remained the primary song writer throughout their entire time together. maybe he was inspired by the second Shuuji's vocals to start making a new sound? whatever the reason, after the first Shuuji left, Ao started writing more poppy, funky songs, with a strong jazz influence.

of course, this album was still very, very early on in the band's career, so the post-punk sound was still very strong. and every song on this album is perfect. it's easily one of my favorite albums of all time, and it's what got me into the japanese post-punk scene.
while the music is distinctly post-punk, much of it seems to be strongly inspired by enka music, and other styles of music from the beginning of the second shōwa period. this is probably due to the eroguro themes (of course, i don't speak japanese, so i wouldn't know just how eroguro the lyrics are, but later cali≠gari lyrics still held a strong eroguro theme . . . not like that has any bearing on the sound).

the album starts with a pulsing beat. this sound is present at the beginning of almost every release by the band. this sound would later become echoing footsteps, starting with 第3実験室. the pounding beat is broken by Shuuji's frantic screaming, shouting, and whimpering vocals. the music slowly breaks down near the end of the song (Shuuji's vocals turn into nonsensical whimpering, hissing, and crying, and the guitars are almost all feedback). absolute chaos. but, while the album can be insane, loud, and threatening, it also is very beautiful; half of the tracks are delicate pieces with strong 1980s idol ballad influences. my favorite track is the heart wrenching "オヤスミナサイ". the sounds presented on this track seem to be from a different time, and a simpler place (at least ideally).

download this now or be detested.


1. ギロチン
2. 嘔吐
3. 腐った魚
4. 通り魔の季節
5. オヤスミナサイ
6. 人間ポンプ


ENJOY

Voiss - ZERO:HOUR

ZERO:HOUR is, as far as i'm concerned, one of the most flawless post-punk records in existence. every song is perfect. this is almost more like pop-post-punk, though, honestly. every song is so catchy, not a single one is really all that dark (there are two ballads near the end, but that's about as close as it gets to being dark and suicidal, like most of the other post-punk and goth that i post here). it's very uplifting stuff, like listening to The Cure's first album or something like that.

my favorite song is most certainly the second track "Sexaroid Insane" and the 4th track, "薔薇心中". so fucking catchy.


1. I Wanna Get It
2. Sexaroid Insane
3. From Beyond
4. 薔薇心中
5. Ironical Agitation
6. Psychic Force
7. Paradise Lost
8. タイトル無し


ENJOY

0FF MASK 00 - SONIC COLD CRAZY REACTION

here's OFF MASK 00's album, SONIC COLD CRAZY REACTION, put out by Selfish Records in 1986. Selfish Records also put out albums by the likes of The Execute, Death Side, S.O.B., Gauze, and 愚鈍.

this is a really special album right here, people. it's very, very difficult to describe using only genres. but, basically, it's really spastic punk with heavy feedback and lines of static all over the place. there may be some influence of hardcore here and there, but it's minimal.

the vocals are the part that drive me crazy. they're high pitched and whining and very feminine. they're so wonderful. since i discovered this band a while back the vocalist has become one of my all time favorites.


1. Are You Ready?
2. Sonic Cold Crazy Reaction
3. ナンシー・シンナー
4. Highway Splatter (Baby!)
5. アンモニア
6. サンパクガン
7. パラノイア
8. さかさま
9. Love '86
10. Punch Drunker
11. I Don't Wanna Be Your Dog


ENJOY

Rosen Kreuz - C.O.L.D 91001

C.O.L.D 91001 is a brilliant album by Rosen Kreuz. Rosen Kreuz played post-punk music with heavy synths and pounding military beats, as well as gorgeous acoustic guitars. the vocalist switches between screeching and gentle crooning.

you need to check this out if you like stuff like EX-ANS or any of the other male driven goth and post-punk groups from the 1980s.

1.		Another Trap
2.		Decay The Body
3.		White Girl
4.		Phantom Lover
5.		Black More
6.		Pale Moonlight
7.		Darkness Sanctuary
8.		You're My Hammer
9.		Head Achy Egoist
10.		Song My Labyrinth

ENJOY

ＬＩＢＩＤＯ - RYU-SA

ＬＩＢＩＤＯ were an excellent post-punk band from the mid-80s. they released four albums, including an album on the brilliant Wechselbalg Syndicate label (that released such greats as SADIE SADS' Box With Little Doll, G-Schmitt's alternative garnet, Auto-Mod's Bible, and ＳＯＤＯＭ's Breaking Glass). this album, however, was released on the much more obscure LLE Label.

the songs presented here are all very long and aggressive, with a distinct strangeness. the sound is like almost nothing else i've ever heard. the sound is both dry and luscious at the same time, which is rather difficult to explain. it's almost like a mix of psychedelic and goth-rock.

fans of ＡＳＹＬＵＭ and YBO² should really enjoy this.

1.		「こんなにも自由だ」とあなたは・・・
2.		ここで このまま
3.		あまりにも疾く
4.		三日月
5.		流砂〜（水晶のように冷たい・・・）

ENJOY