Schwarz Stein General

Manneking

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I remember when SS was just two albums, couple of singles and demos. Those albums were so good and I was really hoping they would make a comeback. Now that they've been making more music, I haven't been overly excited. The music's not terrible, it's not even bad (immortal verses was pretty weak tho), but it's just more of the same. Who knows. Maybe my tastes have changed over the years as well.

I feel the same. Actually, I think this article summarises the collective disappointment and frustration with this reunion (and its only an estimated 8 mins read ::meev::).
 

Madmoiselle_Silk

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I agree, the material released up until the reunion was perfect and they were (just like Velvet Eden before their reunion) as close to perfect as can be (IMO). But I do feel like people are being a bit too harsh on the new material. I feel like much of the new material do sound like Hora (some more like Kaya solo which bothers me a bit) so I'm not sure what it is people are after? Not like they've all of a sudden changed into pure pop or something. People change and so does their Music. again, I feel like Velvet Eden and Schwarz Stein is a bit similar (might be because they are my favorite bands :P) and I feel like Velvet Eden/Dada didn't get as much shit for his reunion...and that was rather shitty. they might have put more effort into their cd covers but the Music took a large hit instead :P
 

Hampo

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Thank you for linking that article, Manneking. It was a very interesting read and it did echo a lot of my own thoughts.
However it did take me 9 minutes to read and I don't like people lying to me. I've called my associates to have them bust your kneecaps.
JK, I don't know anyone from the Mexican mafia hahaha :D I'm not on the run from the authorities haha.


Madmoiselle, you have a pretty kickass taste in music. Velvet Eden is the boss.
However, I actually have to disagree with you. I was, personally, positively surprised by the Velvet Eden comeback and I still listen to their new stuff like I do with their older albums. While maybe not as good as their first two albums, the newer releases did have songs that I would definitely consider to be pretty high up there.
Maybe the main difference is that Velvet Eden had a changing lineup and Dada worked with different composers? as such none of their stuff felt like a rehash of their older material. I think in general they had a wider range of styles in their music. With SS you have only Hora composing, and he's also doing similiar solo music, so maybe he's reached his limit on how much he can compose in the same genre without being repetitive. And like that Monochrome-heaven post pointed out, the sound palette is very similiar always.

But what can they really do at this point to improve? Maybe they should get somebody else in the band and turn it into a trio? Or maybe they really need a producer who can push them further. I've seen a lot of bands who decide to produce their next album by themselves and the end result usually isn't as good as their other records. A lot of artists really need an outsider opinion on their music, because they can't disassociate themselves from their own work and look at it from a more objective perspective. I know for a small indie duo it's probably not easy to get a good producer, but I think it would improve their sound a lot. Just my thoughts.

Also, I don't know if I need to even say this, but the fact that there's still people like us talking about these bands means that we still care and like them. Even if we're disappointed, it comes from a place of love. I still bought the new single after all.
I think the reason why we bitch and moan about the lack of change and want improvement is because we don't like the alternative: the band quitting because they have nowhere to go anymore. That's the nightmare scenario, at least to me.


Reading this comment should take you approx 3½ minutes.
And if you can read this text you don't even need glasses!
 

Madmoiselle_Silk

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Opinions differ I guess, and to me SS is doing a much better work that VE did with the reunion. I really hated that Dada did remakes of old songs too, and he changed them pretty drastically. hanauri Musume is one of my all time favorite songs and they killed it with the new version...along all the other remakes. Kalm did a wonderful job with their first two albums and demo tapes, not sure if Dada really thought the new ones were better or if it was just to get back on Kalm for not joining VE again. not to turn this into a discussion on VE, but one thing that bothered me with Dada and the reunion was that he sort of made it sound like he was turning VE even more dark and goth and I think he did an awesome job at doing the opposite :P
And I really hope SS do not add another member XD they seem to do good in Japan, they can do one man gigs and even tiny tours so I doubt it will happen (fortunately). Everyone is free to have their own opinion of course, I just don't get how so many seem to think the new material is bad... Also SS is really good live, so I think if all of the complainers got to see them perform the new material live they would think differently :)
 

Hampo

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I guess it really does come down to personal opinion.
I also don't want this to become a VE thread, but however however however! Kalm did actually work with Dada again! Not only was it Kalm who reworked many of their older songs, but he also did couple of new ones, like this:


Just to be clear, I don't think SS is bad, it's just a bit stale at the moment. I did like "Recurrence of Hallucination" just fine, for example. I just wish they did something "new and fresh."
And trust me, if they toured over here I would go to every concert. And break into backstage.
 

Madmoiselle_Silk

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Yeah I know, but not that many if I remember correctly. I have all the cd's but Dada did not always give credits to the right people so can't really check, but I think Chro did Hanauri Musume for example.

back on topic, I'm still waiting to hear the message disc and other arrange of Ever After, will be interesting to hear what they say about this release.
 

faith

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I'll cut in to say that 1) kocha is sick and just had his birthday so send some kitty love Hora's way...

2) I gave them the benefit of the doubt after their reunion, for a couple years.
Gosh, I kept updating my site for GEBET and Sleeping Madness...until Kaya just started singing over Hora's songs.
So to agree with the article more concisely, I think Shuva was so good before because they worked together, whereas they now seem to be working separately.
The end result is CD's that look and sound generically synthesized. It's standard Hora music with reused Kaya lyrics.
Shuva was never about bouquets before :( It was about gay apocalype and that was great.
I dunno. I'd even prefer a snapshot of Les Bois de Bolougne the morning after as a cover! It would feel like less of a slap in the face....
And while it's important that bands evolve and change their styles, they really didn't evolve so much as break apart and smoosh back together.

The only group comeback that's ever done anything for me is Soft Ballet. Menopause is far from my favorite CD of theirs, but it has some descent songs.
I never got back into VE.
 
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vkeiwitch

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Honestly I can't get into any of the new Schwarz Stein material either. I loved them back in the day when they had just released Perfect Garden but I really only cling to their time with Midi:Nette. The last track i remember liking was funerary dream from another cell.
 

Manneking

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Honestly I can't get into any of the new Schwarz Stein material either. I loved them back in the day when they had just released Perfect Garden but I really only cling to their time with Midi:Nette. The last track i remember liking was funerary dream from another cell.

I actually enjoyed blazing darkness, kuroi tsubasa and indwell. I think the issue is that without midi+nette they don't have the cash to hire folk to mix/master and fill out the recordings. I think that, and the cost of importing their music when streaming is pretty much the standard method for listening to music, has alienated a lot of their fanbase. I can't see them lasting much longer unless they make the effort to turn it around.

EDIT: as bad as it sounds, the fact QL hasn't even l****d yet seems like nobody is bothering to cash up for it.
 
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Madmoiselle_Silk

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Again, can't really ignore the japanese fanbase. Just because the overseas fans aren't interested anymore does not mean they can't fill live houses, which they do. there are way smaller bands who only do lives with other bands who still stay together, so don't see why Schwarz Stein would break up just because some foreign fans don't enjoy their new stuff or want to stream :P
 

flowersofnight

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Revelation

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Since no one's updated on the birthday events, per Hora's update , the Hora Birthday (May 10th) event (https://ameblo.jp/hora23/entry-12585036036.html) will still go on but there are two changes with regard to the tickets. It appears there will no longer be S tickets available, only general ticket sales going forward, and the release date of those have been changed to April 4th.

Good thing Tokyo's not on lockdown yet. :P
 

Mad Lilith

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While Hora's birthday live has been postponed until September, Schwarz Stein has announced a gig on 7 August in Mexico. Woohoo, party! What better time than a global pandemic to celebrate apocalypse and decadence!
https://ameblo.jp/hora23/entry-12595053072.html?frm_src=favoritemail

P.S. Is it OK if I write a comment under Hora's blog post and say he's a f***ing idiot? I may be overreacting but I'm gonna burn all my Schwarz Stein CDs now. (Just kidding. Or maybe not.)
 

Madmoiselle_Silk

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I don't know what Japanses authorities are saying but here the official agenda is that travels within Europe might be open again for autumn, outside of Europe for winter. I'm gonna foretell that this won't happen.
 

faith

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I'm predicting a second wave by then that will pick up with a new, (even more) mutated version of the virus as the weath gets colder.
Does anyone remember the beach? Faith remembers the beach...

Sure is a **** time to have birthdays.
 

Manneking

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While Hora's birthday live has been postponed until September, Schwarz Stein has announced a gig on 7 August in Mexico. Woohoo, party! What better time than a global pandemic to celebrate apocalypse and decadence!
https://ameblo.jp/hora23/entry-12595053072.html?frm_src=favoritemail

P.S. Is it OK if I write a comment under Hora's blog post and say he's a f***ing idiot? I may be overreacting but I'm gonna burn all my Schwarz Stein CDs now. (Just kidding. Or maybe not.)

I think the general consensus is that "live performances-as-we-knew-them-pre-corona" aren't going to happen until a vaccine/until around 2021*. I agree w you though, I think it's a dumbass idea. I'm just surprised the idea of a SS livestream where fans pay a minimum fee/donation to attend hasn't happened, esp considering that the cost of flights/hotels etc could go towards setting that up (and might save them some cash). It'd give them a chance to shake the habitual as well.

*Unrelated, but I was supposed to see Agnes Obel in March which has been postponed to August and however much I'd love for it to happen, it seems incredibly unlikely and I'd probably be too anxious to attend anyway.

It was about gay apocalype and that was great.

Don't forget the leather and floating fetuses!!!
 
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