I think you finally got it when it comes to Asami's vocals. I can't think of another Japanese band that sings all their songs in English, it's mostly in Japanese all the way or a mix of English & Japanese like Nemophila (and normally only in the chorus). So all these other bands' vocalists don't have the added burden of really concentrating on pronunciation and enunciation of a non-native language while they're singing LIVE. Now multiply that by 19 tracks in a nearly 2-hour concert like this one, and she has to focus on English in every single one of those songs. Then put yourself in her shoes and imagine yourself doing the same LIVE in Japanese for nearly 2 hours. Get my point ? And yet Asami kills it pretty much every time which in itself is pretty remarkable. Anyway, great reaction to a masterpiece that will truly stand the test of time.
Because Electric Pentagram was coming out in winter, Asami wanted a sad winter ballad. Asami knew she wanted acoustic guitar on the track. Miyako recorded the acoustic guitar, but live, Midori has to play it, because Miyako is busy on the piano. Lyrics: Asami Music: Asami and Mao Arrangement: Lovebites/Mao
That 2021 concert in Tokyo couldn’t have a mosh pit because of the covid restrictions. Just the 👏🏻 Asami’s voice and style is a grower: the more you listen to her, the more you love her. Thanks for checking them out 🐺🤘🏻
This performance never gets old. No matter how many times I watch it. There are really good / great bands then there is LOVEBITES. The musicianship is next level. Asami's not for everyone, I'll take her all day / everyday. Love her singing. Couldn't imagine Lovebites without her. Appreciate you coming back to them. 🤘
Good reaction Jeremy! When this song first came out on their album, there were quite a few people who loved the song but said they could never pull it off live. When it came time for this concert, LB said, "Here; hold my saki!" I actually like this version better than the CD version. Like you, when I first heard Lovebites, I wasn't sure about Asami's vocals either. After several years, they've become my favorite band (with Nemophila a close second), and I love Asami's voice. Two quick things that you may have heard and may not have...1) Asami studied ballet for many years, and 2) Miyako was 4 months pregnant when she did this concert. She had to have been exhausted afterward. One last thing,... Lovebites usually does 2 hour concerts, and poor little Haruna (the drummer) has to keep those double kicks going for two hours. She has said that she does "exercises for her muscles" just for the stamina. I imagine it was out of necessity that she appears to have small movements. I don't thing she could do those big exaggerated movements for two hours. Stay safe and peace!
I was the same with Asami's vocals, Ralph. But, Asami will make you fall in love with her. She sneaks into your heart without you realizing it. It must be her charm point!
good reaction. this is one of their masterpieces. fair comment on asamis voice and style too. it´s so hard to sing against that pace of the music. btw: how quick miyako changed from guitar to piano and back (she was in the fourth or fifth month of her pregnancy then).
I think you hit the nail on the head with Asami’s vocals. We must make allowances for her English as a second language. Imagine oneself trying to sing in Japanese as a second language. Lovebites rocks!
I know exactly what you mean. 8 months into learning German, I wrote a rap song in German and performed it in a club in Zurich. So I know what it’s like not speaking your native tongue and performing. I give her props…but I’m glad to hear that she’s taken classes to get her speech better. I’m looking forward to hearing more recent performances as opposed to these old ones.
@@musikbyjh Her pronounciation in "Judgement Day" has improved a lot IMHO. Let's wait for Aug/Sep, when there are first live events on their JP tour (most of them sold out!)...
How many true masterpieces are there in the history of rock? A dozen? I would name “A Day in the Life” by the Beatles; “The End” by the Doors; “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen; “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin; “Layla” by Derek and the Dominoes; “The Great Gig in the Sky” by Pink Floyd; “Starless” by King Crimson; “Ghost Love Score” by Nightwish… maybe a few more. Few rock groups have ever produced a masterpiece, and some of the greatest never managed it. Lovebites have given us several, and I would put this performance at the top of the list.
Amazing reaction, thanks! I really like how honest and frank you are when you give us your impressions and, at the same time, raise relevant points and value the quality of Lovebites musicians and songs. I'm looking forward for your next Lovebites reaction!
I've been in plenty of clubs, theaters, arenas, and outdoor venues in Japan that allow mosh pits, in the Tokyo area ranging from big halls like Makuhari Messe to tiny clubs in the Shimokitazawa district. Other venues will "forbid" moshing but look the other way when it happens. Of course many venues will post a liability disclaimer in case of injury.
@@otobokegaijin6218 A good example would be the BabyMetal concert back in 2015 at the Saitama Super Arena where there was a sold-out crowd of 20,000. When they played "Road of Resistance", someone who was in the crowd counted 11 mosh pits concurrently.
@@otobokegaijin6218 Even though you didn't mosh, that must have been an awesome experience ! Not really into BabyMetal's music, but I can appreciate how amazing they are LIVE. Missed their recent world tour, but attending one of their shows is definitely on my bucket list
The drummer is HARUNA. ☺ Yes, this is one of our favorite songs too. Have you ever heard Asami sing in Japanese? Maybe you should check out "Bravehearted". 😉 Here is the link: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BbFXnzhJiiQ.html
Wow I just found out they have a Japanese version, thank for the link. It sounded so different maybe because they performed it in their native language which sounded so well suited to their appearance and the character of Asami's voice. I'm not saying that their English version is not good, I just hope they bring more songs with their language version like Band Maid, Nemophila and Babymetal.
Just like you said about Miyako "silent killer"... This track i guess " killer track in slow mode" it genius in lyrics, structure, compose.. Damn ! Hail LOVEBITES 🤘
Thank you for reacting this masterpiece. 😊 I like and appreciate your honest attitude. We Japanese are used to English accent for our names called by foreigners. Almost Japanese doesn't care about it. I understand English speakers tend to pronounce like "miDOri", "miYAko", "aSAmi",and " haRUna", stressed on second syllable and a bit longer. In case the band members introduce themselves in English, they might say like that. But if you want to pronounce in Japanese accent, stress on first syllable is mostly near correct. "MI/do/ri", "MI/ya/ko", "HA/ru/na", "MI/ho", "FA/mi". And only Asami differs. "A/SA/MI", same level for three syllables, not "A/sa/mi" or "a/SA/mi". Just FYI.😊
You absolutely ROCK for this comment!! Thank you so much! I have very much respect for speaking other languages and I’m aware of how hard it can be, as I speak German fluently, and some words in a few other languages. I always want to have respect and do right by cultures…especially when saying peoples’ names. So thank you for this. I’ll do my best to say them the right way! You’re awesome! Arigato!
The only song of lovebites in Japanese is Harunas song Bravehearted 1st version from the Lovebites EP it was changed to English by the time the 1st album came out.
Haruna is a very skilled player she doesn't over power everything because that's what the stage sound is for.. she has the best feat that I have heard in a long time
I always tend to compare her to a Boeing pilot - she has total control but don't need to over power things because she's in command of a powerfull plane.
I feel ya on that…but it’s not just the mics on stage that make the sound. Tapping ride cymbal versus HITTING it produces 2 different sounds and feels. Regardless of the “stage sound” you mention. The timbre of instruments (especially percussive instruments) can greatly change based on the impact. No amount of mics or mixing will do anything to change that. Not saying she’s wrong or bad…just saying that it’s noticeable. Check out Travis Barker. One of the best out there…dude destroys drums. Lol. Again…not a criticism or a dig…just an observation. She is killer for being a tiny little thing and keeping up like she does…for so long!! Love it!
The BEST HEAVY METAL BAND in the WORLD now LOVEBITES...... The BEST ROCK BAND in the WORLD now BAND-MAID..... The BEST ROCK METAL and COVER BAND now is NEMOPHILA..... The BEST THREE PIECE METAL BAND now is ASTERISM....
Bet you never thought you’d see ballet in a metal performance. This is why I rate them above any other metal band, males included. Because they can switch from blitzkreig thrash to piano, acoustic and ballet. No male band would ever contemplate such a thing. Now, tell me that isn’t the best Bond movie tie in you ever heard.
I've always said that Haruna is such an efficient drummer. No wasted energy. As an engineer, I know you realise that the wall of sound she can put out, has a lot to do with the eq & the mixing of the mikes on the kit, at the desk. My son plays drums, and is also an engineer. He was a hard hitter at the start, but soon learned how to be more efficient & get the big sound from the mikes when he records.
There was an interview where Asami mentions that to fit the words into the fast paced music, she has to cut off part of the words to keep up with the music and it makes it difficult to understand. She said she understood that aspect of things and hoped that people who might not catch the words would view her voice as one of the instruments. Which is what I have done at the beginning and as time went and the more I listened the more I could here the words. Great Reaction by the way!!!
IF YOU READ THE ENGLISH SUBTITLES IT HELPS CUT THROUGH THE ACCENT. ALSO, THE MUSIC IS SO CAPTIVATING IT IS DIFFICULT TO FOCUS ON THE SINGING? EUROPEANS HAVE GENERALLY BEEN MUCH MORE HIP TO JROCK AND JMETAL. MY THEORY IS THAT THEY ARE VERY USED TO TALKING TO OTHER MULTI LANGUAGE PEOPLE SO ACCENTS DON'T DISTRACT THEM? NO BIG DEAL, IT GETS EASIERS FOR MOST FANS. FOR MYSELF I REALLY ENJOY HEARING ENGLISH WITH ACCENTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. WORLD ROCK AND METAL IS A JOY BROUGHT TO AMERICA BY COOL REACTORS! I NEVER UNDERSTOOD BEFORE WHY PEOPLE LOVED OPERAS SUNG IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES UNTILL I HEARD ROCK AND METAL THAT WERE NOT IN ENGLISH. EVEN WITHOUT THE SUBTITLES I CAN LOVE THE VOICE AS AN INSTRUMENT. OF COURSE, I AM A LYRIC NERD SO HAPPIER WHEN CAN FIND THE LYRICS SOMEWHERE. TAKE NO GUFF FROM ANY UNSATISFIED BY YOUR HONESTY. I BELIEVE IT IS BECAUSE OF YOUR NEED FOR PERFECTION IN SOUND ENGINEERING THAT DIFFICULT ACCENTS IS NOT YOUR FAVORITE??? YOU ARE COOL! YOU WANT PROOF! GO WATCH SOME OF THE ABSOLUTLY EVIL MONSTER "REACTORS" THAT ARE OUT THERE. RACIST, MYSOGYNIST, GASLIGHTING = JUST HORRIBLE. I THINK YOU WOULD BE WORTHY OF AN OSCAR IF YOU TRIED TO ACT LIKE THEM AND NAILED IT, HA HA. YOU ARE COOL NO WORRIES. TRUTH N HONESTY DONE RESPECTFULLY IS THE WAY IMHO.
They say "patience is a virtue" and your patience is now paying off with the virtuoso voice of Asami. They also say "great things come in small packages" 4 9" Haruna comes to mind. Good honest reaction again,plenty more to come I expect. 🤘🎤🎹🥁🎸🐺
@@rainerzufall42 Yes I believe Asami is 4'10" so only slightly taller than Haruna, and imo she has the stage presence of a giant, the way she is on stage is just phenomenal and her vocals are crazy good
The 2nd syllable is not stressed in the original Japanese. The name can be written with several dozen different kanji characters or combinations thereof, depending on which the stress might fall slightly on the 1st or the 3rd syllable, more often on the 3rd. In the case of LB's Miyako slightly on the 3rd, from what I've heard. That said, a non Japanese speaker can't be expected to get the stress nuance exactly right.
@@otobokegaijin6218 Excuse me from Japan. 😊 You're almost right about Kanji characters. Generally speaking, "miyako" is a bit ancient Japanese for "metropolis" or " capital". And pronunciation is no accent, weak for first syllable and flat for 2nd and 3rd is correct. "mi/YA/KO". But when it represents for some person's name (and "MIYAKO" is a very familiar name as a girl name), accent is on the 1st syllable like "MI/ya/ko" no matter what kanji characters their parents chose. 100%. Just FYI, "都", "京", "美也子", "美夜子" can all be read as "MIyako" and all typical for girl's name. Meaning for each, "都/metropolis", "京/city where Emperor lives", "美也子/very beautiful child", "美夜子/ a child of beautiful night". So, you can say "都 mi/ya/Ko" for Tokyo, Paris, NY, London. but you should say "都 MI/ya/ko" when you call someone. And "MI/do/ri", "HA/ru/na", "MI/ho" and "FA/mi" are the same. Only Asami should be pronounced like "a/SA/MI" ,never "A/sa/mi" or "a/SA/mi" Having said that, most Japanese don't care about calling their names in English accent by foreigners, lol. We are used to that. 😊 Sorry for my poor Eng. 🙇
@@lovezhangyan Excuse me from Japan too. I was raised here, speak the language fluently, have a Masters degree in Japanese lit., and work in the music industry here. We don't know what kanji is/are used in LB Miyako's name. It is certainly not true that as a personal name "Miyako" is invariably stressed on the first syllable. The name can be written with dozens of kanji or combinations of kanji (according to one source about 70, it can also be written simply in kana), and we should know which kanji before we know the precise stress. (One thing for sure, the stress is not on the 2nd syllable.) When I have heard the LB members say Miyako's name, they have not stressed it MIyako but rather MiyaKO or no stress Miyako, but of course in Japanese the stress is slight, not strong as in English. Yes, it's MIdori, HAruna, etc. Those pronunciations are more obvious. But the 3rd syllable can be stressed in 3-syllable names, as you correctly note AsaMI, but also for example KanaMI of Band-Maid and HazuKI of Nemophila.
@@otobokegaijin6218 Thank you for your reply. I'm also born and still live in Japan for over 55 years. I believe your personal history, and I am sorry but you are fundamentally wrong. You said, "we should know which kanji before we know the precise stress". Then why you can say, "those pronunciations are more obvious" about midori, haruna, and asami? Do you certainly know their kanji name? I definitely know midori's full name and can write it down in kanji. But I don't know clearly about haruna and asami. I can write over ten variations of kanji for haruna and asami, and I have the answer but not for sure. Even so, I can pronounce them hundred percent correctly. Because I know those represent the names of a person as a proper noun, never a verb, a common noun or an adjective. Kanji means "Chinese character", yes, it's not Japan origin. And Japanese language has existed from far before the kanji had been imported. Always the spoken language is the first, then later 'letter' or 'character' was invented to record the spoken words. This is the truth in any culture and language. What decides the meaning of a certain word is not 'letter', 'character' or even 'kanji', but the way you speak first of all. Position of stress on the word, pronunciation and intonation is the key. It's just a matter of the sound. The word "miyako" as a spoken language has been existed from ancient era far before 'letter' had invented. Any Kanji for that word is obviously afterthought. If someone can say correctly the word, "RE-cord/re-CORD", REF-use/re-FUSE", "OB-ject/ob-JECT", partner would understand what he means, despite not knowing the exact spelling of them. Many Japanese kids in kinder garden might not can write even their own name in kanji, but they can have a conversation with their friends, parents. When you say "mi-YA-KO" to any Japanese, he will ask you "Where, Tokyo or Kyoto?". And when you say "MI-ya-ko", he will ask "Who? How to write?" Because almost Japanese KNOW that "mi-YA-KO" expresses only one meaning and never sounds like that for a person's first name. Learned by experience. The only one exception is in the case that "miyako" is used as a family name and moreover spoken for full name. (Miyako, Midori, Asami, Haruna are all used for both first name and family name like 'Allen", "James") You know, in Japan we say family name first. So, if someone has a name "Miyako" as a family name and "Midori" as a first name, you should call her "mi-YA-KO MI-do-ri". I'm not joking, definitely there exist some ladies with that name. Stress or intonation changes by context or what word follows in certain case. But when you call Miyako as a family name in single (not full name), you should still call "Mr. MI-ya-ko". And never AsaMI, KanaMI, HazuKI. Linguistically speaking, they are always a-SA-MI = ka-NA-MI and HA-zu-ki = MI-do-ri = HA-ru-na and MI-ya-ko. There're some videos the members introduce themselves in Japanese. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uVy45WMBrQQ.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vl-lQLNDO9M.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-YAKlkA6UJFk.html
@@lovezhangyan I'll believe your personal history, too. I know Midori's and Haruna's name stress because I've met them personally and heard them introduce themselves. In their case it's not necessary for me to know the kanji or to guess at the stress or to look at y t. I'm not talking about surnames (family names). As for given (personal) names, you're wrong to state that the given name "Miyako" is invariably stressed on the first syllable. You said "100%"-that's simply wrong. Even if we acknowledge that the LB guitarist's name is stressed MIyako, it's possible for a girl to be named Miyako using the kanji for "capital", and in that case the name is definitely not stressed on the first syllable. As for "Kanami" and "Hazuki", Japanese is a pitch-accent language, and for those names the pitch-accent is placed on the last syllable: KanaMI, HazuKI. You're absolutely wrong to state that it's never HazuKI-it is precisely HazuKI in the case of the Nemophila guitarist. I have no desire to engage in a linguistic debate with you. Take care.
Well, considering I’ve already stated MANY times how good she is…it’s like some of you don’t even listen to ANYTHING except negativity. Go back and listen to how much I have praised her, and then comment something that actually is legit. And secondly, I did learn fluent German when living in Switzerland, and in 8 months of learning, I wrote and performed a rap song completely in German, in a club in Zurich. So yeah…I have first hand experience of what it’s like performing in a language that’s not your own. My points are still very valid. Too bad you don’t get it. 🤷🏽♂️
ASAMI sounds great singing in Japanese on the original version of BRAVEHEARTED, from the LOVEBITES EP - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BbFXnzhJiiQ.html Were you really disappointed that the song was slow when SERENADE is in the title. Many music venues in Japan have reserved seating, as you see here. In addition, Covid restrictions have required masks and prohibited shouting/cheering/singing along. That said, Japanese society is much less violent and aggressive than that of the US, so even when you see moshing at festivals it involves everyone going around in a circle, old school, instead of jocks trying to beat the shit out of others there to enjoy the music.
That funny noise you made when mimicking Asami (tbh by the third time now it's closer to mocking her) sounds much like vibrato, the one that you highly praised in this song. A bit contradictory. Just saying, don't slam me on your next video 😆
Well, I mean, there’s good vibrato…and then there’s vibrato where the person doesn’t even finish the word. I mean, if you can’t tell the difference between the parts I’m talking about, I’m not sure there’s anything I can say that would get you to understand. It’s pretty clear to me when she holds beautiful notes with vibrato…and when she’s rushing through words with vibrato that isn’t exactly “great”. I’m being critical because as a producer and engineer, if I heard that in the studio, it’d have to be corrected. Live performance is a bit different. So, there IS a difference. Just because I use the word vibrato doesn’t mean that every time she does it, it’s good. I shouldn’t have to explain that. And maybe you think it’s mocking…I don’t know how worse to mimic the sound without doing what I was doing. That’s what it sounds like to me. Just sayin’.
@@musikbyjh I understood you. I just found it funny that you used the same one word to describe the best and the worst aspect of Asami's singing, when there are many other adjectives to describe them. To be fair you did touch on the reason why you thought she sounded that way, which in my opinion it boils down to her English enunciation.
The trick with Japanese accents is they don't vary the volume the way we do (we make the accented syllable LOUDER), but they vary the pitch. So if you just pay attention to volume, the three syllables of "Miyako" are all about the same loudness. But the first syllable is at a slightly higher pitch. Same with Midori and Asami.
Excuse me from Japan. 😊 Yes, you're right but only Asami is a bit different. IMO. Three syllables are almost the same, like "A/SA/MI" not "A/sa/mi". Other members are as you said, "MI/do/ri", "MI/ya/ko", "HA/ru/na", "MI/ho" and "FA/mi".
I disagree. When you can’t pronounce things…I’m not sure how that ISNT crippling. Also, if it wasn’t crippling, she wouldn’t have felt the need to take speaking lessons to improve her pronunciation. Hearing their new stuff, it’s clear how much better she is.
Ugh, this has been an ongoing convo on pretty much every Lovebites video I've posted. If you haven't already, check the commentary on the others: ru-vid.com/group/PLYrkTp-j9yammtKTMYljBDRkM_XC4LZio
And as I’ve said to so many other “chaps”…I actually learned German fluently in 8 months while living in Switzerland…then I wrote and then performed a hip hop song all in German, in a club in Zurich. So, chap…I certainly know what it’s like to perform in a 2nd language.
have you heard 2 same songs....?have you heard a bad song.....?any song you listen to will offer you something different....and you will like it....trust me....
Crazy. I toured with Metallica for a few weeks recording their performances for their movie they put out. What a coincidence that they have the same names. 🙃 Oh yeah…Go Ravens! 🤘🏽😎🤘🏽 #RavensFlock
