Dir en grey - GLASS SKIN

Agitated Listeners of Dir en grey -UNIMPRESSED-

So I’ve listened to the new Dir en grey single.  Don’t let the subtitle fool you, I adore it.  I’ve just been reading different opinions around the ‘Net, and decided I may as well assert mine.  Though, I sort of did that in the last post.  But anyway.

Concerning the unplugged recording of “Agitated Screams of Maggots.”  I think that it’s not supposed to be musical, in the sense of melody, harmony, beat, composition, etc.  I noticed that some people were pissed off, some creaming their pants over the prospect of listening to it in the dark.  Approach it as an aural work of art, in the same way that a painting or a novel may not intend to entertain.  Popular music is very personal to the composer, rather than intended to please an audience. I remember once reading an interview where one of the band members (I can’t remember which!  I think it was Kaoru?) mentioned something along the lines of music transcending language barriers yet still managing to communicate.  Perhaps this new “Agitated…” is just another way of doing that exactly.  The intention is to make you feel uncomfortable.  The piano backing is reminiscent of silent movies.  Remember Nosferatu?

I could be completely wrong, but that’s alright. Is grainy piano and screaming a viable art form?  Debatable, but we would not be questioning this if no one tried to pass it off as one.

The title track itself, “Glass Skin”, is gorgeous.  Every Dir en grey appreciator has at one point considered Kyo-screaming vs. Kyo-singing.  I think he keeps a good balance of them on each album.  I do want to note, however, that when he goes a capella and starts beating the shit out of himself on stage I felt like I could die with no regrets.  (That’s an exaggeration - it was just fucking amazing in a beautiful, bittersweet way.)

Like I said, “Glass Skin” reminds me of “kasumi,” and maybe a bit of “CONCEIVED SORROW.”  Ballads.  Yeah, that’s a better word.

The new “undecided” arrangement is just as great as the original one - for different reasons, though.  It has another dimension to it - you can tell that the group collaborated on this version and everyone’s strengths really show.  Kyo’s vocals are still as great as ever, but now with more confidence and clarity.  Kaoru plays a more prominent role, yet you can still hear the Die (who composed the original arrangement).  And the drumming.  Oh, the drumming.  Shinya is a contradiction.  Such a tiny, gentle, fragile man…such Amazon drumming.  Have you seen his drum kit?  It’s a behemoth of a set.

And, finally, “Ryojoku no Ame” - one of my favourite tracks from The Marrow of a Bone.  It would be hard to disappoint me.

Final Verdict: YEY.  If it were financially convenient for me, I would spend more money on Dir en grey merchandise.  You, however, can, by purchasing “Glass Skin“.  I think I’ve done my part, buying outrageously-priced tickets, waiting hours outside with disappointing pizza pies, enduring shitty opening bands, and blowing the rest of my money on the posters and t-shirts that are still exactly where I put them when I got home that night.  Totally worth it, though, and I’d do it again.  In fact, I’m going to.