Similar stories - one day after watching old yard bird and zeppelin videos trying to relive what was missing in music today, a YT suggestion popped up for the Thrill video. Clearly a girl band and I wondered why is this here? I’m not into girl bands, but I noticed 19M views. So, I watched it. I haven’t been the same since. Thanks for another great take on my favorite Band, Sir Chan!
Based on the "Thrill" stats, I assume it was the entry point for a TON of Maidiacs. :-) I'm curious about the version of me in an alternate universe who heard/saw "Thrill" in 2014 or 2015, and whether that version of me jumped in head first. :-)
I found Band-Maid after Ty Franckes (half of sci-fi writing team James S A Corey) raved about the band in a Twitter post in July 2022. I listened to Domination live and then Thrill and then everything else on UA-cam in rapid succession and was hooked. Shot straight to the top of my favourite band rankings and have stayed there. Band-Maid's music is a 99.99999% match to everything I want in music. I still listen to other music, but none of it makes me unreasonably happy like Band-Maid does. The thing that still amazes me about Band-Maid's music is that no matter how many times you hear a song, it never gets stale, it always tickles the ears every time.
Interesting! I have a friend who keeps recommending James S A Corey to me (I do enjoy a sci-fi book occasionally when I find time). If half of them like Band-Maid then I'll move Corey up my "want to read" list. :-)
Like you, I discovered BAND-MAID through a UA-cam reactor. The first song was Domination (live). I really liked the instrumentation but felt that the chorus might be too "pop" for me (although I found myself watching the video over and over). Freedom (live) was next. Again I thought it wasn't heavy enough for me (although, again, I found myself watching the video over and over lol). The third song was Onset (live) and I was absolutely mind-blown. I started wondering if BAND-MAID could be one of my favourite bands. Next was Puzzle (live first, then acoustic) and I realized that this is my all-time favourite band. No other musical artist has ever had such a powerful hold on me. It's been 2 1/2 years and my enjoyment of, and admiration for, BAND-MAID only gets stronger. 🤘✌
Cool! I think I would have hesitated as well if "Domination" (live) had been my entry point. But it's a fun enough live experience that I might have tried one more. :-)
Yes! That's a great one too. (When I first heard this song, I listened to it a handful of times and copied several of the lyrics as quotes that I added to my PC's desktop background image, so I'd see them every day.)
I not sure why but I ready love the breakdown at 9:47 where like you said Kanami is looking at Miku and in the second MV they’re both looking at each other. In others live video I seen Miku will go over or sometime run over to Kanami and play this part together with a smile. I believe there is some connection between them during this part. Also, I hear Miku singing in a lower register of her vocal range but will brighten it later in the song. Also, Saiki’s facial expressions in the second MV always gets me. The song the that caught my attention was “from now on”. Like you I had seen thumbnails from reactors and saw the Maid outfits and thought - a goofy Japanese band. But one time I saw a thumbnail of a fan cam from their 2022 USA tour and thought is this that Japanese band in the Maid outfits…what are they doing here in US. So I decided to watch and fell fast into the pigeon hole and have not stopped falling! Always enjoy your videos. Thanks! 🤘🕊️🦍🥷👸🏻👀PO!
Oh, "From Now On" would have been an AMAZING place to start, wow! (I can't wait to get to that point in my chronological journey, because I remember being floored by that instrumental and I want to hear it again.)
My first song was REAL EXISTENCE and I thought it was kind of okay. And the in my third or fourth song Alone, really grabbed me and nailed my heart to them😊
Of course I can't know for sure, but I think the MV (or the live) of "Real Existence" would have hooked me immediately... When I finally did get to it, my brain clicked into neutral and my body went slack as if I'd been hit by a truck. :-) Thanks for the comment!
One of my favorite ever reactions to Band-Maid is Justin Hawkins' reaction to Dice. It is great to hear a real rock musician and songwriter (aptly) praise the Maids skills.
I think I might have seen that one too, around the same time in late 2022, because once I watched Tank's handful of Band-Maid reactions, and then switched to watching actual Band-Maid videos, the recommendations just kept coming. :-)
i think this is a very interesting MV and lyrics (as per usual from Miku!) - it seems to be addressing the Japanese phenomenon sometimes referred to as 'locked in syndrome' - extreme social withdrawal (apparently called 'hikikomori'). the blindfolded girl in the MV with a doll symbolises this process of not successfully making the passage to adulthood and autonomous social life. the move from the darker verses to the light open chorus symbolises the invitation by band-maid to make this transition which is enacted at the end of the MV by the girl removing her blindfold and leaving her doll and walking into the light (nb too the video becomes lighter as the song progresses). the lyrics reflect these themes also but Miku doesn't offer easy redemption - as always she reiterates that life is tough and you have to make it your own and there will be pleasure and pain, gains and losses, etc. i would be interested to hear Japanese interpretations on this song. yet again, band-maid demonstrate an acute intelligence in all that they do - musically, lyrically and in multi-media - there is clearly forethought by the whole team in preparing their MVs and careful scripting to match the song's intended meanings.
Thank you for diving deeper into the message. It certainly makes the video's images make clearer sense to me. (And I empathize with that transitional period just a bit -- my boyhood-to-adulthood transition could probably have gone better.) :-)
I like the format. Nice video. My first BM song was Real Existence, I loved it and listened to all they had at the time (2015) , but I did not like everything and stopped listening to them after a few weeks ... I rediscovered them a few months before Covid and as I love almost everything they write on their own, I listen to them almost everyday, buy their stuff ... The best band I've followed in the last half century.
I can understand that -- their song format and sound were certainly different before they began writing their own music. In fact, that was one reason I began this "from the beginning" chronological tour of their music -- to see if I would have become a fan if I'd heard them on Day One. (My conclusion was that I would have been curious for more, but might not have bought that first album. By album two, I was hooked.) :-)
Chan - THANK YOU for another great reaction. My voyage to BAND-MAID (and J-rock) began with PERFUME (via Pentatonix and OK-GO), to REOL, then SCANDAL (all very worth listening to). DICE is a great song and one of my favorites! ...and I think it WAS my first. Regarding the MV story, I believe the blindfolded girl with the doll is symbolic of anyone who is stuck in their own little (imaginary) world... at the end, she leaves the doll and the blindfold behind and walks toward the light. The lyrics are like a coach, sympathizing with the listener that the world is scary and often cold, but then pushing and encouraging that bold steps (seize the moment) are the only way to REALLY LIVE, and are worth the risk. (I think)
My first full band maid song was Glory. I had heard bits of band maid thanks to finding a Misa bass solos compilation video. I was so impressed that I went and found videos of entrie songs...
MISA bass compilation would be an EXCELLENT introduction to this band. :-) Also, I haven't heard "Glory" in a while, but I recall it being very awesome.
Coincidentally, the first song I encountered was Different (via the opening of Log Horizon 3). I thought the song was fantastic, but assumed they were a gimmick band that maybe managed to release an EP that happened to have a banger on it that was selected for the anime and that they'd probably disband before releasing anything else of note. At the time I also assumed the band was probably 3 dudes and a female singer, presumably dressed as a maid. It took me the better part of a year but on a whim I decided to check them out on youtube with a co-worker of mine. We wasn't shocked to discover it was actually an all female band, but my co-worker and I were rather impressed that basically every song they had was a banger. I recall he turned to me and said "Damn, Band-Maid don't miss!" Ironically, we both just assumed the band just had a robust production staff writing good songs for them and that they'd probably be 'maidiocre' live where they couldn't hide their flaws with editing. Obviously we were quickly humbled by how much BETTER they were live. They quickly became my favorite band to listen to but I still didn't fully appreciate just how special the band was until I encountered and watched the Ohrenje documentaries. My co-worker didn't become quite as big of a fan as I did, but when we discovered they'd be playing near us live, we immediately demanded the day off.
Thank you for the story! I can understand your assumptions, given the way you were introduced to the band. Maybe one thing most of us can agree on about Band-Maid is that they taught us to be more careful when assuming things. :-)
I'm having trouble remembering which song of theirs I heard first... But I'm sure it was a recommendation as I perused classic rock songs... At first it was just a novelty for me (I prefer easy listening rock like Steve Miller Band for example), but Band-Maid's spirit and intensity is infectious. Then I realized MISA and Akane could replace any rhythm section I'd ever listened to and it would improve. I was hooked.
Agreed about MISA and Akane. In fact, some sci-fi writer could probably have fun with the history of rock and roll if those two somehow slipped through time and made it into AC/DC or Black Sabbath or something. :-)
Dice is the song I use to introduce people to Band-Maid. It’s not my favorite, but I think if you can’t get into it, you’re probably not going to like Band-Maid.
If I knew someone had similar tastes in music to me, I think it's a perfect song to use as an introduction song. There's nothing too confusing about the change-ups, the guitar solo is close enough to traditional rock solos, etc.
@@Chan_Fry Yeah. At the same time, it has all of the Band-Maid hallmarks, like a little bass solo leading into the guitar solo, switch up in the verses, positive message in the lyrics, etc. It's like the quintessential Band-Maid track that isn't taking any huge risks with the writing. I also don't think you have to be especially into any particular genre of rock to enjoy it. Great place to start. There was a reactor who somehow managed to land on Different as his introduction, and I was a little worried because it's got such a weird riff, but he loved it, and ended up doing Corallium (my favorite, which I'd never give to someone as their first exposure) as like his third song, and he loved it, too. Really weird trajectory, but it just goes to show that they've got something for everyone who likes rock.
Similar stories - one day after watching old yard bird and zeppelin videos trying to relive what was missing in music today, a YT suggestion popped up for the Thrill video. Clearly a girl band and I wondered why is this here? I’m not into girl bands, but I noticed 19M views. So, I watched it. I haven’t been the same since. Thanks for another great take on my favorite Band, Sir Chan!
Hey man. That's my story too. Is it that old adage "Great minds think alike"? Or is it, as my old man used to say..."Fools never differ". 😄
Based on the "Thrill" stats, I assume it was the entry point for a TON of Maidiacs. :-) I'm curious about the version of me in an alternate universe who heard/saw "Thrill" in 2014 or 2015, and whether that version of me jumped in head first. :-)
I found Band-Maid after Ty Franckes (half of sci-fi writing team James S A Corey) raved about the band in a Twitter post in July 2022. I listened to Domination live and then Thrill and then everything else on UA-cam in rapid succession and was hooked. Shot straight to the top of my favourite band rankings and have stayed there. Band-Maid's music is a 99.99999% match to everything I want in music. I still listen to other music, but none of it makes me unreasonably happy like Band-Maid does. The thing that still amazes me about Band-Maid's music is that no matter how many times you hear a song, it never gets stale, it always tickles the ears every time.
Interesting! I have a friend who keeps recommending James S A Corey to me (I do enjoy a sci-fi book occasionally when I find time). If half of them like Band-Maid then I'll move Corey up my "want to read" list. :-)
@@Chan_Fry The Expanse series was amazing.
I love the way saiki says may I take ur order , in her accent she sounds like she's saying chowder as if she's from Boston, n rest in peace tiny hat
Like you, I discovered BAND-MAID through a UA-cam reactor. The first song was Domination (live). I really liked the instrumentation but felt that the chorus might be too "pop" for me (although I found myself watching the video over and over). Freedom (live) was next. Again I thought it wasn't heavy enough for me (although, again, I found myself watching the video over and over lol). The third song was Onset (live) and I was absolutely mind-blown. I started wondering if BAND-MAID could be one of my favourite bands. Next was Puzzle (live first, then acoustic) and I realized that this is my all-time favourite band. No other musical artist has ever had such a powerful hold on me. It's been 2 1/2 years and my enjoyment of, and admiration for, BAND-MAID only gets stronger. 🤘✌
Cool! I think I would have hesitated as well if "Domination" (live) had been my entry point. But it's a fun enough live experience that I might have tried one more. :-)
The most meaningful line for me in this song is "Even tears can make a rainbow"
Yes! That's a great one too. (When I first heard this song, I listened to it a handful of times and copied several of the lyrics as quotes that I added to my PC's desktop background image, so I'd see them every day.)
@@Chan_Fry What a cool idea.
I not sure why but I ready love the breakdown at 9:47 where like you said Kanami is looking at Miku and in the second MV they’re both looking at each other. In others live video I seen Miku will go over or sometime run over to Kanami and play this part together with a smile. I believe there is some connection between them during this part. Also, I hear Miku singing in a lower register of her vocal range but will brighten it later in the song. Also, Saiki’s facial expressions in the second MV always gets me.
The song the that caught my attention was “from now on”. Like you I had seen thumbnails from reactors and saw the Maid outfits and thought - a goofy Japanese band. But one time I saw a thumbnail of a fan cam from their 2022 USA tour and thought is this that Japanese band in the Maid outfits…what are they doing here in US. So I decided to watch and fell fast into the pigeon hole and have not stopped falling!
Always enjoy your videos. Thanks!
🤘🕊️🦍🥷👸🏻👀PO!
Oh, "From Now On" would have been an AMAZING place to start, wow! (I can't wait to get to that point in my chronological journey, because I remember being floored by that instrumental and I want to hear it again.)
My first song was REAL EXISTENCE and I thought it was kind of okay. And the in my third or fourth song Alone, really grabbed me and nailed my heart to them😊
Of course I can't know for sure, but I think the MV (or the live) of "Real Existence" would have hooked me immediately... When I finally did get to it, my brain clicked into neutral and my body went slack as if I'd been hit by a truck. :-)
Thanks for the comment!
One of my favorite ever reactions to Band-Maid is Justin Hawkins' reaction to Dice. It is great to hear a real rock musician and songwriter (aptly) praise the Maids skills.
I think I might have seen that one too, around the same time in late 2022, because once I watched Tank's handful of Band-Maid reactions, and then switched to watching actual Band-Maid videos, the recommendations just kept coming. :-)
i think this is a very interesting MV and lyrics (as per usual from Miku!) - it seems to be addressing the Japanese phenomenon sometimes referred to as 'locked in syndrome' - extreme social withdrawal (apparently called 'hikikomori'). the blindfolded girl in the MV with a doll symbolises this process of not successfully making the passage to adulthood and autonomous social life. the move from the darker verses to the light open chorus symbolises the invitation by band-maid to make this transition which is enacted at the end of the MV by the girl removing her blindfold and leaving her doll and walking into the light (nb too the video becomes lighter as the song progresses). the lyrics reflect these themes also but Miku doesn't offer easy redemption - as always she reiterates that life is tough and you have to make it your own and there will be pleasure and pain, gains and losses, etc. i would be interested to hear Japanese interpretations on this song. yet again, band-maid demonstrate an acute intelligence in all that they do - musically, lyrically and in multi-media - there is clearly forethought by the whole team in preparing their MVs and careful scripting to match the song's intended meanings.
Thank you for diving deeper into the message. It certainly makes the video's images make clearer sense to me. (And I empathize with that transitional period just a bit -- my boyhood-to-adulthood transition could probably have gone better.) :-)
I like the format. Nice video.
My first BM song was Real Existence, I loved it and listened to all they had at the time (2015) , but I did not like everything and stopped listening to them after a few weeks ...
I rediscovered them a few months before Covid and as I love almost everything they write on their own, I listen to them almost everyday, buy their stuff ... The best band I've followed in the last half century.
I can understand that -- their song format and sound were certainly different before they began writing their own music. In fact, that was one reason I began this "from the beginning" chronological tour of their music -- to see if I would have become a fan if I'd heard them on Day One. (My conclusion was that I would have been curious for more, but might not have bought that first album. By album two, I was hooked.) :-)
Dice is one of the best songs that they have ever written.
Dice is one of the best songs ever written
I'm gonna have to go with @bandmaidfanATL here -- "Dice" has to be among the best rock songs I've ever heard, by anyone.
Chan - THANK YOU for another great reaction. My voyage to BAND-MAID (and J-rock) began with PERFUME (via Pentatonix and OK-GO), to REOL, then SCANDAL (all very worth listening to). DICE is a great song and one of my favorites! ...and I think it WAS my first. Regarding the MV story, I believe the blindfolded girl with the doll is symbolic of anyone who is stuck in their own little (imaginary) world... at the end, she leaves the doll and the blindfold behind and walks toward the light. The lyrics are like a coach, sympathizing with the listener that the world is scary and often cold, but then pushing and encouraging that bold steps (seize the moment) are the only way to REALLY LIVE, and are worth the risk. (I think)
I haven't heard of all those, but I've seen some excellent Scandal MVs. And your interpretation of the Dice message seems spot-on.
My first full band maid song was Glory. I had heard bits of band maid thanks to finding a Misa bass solos compilation video. I was so impressed that I went and found videos of entrie songs...
MISA bass compilation would be an EXCELLENT introduction to this band. :-) Also, I haven't heard "Glory" in a while, but I recall it being very awesome.
Coincidentally, the first song I encountered was Different (via the opening of Log Horizon 3). I thought the song was fantastic, but assumed they were a gimmick band that maybe managed to release an EP that happened to have a banger on it that was selected for the anime and that they'd probably disband before releasing anything else of note. At the time I also assumed the band was probably 3 dudes and a female singer, presumably dressed as a maid.
It took me the better part of a year but on a whim I decided to check them out on youtube with a co-worker of mine. We wasn't shocked to discover it was actually an all female band, but my co-worker and I were rather impressed that basically every song they had was a banger. I recall he turned to me and said "Damn, Band-Maid don't miss!"
Ironically, we both just assumed the band just had a robust production staff writing good songs for them and that they'd probably be 'maidiocre' live where they couldn't hide their flaws with editing. Obviously we were quickly humbled by how much BETTER they were live. They quickly became my favorite band to listen to but I still didn't fully appreciate just how special the band was until I encountered and watched the Ohrenje documentaries.
My co-worker didn't become quite as big of a fan as I did, but when we discovered they'd be playing near us live, we immediately demanded the day off.
Thank you for the story! I can understand your assumptions, given the way you were introduced to the band. Maybe one thing most of us can agree on about Band-Maid is that they taught us to be more careful when assuming things. :-)
First time hearing "Dice" i said that's a keeper. Your comments are so relatable to.
"Keeper" -- exactly. :-)
Dice is a great opener for Band Maid.
As for me the first BM song was Puzzle. I was sold after that. 😀😀
Oh, yes, "Puzzle" (both/all versions) would have sucked me in immediately. :-)
I interpret the song and video as a young female facing the "real" world and deciding how to venture into it.
That makes sense (and someone else went into more detail in another comment). All the more inspiring. :-)
I'm having trouble remembering which song of theirs I heard first... But I'm sure it was a recommendation as I perused classic rock songs... At first it was just a novelty for me (I prefer easy listening rock like Steve Miller Band for example), but Band-Maid's spirit and intensity is infectious. Then I realized MISA and Akane could replace any rhythm section I'd ever listened to and it would improve. I was hooked.
Agreed about MISA and Akane. In fact, some sci-fi writer could probably have fun with the history of rock and roll if those two somehow slipped through time and made it into AC/DC or Black Sabbath or something. :-)
Dice is the song I use to introduce people to Band-Maid. It’s not my favorite, but I think if you can’t get into it, you’re probably not going to like Band-Maid.
If I knew someone had similar tastes in music to me, I think it's a perfect song to use as an introduction song. There's nothing too confusing about the change-ups, the guitar solo is close enough to traditional rock solos, etc.
@@Chan_Fry Yeah. At the same time, it has all of the Band-Maid hallmarks, like a little bass solo leading into the guitar solo, switch up in the verses, positive message in the lyrics, etc. It's like the quintessential Band-Maid track that isn't taking any huge risks with the writing. I also don't think you have to be especially into any particular genre of rock to enjoy it. Great place to start.
There was a reactor who somehow managed to land on Different as his introduction, and I was a little worried because it's got such a weird riff, but he loved it, and ended up doing Corallium (my favorite, which I'd never give to someone as their first exposure) as like his third song, and he loved it, too. Really weird trajectory, but it just goes to show that they've got something for everyone who likes rock.