TRal55
I like Yuki
Obviously, Yuki Kajiura is a one of a kind, and there's really zero artist out there who has been able to create such a wide vast array of different sounds, styles, and compositions. And she's created an enormous quantity of music that most artists won't create in their entire lifetimes.
However, sometimes you get to the end of your Kajiura collection, and you realize you need to listen to something new. Who do you turn to? This thread is for suggesting other songs/artists that give you the same musical enjoyment that listening to Kajiura gives you, and will hopefully introduce others to some Kajiura-inspired musical tastes.
My musical taste is highly inspired by Kajiura in terms of impeccable instrumentation, vocals, songwriting, and use of a variety of instruments (among other things). Some songs/albums I'd highly recommend to other Yuki fans include the following (individual songs have links to the song on Youtube):
1) Cirque du Soleil:
Pokinoi (song)
Kalimando (song)
Gamelan (song)
Pageant (song)
Alegria (song)
Most of the above songs use non-English languages and I can't figure out if they're actually a language, or if they use a fantasy language like Kajiurago. Either way, they sound very similar to Kajiurago. Beautiful female vocals & gorgeous melodies, with foreign-sounding instrumentation. Of all the music in my list, this is the closest, in my opinion, to Kajiura's soundtracks.
2) Nightwish
Angels Fall First (song)
Creek Mary's Blood (song)
Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan (song)
The Crow, the Owl, and Dove (song)
Deep Silent Complete (song)
Nightwish may be the most controversial on this list because they are a metal band. However the songs I've picked out above should be deeply appreciated by any Kajiura fan, and I believe don't include any metal at all. Nightwish uses strong female vocals with fantastic composition and unprecedented guitar work. I'm a huge fan of all their albums and it was mostly because I was so inspired by Kajiura's soundtracks back in 2004 when I first heard Angels Fall First and realized how similar it was in a certain way. From there, I became a fan. If you're going to actually purchase an album I recommend starting with either Wishmaster, Once, or their latest Imaginaerum.
3) Paul Schwartz:
State of Grace 1 & 2 (albums)
Aria 2 & 3 (albums)
Earthbound (album)
Paul Schwartz is a very good segue from Yuki Kajiura because his CDs are classical crossover. These are opera/classical sounds over rock instrumentation. Very good stuff.
3) ABBA:
Gold & More Gold (I prefer "More Gold")
As most Yuki fans know, ABBA was one of the artists that Yuki listened to when she was younger, and you can really tell how much they influenced her. Piano is very present in the ABBA songs, beautiful crystal female harmonies, and flowing background vocals that very much resemble the exact same role Kajiurago plays in Kajiura's songs (except in English). Highly recommended. My favorites are Eagle, The Visitors, Cassandra, One of Us (among others)
4) Florence + the Machine
Ceremonials (album)
Breath of Life (song)
I highly prefer her sophomore album Ceremonials over her first one Lungs, which I think pales in comparison. Strong female vocals over a great rock beat. If you like the Kajiura Lives, this album might just be up your ally. The song Breath of Life combines great female vocals with some chorus chanting and orchestral string sounds, which of course, we all know is a hallmark of Kajiura as well. (But then again, what isn't a hallmark of Kajiura? lol)
5) Dream Theater
Along for the Ride (song)
Beneath the Surface (song)
I'm still new to Dream Theater, and the two songs above are 2 of their softer songs, their other songs are hard-core rock. But the two above songs both have that incredible guitar work, gorgeous male vocals, and have that ethereal quality that so much of Kajiura's work has. And the song-writing is just as well-done as Kajiura's. These two songs can give you goosebumps, and make you cry. Check them out!
6) Tarja
I Walk Alone (song)
Tarja was the first female vocalist of Nightwish (the band I posted above) and they actually kicked her out of the band back in 2005 in an OPEN LETTER so that all the fans could read it. Talk about drama! Her first single after they kicked her out is called I Walk Alone (the Nightwish's first single after it happened is called Bye Bye Beautiful...). It is a powerful operatic rock song. Very Kajiura-esque and beautiful.
7) Avantasia
Blowing out the Flame (song)
What Kind of Love (song)
Sleepwalking (song)
The above songs combine that same song quality of pure beauty with a great rock background that resonates with me the same exact way that Kajiura's music does. A great crossover mix between rock & orchestra. These particular songs are among my top favorites in my entire music collection.
8) KONGOS
Come with me Now (song)
I'm very new to this band and don't know much about them, but what I do know is that this song combines heavy accordian (hello, Kajiura!!), with a pop-rock beat and chorus, and includes an electric guitar solo so good you'd swear it was ripped from a Kalafina song.
9) The Republic Tigers
Keep Color (album)
No Man's Land (EP)
One of my most favorites! They are an alternative rock band. Their song-writing is top notch! I've been listening to Keep Color for over a year and still am not sick of it. They are like Kajiura in that they have a very unique grasp on what music can do, and how magical it can be, and clearly work very hard on their song-writing. Start with the song "Buildings & Mountains"
10) Mike Oldfield
Far Country (song)
Only download this one song from him (I think it's on iTunes). I haven't been able to get into any of his other work personally. But this one ballad has that incredible vast beauty that Kajiura so frequently captures. Most of the song is soft, but then picks up very suddenly halfway through much like some of Kajiura's best songs do (EG "saints" or "les soldat," but with English words)
11) Christopher Tin
Calling All Dawns (album)
Will 'O the Wisp (song)
Definitely recommended for Yuki fans. He plays with a lot of classical sounds, and African/chanting sounds. I believe he composes for video games, but the above album & song are his own creations.
12) Serenity
Changing Fate (song)
Here's a new band I'm getting into! This is a really cool song with great instrumentation and both great female & male vocals. I don't know much about them yet, but I think Kajiura fans could appreciate this song.
13) Styx
Dear John (song)
Yes I can (song)
Goodbye Roseland (song)
Fields of the Brave (song)
Styx is one of my favorite bands. Their "Best of" CD in my opinion does NOT represent their best songs. The above songs inspire that same sense of beauty that Kajiura is so good at. There are 3 songs in my life that I only allow myself to listen to once a year when I'm on my annual vacation up in the north woodlands of Wisconsin. I only let myself listen to these 3 songs during this 1 week of each year because they are so heavenly beautiful to me that I don't want to "waste" them. One is heigen, one is farewell song (Live), and the third is Dear John. Hope you like it too!
14) VAST
Until I Die (song)
Touched (song)
Winter in my Heart (song)
Great guitar, good male vocals with African-style female chanting vocals in the background in many of the songs. These three songs are a good sample of the range VAST can play, from acoustic and gorgeous, to plugged in and rockin'.
15) Arcade Fire
The Suburbs (album)
The reason I think Arcade Fire is suitable for Yuki fans is because they have a tendency to use calm, drawn out, beautiful vocals over very hard background guitars. It creates that beautiful contrasting effect that so much of Yuki's music does.
16) Ayreon
1011001 (album)
This album honestly isn't my favorite on this list, but it's still very good. It combines male and female vocals, using a wide array of instrumentation and throws in a lot of classical vocal sounds like Kajiura's music does. This is a rock album, so if you're a fan of the Yuki Lives, I think you'd like this album.
As you can see, I don't know many other Japanese artists (I would have put down Yoko Kanno, but I figured that most people on this board would have already listened to her before, plus I don't think she comes close to Kajiura, no offense Kanno fans) so if you know some other good Japanese artists that have that same Kajiura genius, please suggest them.
I hope this thread can be a place where we can post other bands, albums or songs that you feel represent those same genius qualities of Kajiura so we can all continue to expand our music horizons.
However, sometimes you get to the end of your Kajiura collection, and you realize you need to listen to something new. Who do you turn to? This thread is for suggesting other songs/artists that give you the same musical enjoyment that listening to Kajiura gives you, and will hopefully introduce others to some Kajiura-inspired musical tastes.
My musical taste is highly inspired by Kajiura in terms of impeccable instrumentation, vocals, songwriting, and use of a variety of instruments (among other things). Some songs/albums I'd highly recommend to other Yuki fans include the following (individual songs have links to the song on Youtube):
1) Cirque du Soleil:
Pokinoi (song)
Kalimando (song)
Gamelan (song)
Pageant (song)
Alegria (song)
Most of the above songs use non-English languages and I can't figure out if they're actually a language, or if they use a fantasy language like Kajiurago. Either way, they sound very similar to Kajiurago. Beautiful female vocals & gorgeous melodies, with foreign-sounding instrumentation. Of all the music in my list, this is the closest, in my opinion, to Kajiura's soundtracks.
2) Nightwish
Angels Fall First (song)
Creek Mary's Blood (song)
Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan (song)
The Crow, the Owl, and Dove (song)
Deep Silent Complete (song)
Nightwish may be the most controversial on this list because they are a metal band. However the songs I've picked out above should be deeply appreciated by any Kajiura fan, and I believe don't include any metal at all. Nightwish uses strong female vocals with fantastic composition and unprecedented guitar work. I'm a huge fan of all their albums and it was mostly because I was so inspired by Kajiura's soundtracks back in 2004 when I first heard Angels Fall First and realized how similar it was in a certain way. From there, I became a fan. If you're going to actually purchase an album I recommend starting with either Wishmaster, Once, or their latest Imaginaerum.
3) Paul Schwartz:
State of Grace 1 & 2 (albums)
Aria 2 & 3 (albums)
Earthbound (album)
Paul Schwartz is a very good segue from Yuki Kajiura because his CDs are classical crossover. These are opera/classical sounds over rock instrumentation. Very good stuff.
3) ABBA:
Gold & More Gold (I prefer "More Gold")
As most Yuki fans know, ABBA was one of the artists that Yuki listened to when she was younger, and you can really tell how much they influenced her. Piano is very present in the ABBA songs, beautiful crystal female harmonies, and flowing background vocals that very much resemble the exact same role Kajiurago plays in Kajiura's songs (except in English). Highly recommended. My favorites are Eagle, The Visitors, Cassandra, One of Us (among others)
4) Florence + the Machine
Ceremonials (album)
Breath of Life (song)
I highly prefer her sophomore album Ceremonials over her first one Lungs, which I think pales in comparison. Strong female vocals over a great rock beat. If you like the Kajiura Lives, this album might just be up your ally. The song Breath of Life combines great female vocals with some chorus chanting and orchestral string sounds, which of course, we all know is a hallmark of Kajiura as well. (But then again, what isn't a hallmark of Kajiura? lol)
5) Dream Theater
Along for the Ride (song)
Beneath the Surface (song)
I'm still new to Dream Theater, and the two songs above are 2 of their softer songs, their other songs are hard-core rock. But the two above songs both have that incredible guitar work, gorgeous male vocals, and have that ethereal quality that so much of Kajiura's work has. And the song-writing is just as well-done as Kajiura's. These two songs can give you goosebumps, and make you cry. Check them out!
6) Tarja
I Walk Alone (song)
Tarja was the first female vocalist of Nightwish (the band I posted above) and they actually kicked her out of the band back in 2005 in an OPEN LETTER so that all the fans could read it. Talk about drama! Her first single after they kicked her out is called I Walk Alone (the Nightwish's first single after it happened is called Bye Bye Beautiful...). It is a powerful operatic rock song. Very Kajiura-esque and beautiful.
7) Avantasia
Blowing out the Flame (song)
What Kind of Love (song)
Sleepwalking (song)
The above songs combine that same song quality of pure beauty with a great rock background that resonates with me the same exact way that Kajiura's music does. A great crossover mix between rock & orchestra. These particular songs are among my top favorites in my entire music collection.
8) KONGOS
Come with me Now (song)
I'm very new to this band and don't know much about them, but what I do know is that this song combines heavy accordian (hello, Kajiura!!), with a pop-rock beat and chorus, and includes an electric guitar solo so good you'd swear it was ripped from a Kalafina song.
9) The Republic Tigers
Keep Color (album)
No Man's Land (EP)
One of my most favorites! They are an alternative rock band. Their song-writing is top notch! I've been listening to Keep Color for over a year and still am not sick of it. They are like Kajiura in that they have a very unique grasp on what music can do, and how magical it can be, and clearly work very hard on their song-writing. Start with the song "Buildings & Mountains"
10) Mike Oldfield
Far Country (song)
Only download this one song from him (I think it's on iTunes). I haven't been able to get into any of his other work personally. But this one ballad has that incredible vast beauty that Kajiura so frequently captures. Most of the song is soft, but then picks up very suddenly halfway through much like some of Kajiura's best songs do (EG "saints" or "les soldat," but with English words)
11) Christopher Tin
Calling All Dawns (album)
Will 'O the Wisp (song)
Definitely recommended for Yuki fans. He plays with a lot of classical sounds, and African/chanting sounds. I believe he composes for video games, but the above album & song are his own creations.
12) Serenity
Changing Fate (song)
Here's a new band I'm getting into! This is a really cool song with great instrumentation and both great female & male vocals. I don't know much about them yet, but I think Kajiura fans could appreciate this song.
13) Styx
Dear John (song)
Yes I can (song)
Goodbye Roseland (song)
Fields of the Brave (song)
Styx is one of my favorite bands. Their "Best of" CD in my opinion does NOT represent their best songs. The above songs inspire that same sense of beauty that Kajiura is so good at. There are 3 songs in my life that I only allow myself to listen to once a year when I'm on my annual vacation up in the north woodlands of Wisconsin. I only let myself listen to these 3 songs during this 1 week of each year because they are so heavenly beautiful to me that I don't want to "waste" them. One is heigen, one is farewell song (Live), and the third is Dear John. Hope you like it too!
14) VAST
Until I Die (song)
Touched (song)
Winter in my Heart (song)
Great guitar, good male vocals with African-style female chanting vocals in the background in many of the songs. These three songs are a good sample of the range VAST can play, from acoustic and gorgeous, to plugged in and rockin'.
15) Arcade Fire
The Suburbs (album)
The reason I think Arcade Fire is suitable for Yuki fans is because they have a tendency to use calm, drawn out, beautiful vocals over very hard background guitars. It creates that beautiful contrasting effect that so much of Yuki's music does.
16) Ayreon
1011001 (album)
This album honestly isn't my favorite on this list, but it's still very good. It combines male and female vocals, using a wide array of instrumentation and throws in a lot of classical vocal sounds like Kajiura's music does. This is a rock album, so if you're a fan of the Yuki Lives, I think you'd like this album.
As you can see, I don't know many other Japanese artists (I would have put down Yoko Kanno, but I figured that most people on this board would have already listened to her before, plus I don't think she comes close to Kajiura, no offense Kanno fans) so if you know some other good Japanese artists that have that same Kajiura genius, please suggest them.
I hope this thread can be a place where we can post other bands, albums or songs that you feel represent those same genius qualities of Kajiura so we can all continue to expand our music horizons.
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jk.