Mandopop: 831 - Roll Your Eyes (翻白眼)

Rockers 831 from Taiwan gives another super fun video where we get to see all the bad stuff that can happen when people just walk around without caring about people around them. A great laugh.

• 831 - Roll Your Eyes (翻白眼)

Kpop: The Koxx - Trojan Horse, By The Way & Echo

I just realized it is already almost four years since I wrote about The Koxx (so way back that I still was writing in Swedish...). Water has flown below the bridges, but they still have their great sound. Just compare the three videos from below (Trojan Horse beeing the newest), and it should be hard to miss the quality permeating their music regardless of the sound and style they choose.

• The Koxx - Trojan Horse
• The Koxx - By The Way
• The Koxx - Echo

Thai pop: Slot Machine

Slot Machine is a thai pop band that has been around for quite some time now (2000) and they have been steadily gaining ground abroad and their english versions of newer singles is another sign of this I think. The new "Say What You Want" is an excellent example of a smooth and liable piece of time- and placeless pop that everyone should get to hear.

• Slot Machine - Say What You Want (English version)
• Slot Machine - Say What You Want (ยังเหมือนเดิม, Thai version)
• Slot Machine - I Know, I Know (English version)
• Slot Machine - I Know, I Know (ค้น, Thai version)
• Slot Machine - Give It All To You (English version)

Kpop: Drug Restaurant (드럭 레스토랑)

Ever since his audition and following success in the korean reality show Superstar K4 in 2012, the voice of Jung Joon Young has evolved and it has become more and more clear what a perfect sound it has for rock music, with its signature darkness and feeling. After him becoming more and more part of the band first named after him (JJY Band) they now has gone full circle and renamed them to the less self-centred name Drug Restaurant, but the sound is still unmistakably JJY-ish, and happy am I for that. The song Mistake is a glorious emo piece and the video is well produced and interesting in itself.

• Drug Restaurant - Mistake
• JJY Band - OMG
• Jung Joon Young - Teenager
• Drug Restaurant - Sexy Bomb (Audio only) 
• Drug Restaurant - What?! (Audio only)

Austrian pop: Supermax

Supermax was the pet project of Austrian musician Kurt Hauenstein, and his "Love Machine" really is such a great piece of dreamy rock.

• Supermax - Love Machine
• Supermax - It Ain't Easy

Kpop: Sugardonut (슈가도넛)

Sugardonut was a 00's korean punk band that kind of stopped their activities for a couple of years after 2010 to then make a come back with less energetic but at least as interesting sounds with the albums Double Minus in 2014 and Polyverse last year. The new album is "Third of April" headed by the excellent single "Imagine, Close Your Eyes".

• Sugardonut - Imagine, Close Your Eyes
• Sugardonut - Beautiful Life (아름다운 인생)
• Sugardonut - Magical Moments (마법의 순간)

Jpop: Band-Maid - The non-fiction days

From the coming album "Brand New MAID" comes Band-Maid's single "The non-fiction days". Again I must say I can't find a better niche than being an all-female, japanese, maid-cosplaying, metal band. Seriously. #nerdheaven

• Band-Maid - The non-fiction days

Kpop: Fantastic Drugstore (판타스틱 드럭스토어)

Korean four piece Fantastic Drugstore has released a great new song "Before Sunrise", with singer/guitarist Im Won Hyuk's voice making a hauntingly beautiful

• Fantatsic Drugstore - Before Sunrise
• Fantastic Drugstore - Mister (아저씨)
• Fantastic Drugstore - Scarlet

Jpop/metal: Babymetal - The One

Last year's success story in the metal world, Babymetal, returned this week with their new single "Karate" which ticked all the expected boxes with a nice fantasy setting and their usual energy. With the next video "The One" they instead goes for live footage and a more emotional ballad, and this time lead singer Suzuka sings quite much in english. This feels like a perfect fan video and I'm quite sorry I can't be at the concert this saturday in London.

• Babymetal - The One