I've been curious about how fans of Japanese music pick their music, and would like to know by what standards do you judge good music? I've been wondering about this mostly because I've listened to a lot of apparent favorites of other fans, who tend to give ridiculously superlative attributes to vocalists who seriously can't sing, to guitarists that only know how to be annoyingly loud but ultimately dull, to albums with indistinguishable, un-creative songs, etc. Am I missing something? Yeah, music is subjective, but some bands are so off the mark that it made me wonder. So I thought I'd ask directly.
I'll start off to give you an example. Note that I'm not as much interested in which bands you like, but more interested in which bands you think are good and why. I think Psycho le Cemu is fairly good, but I don't like them. Also, no one-sentence replies that contribute nothing to the discussion, please.
1. Good vocals - I've never taken singing lessons, but I can tell the difference between a strong voice and a weak one. Sure, any vocalist's voice can be "unique," but to be able to breathe properly, to clearly pronounce each and every syllable you need to, to not sound strained, and to know which vocal techniques are appropriate when, these make all the difference in the world. Contrast a good, strong vocalist (despite some lapses in going off key) Hyde with the vocalist of an otherwise promising band, Rentrer en Soi, who apparently must have some seriously breathing problems (maybe asthma?). Or Risa Ohki, Emiro Shiratori, or even Maaya Sakamoto with Shiina Ringo (okay, different vocal ranges, but I don't know any good vocalists in the highest female range (soprano?)). I'm personally not bothered by slightly off-key singing; it's the strength of the vocals that makes it or breaks it for me.
2. Well-thought-out composition - I love hearing a bunch of intricately woven instruments going on in the background behind the vocals. This is why Utada Hikaru makes it for me, because of the richness of the bg instrumentals. Ken Lloyd and Inoran of FAKE? also know what they're doing. Also, an artist doesn't have to turn out complex songs all the time; L'arc en Ciel's Dune is actually a pretty simple song, but is still pretty good, and the band as a whole is really excellent for any number of reasons. But a nice little flourish of their compositional talents, like in Ophelia, Anemone, Jojoushi, even Forbidden Lover, doesn't hurt a bit. Also, I'm personally not a stickler for structure; even though L'arc's songs all have the same structure, they're all still wonderfully distinct.
3. Relative diversity of style/music technique - As opposed to an artist that can only churn out songs that all sound the same. As long as that is avoided, wonderful. Otherwise, I get bored really easily and start to question the creative process of the artist.
4. Conveyed emotion as subtle but present - When Utada sings, she doesn't weep or start gasping like the vocalist of ReS, though her music is often tinged with a sense of melancholy..
5. English that is not embarrassing - Especially when the vocalist isn't good in the first place, this can be quite damaging. This is not being ethnocentric, but artists that sing in bad English sound extremely unprofessional. It's distracting, and the native tongue is often better. Artists that smoothly transition between English and Japanese, however, like Utada or Ken Lloyd (yeah, they do have an unfair advantage, but oh well) or even Hyde, sound very cool. Shiina Ringo, on the other hand....
Other personal turn-ons: smooth and ambient music, strings, good bass, "epic" songs, orchestral, nylon-string guitar.
Other personal turn-offs: loud and annoying guitars, screaming, VK, most soprano vocalists, nasal vocals, piano solos that suck.
So what about you? What kinds of qualifications does good Japanese music need for you?
I'll start off to give you an example. Note that I'm not as much interested in which bands you like, but more interested in which bands you think are good and why. I think Psycho le Cemu is fairly good, but I don't like them. Also, no one-sentence replies that contribute nothing to the discussion, please.
1. Good vocals - I've never taken singing lessons, but I can tell the difference between a strong voice and a weak one. Sure, any vocalist's voice can be "unique," but to be able to breathe properly, to clearly pronounce each and every syllable you need to, to not sound strained, and to know which vocal techniques are appropriate when, these make all the difference in the world. Contrast a good, strong vocalist (despite some lapses in going off key) Hyde with the vocalist of an otherwise promising band, Rentrer en Soi, who apparently must have some seriously breathing problems (maybe asthma?). Or Risa Ohki, Emiro Shiratori, or even Maaya Sakamoto with Shiina Ringo (okay, different vocal ranges, but I don't know any good vocalists in the highest female range (soprano?)). I'm personally not bothered by slightly off-key singing; it's the strength of the vocals that makes it or breaks it for me.
2. Well-thought-out composition - I love hearing a bunch of intricately woven instruments going on in the background behind the vocals. This is why Utada Hikaru makes it for me, because of the richness of the bg instrumentals. Ken Lloyd and Inoran of FAKE? also know what they're doing. Also, an artist doesn't have to turn out complex songs all the time; L'arc en Ciel's Dune is actually a pretty simple song, but is still pretty good, and the band as a whole is really excellent for any number of reasons. But a nice little flourish of their compositional talents, like in Ophelia, Anemone, Jojoushi, even Forbidden Lover, doesn't hurt a bit. Also, I'm personally not a stickler for structure; even though L'arc's songs all have the same structure, they're all still wonderfully distinct.
3. Relative diversity of style/music technique - As opposed to an artist that can only churn out songs that all sound the same. As long as that is avoided, wonderful. Otherwise, I get bored really easily and start to question the creative process of the artist.
4. Conveyed emotion as subtle but present - When Utada sings, she doesn't weep or start gasping like the vocalist of ReS, though her music is often tinged with a sense of melancholy..
5. English that is not embarrassing - Especially when the vocalist isn't good in the first place, this can be quite damaging. This is not being ethnocentric, but artists that sing in bad English sound extremely unprofessional. It's distracting, and the native tongue is often better. Artists that smoothly transition between English and Japanese, however, like Utada or Ken Lloyd (yeah, they do have an unfair advantage, but oh well) or even Hyde, sound very cool. Shiina Ringo, on the other hand....
Other personal turn-ons: smooth and ambient music, strings, good bass, "epic" songs, orchestral, nylon-string guitar.
Other personal turn-offs: loud and annoying guitars, screaming, VK, most soprano vocalists, nasal vocals, piano solos that suck.
So what about you? What kinds of qualifications does good Japanese music need for you?
)
But, for example I'm sure you all know that like most of people here I love Diru's music, and I like the way Kyo sings, and the reasons I think his singing is good: he can well vary the tone and texture of his voice, sometimes singing very cleanly and precisely, other times screaming etc. etc. Also he is a 'natural', which is quite rare - I can hear in his clear singing that he is using the throat and palette in the 'right' way, and directing the air and resonances well. So, it is not just singer screaming or growling randomly!
I like to hear fast playing, slow emotional playing, interesting arpeggios, good riffs and unusual chord sequences. I also like to hear variations in the texture of the music; parts where the guitars quieten down and the vocalist stands out; bass solos (yeah! yeah! I love bass!); places where the drummer gets the chance to shine too. 
Just 12 very carefully-calculated non-random pre-set notes, of which I vary the octave, order and rhythm. 
............... 
) Singers who whisper, whimper, moan, laugh, roar, scream just get me going. Screaming is important. But it's got to be balanced. I can't stand a band where they all hammer their instruments for three hours straight, and the singer holds a death-metal-scream during the whole time. That's awful. The screams has to be well timed in the songs... 
