L'Arc~en~Ciel

L'Arc-en-Ciel (ラルクアンシエル Raruku an Shieru^?, "The Rainbow" in French), usually stylized as "L'Arc~en~Ciel", is a Japanese rock band that formed in 1991. The group has sold over 13 million albums, 16 million singles, and millions of other units, including videos.^[1] They were ranked at number 58 on a list of Top 100 Japanese pop musicians, provided by HMV Japan in 2003, and are among the most influential artists in the Japanese music scene.^[2]

1991–1996: Early Career

In February 1991, bassist tetsuya, later band leader, recruited vocalist hyde along with guitarist HIRO and drummer PERO, and formed a band under the name of L'Arc-en-Ciel. After a year of gaining notoriety in their hometown of Osaka, HIRO left the band on June 12, 1992. tetsuya convinced his friend ken to quit his university studies (he was an architecture major at The Nagoya Institute of Technology) and join the band as the guitarist, but soon PERO left the band on December 30, 1992. In 1993, a new drummer, sakura, joined the band.^[2]

On April 1, 1993, the band released their debut album Dune under the indie label Danger Crue. The album was a success and rose to number one on the Oricon indies charts, catching the attention of some major labels. In 1994, L'Arc-en-Ciel signed on with Sony's Ki/oon division, releasing their second album, Tierra that same year. Heavenly followed in 1995. True, released in 1996, became their first number-one, million selling album.^[3]

[edit] 1997: sakura's Departure

In February 1997, drummer sakura was arrested for heroin possession.^[4] He officially quit the band on October 4, 1997. This proved to be the lowest point in the band's history. When news of sakura's arrest became public, there was an immediate official response and CDs were removed from the shelves.^[5] "The Fourth Avenue Cafe", the fourth ending theme for Rurouni kenshin, was immediately replaced with its former theme "Heart of Sword" after only six episodes. In addition, the release of the "The Fourth Avenue Cafe" single was postponed.^[6] It was eventually released in 2006.

Advert for their self-copy band The Zombies

Over the next few months the group continued to be featured in magazines, but only as a trio. "The Zombies", which was advertised as a "copy band", sang their songs.^[7] They also covered Marilyn Manson's "Irresponsible Hate Anthem".^[7] The return from the break was marked by the appropriately named Reincarnation 97 Live in Tokyo Dome, with their new drummer, yukihiro (former drummer with Zi:Kill and Die in Cries). The first concert in Tokyo Dome had an attendance of 56,000, which sold out in four minutes, a record at that time.^[8]

In 1997, "Niji", the first single after sakura's departure, was released with yukihiro listed as a supporting member. Not long after the release of the single, yukihiro was signed on as the official drummer for L'Arc-en-Ciel.

[edit] 1998–2000: Blockbuster Success

Their 1998 single "Winter Fall", became their first number-one single on the Oricon charts.^[9]^[10] They released the album Heart on February 25, 1998. Ark and Ray were released simultaneously on July 1, 1999, and became the first Japanese albums to be released simultaneously in many other Asian countries. Both topped the Oricon music charts, with Ark occupying number one and Ray at number two. The release of Ark and Ray marked the commercial high point of the band's career, with each selling over two million copies.^[11]

Their next album Real was released on August 30, 2000. However, it was their last studio album for some time. "Stay Away" from the album was featured in DrumMania 4th Mix, making the song playable on the machine.

[edit] 2001–2003: Hiatus and Solo Projects

The compilation Clicked Singles Best 13 was released on March 14, 2001, and includes twelve songs chosen by fans online in Asia^[12] and an additional thirteenth song, "Anemone".^[13] Their album Real was re-released as Super Audio CD on July 4, 2001. L'Arc-en-Ciel's last new single before their hiatus, "Spirit Dreams Inside (Another Dream)", was released on September 5, 2001. Their English language song "Spirit Dreams Inside" was adopted for the closing theme song to the movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

After "Spirit Dreams Inside" was released, the band went on a hiatus. During this time, the members began working on various solo projects. hyde released two solo albums (Roentgen and 666) and co-starred in the movie Moon Child with the popular Japanese singer Gackt. hyde also played the part of Adam in the movie Kagen no Tsuki (Last Quarter), based on the manga by the same title. ken founded Sons of All Pussys with L'Arc-en-Ciel's former drummer, sakura. tetsu started TETSU69 and yukihiro formed Acid Android.

Three compilation albums The Best of L'Arc-en-Ciel 1994–1998, The Best of L'Arc-en-Ciel 1998–2000 and The Best of L'Arc-en-Ciel C/W were released on March 19, 2003. The album series included almost all their singles at that time except "Spirit Dreams Inside: Another Dream".

[edit] 2004: Comeback and U.S. Concert Debut

In June 2003, L'Arc-en-Ciel performed a series of seven concerts in Tokyo called "Shibuya Seven Days", during which they announced a new album for release the following year. The band released "Ready Steady Go" in February 2004, their first single in more than three years. The song was used as an opening for a popular anime series, Fullmetal Alchemist.^[14] It topped Oricon weekly single charts.^[15] A cover of the song is used in a video game for the Nintendo DS called Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan. The single was followed by "Hitomi no Jūnin", in early March. The album Smile, was released on March 31. Shortly after, on June 2, 2004, the single "Jiyuu e no Shoutai" introduced P'unk~en~Ciel for the first time on CD with "Milky Way".

On July 31, 2004, L'Arc-en-Ciel made their North American concert debut at the anime convention Otakon, held annually in Baltimore, Maryland. Approximately 12,000 people attended the concert, which was held at 1st Mariner Arena.^[16] They were also the first Japanese act (and until JAM Project in 2008, the only) to perform at the arena. On May 31, 2005, Tofu Records, Sony Music Japan's U.S. label, released the much-anticipated DVD, of the Otakon 2004 concert, Live in U.S.A. On June 25, 2007, L'Arc-en-Ciel signed a deal with HMV America.

[edit] 2005–2006: Asia Live Tour and Solo Projects

In 2005, the band released various singles, including "Killing Me", "New World", and "Jojōshi". These were later featured on their album, Awake, which was released on June 22 with twelve tracks, including "Lost Heaven", the closing theme of the Fullmetal Alchemist movie. The band's single, "Link", released on July 20, 2005, was also featured in the movie as the opening theme, which was included by their next album Kiss. With "Ready Steady Go", "Link", and "Lost Heaven" used in the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise, L'Arc~en~Ciel is one of two artists to contribute more than one song for Fullmetal Alchemist (the second group being SID).

hyde singing "Revelation" during the 2005 "Awake" tour

In August 2005, the band went on their Awake tour, which was limited to Japan. The tour featured displays of anti-war sentiment, reflecting similar lyrics of the songs of the album. The Japanese "Awake" tour was followed by the "Asia Live 2005" tour, with performances in Seoul and Shanghai, closing with concerts in Japan. Japan's two concerts took place at the Tokyo Dome.

Following the "Awake" and "Asia Live" tours, L'Arc-en-Ciel's members turned their attention back to their solo projects. tetsuya began recording with a new band called Creature Creature, formed with veteran rock vocalist Morrie. yukihiro rejoined Acid Android, which released the single "Let's Dance" on April 5, 2006. Acid Android joined Mucc, another Japanese rock band, to perform two concerts in Shanghai, China in April 2006.^[17]

hyde composed "Glamorous Sky", the theme song to the film adaption of the manga Nana starring pop singer Mika Nakashima. It was the first time hyde composed music for another vocalist. hyde's latest solo album, Faith, was released in Japan on April 26, 2006, accompanied by a five month tour throughout Japan between April and August 2006. After signing on with Tofu Records, four small concerts were scheduled in San Francisco and Anaheim, California in the United States. hyde made his U.S. debut in July 2006, the first of L'Arc-en-Ciel's solo projects to extend internationally. On August 23, ken released a solo single entitled "Speed".^[18]

[edit] 2006–2008: 15th Anniversary and Europe Concert Debut

On November 25 and 26, 2006, L'Arc-en-Ciel played two shows at the Tokyo Dome to celebrate their 15th anniversary, entitled "L'Anniversary". It sold out in two minutes, breaking their former record.^[19] A poll was created on the official website during the weeks before the concert which allowed fans to pick which songs they would like to hear at the event.^[20] The concert was later shown on the WOWOW channel on December 23, 2006. It was also broadcast on February 8, 2007 on Korea MTV.

L'Arc-en-Ciel later recorded the song "Shine" to be used as the opening song for the NHK anime, Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit. In the spring of 2007, they kicked-off their Mata Heart Ni Hi Wo Tsukero 2007 tour in Japan. L'Arc-en-Ciel released the single "Seventh Heaven" on May 30, 2007, which topped the Oricon charts.^[21] The song "My Heart Draws a Dream", used in a Subaru commercial, was released as a single on August 29, 2007, and made the #1 spot on the Oricon charts.^[22] The song "Daybreak's Bell" was used as the first opening theme for the anime Mobile Suit Gundam 00.^[23] It was released as a single on October 10, 2007, topping the Oricon weekly charts as well.^[24] From November 14 to December 25, 2007, they released a limited edition single titled "Hurry Xmas", along with two new DVDs, titled 15th L'Anniversary Live and Chronicle 3. Their new studio album Kiss, was released on November 21, 2007, and debuted at the number-one position on the Oricon charts.^[25]

L'Arc-en-Ciel performed the "Theater of Kiss" tour, which was held from December 22, 2007 to February 17, 2008. The song "Drink It Down", used as the Japanese opening song for the PS3/Xbox360 game Devil May Cry 4, was released as a single on April 2, 2008, and topped the Oricon weekly charts.^[26] The band went on the Tour 2008 L'7 ~Trans Asia via Paris~ which covered several major Asian cities, as well as Paris, France.^[27] On this tour a definite live show hiatus until 2011 was announced. L'Arc-en-Ciel media continued to be released. Both a double A-side single, "Nexus 4 / Shine" and a DVD, Tour 2007-2008 Theater of Kiss were released on August 27, 2008.

[edit] 2009–2010: Live Show Hiatus

On May 20, 2009, L'Arc-en-Ciel released the DVD of their live concert in Paris, Live in Paris. hyde and K.A.Z formed rock duo Vamps and released their first album Vamps on June 10, 2009.

On December 1, 2009, L'Arc-en-Ciel announced the release of a new single, "Bless", on January 27, 2010. It was used as the theme song for NHK's broadcast of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Also, tetsu announced that he has changed his stage name to "tetsuya" and released his first artist book, which ranked No.6 among the Talent Book Charts, while featuring early live pictures and a 30,000 character Interview with the bassist.^[28]

On March 10, L'Arc-en-Ciel released their 5th best-of album, entitled Quadrinity: Member's Best Selections. It is featured in 4 CDs with 7 tracks per band member, chosen and re-mastered by each of them. The first press edition also comes with a DVD which includes a variety quiz show with the band titled "The L'Arquiz".^[29]

[edit] 2011: 20th Anniversary

On January 1, 2011, L'Arc-en-Ciel celebrated their 20th anniversary and the New Year with midnight show "L'A Happy New Year!" at Makuhari Messe International Convention Complex. On February 16, 2011, L'Arc~en~Ciel released their next compilation albums named Twenity,^[30] which consists of three parts, Twenity 1991-1996, Twenity 1997-1999, and Twenity 2000-2010, followed by a box, Twenity Box on March 9, 2011. The albums will commemorate their 20th anniversary and cover everything from the formation of the group, their hit singles up to their newest works. It will be an all around "best of" collection for the band. Twenity 1991-1996 will cover their work from their album Dune until their album True. Twenity 1997-1999 will cover the releases from their single "Niji" to the single "Love Flies". Twenity 2000-2010 will cover their releases from the double A-side "Neo Universe/Finale" to their commercial only song from last year, a cover of "I Love Rock 'n Roll". The Twenity Box coming out on March 9th will contain all three of the albums in one release. It will also come packed with a special digest DVD that will cover the 20 year history of the band, a deluxe booklet, and a special music box that contains either "Flower", "Anata" (あなた), "New World" or "My Heart Draws a Dream" at random.

It was announced that L'Arc~en~Ciel will provide the theme song for Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: The Sacred Star of Milos, their fourth contribution to the franchise and first to Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood^[31].

[edit] P'unk~en~Ciel

P'unk~en~Ciel (パンクアンシエル panku an shieru^?) is an alter ego of L'Arc-en-Ciel. Introduced in 2004, hyde takes over guitar, ken the drums, yukihiro plays the bass, while tetsuya performs the vocals. P'unk~en~Ciel's songs have a more punk sound and their music is usually heavier and faster with a different tone due to tetsuya's vocals. hyde wears a pirate patch over his left eye in P'unk~en~Ciel performances. yukihiro is known to wear a gas mask; however, this has only been seen once at a live concert during their Smile tour in 2004.

Each member is called in capital letters tetsu P'unk (now T.E.Z P’unk), ken P'unk, hyde P'unk and Yuki P'unk. Each member produces one song of their choice, and they alternate their productions.

P'unk~en~Ciel is the revisitation of D'ark~en~Ciel, the latter a special event that took place during concerts in the years when sakura was the drummer. The only official material released from D'ark~en~Ciel is the 18-minute B-side "D'ark~en~Ciel" found on the (then) unreleased "The Fourth Avenue Cafe" single.

P'unk~en~Ciel songs have been recorded and used as b-sides on singles since 2004 and their performances can be found on live DVDs. They also featured television personality Sayaka Aoki (P'unk Aoki) in the song "Round and Round 2005".^[32]

[edit] P'unk~en~Ciel songs

Recorded versions released on singles:

"Milky Way", found on the "Jiyū e no Shōtai" single (Produced by hyde P'unk).
"Round and Round 2005", found on the "Killing Me" single (Produced by ken P'unk).
"Kasou Heisei 17 Nen", (Flower Burial 2005) found on the "New World" single (Produced by hyde P'unk).
"Heaven's Drive 2005", found on the "Jojōshi" single (Produced by Yuki P'unk).
"Promised Land 2005", found on the "Link" single (Produced by tetsu P'unk).
"Honey 2007", found on the "Seventh Heaven" single (Produced by ken P'unk).
"Feeling Fine 2007", found on the "My Heart Draws a Dream" single (Produced by Yuki P'unk).
"Natsu no Yuutsu (夏の憂鬱) [Sea in Blood 2007]", found on the "Daybreak's Bell" single (Produced by hyde P'unk).
"I Wish 2007", found on the "Hurry Xmas" single (Produced by tetsu P'unk - it also has a PV).
"Dune 2008", found on the "Drink It Down" single (Produced by ken P'unk).
"Route 666 -2010-", found on the "Bless" single (Produced by Yuki P'unk).

Commercially released live performances:

Smile Tour 2004 ("Milky Way")
Asia Live 2005 ("Round and Round 2005")
Are You Ready? 2007 Mata Heart ni Hi wo Tsukero! (またハートに火をつけろ！, "Honey 2007" and "Feeling Fine 2007")
Tour 2007-2008 Theater of Kiss ("Sea in Blood 2007 [夏の憂鬱, Natsu no Yuutsu]" and "I Wish 2007")
Tour 2008 L'7 ~Trans Asia via Paris~ ("Feeling Fine 2007" and "Honey 2007")

[edit] Members

Current members

hyde – vocals (1991–present)
- Originally used the name HIDE.
tetsuya – bass, backing vocals (1991–present)
- Originally used the name TETSU, then tetsu.
ken – guitar (1992–present)
yukihiro – drums (1998–present)