I am, of course, talking about the file cryptically named: The Enigma of the File For the uninitiated, finding this specific .rar file feels like stumbling upon a cursed tape in a horror movie. The naming scheme alone raises red flags—and eyebrows. Why are there two hyphens? Why is "Password is niconico" inside the title? Is the password actually "niconico"?
Password is niconico. Have you found a different version of this file? Did you attend the Shibuya O-East show in 2008? Let me know in the comments. I’m looking for the "Omake" folder that allegedly contains a .mov of them covering The Pillows.
This is the holy grail. The album version on Who Are You? is polished to a mirror shine. This demo is filthy . Tatsuya Mitsumura’s guitar feedback bleeds into the vocal track. You can hear a chair squeak at 0:43. It feels like you’re standing in their cramped Tokyo rehearsal room. NICO Touches the Walls - -Password is niconico-.rar
Thus, the file name was a literal instruction manual: To open me, type the password. After finally finding a mirror that wasn't hosted on a Russian geocities clone, I cracked the password (shocker: it’s niconico in all lowercase). Here is what has been hiding in the dark for 14 years.
Posted by: JRockArchive_04 | Filed under: J-Rock, Lost Media, NICO Touches the Walls I am, of course, talking about the file
However, in 2009, a fan ripped this demo tape, compressed it to 128kbps MP3, and packed it into a WinRAR archive. To prevent the label from taking it down via automated crawlers, they password-protected it. The password? .
Don't stream it. Preserve it. Keep the .rar alive. Pass the password down to the next generation of J-rock orphans. Why is "Password is niconico" inside the title
Between 2007 and 2010, before they signed exclusively with Ki/oon Music (a Sony sub-label), NICO Touches the Walls was the undisputed king of the indie scene in Shibuya. They dropped a series of limited-run demo CDs and tour-exclusive EPs. One of the most coveted was the —named not for the video site, but for the Japanese onomatopoeia for a smile (ニコニコ).
Listening to -Password is niconico- feels like finding an old flip-phone in a drawer. The battery is dead. The screen is cracked. But the photos inside show you who you were before you grew up.
But historically?