煌めく街の影 無口な人の群れ
Kirameku machi no kage mukuchi na hito no mure The silhouette of the gleaming streets, the silent crowd of reticent people;
誰もが気付かずに ただただ生かされている
Dare mo ga kizukazu ni tada tada ikasareteiru Without realizing it, everyone is simply being kept alive.
僕等は従順に操られるマリオネット
Bokura wa juujun ni ayatsurareru marionetto We are marionettes manipulated to always comply;
されるがままに汚れてしまった
Sareru ga mama ni kegareteshimatta With no resistance possible, we've been utterly violated. [1]
絡み付く糸に自由さえ失くしても
Karamitsuku ito ni jiyuu sae nakushitemo Even with our freedom lost to the bonds that fetter us,
信じるものがあった
Shinjiru mono ga atta I've found something to believe in.
君が全てを断ち切ってくれるから
Kimi ga subete wo tachikittekureru kara Because you've broken the spell for me. [2]
この街で生きてく揺るがぬ誓い
Kono machi de ikiteku yuruganu chikai Living on in this city, an unwavering vow; [3]
君が居るから夢を見れる
Kimi ga iru kara yume wo mireru Because you're here, I'm able to dream.
この世界に光が消え失せても
Kono sekai ni hikari ga kieusetemo Even if the last ray of light vanishes from this world,
君が居るから歩いていける
Kimi ga iru kara aruiteikeru Because you're here, I'll be able to carry on.
見上げた摩天楼に 冷たい星を見た
Miageta matenrou ni tsumetai hoshi wo mita I looked up at the skyscrapers from which I had seen the cold stars.
見下す大人達 僕等を嘲笑った
Mikudasu otonatachi bokura wo azawaratta Looking down, the adults mocked all of us. [4]
君の声が僕を呼び覚ます
Kimi no koe ga boku wo yobisamasu Your voice awakens me from my slumber.
この街で生きてく揺るがぬ誓い
Kono machi de ikiteku yuruganu chikai Living on in this city, an unwavering vow;
君と一緒に夢を見たい
Kimi to issho ni yume wo mitai I want to dream together with you.
この世界に溢れる偽りの希望
Kono sekai ni afureru itsuwari no kibou The illusory hopes filling this world we live in,
君と一緒に「リアル」に変えて
Kimi to issho ni riaru ni kaete Together we'll turn them into Reality.
空白の街で強く生き抜け
Kuuhaku no machi de tsuyoku ikinuke In the void of this city, we'll pull through.
＜間奏＞
願う事を止めなければそう
Negau koto wo yamenakereba sou As long as we don't give up what we wish for,
その先に未来はあるから
Sono saki ni mirai wa aru kara because there is a future that lies before us...
この街で生きてく揺るがぬ誓い
Kono machi de ikiteku yuruganu chikai Living on in this city, an unwavering vow;
君の隣で夢叶えよう
Kimi no tonari de yume kanaeyou I will fulfill my dreams alongside you.
この世界に差し込む一筋の希望
Kono sekai ni sashikomu hitosuji no kibou A single ray of hope that pierces into this world;
君と目指そう光の先へ
Kimi to mezasou hikari no saki e We'll head in the direction of that light.
もう見失わない
Mou miushinawanai I won't ever be lost again;
同じ夢を描こう
Onaji yume wo egakou We'll dream the same dream.
いつまでもその手を離しはしない
Itsumademo sono te wo hanashi wa shinai I won't ever let go of that hand;
君を信じた僕を信じて
Kimi wo shinjita boku wo shinjite Believe me--who has always believed in you.
Notes:
[1] Lit. "We've been made dirty" - in the sense of having one's autonomous will robbed, and hence our inner self always tainted by the "hands" of others.
[2] Lit. "Because you've torn down everything." i.e. the deceptive status quo that the addressee smashes to bits.
[3] "街" is literally "streets," but in the context of this song it's (possibly) operating as a synecdoche for "city." So that's how i'll translate it henceforth.
[4] "見下す" (mikudasu) means looking down on & despising someone, but it parallels "見下ろす" (miorosu) which can also mean literally looking down from a high place (and this echoes the preceding line).
I got new glasses last week! My first brand glasses by Tommy Hilfiger haha. I love these so much, they are so huge compared to the ones I previously used! I wasn't even supposed to buy myself new glasses, but the shop had a sale and everything was -50% off...
Well, yesterday we were on Dubtrack when I suddenly came with the idea of asking everyone to do a themed session. We would play only bands who disbanded already. Almost 10 people joined us and we had tons of feelings on the session, it's always cool to listen to old songs from our fav bands that isn't active anymore.
It would work just like Plug.DJ Sessions from before, BUT...on Dubtrack lol
We could choose 1 day in a month (or 1 in a week...weekends are better~) and call everyone to a session
Well, yesterday we were on Dubtrack when I suddenly came with the idea of asking everyone to do a themed session. We would play only bands who disbanded already. Almost 10 people joined us and we had tons of feelings on the session, it's always cool to listen to old songs from our fav bands that isn't active anymore.
It would work just like Plug.DJ Sessions from before, BUT...on Dubtrack lol
We could choose 1 day in a month (or 1 in a week...weekends are better~) and call everyone to a session
BLOOD STAIN CHILD Ba.&Vo.RYO & Vo.KiKi have departed, and Vo.SAIKA(ex-Ridiot-->Reeper-->the:Ø) & Ba.Yakky(ex-Metztli-->SOUND SCREAM, now in ☆Skeleton panties☆, Perpetual Dreamer) will join the band at their live at Shinsaibashi soma at 2016/05/15, and their new maxi single "NEXUS" will be released in 2016 summer
I've no clue if it's alright to post it here, or ?
Anyway
---
Hello folks of MH.
I'm sure we got here a bunch of Tokami and Calamando Qual fans. even if you are not, bands would be happy with a kind message.
I myself will not attend the last Tokami ONE MAN However I know a few Japanese Tokami fans. And those fans really want to give Tokami a book or something filled with message of fans.
Easy English message are okay. Please write a message for EACH Member. Please send those in a TWITTER DM to this (@Tokami0629) account.
DEADLINE is LAST DAY OF MAY. so 2016.31.05
For Calmando Qual,
I'm not go to their last oneman. But I'm collecting message of all fans or even if you are not around the world. to send them a last greet over.
I will create some cool wallpapers or maybe even a video filled with all those message. It doesn't matter what you want to send me. as so long its a written message. photos are okay too.
I hope to be able to collect a bunch.
Please keep in mind that Hibiki, Maya and Tak English isn't that good as most of us. So if you write English. Keep it short, keep it simple. Japanese messages are highly recommend.
Just DM me your message.
Deadline for this will be also 2016.31.05.
I will TWEET it to Hibiki, Maya and Kiwamu.
I'm sure both bands will be happy to receive also a bunch of message from the oversea world.
Purple Stone will release their new single “Kabukicho Butterfly” on 4/20. As hinted at in the title of what will be the band’s 4th single, the title track tells of a “butterfly of the night” fluttering in the interstices of soberness and madness.
A heavy sound that breeds a heightened sense of danger in thrill and excitement; but along with it, a sweet poppish melody that seduces with latent addictiveness. Dramatically coloring the track is the band’s unique arrangement which fuses darkness and flamboyance. While the title track has been informed by the band's commitment to “do straightforward rock,” Purple Stone’s extraordinary knack for bringing different elements together can be seen and heard in much of their music. At the same time, the B-sides speak to the members' desire of connecting their past with the present. We present you an interview that keenly explores these very sounds and lyrics.
***
Q: Your new single “Kabukicho Butterfly” will be released on 4/20. Were there any thematic considerations prior to composition?
Keiya: We began by agreeing to do some straightforward rock this time. We wanted to take our music seriously and not resort to any cheap gimmicks. With this in mind we eventually selected “Kabukicho Butterfly” out of the various songs we wrote.
Fuma: There were quite a few songs we wrote at first actually.
GAK: Yeah, especially songs in contention for the single’s title track.
Keiya: When we were discussing which song to select as the single’s title track, the B-side “RIVER” caught our attention initially. However we all felt that we could take it a little further. And so we collectively began to look at song after song. Sometime later we realized that we might be overdoing things, so we returned to what we started off with: let’s do an honest rock song with a strong chorus.
Q: And so you ended up with “Kabukicho Butterfly.”
Keiya: Yup. After spending a long time on my guitar, I eventually came up with a chord progression I really liked. And after humming some melody lines on top of that, we finally found what we were looking for! We then wrote the demo song for “Kabukicho Butterfly” and had GAK arrange it.
GAK: Keiya put a lot of effort into his demo track; the guitar riffs, etc., were all great. So the arrangement job I had was quite simple. We put in a lot of effort thinking about the chorus actually. The chorus we ended up with uses slash chords that give a deeper flavor to an otherwise straightforward sound, and so we wanted to make the best use of that. If it’s too simplistic the song won’t be memorable; so for the bridge we used a “four on the floor” rhythm to ground some of the heavier riffs.
Q: Seems like heavy and stylish sound elements leave a stronger impression. As for the song’s lyrics, they deal with one’s awakening of love towards the “butterfly of the night”?
Fuma: Yeah, we wrote these lyrics because we wanted to be asked about it. *laughs*
Keiya: *laughs* We thought the interviewer would surely ask, so I didn’t ask Fuma when we were recording the song *laughs*
Q: Thank you *laughs* Is that because you had a mental image of the “butterfly of the night” when you were listening to the song?
Fuma: Not really. The thing is, we often perform at Shinjuku Ruido K4 when we’re in Tokyo, and so we frequently visit Kabukicho. Each time, we always leave Osaka at night and reach Kabukicho in the morning, and after the live is over we leave Tokyo on the same night.
Q: In other words, you don’t get to see Kabukicho late at night and at dawn?
Fuma: That’s right. We always look at the streets before us and thought we might find something interesting there. I wrote these lyrics based largely on the impressions we got. And so you could say this set of lyrics is the product of our fantasy *laughs* Still, the feelings associated with our departure from Kabukicho are drawn from what we’ve really experienced.
Q: I can understand how Kabukicho is always a mysterious place in popular imagination, and it’s exciting for that reason.
Fuma: At first we thought Kabukicho would be a crazy place at night. But when we reached at 4am in the morning, we felt that everything was calm. Although that might also be because we were all exhausted from the travelling *laughs* We thought it was interesting how the streets of Kabukicho had a certain kind of doubleness. Likewise, while the melody of “Kabukicho Butterfly” is pretty, the riffs are relatively heavy. A song like this can’t possibly have lyrics like “Everyone, let’s live life to the fullest!” As I played in my mind with this notion of duality, I thought we could also harness the image of Kabukicho in a similar way.
Keiya: When I first saw the song title, I thought “what the hell is this?!” *laughs* However this is exactly what I had in mind actually, with the duality of the lyrics coinciding nicely with the “splendor and pain” of the composition. Without adding anything superfluous to the song, we decided to let the lyrics bring out the intended atmosphere. We think the song can express the doubleness we want.
Q: Especially in its chorus, the song resonates really deeply.
Keiya: The recording was challenging though. Usually I’m able to sing in the full-blooded rock style, but the chorus here is punctuated with a number of slash chords that softened the feel, and if I’d tried to be forceful in the vocals it became all too much. So I went along with the flow of the song. We did the recording for “RIVER” before this song, and at that time Fuma advised me to sing in a softer way. After recording “Kabukicho butterfly” with a slightly modified style of vocals, it struck me that I had never done a song on such a scale.
Q: So it’s not a song that you can do simply by putting all your emotions into it?
Keiya: That’s right. I had to look at the lyrics, and think carefully about where I can pause, breathe, enter with a lighter touch, enter more heavily; otherwise the song wouldn’t convey what we want. The idea that we can move our audience simply by deciding on a worldview, getting into the mood and start singing—that’s something I can’t agree with as a singer. There are details and nuances in this song that we can only do justice to after thinking through them.
[Page 2]
Q: How was the guitar recording for “Kabukicho Butterfly”?
GAK: I tried to incorporate some of my own take into the song while staying faithful to Keiya's original demo recording. Also, we changed the amp midway through production. We finally replaced our old one with Fractal Audio’s Axe-FX II, something we’ve wanted since around 3 years ago. Until then we've been using an amp simulator, but Axe-FX II had a different dimension. As the results were even better than we expected, we used it for the recording just 2 days after we purchased it. At that time we still weren’t very sure about some of its functions *laughs*
Q: By the way, what amp simulator were you using?
GAK: ENGL. Actually I had finished recording the guitar for this song using that model. But other than the B-melo [i.e. the 2nd verse of the song] I re-recorded everything again. For the B-melo I only wanted to change its feel a little, so I did some editing on the previous take.
Q: Even though you dropped the tuning quite a bit, we can still hear the guitar clearly.
GAK: Yes, I used Drop-B tuning but it’s still clear. I paid quite a lot of attention to that as well as the equalizer settings. I think I managed to do that pretty well.
Fuma: For the bass I just went all out as I wanted to give a strong drive to the song *laughs* Our song has a strong melody so I had to make sure it doesn’t distract from that. I also ensured this is a part I can play while being wild at the same time so I decided to make the bass simple while strong enough to carry the song.
Q: Let's talk about the B-side “RIVER” (from the A-type).
Fuma: Originally there was this demo GAK made around 3 years ago that we had put aside for a while. At that time we felt that we couldn’t really make use of it. But we do regularly take a look at what we can salvage from our old materials; when we revisited this demo we felt that this song’s really cool. After tweaking its melody and arrangement, we built it up to the song we have now. It has changed so much I think we could even say it’s now a different song?
GAK: When I first made that I didn’t think of it as a complete song but I recorded it anyway after it came to my mind. I wouldn’t have minded even if it had been rejected, but since Fuma gave it a great melody I wanted to try arranging it. While this was initially my song, because of the different melody I was able to look at it from an entirely different perspective, and “RIVER” became a song totally unlike the original. I also have more experience now than before, and I think I can now finally express in music what I had then wanted to do.
Fuma: When I heard this 3 years ago, I thought “the chord progression in the chorus has a rock feel, but it may also be suited to a more pop-oriented direction.” However at that time the melody was really heavy and it was difficult to get away from that dominant impression. When we revisited it again we were able to look at it again in a new light, and I thought it’s definitely possible to put a great melody to this. After some thought we came up with the chorus, and soon after, the other parts of the song. After that I wrote its lyrics.
Keiya: It’s hard to believe that the lyrics of “RIVER” were written by the same person who wrote the lyrics of “Kabukicho Butterfly” *laughs*
Fuma: *laughs* Since Purple Stone is a band that centers on Keiya’s vocals we have a lot of rock songs, but we also wanted to try something different. “RIVER” could become a really grand track if it had the right lyrics--and so conceptually I tried make it epic. As I was wondering about the theme of the lyrics, I thought of the rivers near the places I’d lived. I cast my mind back to the times when I was in high school and wrote the lyrics.
Q: So you’re depicting life by using rivers as a metaphor?
Fuma: Well, rivers continue flowing onward regardless of rocks and other obstacles they encounter. I liken that to how we should accept people into our lives. While these lyrics are based on what I felt in high school, I don’t think I would have been able to write such lyrics at that time. Because I disliked people back then. I hated noise so I always escaped to the river and did stuff like… playing the trumpet on the river bank *laughs*
Keiya: I see. You live in your own world huh? *laughs*
Fuma: Nah, it’s because at that time there was a ska punk band I knew. I thought it would be cool if I can play the trumpet *laughs*
Keiya: Oh? That’s really cool though.
Fuma: I know right? During the evening I would be playing the trumpet by the river and thinking to myself, “Wow, this is awesome. I’m really cool.” *laughs* But I gave up after learning how to play do-re-mi-so-fa-la-ti-do. *laughs*
GAK: Any videos of that?
Fuma: No! Even if there are I won’t show them to anyone *laughs*
Keiya: *laughs* When I heard the new demo for this song I said “let’s make this into a single.” It’s also because when I’m concentrating on writing one song, the 2 of them are usually on to some other work. So I felt that we should finish the lyrics for this song and have it prepared first. I also like the sound of water—when I was a kid I always sit by the riverbank; and when I was told this song is called “RIVER,” I thought it was written for me *laughs* I wanted to sing it the moment I heard it! The lyrics are positive and it became a song that was so close to me emotionally, there were even times I felt lonely after I was done recording it.
Q: That’s because many parts of the song personally relate with you?
Keiya: Just like in the lyrics, when I was young I’d go sit by the river whenever I’m unhappy. On my way home in the evening I’d catch the smell of dinner drifting from the houses nearby. This song is like a throwback to my past, and it’s nostalgic for me. When I was recording the vocals for “RIVER” it hit me emotionally. And I think it was the part that goes “no matter where to, let us go, river” in the last chorus where I felt like tearing up *laughs* That was how I gave life to this song. Like I mentioned when we were talking about “Kabukicho Butterfly” it’s important to give thought to the nuances of the lyrics, but I also want to deliver the vocals in a natural way.
GAK: For this song: other than the chorus, the guitar arrangement always centers on one main chord. It’s something quite atypical for Purple Stone, but I like a somewhat blunt approach like this. I admire nu metal bands like Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit, and I thought to incorporate some of that into our songs.
Fuma: As for the bass of “RIVER,” I stay away from anything that’s disruptive or superfluous. Basically that’s my style. My bass carries the song with simple phrases.
Q: I had the impression that the meandering bass lines of the song created a river-like feel for the song.
Fuma: I’m glad you could feel that way. Actually I hadn't even considered that *laughs* I’m always direct and honest with my bass-playing. I think a lot when I compose songs or write lyrics, but that’s not the case when I’m playing the bass.
Keiya: As long as it sounds good right?
Fuma: Yup. It’s good enough for me to know that I’ll get a good sound with a certain root and groove. I’m not that particular with the phrasing.
[Page 3]
Q: “PARADISE DANCE” (from B-type) is a heavy track with electronic elements.
GAK: I wanted something closer to EDM, which is different from our usual sound. This was also something I did around 3 years ago. I brushed up on the original melody and arrangement, and we distributed a demo version of the revised song at our label’s live. As it was a live-distributed CD there were people who wanted to listen but couldn’t get a copy, so we re-recorded it with a slightly different arrangement.
Keiya: We also changed the lyrics. I wrote the lyrics for the version on our live-distributed CD, but we wanted something different for the song this time, so I asked Fuma if he had any ideas. There were portions where we edited the lyrics, and other parts where entire sections have been re-written. In other words the final lyrics are co-written by Fuma and I. This is a nice song to dance to and ultimately we want everyone to get wild together, but I also didn’t want people to look at this and think, “oh it’s a party song! yay!” So, “What does it mean to be made to be manipulated?”—that’s also the theme of this song. [*Short note: Here, Keiya is playing on the two verbs “odoru” (“to dance”) and “odorasu” (“to manipulate”), which share the homophonic causative-passive verb “odorasareru” that means either “to be made to dance” or “to be manipulated”]
Q: That’s profound.
Keiya: With a lot of things that happen in the world, we don’t really know what’s the truth and what isn’t. Even when we feel that there’s something wrong, the moment an influential person says “this is correct” we’re compelled to think in a certain way. At the same time it doesn’t mean that we think it’s appropriate to rise against that in a violent manner. This is a dilemma inhabited by a lot of people, and it’s a paradox that we have to accept and live with. Are we being manipulated and played with?—that’s what's at stake in the lyrics.
GAK: I was particular when it came to the guitar. As a heavy song that makes use of down-tuning, I thought the sound of a humbucking pickup would be suitable. However because this song’s riffs require a coil tap, I played it with a single-coil. To make sure the bass is pronounced, I sought to cut off the unnecessary low frequencies. After some experimenting, the guitar lines became more distinct and no longer clashes with the synthesizer. I definitely learned something from this process. I can get a solid sound for the riffs by using a single-coil, while for the chorus I can create a heavier sound with the humbucking pickup.
Fuma: This song was written for lives in mind, so that’s the atmosphere we tried to gear it towards. Keiya has been quite philosophical about the lyrics, but actually when we play it lives we just all get high, so… *laughs* Although, since we already have the bass lines of the synthesizer and the guitar in the mix, if the bass is too strong it might oversaturate the low frequency range. So for this song I had to restrain myself with the bass *laughs*
Keiya: I also tried to create a party ambience when recording the vocals for this song. For this kind of songs the lyrics might be a little difficult to follow, and I had to switch around some of the word positions in the lyrics.
Q: I see.
Keiya: I recorded the vocals for this song at my place, and I did it at night. I had turned off all the lights to create a party mood with the spotlight shining on myself. When I listened to the recording the next morning, it was awful *laughs* That wouldn’t do. So I waited until an afternoon when the weather was nice, opened all the windows, and did a re-recording. I thought it would be nice to have a band mic, so I held a condenser microphone in my hands *laughs*
Q: Now that it's possible to do recordings at your own place, it seems things have become really different *laughs* Anyway, it has been only 4 months since your last release “Kaitenmokuba” but you’ve already come up with another single everyone can’t wait to listen to.
Fuma: We also thought hard about the artwork for this release. The cover art of the A-type was generated by mixing up all 3 of our faces. The CD image is another version of the “face” in the cover art. So there are actually 3 versions altogether: the cover art, A-type CD image, and B-type CD image. We did this because we wanted our fans who buy our CDs to enjoy not just our songs. The PV is also interesting, so I hope they can enjoy everything we’ve put out.
GAK: For me personally, this is a song that allowed me to take a good look at what my guitar can do. I was able to get good results from some of my experimentation, and that will be useful for the future. Even though we've just finished the current single, I can’t wait to start recording for our next release.
Keiya: All 3 songs in this single are tracks that we think exemplify us. While it’s usually the case that B-sides are thought of as inferior songs, this time we felt that this release is good enough to be thought of as a triple A-side. These are songs all 3 of us came up with collectively and this collaborative effort left a deep impression on us. If you listen carefully, you might even be able to tell that this melody is Fuma’s, the arrangement is GAK’s, this word here is Keiya’s, and so on. This is the product of the chemistry between the members of Purple Stone, and that’s really what we want our fans to savor. Please play all 3 songs on repeat till you drop! *laughs*
Is it ok to add a discography post to it's section (If it's not there) with links people provided here? And, if their links are dead, is it ok to reupload, but still, credit the original uploader on the disco topic?
it is announced at lynch. one-man live tour "DARK DARKER DARKNESS #2 -My name is evil-" tour final at Shinkiba STUDIO COAST at 2016/05/08 that their new album "AVANTGARDE" will be released at 2016/09/14, although details have not yet been announced
btw they will hold their live tour since Niigata LOTS at 2016/10/16 and up to Nagoya CLUB QUATTRO at 2016/11/17
SET-LIST at 2016/05/06:
01.MOON
02.ANTARES
03.GREED
04.INVINCIBLE
05.MIRRORS
06.THE FATAL HOUR HAS COME
07.GHOST
08.ILLUMINATI
09.melt
10.ENVY
11.MELANCHOLIC
12.D.A.R.K.
13.GALLOWS
14.BEAST
15.INVADER
16.COSMOS
17.59.
18.I BELIEVE IN ME
19.ALL THIS I'LL GIVE YOU
20.pulse_
21.EVOKE
Jun_ reacted to hiroki in [Lyrics] BLESSCODE - Imperial City (kanji, romaji, english)
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Jun_ got a reaction from paradoxal in Show Yourself (again)
Jun_ got a reaction from nullmoon in Show Yourself (again)
Jun_ got a reaction from gekiai in Show Yourself (again)
Jun_ got a reaction from nick in Show Yourself (again)
Jun_ got a reaction from IGM_Oficial in Show Yourself (again)
Jun_ got a reaction from ghost in Show Yourself (again)
Jun_ got a reaction from Original Saku in Show Yourself (again)
Jun_ got a reaction from beni in [Suggestion] Themed Dubtrack Sessions
Jun_ got a reaction from Zeus in [Suggestion] Themed Dubtrack Sessions