[Review] 揺らぎ - Still Dreaming, Still Deafening (English&Chinese)

[freesia 714]

Thought I should share this review which I wrote of Yuragi's album from 2018. I also shared the album in the download section if you haven't listened to this yet. Highly recommended!

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English review:

 

Yuragi's album "Still Dreaming, Still Deafening" is a blend of delicacy, destructiveness, and ambiance which brings the audience into a translucent, atmospheric world. Like the album title, Yuragi's music brings multiple feelings to the audience, where when it is mellow, it brings a "dreaming" perception to the audience; while on the other hand, when it is violent, the music can be "deafening".

 

The instrumental first track "B/C" prepares the audience to hear and see the world of Yuragi－the chemistry of innocence and wildness blended as one composition. The second track "Horizon" comes naturally like from the next breath of "B/C". The airy and translucent vocals resembling the view of the yellowish clouds in the sunrise above the "horizon" as you listen. "Utopia" comes next to bring a sweet oceanic breeze while looking at the blue sky after the sunrise, while watching seagulls fly past. The third track "Bedside" resembles the music of earlier Yuragi, more on the happy poppish rock and easy-listening. The fourth track "Unreachable" is my most favorite track in the album: the audience undulates with Yuragi like on top of the waves of the ocean then, gradually, sinks into the water. Night comes on the fourth track "Path of the Moonlit Night". Yuragi gets quiet as it comes, like a peaceful dark night at the seaside, then disrupts the silence with an outburst of unstoppable emotions.

 

Having influenced by the older generations of shoegaze/post-rock bands like My Bloody Valentine and Mogwai, Yuragi indulges these influences and puts off a style of their own, purely resisting the sell-out music market of Japan.

 

中文樂評:

 

揺らぎ的「Still Dreaming, Still Deafening」大碟成功的混和了織細的感性、破壞性的情感和迷幻的氣圍於音樂中，讓聽眾被帶進一個有著透明感卻又情感強烈的氣圍世界當中。就像大碟的名字，揺らぎ的音樂在輕柔時讓人彷彿在睡夢中("Dreaming")，而在爆發時又讓人耳聾("Deafening")。

 

純器樂的第一首「B/C」為開始進入揺らぎ的音樂世界作前奏，而這個世界時而單純，時而狂野。然後第二首「Horizon」來得像下個呼吸一樣的自然。輕飄飄又有透明感的女歌聲猶如看著太陽從地平線("Horizon")冒出時淺黃色的輕雲。接著下首「Utopia」，輕鬆的旋律帶來看日出後在海邊吹著清風看著海鷗飛過的畫面。第三首「Bedside」的風格跟初期的揺らぎ的風格很像，很愉快又容易入耳。第四首「Unreachable」是個人這張大碟裡最喜歡的。跟著音樂，一時在藍海上隨海浪翻滾("うねる")，一時又沉澱("しずむ")在藍色("baby blue")深海裡。下首「Path of the Moonlit Night」的音樂開始時，夜晚來臨了，揺らぎ安靜起來，就像晚上寧靜的海邊。寧靜過後，忽然，情感爆發了，一發不可收拾。

 

揺らぎ受很多早期的老瞪鞋／后搖樂隊影響，例如My Bloody Valentine和Mogwai，而他們將這些影響轉化成為了自己的音樂養分，創造出屬於他們自己的風格，以純粹喜歡做音樂的心抵抗日本音樂市場上的商業音樂消費風氣。

Still Dreaming, Still Deafening

Released Aug 8, 2018
(Flake Sounds)

1. B/C
2. Horizon
3. Utopia
4. Bedside(album ver.)
5. Unreachable
6. Path of the Moonlit Night