I fucking love Lamp

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You might think that the profanity in the above post title is completely unnecessary. If you do, you’re clearly not yet aware of how fucking much I actually love Lamp.

You know how every once in a while you find a band that just immediately grabs you by the balls? (If you’re a girl or a castrato singer, consider that a figure of speech.) Someone recommends you a song on YouTube and you go “huh, well that actually sounds really damn good.” You download the album with the track on it and you find that the rest of the songs on it sound just as good. Then you proceed to listen to their entire discography and pretty soon you’ve discovered that every single thing they’ve put out is pure perfection. You know that feeling?

You invite a friend over to your place and you tell them that there’s this band that you’re hooked on lately. You throw all of their songs in your music player and — brimming with confidence — you tell your friend to click on any damned song off the playlist and you guarantee it’ll be awesome. They click on something, you recognize which song it is from the first couple of seconds and you go “YESSS!!! I FUCKING LOVE THIS SONG!” You suddenly want to shower your friend in alcohol just because of their random song choice. You know what I’m talking about?

That’s what’s currently happening with me and Lamp.

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Nujabes ~ 1974–2010

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I’ve been meaning to write a post, any post, anything at all about Nujabes for the past three years. It’s never amounted to more than a couple of words here, a couple of words there, a nod in his direction by naming this site after a song of his… but ultimately my thinking has been, “what on earth could I say about Jun Seba that hasn’t been said before and better than I ever could?“

The answer is “probably nothing.” But hey.

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mouse on the keys “irreversible” interview (2011)

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Here’s a great interview with the amazing mouse on the keys, originally published at CONTRAST some time ago around the time their live DVD was released. If you’re a fan of mouse on the keys, and you’re the type of fan that’s interested in interviews and that sort of thing, then I’m sure you know just how scarcely mouse on the keys has those available (not to mention ones in English!). For those fans among you this should be a treat.

Original interview & text: Shota Kato
Photography: WYPAX
English translation: Henkka

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The subject of mouse on the keys’ DVD “irreversible” is their third European tour in March of 2011 that took them to the UK, Germany and Poland. It’s a lively tour movie that showcases their journey through seven performances in three countries. Captivating are not only the live performances filmed from a close distance, but also the clips of Europe in between with its impressive scenery and townscape. Depending on the person watching, there are various things to be taken away from it. That is one of the strong points of the work.

The tour took place from March 4th through the 12th. As you can see from this schedule, mouse on the keys came to know of the reality of Japan being shook by an unprecedented earthquake while they were in the middle of their tour. In other words, while “irreversible” is a pure record of their tour, it also captures how they experienced 3/11 while in Europe. Realizing that, it feels to me like a documentary that depicts not only the growth of this band on tour, but also the change of an era.

The director for this work was independent film director MINORxU. Though it is talked about in this interview, please do take note of how deeply involved he was in the making as well. You’ll come to know what kind of environments mouse on the keys and MINORxU worked in, what kind of musicians they spent time with, and you’ll get context as to how they lived during that time. I got to talk to mouse on the keys and look back on episodes that happened during the tour, the history that’s documented on “irreversible” and what can now be said about the things that aren’t documented.

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KAN – 50nen Go mo (English Lyrics)

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50年後も
After 50 Years

“If tomorrow morning I was dead, what would you do?”
“Why are you being weird again? Go to sleep!”
Is how you’d answer me, laughing

But like cherry trees blossoming on a spring day
Will the two of us be laughing like always
Even after 50 years, just like today?

Love accumulating and dreams merging
As we keep slowly flowing onward

I will never leave you alone
No matter what happens
I won’t let you escape hearing those little words
That keep our fate sealed

Eventually, after the both of us have died
I don’t know what the world is going to look like
But take my hand so we don’t stray from one another

“Our love is eternal and you are my courage”
Is what I’ll forever insist on telling you

And I will never leave you alone
No matter what happens
Like great wings enveloping us
Keeping our fate sealed

“If tomorrow morning I was dead, what would you do?”
“You’re still going on with that? Would you just sleep already!”
Is how you’d answer me, laughing

But like fallen leaves fluttering on an autumn evening
Will the two of us wither away as beautifully?
Even after 50 years, will we be gently laughing, just like today?

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KAN – Shinjirarenai Hito (English Lyrics)

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Note: This song is a duet with Tane Tomoko, and the parts in quotations are her lines. The “Mr. Akiyama” mentioned in the lyrics is astronaut Akiyama Toyohiro.

信じられない人
Unbelievable Guy

Sorry to suddenly break into a latin groove like this
“You’ve got some ulterior motive, don’t you?”
Just wanted to keep it light — it’s a serious topic
“…And what was it you wanted to talk about?”

Walking the tracks after the trains have stopped
Do watch your step
It’s a feeling one seldom gets to enjoy
Times like these

Let’s walk until that crossing to sober up
“I haven’t had that much to drink.”
The stars look bigger than usual tonight
“Gee, what a romantic you are…”

Okay, try this then
If you close your eyes for ten seconds
The stars will look twice as big
Go on, close your eyes

“Unbelievable, you’re really just unbelievable!
What do you think you’re doing?!”

Just because our lips bumped into each other a little
Doesn’t mean you suddenly need to run away
You’re going to fall over

“Unbelievable, you’re really just unbelievable!”
So you keep telling me
Told you, should’ve watched your step
You need to have more faith in me

It’s my well thought out strategy
If she still doesn’t get how I feel
Maybe I’ll try it one more time

“Unbelievable, you’re really just unbelievable!
Would you cut it out already?!”

In an era when even Mr. Akiyama’s going to space
What’s so unbelievable about me when I’m standing right here?

“Unbelievable, you’re really just unbelievable!”
So you keep telling me
But I love you, I really do love you
At least believe that much

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