13.10.12

BT Fashions

For those of you interested in dressing in Buck-Tick related motifs, you might enjoy the Zara Fall 2012 collection, which features not only a large number of memento mori themed skull-and-rose t-shirts in various colors (srsly they might as well b BT tour t-shirts yo), but also several memento mori skull scarves, a shirt emblazoned with the word "Dream" (like a total ripoff of that t-shirt Hide designed) done in pearl beads, and to top it all off, a scarf patterned with RAPTORS.  Almost like the Zara designers have come over total BT fangirls, or something.

Not to mention all the spikes and lizard skin, black leather and camo print, etc.

They seemed to have stopped short of putting Mr. Sakurai's face all over their raptor scarves, though.  The same cannot be said for Drone, which is doing a brisk business at the goods booths on the Yumemiru Uchuu tour (you know you want a giant scarf with like sixteen Sakurais on it.  You know you want it.)

Full disclosure: Cayce designed the whole collection and anyone who buys any of the pieces in the collection is basically putting money in Cayce's wallet.  (Haha!  Just kidding.)

3.10.12

Yumemiru Uchuu Favorite Moments

Some of Cayce's favorite musical moments on Yumemiru Uchuu (excluding the single tracks.)  If you don't know what I'm talking about, go back and listen again, especially you people who didn't like the album.

Climax Together 

The short retro reverb on the vocal track.

The piano riffs.

The jazz-club coda.

The use of the word "Ciao."


Lady Skeleton

The bass line...all of it.  This song belongs to Yutaka.

The way Sakurai laughs after the line "you can't laugh at that."

The desperate, almost juvenile insistence of the phrase "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss You!"

The sheer irony of the phrase "You know I love you Baby Skeleton, so much I'm gonna die."


Mermaid
Sakurai's multi-tracked scream of "Taiyou!" in the second verse.

The way Imai's melodic guitar line continues on after Sakurai's vocal phrase has ended on the line "what more than this do you need?"

The deliciously rich layer of backing vocals on the chorus.

The use of the word "bikini."


Yumeji

The bell synth.

The song's profound musical similarity to and yet difference from "Jupiter" and "Miu."

The whispered multi-tracked vocals in the second verse.


Only You

That big fat horn section!  Especially the big brass bass line on the chorus.

The "born this way" line in the third verse.

The boogie-woogie beat.


Adult Children

The deceptively simple retro-Orientalism of the tune, that sounds like it could easily be a children's folk song, and perfectly evokes 1960's rural Gunma.

The deceptive simplicity of the lyrics, as if they were written by a child.

The way the casual references to suicide and the Devil completely undermine the childlike nature of the rest of the lyrics (what we call a dramatic reversal, in writers' lingo.)

Imai's backing vocals.

The sharp, controlled delineation of the guitar solo, in contrast to Imai's usual loose, free solo style.

The exquisitely subtle way Sakurai makes the phrase, "come on sing with me," which could have been a completely meaningless throwaway line in another context, into the poignant climax of the song (another dramatic reversal.)


Yasou

The way the beginning chord sounds exactly like the beginning of the Razzle Dazzle rearrangement of "Victims of Love."

The bass line...all of it.

The scatting.

Those wolf-howl backup vocals on the instrumental break.

The utter Jack White/Dead Weather-ness of Toll's ride bell rhythm on the instrumental break.

The way the phrase "The Night is Coming" parallels the words of the Stark Family.


Inter Raptor

The shameless 80's analog-synth throwback arpeggiated dance beat, like Ultravox.

The use of the phrase "yabai yatsu."

Most importantly, the RAPTORS.

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26.9.12

Yumemiru Uchuu lyrics

Translations of all the lyrics for the songs on Yumemiru Uchuu are now up on Not Greatest Site, so hasten over to inspect them!

Feel free to comment here on which ones are your favorites.  As always, please keep your comments constructive and concise.  I reserve the absolute right not to publish essays or haterade.  Or anything about your personal dislike of your precious sad Byronic hero Acchan's use of the word "Baby."  Because, if he called you "Baby" to your face, I daresay you'd enjoy it.

However, I will publish all comments that include scatting.  Shoobie doobie doobie do DAH.

24.9.12

Parade Day 2

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Mobile phone cameras take terrible photos in the rain, in the dark.

Yes, Buck-Tick played a different set list than last night, and yes there were fireworks.

Yes, unfortunately Mr. Imai joined Pay Money to My Pain to play some sort of attempt at a cover of "love letter."

No, Mr. Sakurai did not participate in any guest sessions.

Yes, N'Shukugawa Boys were surprisingly fresh and funny.

Yes, Dir en grey's Die was a special guest guitarist of D'erlanger, and there was a makeout scene.

No, the makeout scene did not involve Sakurai.

Yes, we got to see Messrs. Imai and Higuchi cosplay members of the Polysics.

No, I have not written a live report yet, but I will as soon as I can, so wait patiently.

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23.9.12

Parade Fest Day 1




And tomorrow it continues...

21.9.12

Buck-Tick Movie

It has been announced that in honor of Buck-Tick's 25th anniversary, a (feature?) film about the band's history will be released in 2013 and screened in (selected?) theaters.  

Right now that's just about all the information they're giving us.

Oh yeah, and the movie will be starring Johnny Depp.  With a soundtrack by Radiohead and Justin Bieber.

Official web page here.

18.9.12

Yumemiru Uchuu Displays

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Yumemiru Uchuu display in Tower Records Shibuya.

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Yumemiru Uchuu display in Tsutaya Shibuya.  This one was giving out free Buck-Tick fans, too (get it?  Buck-Tick fans?  Get it?)

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Lyrics translations will be forthcoming.

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