With the subtle tinge melancholy of Winnie The Pooh, synthesizers layer
and layer atmospheres atop to build and airscape of depth, and we are thrust
into this wonderland. Parallel emptiness
all around; stillness and peace.
1. The Firmament
Tranquil ascension, through layers and
clouds. Aqua dampness runs through our
hair and we feel fresh. Fly and be
free. Explore the serene blessings of
The Firmament.
Lots of rootless voicings in this
song I think, this is how he makes the airy quality of the music. Floaty, not grounded with a root note. A lot of the voicings seem to include 2nds.
Song starts off with a voicing D F#
G# E, to B E F# D. I think it functions
as an E7 to a Dmaj13. Regular IV V stuff
here, since this part of the song is in A major. Ishikawa plays around with A and D major 7
chords, with that E7 filled in some places.
At
around 1:37, there’s an ascending 3rds run starting on the F# note. Then it goes into ||A maj | Dmaj
| Fmaj |
Cmaj |. Transitioned to C major now and there’s more
I IV V stuff happening. A lot of times
when there’s a G7 chord Ishikawa will not definitively plop down on G7, rather
he will fill in the space with wispy synth melodies blending together.
At some point a descending 3rds run
happens, starting on the A note. Some
more G7sus fills and blends, then the song resolves back to A major at the end.
2. Afternoon in the
Breeze
A picturesque park, the birds chirp,
flutter, and play. Sun is triumphantly
shining, justice prevails.
A Balamb city breeze wafts us
past. We suddenly remember the anxiety
of the day, smally and achingly.
Momentarily, then the breeze wafts us past. “Stay here, in the present” it cheers us on.
An autumn jewel brushes by. The Clouds darken with age as the day goes
on.
Repeat.
Afternoon in the Breeze has
an easy to distinguish form. The intro
is :
||G maj | F maj
| Bb maj | C
maj |
D maj || Then goes to a section bumps back and forth
between Gmaj and Cmaj. Song is heavily
in G mixolydian, lots of emphasis on the C note in the melodies.
||D min | C maj
| G maj | G
maj |
|D min | C maj
| D maj | D
maj |
Cool to see some D minor in here!
After this, bops around between G maj and C maj again.
BIG CHANGE IS
||Fmaj7 | G maj
| F maj7 | G
maj |
Melody flits between B and C over the F major 7 chord. Again, G is more of a mixolydian but not
quite a harsh dominant chord approach like normal.
Intro swings in again and song form repeats :)
3. Memories of a
Swing
Plopped next to the swing set,
chains squeak, children laugh and seagulls chirp, we feel the sea wind on our
face. Nostalgia spreads like water
colors across a pulpy page crumbled by life’s disappointments. Sadness kisses our hair; heavy sigh. The blurred children on the swings comes back
into focus, and we return to the park.
Memories
of a Swing is probably an improvised piece.
Harmonies bump around among Fmajor13, G7, and C major 7. I think just once an A minor appears, as well
as a Dmin, Gmaj (II, V). Primarily
melodies are played over F major and C major, the good old IV I. At around 13:40 some Ryuichi Sakamoto comes
into town.
Side
note, the F major 13 is sometimes voiced F A D E and LOL it spells the word, “Fade”,
for a song about memories how clever!!!!
4. First Date
Trailed by magic sparkles, in a simple,
modest dress enters the young man’s female friend. Embarrassed they introduce each other and
make small talk. Reminiscent of
Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight”. Scenes of
them progress through the night, only the music heard, no sound effects. They visit a coffee shop, play games at a
fair, walk around down. They laugh
innocently from time to time, warming up to each other. Final scene, atop a Ferris wheel, bluedark night
sky. The magic kiss.
Alternate end: both parties meet
in the middle of a suburb side street, exchange goodbies and
would-you-like-to-meet-agains.
Pleasantly split ways, touched by the star of destiny to meet again.
|| E maj | E maj/D#
| C# min | C#
min |
| A maj | B
maj | E maj
| E maj* ||
*Cute melody here is E, F#, B, G#.
After a repeat it goes to:
|| G maj | C
maj |
G maj | Gmaj
/F# |
|E min | C maj
| D maj
| Dmaj |
| G maj | C
maj |
G maj | C maj
|
|A min | D
maj | G maj
| G maj ||
Then repeat the form.
Nothing too off the wall here. Something to note is the 4th bar
usually lets the chord ring out to breathe.
5. A Walk Under the
Flowing Clouds
We are walking under the flowing clouds
LOL.
|| G maj | C maj
| A min | D
maj |
| F maj | C
maj | F maj | D
maj |
Synth arpeggios follow the chords accordingly: D G A D,
E G C D, E G B
C, D F# A D, C F G C,
D E G C, C F G C, D F# A D.
Second part is:
||G maj 9 | C maj 9
| A9 |
D7sus || Which leads into the Susy ending:
||Csus11 | Csus11
| Csus11 | Csus11 |
|Dsus11 | Dsus11 |
Fmaj7 | Fmaj7
|
|G maj | G maj
| Csus11 |
And the Csus11 happens until the end of the song.
6. Winter Skies
Flashbacks of Donkey Kong winter stage
troubles. Very mountainous, natural
snow, earthy colors, a hearty briskness permeates the air. Hints of Christmas melodies ring out. Minor scale snow is interesting indeed, a
whole other weather than Major scale snow. Pine trees hold up the sky.
Chain
reaction chord progression ending, same thing that Naitoh does in, “In the
Forest”?? I hear it in his 2nd
song. I expected his foresty arpeggios
to appear after Winter Skies final cadence.
Intro of song bops between A minor and G major, this key
center is A dorian. After bopping, goes
to a solid A dorian vamp with lots of synthesizers trickling about in the air. Then a modal key change to A Aeolian scale:
||A min | G maj
| F maj | E
min |
|D min | D min
| E min | E
min ||
Then vamps on A Aeolian again, until switching back to A Dorian.
The ending progression is as follows, harmonies are
descending:
||A min | D7
| G maj | C
maj |
|A min | F maj
| G13 |
C maj |
|A min | F maj
| G13 | A maj 7
||
And it wraps up beauteously by resolving on A major, the
same key the album started on. Cool idea
that the first song actually starts with E7, Dmajor, the V and IV chord of A
major. Might imply and endless album
repeat!
Miscellaneous Thoughts:
I think the album tells a story all the way through, each
track a different scene in a movie.
This is an “Inside Album”, an album that should be listened
to with headphones. It creates a space
that is fun to explore and be in.