Takashi Kokubo – Healing Music – Bird

Takashi Kokubo - Healing Music - Bird 

Kokubo @ discogs.com

Bright yellow sun rise starting new spring, Kokubo treats us not with a mystical, inquisitive or mythological mood.  He gives us a simple, crisp, pure sunny day.

1. Daichi no kokyū II (Breath of the earth II) 

               We are introduced with some subtle Eb #11 happenings before the form ! Then we jump into a loop of:

               ||Bb maj   |  Eb maj      | Ab maj        | Bb maj|

               |Eb  maj     |  Bb maj     |  Ab maj       |  Ab maj / F in the bass||

               This is the gist of what Kokubo is up to.  At times he will throw in a chord inversion, Bb major with D in the bass, Ab major with F in the bass, stuff like that !

               The main theme plays on the major triads; D, F, Bb slide up to C.  Then he repeats the theme up down a whole step, (So, C, Eb, Ab, Bb).

2. Kono michi (This way)

               ||D maj    | B-       | A maj     D maj    |  G maj   A maj    | D maj ||

               ||: G maj   A maj  :||

               On a kalimba perhaps?  Total unaffected innocence.  “Come this way !, follow me !” On a light hearted journey to see a secret bird nest.

3. Nettaiurin no yoake (Daybreak of the tropical rainforest) 

               Tune bops around between C major with a 9 flavor in there, to F major similarly styled.  After a little while A minor and G major fly into the mix.  We get some of that signature Kokubo echo scales JJ.

4. Haru no ogawa (Spring brook)

               Another kalimba jawn ,cool !  Basically G, G major7, C major, C major 7ish descending riff.  First part is as follows, arpeggiated:

               ||G B D G  |  G B D F#  | C E G C   |  C E G C ~B A G ||  Where after the C trails more into a melody.

               Part 2, arpeggiated:

               ||D A G D   |    C B G D    |  B A G D   |   C B G D    ||

               I’m sure Kokubo has a written composition for this, though in my mind he goes off to Jam City, plucking away with all the birds in the world, still in G major the whole time through.

5. Tori no shi • Mori no yoake (Bird poem • Daybreak of the forest)

               ||GCC, B G D |  G maj           |  F  maj  G Maj   |

               | D – 7     E-7   |  Fmaj   G maj |   

               Not sure exactly the harmonic rhythm here, but those are the chords.  Where the notes “GCC” are played together, followed by a melody of B G D.  We’ll see some Gmajor with B in the bass on occasion.  Cool wistful tune, reminds me of Phil Keaggy.

I think it’s that Low D note.

6. Yume (Dream)

               Mega F major 9 arpeggio spread, so cool !  One that I could approximate is voiced C, F, G E!  Mega Light BEAAAAAAAM.  Then we get :

               ||:F major     |  C major / E in the bass   |  D-7 (G7)      |  C major  :|| 

               Where we sometimes get that G7.   Super anime song, totally from the Air (tv) OST.  

7. Finlandia 

               Enjoy the wind harmonies !  !  !  !  (Main theme is very roughly B, A, B, C, then varies from there)

8. Tori no shi • Yūsuzumi (Bird poem • Cool of the evening)

Not sure of harmonic rhythm here , chords are as follows though :

               ||F maj            |  Eb maj                   |  D – 7    |   D  - 7   |

               |F maj 7 #11   |  Cmaj / E in bass   | D – 7     |  D – 7 (G7)  |

               |C maj             ||

               Some C notes flying around the Eb major chord, so that’s cool getting the 6^th in there.  Also that final C major is voiced roughly C G A B.  

               Next section Kokubo plays arpeggio heaven.  Roughly voiced C F A E, C F A D (both F major) then some kind of C major harmonies after that. 

              

9. Ōkina sora (Big sky)

               Kokubo’s take on the famous Rick Roll LOL:

               ||: G maj  A  maj   |  F#-  B-    :||  repeat as desired, eventually throw in G major, A major, resolve to D major.

               Other part strolls between G major, A major, B -  , A major.

               Is this the kind of emptiness Buddhists talk about?  Kokubo graces us with purity, clarity, lightness and emptiness rather than weighing us down with heavy musics.  Light as a feather , Birds flock together  , it is Kokubo’s “Healing Music – Bird”

 

HAELIUM – Playgrounds

HAELIUM - Playgrounds

HAELIUM @ bandcamp.com 

 

 

 

Chain linked melody contains nostalgic sun and we knock knock kick drum clap to snap through and break the chain for infinite refrain to feel the past to be at last back to square 1, 4 square, play fair this is where we were born and grew under the sun when we were at square 1.

               HAELIUM snapshots the simplicity of youth with a singular melodic whisper adorned by crisp yet radiant, as if enlightened, divine rhythms and reminiscent reverse echo splashes saturating the canvas with water color fragmented memories.

              

Tonally, the song centers around Ab Lydian.  The chord progression is as follows with lots of tasty stuff to unpack:

               ||Ab maj7 #11 | G-   Bbmaj13   |  Ab maj7 #11  | Eb maj7 #11  ||

Okay!  Lots of jazz extensions going on here.  The first arpeggio in the Ab chord I believe is voiced approximately Eb, Ab, C, G.  The major 7^th  sticking out as the high note is very important to the overall sound.  Still in the Ab chord, HAELIUM jumps to C, Eb, G, D. This time the D (9^th chord degree) is emphasized, this is what gives that Lydian #11 flavor to the Ab major chord.  

As far as I can tell, the G minor voicing is fairly standard.  It might be G-7, hard to say.  I am figuring F, Bb, D, G, like a barre on the 3^rd fret of guitar, funk chord kind of voicing.  This chord can be interpreted as the only relief from the beautiful tension, since it’s voicing is fairly straightforward and light. 

Bb maj adds a melancholic hit, voiced as Bb, D, G, A.  Cool thing happening here, we are getting Bb major with the 6^th and 7^th right next to each other, giving a major 2^nd interval crunch happening and creating a deep solemn feeling.  Furthermore, the A note stands out and shortly after we go to the Ab major chord.  Very awesome tension to have a very high A note just before Ab, sort of implies a major chord with a b9!!  Bonkers !!

The vocal melody includes a very important signature ambient thought process!  It dances around mostly stepwise between a small selection of notes, G, F, Eb, D, with the only other note being Bb, I believe, as the final resolve.  Though resolve is a loose term here, because these melodic notes in the context of the key and chords are all pretty much suspense notes.  In the context of Ab lydian they are the major 7^th, major 6^th, perfect 5^th and sharp 11^th.  All color notes, except for the 5^th being the floatiest of resolve notes in any chord (out of the choices of root, 3^rd, and 5^th).  It’s as if HAELIUM is yearning for the past, “Please don’t fade, let’s stay here forever.  Don’t let it end”.

With nearly every musical aspect about this song being floating and unresolved, it’s a perfect compliment that HAELIUM matches it with a grounded, sharp, defined beat.  We hear a very forward sounding kick drum, a snare/clap combo (?) that cuts through the haze and subtle splashes of metallic rain hi hats.

  

 

HAELIUM builds a mournful dreamscape, longing for days gone, yet reaching for positivity to share with the future.