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.

Fumio Miyashita – White Morning

Fumio Miyashita - White Morning

Miyashita @ discogs.com 

Miyashita @ bandcamp.com 

1. 目覚め (See The Light)

 

               Bass line greets us with  A, D, D, Lower D.  The bass provides a sparse feathered anchor of tonality, never deviating but peeking its head every now and again through the composition.  It’s such a COZY timbre, as if being blanketed with cotton soft ethereal clouds, warm as sun.

               Synth pad undulates below us, subtle layer of fog as we fly above.  Synth pad steadily air currents on a drone of A, D, A.  This is an approximation, but there are certainly no chordal texture notes here, just some combination of the Root and the perfect 5^th.  

               So far both the bass and the synth pad are giving us a similar flavor; airy whipped mist with a delicately light palate.

               Synth lead comes into being as if from out of nowhere, parks it on an F#, the major 3^rd of the implied harmony from the bass and pad!, and proceeds touch on A, C#, to D, outlining the full D major 7 arpeggio.  There it is, tonal harmony of the tune fully established in one blessed whisper.

               After the bass line, synth lead follows suit, C# down to A, then G to A, playing with a modal flavor (the relative A mixolydian, AKA a subtle outline of an A7 chord), then resolves down to F#.

               Next line: F#, G, A, C#, D, G, A, F#.

               The lead continues like this for the duration of the song.  Miyashita is playing with an Indian Raga feeling, sticking to a reduced D major scale.  He’s specifically using the notes, D, F#, G, A, C#.  Harold Budd also plays like this.  The limited note choice helps zone in on a specific feeling or color.  The use of the G note in this scale is what gives is that Indian flare.  Tension is created by holding on the C# or the G notes, D is the ultimate resolve, F# and A partial resolves. 

               Fun to try at home!  If you play guitar, tune to drop D (DADGBE) and play with this scale while occasionally hitting the Low D note.  Let it breathe, take your time and FEEL each note.  Don’t be afraid to go slowly, let the music unfold naturally.  It is totally normal to lose track of time and fall into a wormhole.

2.  朝の祈り (Morning Prayer)

 

               Bass : F, C, F, D, High A.

               Synth Pad: Combination of F and C.

               Chimes : F, G, A, Low D. Then F, G, A, C.

We see a lot of similarities here.  Tonal center is some kind of F major, as depicted by the bass and synth pad.  This time the bass plays more of a harmonic role, in that it outlines a fuller scale.

               A slight deviation with the synth lead!  Starts out playing a riff like F, Bb, A, G, A.  Pretty much outlining F major tonality,  We see a lot of Bb in here, the suspended 4^th.  It’s weird that the melody doesn’t often play the D note, but the bass does every time.  Also worth noting, the scale is note as confined as the first song.  The lead plays the full spectrum F Major scale; F, G, A, Bb, C, D , E, F, though it doesn’t emphasize the E or D notes as much.  So it’s not totally exclusive in its note selection like the previous song.  That riff, F, Bb, A, G, A, seems to be the main theme that’s built on.  Interesting how plaintiff the theme is and the song is titled “Morning Prayer”, a beckoning to the Gods.

              

Big ideas for Miyashita’s “White Morning”:

               -Soft tones

               -Slow breathing pace

               -Limited note selection within key

               -Static harmony, interest is within melodic meanderings

Ken Muramatsu - Green Thoughts

Ken Muramatsu - Green Thoughts

Muramatsu @ discogs.com  

Muramatsu @ animenewsnetwork 

 

 

 

Did the Air(tv) anime get a second season?  Cause this is it’s OST.  Ken Muramatsu’s jazz shaded classical compositions infuse a backdrop of drum machines and synthetic lower bottom bass sounds with crisp keys to form Green Thoughts, an anonymity of a sound at times imitating summer days or tree bark through the longings of major 7 and minor 9 voicings straightly laid out.

               Alternatively, Green Thoughts = Plantasia?  Either way, we are blessed with such masterpiece. 

1.     緑のささやく島

 A radiant mid-morning at an anime park; Misuzu’s hidden Summer.  Flippant bold blocked rising sun spirals happiness throughout the Air while faceless strangers blend into the living painting.  The day is healthy.  The day is filled with major 7’s and minor 9’s, but we are groovy.

Chord progression includes lots of diatonic jazz stuff in C major.  Lots of D-7,   G13,   G (b13), E-7, F maj 7. 

Key change to Db major towards end of jam.

2.     出逢いと別れ

               Misuzu’s Stoll.  A déjà-vu of a moment that has been tinted with foreshadow unknowingly because the future hasn’t happened yet.  Light and breezy. 

               Lots of chill jazz 7^th chords.  D maj7 , B – 7, F# - 7, A -7 D7, G maj…etc. etc.

3.    陽だまり

               The pre-tragedy, Misuzu’s confession.  Night time, deeply threaded conversation of care and emotion between two. 

4.    いつか森の中で

 

               WOW screech of the midnight Bats, minor.  Misuzu’s lively night.  Maybe it’s Potato’s disappearance.  Ya silly pup where you off to?

               Ends like a track on Budd’s Avalon Sutra.

5.    グリーン・シャワー

               Misuzu’s rainbow.  A dazzling morning spirits us with rainbow.  We are invigorated in the same way of a plant’s posture. Echo baby!

               “You know I’m jokin’, babe?”

6.    晴れた午後には

               Misuzu’s puppet show.  Wonky donky button nosed puppets sloppily perform Greek tragedy.  We are doofuses, we are comedic.  Or, some sort of argumentative conversation.

7.    哀しみは喜びとともに

               Misuzu’s nightmare.  The bizarre, stressful kind of nightmare, not gory or monster types.  The verse has the tone, “and that is what happens to the boy who cries ‘wolf’”, describing a moral to the story after a negative outcome.  Tan brown, Walsh faerie tale-ish. 

8.    水平線の見える部屋

               Misuzu’s horizon.  Sun peeps through blinds and we have a morning.

               Do a lot of these anime inspired jazz/classical soundtracks tend to be in non-jazz keys (Bb, Eb, F)??  Does this album beckon a resurgence of Key anime releases?  The world may never know.  Green Thoughts is a digitally drawn upbeat chillax wonderland of the paradox of Summer day anime land where it never feels too hot.  Keeping it cool Mr. Muramatsu.

Chihei Hatakeyama - Dark Sea

Chihei Hatakeyama - Dark Sea 

Chihei @ discogs.com

Chihei @ bandcamp.com

Chihei's official page

              Swirling souls maelstromate back to the source.  Whirlpools and whirlpools of recycled life energy funneling towards the next level of existence.  

               Holy Celestial envoy trumpets the transition of old life into new.  20 angels in major.

               Dark Siders plummet upon the pipe organ.

               As the energies blend towards the funnel, memories of past lives mesh and overlap each other.

               Every note of life is oozing out at once, gelatinous, amorphous, slimy, goopy, glowy translucent consciousness aural smoothie.