eureka; kinoko teikoku
Album: eureka
Released: 2013
Runtime: 47 min (9 songs)
Musings:
Kinoko Teikoku was a Japanese shoegaze/dream pop band (2007-2019).
I don't exactly remember how I discover this band but Eureka hold the special place in my heart. This is the first Japanese cd album I've ever got. Considering how expensive the shipping price to Malaysia, I'm pretty picky to buy anything like this.
My first impression; this album is dark. It's like you're reading a spooky stories, not the ghost that creeps you out, but the stillness of the interior in an abandoned house. There's a post rock influence, heavy guitar, the usual brooding shoegaze sound and also unexpected harmony.
The first song welcome you to the theme of the album. The singing style sounds like a chant, like welcoming you to a cult, with explosive sound before the end of the track. The forth track, Kokudou Slope, is a brighter sound compared to the first three tracks. It sounds versatile even among the edgy main tracks.
After track 4, we are immediately thrown into the deepest, darkest abyss of the title track, eureka. I love this song. It's an ominous track with rather ghostly vocal. It's no longer watching the still interior, but now trying to escape a dark tunnel during heavy storm.
And track 5, we escape the tunnel, and step into a sunny, windy grass field. Something like that. I appreciate the sudden whiplash. It made me feel I can't predict the next track and how varied it sounds.
The last track is a realization that darkness can always find its way out. It is bittersweet, much hopeful and permanent than track 5.
This album is a cycle of entering and escaping the harsh, dark moment in our life. Perhaps we can't break the cycle, but the escape will be there, as a part of it.
nothing is permanent,
reesa