Asunojokei interview about "Island"

こんにちわ、今年も残すところ3ヶ月となりました。

今回は明日の叙景のこちらの記事の英訳となります。
沢山の人に読んでもらえて嬉しい限りです。
海外にも彼らに熱視線を送るヘッズは多いと思うので、その方たちに届いたらいいなと思います。

以下からどうぞ。

Asunojokei released its second album, "Island," on July 27, 2022.

Asunojokei is a Tokyo-based post-black metal band formed in 2014.

They have released two EPs and one full-length album, and last year in 2021 they released two digital singles, "From the Bottom of the Biotope" and "Chimera".

This long-awaited release comes amidst growing momentum for a new album.

They have been releasing albums that break the existing framework of black metal and post-black metal, but with "Island," they boldly fuse their roots in J-POP with black metal, which at first glance seems like water and oil, and have achieved a surprising evolution and development.

For this interview, we spoke with vocalist Nuno, who is in charge of the poetic world of the song, and drummer Saito, who supports the backbone of the band musically and also puts a lot of effort into writing and arranging the music.

-First of all, congratulations on your new release, "Island!"

Nuno, Saito: Thank you.

-Is the title "Island" also derived from the theme of "Summer?"

Nuno: As for the title, it was not made with summer in mind. At first, I wanted to make something with a sense of the season, and I thought it would be good because I like summer, but that faded as I wrote the song, and the main theme became "independence". The title of the album expresses that.

-I see, so the title is an expression of independence.

Nuno: Summer is just a motif. Also, to think about what kind of work we wanted to make as we were making the album, each member delved into albums that they had liked in the past. One of the major references was Porno Graffiti's "foo?" and "NO THANK YOU" by COALTER OF THE DEEPERS. I like that both of these albums have a summery feel, but also that they are less conventional representations of summer.

-I thought it was interesting that you revealed on your Spotify playlist the works that influenced you in the making of this album, for each song. I thought it was unusual for a band to reveal their influences in such detail.

Saito: This was the idea of Toriki (Gt), and since the 2nd EP, we have been putting out the source of each member's influence.

Nuno: There are bands that are putting out their influences, but it's probably rare to show them in such detail.

-Thank you. I think it is an interesting experiment.

-Then, let's talk about the artwork. I was surprised when I saw the album jacket when it was first released, and it has a picture of a cute girl on it. This is a picture by the illustrator Yoko, why did you choose her for this project?

Saito: In making this album, we talked about not avoiding our roots and the things we like, or rather, about bringing them out properly, and that's part of the reason why we chose it.

-I don't know if this interpretation is correct, but personally, it reminds me of the illustrations of Rumiko Takahashi and the so-called "Bishojo" games.

Nuno: We, or rather, I and Toriki, have our roots in Bishojo games.

-What does this picture represent?

Nuno: Opinions differ even among the members, but I think it may represent looking at the summer sky through a glass window, the right eye looking through the glass, and the left eye looking directly at the sky, looking indirectly or thinking about things with a pause. Both looking directly and looking through a filter are important.

Saito: When we commissioned this illustration, we sent a sentence, "Deny the summer that is being consumed and reclaim our own summer," and a rough motif such as "sandy beach," and that's how I got this picture back.

-It's too amazing that this picture was created with just that one sentence.

Saito: I think iridocumulus clouds and blue sky are common “Summer” images, but the mirror in which they are reflected is broken. The glass that the girl is holding has waves on it, and it looks like a record in my perspective. Incidentally, we also left the CD disc bare this time.

-I see you are linking every detail...

Thanks for sharing the details.

Now it's time to touch on the songs on the album!

-First up is the first song, "Heavenward." It is so dark and heavy that I was pretty surprised to bring this as the first song. Personally, I got the impression that it was like the first EP "The Bird of the Fault".

Nuno: This is a song that was made pretty early in the album's production.

Saito: It sounds dark, but this song has a major chord progression.

-What? Is that so!?

Saito: That's right. It's a melody with an image of a gloomy summer night.

-You've been posting passages from the lyrics on Twitter, haven't you?

-Does it end on a slightly hopeful way?

Nuno: Well, I think I wrote a lot of lyrics that give people hope in general for this album. If I didn't, I would have received a lot of advice from Toriki (laughs).

-I see (laughs). I thought it was very interesting to see the word “AirPods Pro” in the lyrics.

Nuno: This was Toriki's idea. I have never used proper nouns in lyrics before, because I don't like it. But then I read an article that said that when proper nouns are used, songs age with the times, and I thought that would be interesting, so I decided to go ahead and use them.

-I see...the idea that the song ages was a blind spot.

-I feel like this is straight-up a song about being a recluse, but what do you think?

Nuno: I don't think it's a song about shut-ins in general. Everyone is spending their time in air-conditioned comfortable rooms, aren't they? They're trying to escape the summer heat.

(By the way, Nuno has not used air conditioning even once this summer and spends his time in his room only with a fan.)

-certainly (laughs).

Nuno: So I think that hot, sunny blue skies are not the only part of summer, and that dark, air-conditioned rooms are also part of summer. Also, it says something like, we can't get rid of that convenience.

-I see... The second song is "Chimera," which was also cut as a single. When this song was released, I was very shocked. I thought, "This is black metal, but they're using dance beat!

Saito: "Will we do it? Do we want to do it? It was discussed among the members, and it seems like we finally did it.

-Is this an influence from COALTER OF THE DEEPERS, etc.?

Nuno: Also, "androider" from Lifelover is an influence.

-I see! I do have an impression of Lifelover using dance beat!

Nuno: Surprisingly, there are a lot of post-black bands that use dance beat.

-I see. About the lyrics, do you imagine this as a chimera expressing a mixture of emotions?

Nuno: Actually, it is the opposite. A chimera is a being in which different entities cohabit while retaining their individuality. It is like water and oil. There is a yokai called "chimera," isn't there? It is a distorted aggregate, but different things exist at the same time.

So, to mention one episode, we are very happy that this album has been accepted by everyone, but on the other hand, there are wars in Ukraine and violent incidents happening every day. While we are feeling happy, someone else is at a crossroads in their life.

We can't put a lid on my feelings there, and we can't go to the aid of those people. We can't ignore them either. So we have to live with both the pleasant and the unpleasant.

-I see.

There is a line, "Try to separate the two worlds..."

This is exactly what the song is about, isn't it?

It is an important song in the album, as it is a new challenge for you in terms of music.

-Next up is the instrumental, the third track, "Gaze."

It seems to be placed a little early for an album interlude, what is your intention?

Nuno: If you think about it in order, this is the first song. Then, the second song is "Footprints". However, we decided that "Heavenward" would be a good choice for the first song in terms of the meaning of the song, so we decided to use the second song, "Chimera," which comprehensively expresses the message of the album, as the grand opening song. The third song is the beginning of the main part of the album.

-I see. So, the album practically starts here, but let's talk about the next track, the fourth one, "Footprints". It's another unique title, isn't it? I personally thought it sounded like something a rustic guitar rock band would use for a title (laughs).

Nuno: Oh, I think there might be "Hangnail" (laughs), like JUDY AND MARY (laughs).

Zhuangzi had the idea of "uselessness," and even empty spaces have meaning and roles, don't they? A vessel can hold something because there is nothing in it, and the arch of the foot is not actually stepping on the earth, but it allows us to walk and stand thanks to the arch of the foot.

That's where the lyrics start, that even if something doesn't physically exist, even if it has nothing to do with you, it's still important to someone or has a role to play.

-I see, that's very clear and I appreciate it.

How about the musical part?

Saito: In the early demo stage, the first chord progression seemed to run through to the end and there were no major developments. The members wanted to make this song a killer tune, so we decided to give it a brighter chord progression in the second half.

-There is certainly a liberating image in the second half of the song. And the next one is one of the most problematic of this album.

The fifth song, "Diva Under the Blue Sky".

When I first heard it, I thought, "Did you decide on an anime tie-in? I thought so (laughs).

It's such a catchy and bright song.

I think this song has probably received the most responses on social media.

Saito: It's very refreshing (laughs). This was made from a melody that Nuno hummed, and then Toriki created the structure based on that.

-Humming!?

Nuno: When I play the guitar and try to convey the melody, Toriki seems to get confused, so I use humming to convey the melody (laughs). We've been using that technique since "Unripe Orange" from the previous EP.

-I have heard from Toriki that "It is easy to make a great song if I work out the structure while keeping Nuno's melody."

Saito: I think so too.

Nuno: I'm honestly happy (laughs).

-It really is a nice song to listen to under the blue sky! Except for the break in the song, it's almost dance beat, isn't it?

Saito: Yes, it is mainly dance beat, with some rhythmic tom-toms thrown in here and there. The rhythmically spinning tam phrases are completely inspired by LUNA SEA's "IN SILENCE".

-I see it's on your Spotify list!

About the lyrics, I heard it's the brightest song on the album, but the evilest lyrics...

Nuno: That's right (laughs). It's exactly what the lyrics say, but I think it's nice and reassuring when we can agree and like each other around us, starting with generalization.

-I agree.

Nuno: But if we stop there, I don't think anything will develop from there. On the contrary, if we have differences of opinion, we can discuss or have room for reconsideration.

-That's right.

Nuno: This time, when writing the lyrics, I received more comments from the members than ever before, such as "I don't understand the meaning of this part" and "What about this way of thinking?” It was very hard for me to write the lyrics (laughs). When people deny the lyrics, I feel as if I am being denied myself

-Yes.

Nuno: And then I would rewrite it, thinking, "What's wrong with this part? But when I rewrite it, I find that it is better than before. In short, I think that if you just say, "That's good," it ends there and you miss the room for growth.

-I see, you went through a lot of trial and error. I think it has indeed turned out to be very good.

Nuno: Going back to the lyrics, if we all have the same opinions, we will stagnate there and eventually stop accepting differences, and differences will disappear. I think there is such a fear. But it is also pleasant to have the same opinions and to be accepted. This song is about the conflict between the two.

-I see... What did you think when you heard the meaning of those lyrics, Saito?

Saito: Well, I kind of thought the lyrics had a totalitarian vibes to them. Basically, Nuno and Toriki discussed the lyrics, but I also gave my opinion on this song. The thoughts we had during that discussion led to the final song, "Thunder”.

-Oh, that is an interesting foreshadowing.... I'll touch on that later and move on to the next song. I was very curious about this one too, from the title.

It's the sixth song, "Beautiful Name".

This is a great song with the same title in THE BACK HORN, right?

Nuno: Yes, the members of us like it and are big fans, and we have a few songs on our Spotify list. When we were looking for a subject for the lyrics in the making of the album, we thought we'd write about this title.

-Oh, I see...on a musical note, the stop-and-go part in the intro is cool, isn't it?

Saito: Yes, in terms of drum phrases, I played with a post-rock image.

-Thank you very much. I thought the part towards the end of the song where Nuno shouts "Thank you for being born" was very impressive. I thought I could understand what you were saying about this phrase without reading the lyrics. I thought it was very cool that the vocals in this song had a lot of variation in the phrases while focusing on the high-pitched shouts and narration.

Nuno: I am glad to hear that. Thank you very much. As for the vocal line, there are more parts of this album that I discussed with the members than ever before.

-This album has a much more upfront vocal sound than the previous one, doesn't it? Is this a conscious decision on your part?

Saito: The sound is clearer than before, so the vocals seem to come forward. The improvement in sound quality is what we were aiming for.

-A little off the topic, but what about the lyrics?

Nuno: The "name" in this song represents the "life" itself given to you by your parents, and by affirming your name or telling you that your name is beautiful, I was trying to express the ego that is pushing you to say that you are lucky to have been born and that you can enjoy this life. I guess.

-I see, that's pretty heavy… So are the lyrics from the point of view of the person who gave you the name?

Nuno: No, it's a bird's-eye view of it, and the subject is the conflict between the one who imposed the name and the one who was imposed it, and how I stand by the one who was imposed it.

-I see...the passage "How can I tell you?" sounds very weighty. Thank you.

Next is the seventh track, "The Forgotten Ones" which is a re-recording of a previously released song, correct?

Nuno: Yes, it's a reworking of "Stardust.”

-Why did you decide to re-record this?

Nuno: This is my request and I thought this song had a summer night feel to it, and I also thought that this album as a whole was a new frontier for Asunojokei.There were no songs that represented orthodox black metal as we have done in the past, so I suggested to re-record it.

-I see, it is true that this song is a very black metal song on the album. I felt that Nuno's vocal line was clearer and much cooler than when I heard it before the re-recording.

I thought it was really cool how the sound stops at the end of the song, and then he mumbles, “I’m just about to be forgotten." and starts running again.

Nuno: Thank you very much. I think people have a feeling of "I don't want to forget," but in reality, we live our lives forgetting many things, and I think there are many experiences that can't be remembered. The feeling of not wanting to forget is the flip side of the feeling of "I don't want to be forgotten either.”

I feel that we live our lives without being aware of it. I wrote these lyrics because I thought it would be good for us to realize that we are making such choices.

-I see... The four lines at the end of the song, "I was beckoned by the fleeting moments that couldn't even become memories," are the coolest...

Nuno: Thank you very much. I really like it there myself.

-It's been a while since I've heard a lyric that feels like the main character is going to die (laughs). Kind of reminiscent of the lyrics of "The Bird in the Fault."

Nuno: Well, as usual, I received a lot of criticism from the members for this song (laughs), but until then I had been writing lyrics that didn't feel like me, but with this song and "Beautiful Name" I was like, "I want to write this! This is what I want to write! I wanted to write this song!”

- I see (laughs). What about the musical part, Saito?

Saito: Well... as for the drums, I'm really ascetic about a lot of phrases (laughs).

-(Everyone laughs) Ascetic phrases (laughs). It's true that this song has been running straight for a long time. I thought the previous song "I won't pray anymore" was fast, too.

Saito: The song from the first album, "Chain", is more difficult (laughs).

-Oh, I see (laughs). I can remember you playing with a cool expression on your face.

Saito: This album is quite packed with phrases, so I'm worried about the live performance (laughs).

-I see (laughs), I would love to see it live.

Next up, this one feels like another tour de force.

Track eight, "The Sweet Smile of Vortex."

The last two songs here have one of the most satanic flows in this work.

Nuno: "The Forgotten Ones" is the executive, and this song is the last boss.

-This is a very steep flow, isn't it (laughs)? This song in particular gave me an impression of satanic black metal.

Saito: I was trying to put a lot of phrases on the drums as well.

-This is the most brutal song on this album. I heard that you modeled the lyrics of this one after a short-story novel...

Nuno: "It is Yumeaki Hirayama's "A woman with a face like a monster and a man with a head like a melted clock". It's about a man who has taken on his own misfortune and wonders how he can become happy.

I also wrote about Nietzsche's 'eternal return' with my own twist.

-Nietzsche...? What is it about?

Nuno: Simply put, it's about the world being in a constant loop. There was a Nietzsche boom for a while (laughs), and all the members were reading at the same time.

-What a band you guys are...(laughs). The lake is in the scene description.

I am a fan of that novel too, and it is very impressive.

Nuno: I heard that Nietzsche also came up with the idea of ‘eternal return’ while taking a walk by the lake, so that's part of the reason I included it.

-Is there a link there too? That's perverse (laughs).

Well, let's move on. It's already the end of the album, but the ninth track, "Tidal Lullaby".

I felt its placement here was very effective in terms of the flow of the album.

Saito: This song was inspired by an atmosphere similar to that of "Ugly Mask" from the first album, and was originally composed by Toriki. The first half of the song, the interaction between the drums and bass guitar, was created by Seki (Ba) and myself together. We talked about how we wanted to end the song with a fuzzy guitar, and that's how we ended up with this song.

-Thank you very much. So next, here is the 10th song, "From the Bottom of the Biotope," which was also cut as a single. I was surprised at how bright this one was when it was first released.

Nuno: We wanted to make something cheerful after the previous EP "Wishes", so we made this song at the same time as "Chimera". I think it is an important song that determined the direction of this album.

-I think the guitar solo in the middle of the song is really pushing it.

Saito: Yes, it has a guitar solo with a guitar hero feel to it.

-I think the lyric video, combined with the summer image, is very summery.

Saito: That was filmed by me, and Chimera was filmed by me and Toriki.

-Wow! That’s creative.

Saito: "No, no (laughs)."

-By the way, what is a biotope?

Nuno: I wonder what it is (laughs). My interpretation is that it is an artificial reproduction of nature by humans in order to preserve the species.

It was inspired by a novel called "God's Biotope" by Yu Nagira.

-Oh, I see.

Nuno: In the vein of the previous work, we are expressing the feeling that we are being controlled by God or some other big entity, but even in that situation, we can resist fate or do whatever we want at any moment, depending on how we feel.

And that is something that the rulers and authorities have no control over.

-I see, it is very heartbreaking, isn't it? It was in the midst of the COVID disaster when this song was released, as it is today. I felt that there is a link between this song and the current situation.

Nuno: It's not something I feel strongly about, but maybe that part of me is subconsciously showing.

-Thank you very much. The summer-inspired songs continue, and now we come to the last song, the 11th song, "Thunder".

I think this is a very nice title, but "distant thunder(=遠雷)" is a seasonal word for summer, right? Is this a quote from some work of art?

Nuno: I gave this name to it myself, though there is a "honeybee and distant thunder" or something like that..

Saito: This song is originally composed by me. The songs that came out for the album had a lot of major chords, and I wanted to show my roots in the song. I was strongly influenced by the band "Akai Koen", and I was very conscious of this song.

-I see! You also bring roots from an unexpected place.

Saito: I prefer the early works of the band, but I like the avant-garde but J-POP style song structure. This song also has a chord progression influenced by J-POP and anime songs.

I wanted to do something interesting with blast beats on the drums as well, so I also created blast beats without a bass drum, and blast beats that foreshadow an 8th note groove."

-Wow...I'm going to have to listen to it again and concentrate on the drum phrases…(laughs).

As for the guitar solo, it's also quite striking, if I may say so.

Saito: The guitar solo was also arranged from a phrase I played in the demo, which was arranged later by Toriki, and he played it pretty well.

-I think the previous song, "From the Bottom of the Biotope," is also bright, but this song is even faster and brighter, so the two songs in a row have a very penetrating and upper end. It's like the last episode of TRIGGER's anime only here (laughs).

Now, let me ask you about the lyrics at the end. First of all, you start with something like the first discussion.

Nuno: There's a strong element of storytelling in this song, and I'm trying to give the feeling that I'm reading that story to the audience, to be meta about it, as a narrative.

-The lyrics are very exciting and wonderful, such as the line in the middle of the song, "I poured water with my finger crawling along the edge of the glass."

Nuno: This is from my own experience, but there was an event called "Dialogue in the Dark" where various things were done in a pitch-dark room, and when I went there, there was an opportunity to pour a glass of beer in the room. The best way to do this without spilling the beer was to just run your finger along the rim of the glass and see how far the beer was poured...

-Yes.

Nuno: Here it's visuals, but the senses that I rely on have been removed from the world, things have changed drastically, and I'm wondering what I'm going to do now. However, I think that by losing the senses that I was relying on, I am able to communicate with other people more easily. I am trying to detune communication in this way.

-I see, I think it closes very delightful, is that what you were aiming for?

Saito: Yes, I personally like the big ending. There is a symbolic phrase in the intro, and the part where it comes out one more time at the end expresses the big ending. It's a theatrical image. During the discussion about the lyrics of "Diva ~", I personally thought of a game called "DEATH STRANDING" or a game called "Kaze no Tabibito", and we came up with the concept of "communication detuning" in the discussion.

Nuno: A 'communication detuning' is a state of restricted expression. For example, when you are asked to speak without words, using only gestures, you become more desperate than usual to read the other person's facial expressions. In such a situation, can you attack the other person as you usually do? I think you would try to be considerate and understanding of the other person.

-I see.

Nuno: But when you can use words and communicate with the power of words, all you can do is to put 100% of your own feelings into it, and there is no room for the other person's feelings. Maybe.

-Yes, yes, yes.

Nuno: But by not being able to use my vision, I may be able to communicate with others without prejudice because I am restricted and not too free.

Surprisingly, when you are asked to talk with a stranger back to back, you can have a smooth conversation with that person.

-It's certainly an interesting experience.

Nuno: After the "Dialogue in the Dark" is over, I go back to a brightly lit room, where I meet the person I was communicating with for the first time. At that time, I was very embarrassed (laughs).

It sounds embarrassing (laugh)!!

Nuno: We can't communicate as smoothly as we can in the dark.

-Thank you very much. To sum up, I would like to go back to the beginning, but the main theme is "independence".

Nuno: Well, "Summer" was the motif or motivation for us, and as a result, we ended up creating a lot of things that evoke the image of summer on their own.

- I think that the sound of hardcore or post-black metal music with blast beats and fast music can create a sense of coolness. I think this is what gives it a summery image.

Nuno: In fact, in the past year or two, there has been an increase in the number of post-black bands that evoke the image of summer. Until now, most of them were inevitably metal-derived melodies, with a satanic feel, or atmospheric sounds like space exploration. I think there are more and more bands, including DEAFHEAVEN, that express a sound that evokes the image of life on earth, or human activities.

-I think this is also in line with the theme of this project, "independence".

Finally, I would like to talk about your future activities.

I know a lot of people are waiting for you...do you have any live shows planned?

Nuno: ...We haven't decided on the specifics, but we would like to do a one-man show for the last EP and this album.

-I see, didn't you do the show for the last EP as well?

Nuno We haven't done it (laughs). We haven't done a live concert in three or four years (laughs).

-It's rare to find a band that has been releasing music so consistently but not playing live for such a long time (laughs). Don't you ever get invited to play live?

Nuno: We've been invited, and we've turned them down like crazy (laughs). We are sorry.

-(laughs). I see. I understand. So you have not decided clearly, but you intend to do it?

Nuno: Yes.

-Even if you were to do a live show, you would have to practice this huge amount of songs, wouldn't you?

Nuno: ...it's horrible (laughs).

-I am looking forward to it (laughs). Well, I would like to conclude here.

Thank you very much for your time today!

Nuno, Saito: Thank you very much!

Appendix

Novels that influenced the lyrics.

『百年法』山田宗樹 - 臨界

"The Hundred Year Law" Muneaki Yamada - Heavenward

『デミアン』ヘルマン・ヘッセ - キメラ

"Demian" Hermann Hesse - Chimera

『少女』湊かなえ - 土踏まず

"Shoujo" Minato Kanae - Footprints

『滅びの前のシャングリラ』凪良ゆう - 歌姫とそこにあれ

"Shangri-La Before Ruin" Yu Nagira - Diva Under the Blue Sky

『陰陽師』夢枕獏 - 美しい名前

"The Yin-Yang Master" Baku Yumemakura - Beautiful Name

『夜市』恒川光太郎 - 忘却過ぎし

"Yoruichi" Tsunekawa Kotaro - The Forgotten Ones

『怪物のような顔の女と溶けた時計のような頭をした男』平山夢明 - 甘き渦の微笑

"A Woman with a Monstrous Face and a Man with a Head like a Melted Clock"

Yumeaki Hirayama - The Sweet Smile of Vortex

『神様のビオトープ』凪良ゆう - ビオトープの底から

"God's Biotope" Yu Nagira - From the Bottom of the Biotope

『しろいろの街の、その骨の体温の』村田 沙耶香 - 遠雷と君

"Shiroiro no Machi no, Sono Hone no Taion no" Sayaka Murata - Thunder