Stepping in a Doomed World
Here I am with the last song analysis of Darkest Reviewsā third season in āLyrical Loveā! Todayās subject is a song by the eccentric visual kei band Caliā gari, entitled Tou (Stepping) and released for the first time on their ninth single 9 on 22nd September 2009 and afterwards included in the 13th album 10. Even if the sound is freaking and energetic, the core meaning inside it is really hard to untie, as you can expect from such a band, but in the whole it is really piercing.
The song starts with a piercing guitar and suddenly the rhythm kicks off stronger, where Ishiiās voice goes from screaming to pretty electronic in a bit, building up a theme with a fast rhythm and a fresh and catchy rock melody, helped by relevant electronic effects and interesting guitar work; the song doesnāt have nothing else than its electronic energy and freaking vocals completing its peculiar and extravagant structure.
Cipherization
Soho nation
Kuuzen shinkan bougyaku kaikin zenrei.
Age toufu ha, o ubau to iu, senritsukan
Ah, ah
Musebi nake omen kowai mono nedari no baishin
Yabu ren tain funkou no fantomime
Use na sena jaren, muchi utsu ni tobikau banshee
Aimatte zei no kagiri o tawamure.
Sennin kaichou kannin koubai
Hatsuran sei no furuten.
Jousou houkai, choushou ryoukai
Damu damu, daba daba.
Musebi nake omen kowai mono nedari no baishin
Aimatte zei no kagiri o tawamure.
Ranbu ittou, zanāi soutou
Danzai-kyuu no fuuten.
Sennin kaichou kannin koubai
Hatsuran sei no furuten.
Jousou houkai, choushou ryoukai
Damu damu, daba daba.
Meikyou shinshui banyuu ron
Maishin bontai no neuron.
Cipherization
Soho Nation
Unprecented shaking violence ban.
Fried tofu, it is said that it steals the teeth, trembling horse
Ah, ah (I)
Omen for being choked by tears, having fear of a jury of supplicant people
Pantomime of an infamous and lustful excitement
May the illicit love vanish, a banshee who flies on an ignorant depression
Copulate as much as you can. (II)
Thousands of people obtain a good tolerance
Full transverse lap.
Collapse of the upper layer, comprehension of the ridicule
Silly silly, well well.
Omen for being choked by tears, having fear of a jury of supplicant people
Copulate as much as you can.Ā
Violent sword dance, equivalent to a regret
Condemned rate of madness. (IV)
Thousands of people obtain a good tolerance
Full transverse lap.
Collapse of the upper layer, comprehension of the ridicule
Silly silly, well well.
Ambivalent theory of the clear adoration
Given up promotion of the neuron. (V)
Written by the singer Shuuji Ishii, the text shows off all the elements of Caliā gariās eccentric concept, thanks to few lines made by few words, which make a great impact on the reader, like in a slogan, making a bit hard bringing out a sensate translation (so I invite you to write me anything related to it). It seems that this song has been inspired by a movie, precisely Jean Cocteauās Le sang dāun poete (one of the favourites of the singer), dealing with an artist, whose work starts to be alive, an opportunity for exploring the decadent and mundane society where he lives (thereās a reference of it even in the videoclip) and here we arrive to the title, another object of discussion. The word ātouā in Japanese has two meanings, which are the wordĀ ātreadā, hinting to a connection between each one, working for some parts of the text, and verb āto stepā, more linked to the mentioned image of the exploration; in a few words they are both good, but the choice went to the second for linking it to the dynamic aspect of this band. So where we are stepping? In a shaking, depraved and corrupted world, made of chaos, darkness and lust; shaking because of the sudden arrival of technology in our lives, depraved because of the promiscuous approach to sex (not by case Caliā gari are considered the pioneers of eroguro kei, a style which mixes erotic and grotesque themes) and corrupted because of whoever rules the current society, hinting to a strong criticism (typical of Japanese underground acts). And nowā¦ letās analyze the song!
I) The text starts with lines made by single words, used as slogan, as mentioned above; the cipherization (symbol of the technology, mainly based on numbers), the Soho nation (a reference to British culture, one of the inspirations of this band, hinting to the depravation and the corruption of this world), where there is a unprecedented ban of shaking violence, because never made by none (Kuuzen shinkan bougyaku kaikin zenrei); then it continues with other symbolical images, such as the fried tofu (Age toufu ha, a reference to Japanese mythology about the favourite food of the kitsune, symbol of fertility), which it is said to steal the teeth (o ubau to iu, in Japan, especially for the women, the teeth are a great trait of beauty, meaning that the sex made for procreation ruins the true beauty and pleasure) and the trembling horse (senritsukan, in Japanese ancient culture the horse is symbol of male velocity and potency).
II) The refrain part starts with the image of an omen which will get people being choked by the tears (Musebi nake omen) and of the fear of a jury made only of supplicating people, because the society is failing (kowai mono nedari no baishin), defined as a pantomime of a lustful and infamous excitement, a true play of frenzy (Yabu ren tain funkou no fantomime, a reference to the theatrical aspect of this band) and the illicit love should vanish (Use na sena jaren), while the banshee (an Irish mythological creature spawned when someone is doomed), who brought the mentioned omen, flies in an ignorant depression (muchi utsu ni tobikau banshee) and the sequence ends with an invite to a freaking and passionate copulation, which has to be made until it is possible (Aimatte zei no kagiri o tawamure).
III) In this doomed world, thousands of people try to get only a simple tolerance (Sennin kaichou kannin koubai) and this thing acts like in a complete round which repeates and repeates, like in an endless loop (Hatsuran sei no furuten), but at the same time, the upper layer of the society is collapsing so that thereās comprehension of ridicule things and the stupidity is seen as a positive element (Jousou houkai, choushou ryoukai/Damu damu, daba daba)
IV) After repeating the first and the last line of the refrain, this sequence goes on with the impactful image of a violent sword dance (Ranbu ittou, a strong reference to the Japanese ancient tradition), equal to a sense of regret, because that lineage belongs to the past and canāt be retrieved anymore (zanāi soutou) and now thereās only a condemned grade of madness and evil (Danzai-kyuu no fuuten).
V) The final sequence, after having repeated the third part, starts with the ambivalent theory of a clear adoration (Meikyou shinshui banyuu ron, ambivalent because it might refer to a deity or to a earthen being and in this case we fall in the idolatry) and if this distinction canāt be seen, our mind makes a step back (Maishin bontai no neuron), ending the text in a great style.
Our world, decadent, corrupted and fallen in perversion, seen through impactful images and macabre feelings. Caliā gari manage to build up a powerful song through their mysterious and extravagant style, using a catchy and a bit grittier melody united to blasting words, which open our eyes to a greater view of what kind of world we live in.
Thatās all folks! See you for the last fresh review of this season in āLetās Listen toā!
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