Category: The Jukebox

  • [The Jukebox] #68 – knotlamp LAST TRAIN

    [The Jukebox] #68 – knotlamp LAST TRAIN

    I’m sure by now a lot of readers of this blog know that I enjoy anime. One of those anime’s being Yu-Gi-Oh! I have been a fan of the franchise for the longest time now and outside of the original series, I am a big fan of 5D’s which ran from April 2008 until March 2011.

    Season 2 of the show started in October of 2008 and it featured 2 great tracks which were used for the Opening and Ending of the anime.

    The ‘Ending’, CROSS GAME by Alice Nine is by far one of my favourite tracks of all time… and I am surprised while searching this evening, that I have never covered Alice Nine on The Jukebox… (Please see the footnote at the bottom for more about The JukeBox and its future)

    LAST TRAIN along with CROSS GAME became the catalyst in my fascination with Visual Kei music from Japan. I remember that I downloaded LAST TRAIN along with CROSS GAME (and it’s album Vandalize) and I would listen to it constantly on repeat… on a near daily basis.

    There isn’t a lot of English information about knotlamp but from translation of their Japanese Wikipedia entry: knotlamp was a rock band from Fukuoku Prefecture, Japan who were active between 2000 and 2013.

    They were signed to Run Run Run Records until 2012 before moving to Imperial Records. Their discography is a bit bare as the band has had 4 EP’s and 1 ‘Mini album’ which was released in 2006.

    As previously mentioned, knotlamp’s LAST TRAIN was used for Yu-Gi-Oh!, but they also had a song used for another anime Ginga e Kickoff!!

    A ‘Best of’ album titled “MY PROLOGUE” was released in January 2014 which reached in the Oricon Album Charts.

    Anime Intro:

    Official Video:

    Spotify:

    Apple Music:

    LAST TRAIN -新しい朝- by knotlamp
    Listen to LAST TRAIN -新しい朝- by knotlamp on Apple Music. 2008. Duration: 4:03
    Apple Music

    Lyrics (English):

    Today’s the day to carry out a plan.
    I’ll finally escape from my saturated life today
    I don’t know what is going on today
    But somehow I feel that my answer isn’t here

    Though I don’t know how my life will end,
    I never wanna be a slave
    ‘Cause there is always the chance to change
    I guess it’s up to you

    I’m trying to be a better person
    I will get on the train
    I don’t wanna become a slave
    I will live for myself

    I’m trying to be another me
    ‘Cause I won’t lose my life
    My life will succeed I’ll reach my goal yea

    I try to smile but I can’t remember how
    I don’t know please tell me, how’d
    I become so Jaded?
    Sometimes I feel like I might be dead soon
    But I know that it gave me something to believe

    Though I don’t know how my life will end
    I never wanna be a slave
    ‘Cause there is always the chance to change
    I guess it’s up to you

    I’m trying to be a better person
    I will get on the train
    I don’t wanna become a slave
    I will live for myself

    I’m trying to be another me
    ‘Cause I won’t lose my life
    My life will succeed I’ll reach my goal

    I’m waiting for my dawn
    I’m dreaming of freedom
    Nobody Knows my worries
    No need to understand me

    I wanna get this small freedom
    I break away my worries
    It’s time to say goodbye
    I’m not afraid of you

    I need to walk away
    ‘Cause I don’t wanna be a liar
    If I cannot live my life,
    I am as good as dead

    I’m trying to be a better person
    I will get on the train
    I don’t wanna become a slave
    I will live for myself

    I’m trying to be another me
    ‘Cause I won’t lose my life
    My life will succeed
    I’ll reach my goal yea

    My new story My life is just about to start
    I’m trying to be a better person
    I will get on the train
    I don’t wanna become a slave

    I will live for myself
    I’m trying to be another me
    ‘Cause I won’t lose my life
    My life will succeed I’ll reach my goal

    Lyrics (Romanji):

    tooku kanata o miwatashite
    tanjyun ni shikai no semai kotokitzuita
    jibun suteru hou ga raku demo
    saidaigen taetemitai to omotta
    kyou ga donna dame na hi demo
    wazukana hikari o
    asu wa mada asu no jibun de
    tomoseba ii
    togirenai you ni
    kienai you ni
    jibun o tashikamete
    kazoe kirenai hodokizutsuitemo
    tashikana ashita ga kuru you ni tonegatte hashiru
    nido to nai kyou o
    nani ka no seinishinagara
    soyatte susumenai jibun danmai ni shite
    kokoshikanai shunkandatte
    mouzutto muda ni shite kitakedo
    warai sugoshitai tsukamo
    nai teta kinou mo
    kuru asa wa itsumo onaji de
    tada hitotsu datta
    tomaranai you ni
    taenai you ni
    jibun ni toikakete
    asu o ushinatte mo jibun no seidarou
    nido wa nai kyou o dou ikiru no mo jyuu dakara
    sonna koukainai jinsei o
    It’s time to say goodbye
    I’m not afraid of you
    I need to walk away
    ‘Cause I don’t wanna be a liar
    If I cannot live my life
    I am as good as dead
    togirenai you ni
    kienai you ni
    jibun o tashikamete
    kazoe kirenai hodokizutsuitemo
    tashikana ashita ga kuru you ni tonegatte hashiru
    nido to nai kyou o
    (It’s just about to start)
    tomaranai you ni
    taenai you ni
    jibun ni toikakete
    asu o ushinatte mo jibun no seidarou
    nido wa nai kyou o dou ikiru no mo jyuu dakara
    sonna koukainai jinsei o
    sonna koukainai jinsei o
    togirenai you ni kienai you ni

    The JukeBox has been a staple of this blog, sharing the music, the lyrics and in more recent times, the background to the songs that I highlight and it has been very fun. In my searching for ‘Alice Nine’ posts that I have done, it turns out that I haven’t actually written any posts about Alice Nine on The JukeBox.

    This sent me on a rabbit hole. I know I changed the name of “MusicLyricFriday” (or MusicLyricMonday) to The JukeBox back in 2012. Unfortunately, what I deemed to be S1 or even S2 of these posts are lost to time… I believe they were on an old Tumblr blog which is now gone.

    So I figured out how many JukeBox posts I have made since S3 up to this one today and it would be:

    I’ll be switching the numbering scheme started with the next post and I will be working to retroactively tagging the old posts under The JukeBox tag so they can all be found easier. I could guesstimate how many posts were missing but I’d say it must have been an handful.

    Oh well.

    EDIT: 20th February 2022 – I have figured it out.
    Back on an old WordPress that I had when I was 17 which is still live at https://padraigfahy.wordpress.com – I had 2 album reviews, and something in the back of my head was that they were my first 2 album reviews and I had made them their own series to ‘bump the numbers’.

    The number for this one should be 94 or something, but given S1 and S2 were just 2 posts, I am removing 28 (30 songs from both albums minus the number of posts) which makes this post number 67!

  • [The Jukebox] #67 – ANRI – 悲しいがとまらない I CAN’T STOP THE LONELINESS

    [The Jukebox] #67 – ANRI – 悲しいがとまらない I CAN’T STOP THE LONELINESS

    While listening to some Citypop, a track that seems to be on every playlist that I have on Spotify is ANRI’s I CAN’T STOP THE LONELINESS from her 7th album Timely!!

    ANRI (Real name ‘Eiko Kawashima’) is a singer-songwriter from Yamato, Japan who has been releasing music since her 1978 album “Apricot Jam” and continues to this day with her latest being her 2018 self-titled album release.

    I CAN’T STOP THE LONELINESS was Kawashima’s 2nd hit single. Her first being “Cat’s Eye” which was used as the opening song for the anime of the same name.

    Cat’s Eye Intro

    The songs were released the same year but I CAN’T STOP THE LONELINESS only managed to get to in the Oricon charts. Cat’s Eye would be reach for 5 straight weeks.

    Generally with Citypop (Or Japanese) content, trying to get legal ways of listening to the music can be tricky… but not for Anri! All of her music is available on Spotify (in Ireland at the very least)

    I just wished that other labels would do the same with Japanese music. Yeah, we might not be able to understand or translate the names, but at least we can listen to it.

    Anyway, enough ranting about that… I do enough of that on Twitter 😉

    Live Performance:

    Studio Recording:

    Lyrics:

    JAPANESE (Romanji):

    I CAN’T STOP THE LONELINESS
    Koraekirezu kanashimi ga tomaranai

    I CAN’T STOP THE LONELINESS
    Doushite na no kanashimi ga tomaranai

    Anata ni kanojo
    Awaseta koto wo watashi ima mo
    Koyande iru
    Futari wa SHINPASHII kanjiteta
    Hiru sagari no KYAFETERASU

    Ano hi denwa ga
    Fui ni natta no
    Ano hito to wakarete to kanojo kara

    I CAN’T STOP THE LONELINESS
    Doushite na no kanashimi ga tomaranai

    Gokai da yotte
    anata wa warau dakedo KISSU wa
    Uso no nioi
    Dakishimerarete kizuita no
    Ai ga koko ni nai koto wo

    Koi wa chiisana
    Arashi mitai ni
    Tomodachi mo koibito mo ubatte

    I CAN’T STOP THE LONELINESS
    Kare wo kaeshite kanashimi ga tomaranai

    I CAN’T STOP THE LONELINESS
    Dare ka tasukete kanashimi ga tomaranai

    I CAN’T STOP THE LONELINESS
    Koraekirezu kanashimi ga tomaranai

    I CAN’T STOP THE LONELINESS
    Doushite na no kanashimi ga tomaranai

    ENGLISH:
    I can’t stop the loneliness
    On and on without end
    This sadness won’t stop
    I can’t stop the loneliness
    Why won’t the sadness stop

    I still regret when you met her
    You two made a connection
    That afternoon on the cafe terrace

    Later that day the phone rang suddenly
    It was her telling me to break up with you

    I can’t stop the loneliness
    Why won’t the sadness stop

    You said it was a misunderstanding and smiled
    But your kiss felt like a lie
    And while you were hugging me
    I felt no love

    Love is like a small storm
    Both friends and lovers get swept up by it

    I can’t stop the loneliness
    Please give him back
    The sadness won’t stop
    I can’t stop the loneliness
    Someone help me
    The sadness won’t stop

    I can’t stop the loneliness
    On and on without end
    This sadness won’t stop
    I can’t stop the loneliness
    Why won’t the sadness stop

  • [The Jukebox] #66 – Kazuhiro Hara – real Emotion

    [The Jukebox] #66 – Kazuhiro Hara – real Emotion

    Every few months on YouTube, I am recommended music which I listened to years ago. One of those songs, I am featuring today.

    ‘real Emotion‘ is the opening song for the 2003 Playstation 2 title, Final Fantasy X-2. It’s composed by Kazuhiro Hara and arranged by ‘h-wonder‘

    The song’s English vocalist is Jade Villalon. Villalon is a member of the German pop group Sweetbox who has had success in Japan and Korea. She also sang the English version of 1000 Words also used in Final Fantasy X-2. Villalon left the group in 2007 before rejoining in 2020 and releasing a new album.

    The Japanese version of the song was sung by Kumi Koda. Koda is a solo singer in Japan who gained fame from real Emotion and 1000 Words and has been releasing new music since her breakthrough. Koda also voiced Lenne in the Japanese version of the game.

    Outside of the game, Kumi released her 6th album in December 2020 called “Angel + Monster” which was recorded in her home studio during the COVID-19 Pandemic.  

    There has only been 1 version of the English dub of the song released, It’s credited as being sung by: “Jade from sweetbox” – No full names here.

    Credits from Final Fantasy X-2
    Final Fantasy X-2 Official OST – real Emotion (English)
    Opening of Final Fantasy X-2 (English)

    The Japanese dub, sung by Koda however, had 2 versions:

    The first being the OST version:

    Final Fantasy X-2 Official OST – real Emotion (Japanese)

    And then an official music video featuring Kumi Koda. The dance was motion captured and used for when “the singer” performs the song at the start of the game. The song got to number 3 on the Oricon singles charts making it Koda’s first song in the Top 10. The song was ranked the 24th best single of 2003 in Oricon’s Top 100 Singles.

    Koda Kumi – real Emotion

    real Emotion by 倖田來未
    Song · 3:59 · 2003
    Apple Music

  • [The Jukebox] #65 – Masayoshi Soken – A Long Fall

    [The Jukebox] #65 – Masayoshi Soken – A Long Fall

    Earlier this week, Square-Enix finally released the Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers OST onto streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.

    This gives me the perfect excuse to highlight one of the biggest memes in Final Fantasy XIV in the last couple of years: A Long Fall.

    ‘A Long Fall’ is the accompanying score to the Level 80 dungeon, “The Twinning”. The song is a remix of two older themes, “Out of the Labyrinth” (From the Syrcus Tower raid in Patch 2.3) and “eScape” (From the Omega raid in Patch 4.4)

    Syrcus Tower theme
    Omega theme

    The lyrics for eScape were sung by the composer for Final Fantasy XIV, Masayoshi Soken and the lead English translator, Co-lead of the World and Lore Developer, Michael-Christopher Koji Fox.

    When Shadowbringers was released in July 2019, ‘The Twinning’ was one of the dungeons that was included with the initial patch which contained the very catchy tune.

    A Long Fall

    The song became an underrated masterpiece and considered one of Soken’s best works (Of which there are many)

    On August 27th 2019, YouTube user kcat729 uploaded a video titled ‘twinning.mp4’ which contained the song but super imposed with 4 copies of John Jacobson from the Double Dream Feet video from 2011.

    twinning.mp4
    Double Dream Feet from John Jacobson

    Word about twinning.mp4 made its way around the various websites such as Twitter, Reddit, the Final Fantasy XIV Official Forums and eventually the developers of the game.

    At the Final Fantasy Fan Festival 2021 (Which took place in a closed theatre in Japan due to COVID-19), Square-Enix held a concert at the end of Night 2 of their event featuring their in-house band “The PRIMALS” which is comprised of the aforementioned Soken, Koji Fox and 3 other band members.

    They traditionally cover in-game music made by Soken in a more heavy-metal direction but in recent times, their music has created for the game.

    During their performance, they had community team members recreate the dance from the twinning.mp4 meme video.

    You can see that the team members are wearing red, blue and green shirts. This is to depict the ‘roles’ that you can play in Final Fantasy XIV. Red for Damage Dealers (DPS), Green for Healers and Blue for Tanks.

    To promote the upcoming album “FINAL FANTASY XIV: Scions & Sinners”, The Primals created a music video for A Long Fall which shows the members performing the song while Koji Fox is dressed up as a Ascian (whom are the antagonists in Final Fantasy XIV) performing the Double Dream Feet dance and also some in-game dances such as the ‘Manderville’ and the ‘Ball Dance’

    You can tell that throughout the official music video and the video from the Fan Fest that they really enjoyed performing this song. Hopefully at the next Final Fantasy Fan Festival in 2023, we’ll be able to hear the song in person.

    The official soundtrack for Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is now available on Spotify and Apple Music.

    SHADOWBRINGERS: FINAL FANTASY XIV Original Soundtrack by Masayoshi Soken
    Album · 2019 · 88 Songs
    Apple Music

  • [The Jukebox] #64 – The GazettE – Ganjisuni Akai Bara

    [The Jukebox] #64 – The GazettE – Ganjisuni Akai Bara

    Over the last 10 or more years, I discovered a Japanese band that I fell in love with, and something that I have never highlighted ever on The Jukebox and while I will doing a featured special about them one day, today, I wish to introduce to you all, my 2nd favourite Japanese band.

    Background

    The GazettE were formed in 2002 featuring the band members: Ruki, Uruha, Aoi, Reita and Kai. I have a hard enough time trying to keep track as to who is who in the Japanese Visual Kei and Rock genre.

    The band members of The GazettE with one of the members sitting on the bonnet of a car which has partial damage to the front of it.
    The GazettE band members

    STACKED RUBBISH is the bands 3rd studio album which released in 2007 which reached 3rd in the Oricon album charts (Oricon is similar to the Billboard in the US or IMRO in Ireland)  

    On May 26th 2021, the band released their 10th studio album titled: “Mass”

    While this album has some greats tracks, the first one that I want to highlight is their 5th track, Ganjisuni Akai Bara.

    YouTube & Spotify

    Lyrics

    When speaking figuratively you seem to be
    A crow that wanted to dive on the water’s surface with spread wings
    What are the eyes seeing that pretend to be innocent?

    Please give ease to the girl who’s thin hands are pointing to the sky…

    A rosary made of brass hangs around your neck
    And was replaced by a light brown leather rope
    The hymn mixed with a smile is interrupted and at the same time you lose your footing

    While watching the trembling shadow, rationality is mutilated
    Understanding has no meaning in this scattered cult like the tone of a bell that’s ringing coldly

    February is decorated in taciturnity, palms put together in a deep prayer
    To God, unable to save, please answer me…

    Experiencing life’s value in death, this death lets the flowers of life bloom
    A colorless God and a sleeping withered rose
    I hold onto the drowning you, let’s face the beautiful darkness

    In order for wax to melt, it’s shape was taken
    When tomorrow is left without shadows, what is there more than reality?

    I want to aknowledge you, please don’t be sad, even if there’s nothing reflected in these eyes anymore

    February is decorated in taciturnity, palms put together in a deep prayer

    To God, unable to save, please answer me…
    Experiencing life’s value in death, this death lets the flowers of life bloom
    I’m singing those deserted words

    Your birthday is decorated in taciturnity, no matter how many times the celebrating of this day was continued
    You were born and raised here, at the place you loved

    Weakly it continues trembling and flowing, this eternal sleep in beauty.
    Your journey was decorated by red roses.

    What I asked peacefully is to never entrust the language of emotions
    Can you laugh from your heart, I wonder if there is any happiness?

  • [The Jukebox] #63 – Masayoshi Soken – What Angel Wakes Me

    [The Jukebox] #63 – Masayoshi Soken – What Angel Wakes Me

    This is the 4th song from Final Fantasy XIV that I have written. The other 3 can be viewed here.

    At the start of Final Fantasy XIV’s 3rd expansion, ShadowBringers, it brought a truck load of new content including dungeons and trials.

    One of the first trials that you encounter is at Level 73, Titania. Titania is not a name, but rather the title of “The King of Pixies” – The pixies are small fairies who fly around and play with their friends and enemies.

    Did I say play? I mean, play tricks on them because they are evil little things!

    READ MORE (STORY SPOILER AHEAD)