肉声 [Nikusei] – 友川かずき (1976)
GENRES – Folk, Acid Folk, Singer Songwriter
おじっちゃ (Ojiicha) - 4:31
冬は莫迦くへなあ (Fuyu Wa Bakakubenu) - 2:24
あめらんくゆらん (Ameran Kuyuran) - 3:36
だがつぐ (Dagazugu) - 2:48
似合った青春 (Niatta Seishun) - 3:26
歩道橋 (Hodokyo) - 6:19
春だなあ (Haru Dana) - 2:57
冷蔵庫 (Reizoko) - 0:51
木端微塵 (Koppamijin) - 3:13
トドを殺すな (Todo O Korosuna) - 2:51
ハーモニカ (Harmonica) - 4:25
ちいさな詩 (Chiisana Uta) - 3:30
石 (Ishi) - 3:11
Kazuki Tomokawa (友川かずき) began his career during the Japanese 70’s folk revival, which followed suit of the Americans bringing folk music back into the public spectrum. Tomokawa has always interested me, particularly with his singing style… Rather than sing naturally, he almost seems to try and force the vocals from deep within him, which creates a rather unique style. The closest description I can think of is Tom Waits, but Japanese. He screams his lyrics more than anything (Don’t confuse this with screamo though). Nikusei was the first album of his I found on vinyl and still the best. I must warn though, this won’t be for everyone. I will refer to the songs by their English variant just in case not everyone has Japanese characters enabled. (NOTE – My interpretation of the songs are all based on tone and pitch simply because I don’t speak Japanese. So I may be off the mark by a fair bit
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‘Ojiicha’ opens the album with a fast paced guitar riff, before Kazuki enters with his trademark vocals. The nature of his singings creates a sense of insanity and power. His singing is truly a marvel, as he seems to try and scream it, yet keeps it under some form of control. The backing guitar and drum add to the level of disorder as they seem to be doing their own thing with little regard to what Tomokawa is trying to perform. They all get lost in this aggressive little ditty, most definitely the most violent piece on the album. He really does sound like a madman in a fit of rage. The title of the song means ‘Uncle’ in English.
‘Fuyu Wa Bakakubenu’ is a more mellow yet still sad ballad, with Kazuki relying on normal vocals to produce the sound. He evokes feelings of loneliness and emptiness. The backing is fairly simple, with only a lone guitar and some light as well as some light keyboard. ‘Ameran Kuyuran’ follows on, with another quiet and solemn ballad more akin to traditional folk than his other pieces as of yet. The results are more upbeat, and its more a pleasant piece, creating an image of someone standing out over a landscape and breathing in the scenery.
‘Dagazugu’ is a return to hostile and melancholy form, with the guitar playing more violent, as well as Kazuki’s style. The chorus is introduced with some drumming, and he begins to evoke his demons from below. With each new chorus, he becomes angrier until he explodes with power and emotion. ‘Niatta Seishun’ begins as a more rock-folk piece, with the introduction of electric guitars and keyboards. The power is still present from the last track, however it is less violent and more solemn and foreboding, as he sings about lost time as we grow older. The use of electrical instruments offers a nice contrast to what has been offered so far, making this and the previous track two of my favourites from the album.
‘Hodokyo’ uses similar instrumentation to Niatta, however it is more reminiscent of classic rock blues, and Kazuki has calmed down as he belts out this beautiful but fearful ballad. He once again suggests loneliness as he calls out to something as he trudges through life. The track has a few electric guitar solos, intermittent with Kazuki performing some spoken word parts. These add to the depth of the song, making it more interesting. He gets more and more worked up and sounds like his soul is crying. Easily the best track on the album. It is pure emotion.
‘Haru Dana’ is more of a pop-folk song you would expect to hear on Japanese TV these days… It is entirely nothing special, but perhaps that’s because I have heard so many similar things. Its nice for what it is, but an entirely forgettable track overall. ‘Reizoko’ is another odd intermission which is pretty much just Kazuki speaking fast… He sounds especially nasally here. ‘Koppamijin’ is another slow ballad, a calming influence from the randomness surrounding it. The added keyboard and synth is a fairly interesting add, but nothing excessively special. It is simply a nicely constructed folk song.
‘Todo O Korosuna’ is another simply folk strumming session, Kazuki bringing back his gravelly, screaming vocals. He is screaming out in pain and anger, as someone important is destroyed or killed (Again those high school Japanese skills coming into play). He frantically searches for something to blame, but he can find no answer. ‘Harmonica’ has some interesting electric synth and distorted brass work along with the vocals and guitar. This is probably my favourite ‘calm’ song on the album, his best performance on the album as well.
‘Chiisana Uta’ is another nice piece, combining his sorrowful vocals with some more aggressive playing and pitch changes. Another strong and gloomy song, and despite being overall reminiscent to the album combined, it has some add additions, especially from some instrument I can’t identify. The final track, ‘Ishi’, ends the album on an interesting note, using synthesisers to a greater degree than found elsewhere to create a spacey sentiment as Kazuki finally seems to ‘accept’ his place. More of a spoken word song with interesting backing; it is a fantastic ending to the album.
My first foray into a Japanese folk album, it was a pretty difficult review, simply because I didn’t know what was being sung about most of the time. However, Tomokawa has such an amazing ability to transcend the language barrier and emit pure emotion through his singing. He displays such levels of melancholy, sadness and anger, that the occasional pop track doesn’t detract form the piece as a whole. Sometimes it feels all too familiar; however, this isn’t a bad thing. Hodokyo is an amazing song, as well as Harmonica and Ishi, provide their moments of brilliance.
If you think you can get over the foreign folk vocals, as well as the screaming, then it is definitely worth checking out. It might not be for everyone, but everyone SHOULD check it out. It definitely led me to some other great Japanese folk. I love it.
TOTAL SCORE
7.2/10
- Hodokyo (just click on the vid and get sent to Youtube)