027 - No Death - Tokyo Osaka Kofu

 

“I was shown so much kindness in Japan from my friends, the audiences, venues, the family I stayed with, strangers, and so on. I felt helpless due to the fact that it would be impossible to fully repay them for that. This album was written with two goals in mind: to thank and pay a tribute to those previously mentioned, and create something of a sound diary that would document my trip.” - No Death June 2021

The expression of joy can be difficult to communicate.  How do you even define it?  Is it expressing jubilation?  How do you translate the happiness felt when a life goal is achieved? The simple pleasures that bring a smile to your face?  The quiet contemplation of reliving the best moments of our lives?  Is it even possible to chronicle?  

One possible answer is the arts.  Be it the written word, theater, or music,each approach provides a unique and expressive way to communicate wonderment and happiness.  Music in particular is capable of conveying the pure emotions of the composer, and then transferring very similar emotions to the listener though its medium.  It can bring back memories long forgotten emotions that were thought lost.

A myriad of emotions and locales are conveyed throughout the short playtime of Tokyo, Osaka, Kofu.  Each composition represents a moment in time, a specific instance in a larger journey.  As No Death recalled, while speaking to me about the events leading up to the creation of the album, “I have spent many years working with Yuta Kudo, also known as Rhucle. We decided to tour Japan together.  Each track represents specific points during the trip. It was such a special two weeks. The music reflects the emotions that I was having during these specific times, and how the locations and people made me feel.”

Each piece has its own character.  Otooto, for instance, has a feeling of nostalgia and warmth as it progresses and weaves through its simple notes and passages.  Contrarily, Environment 0g brings about its melodies in a minimalistic yet fulfilling style.

While all the songs on the album are exceptional, it is clear that a few are written with reverence, setting them apart from the other tracks.  One such example is the beautiful For Yuta.

The visual imagery that is painted in this composition is so strong that it often gives me pause:  sitting on top of a hill right before dawn, birds begin their melody as the sun slowly cracks the horizon.  The full beauty of the valley below is laid before me, and I can only bear witness.

It's in this imagery that the reverence for Yuta comes in.  Prior to speaking with No Death I did not know who Yuta was, but I did know that it was someone who was held in great respect and was undoubtedly one of the most important people in No Death’s life.  “Yuta is Rhucle. He is one of the hardest working individuals I know. We are strongly connected, and have something of a brotherly relationship that I immediately felt when we met in person. Without Yuta, there would have been no Japan tour, no The Rubies, no Alien Garage (the tape label we co-founded and own together). I owe a lot to him.”

Regardless of the track, the entire album has this feeling of innocent joy and awe.  Each time I sit down and give this album my attention I’m always brought to a better place.  The album reminds me of my own youth and simpler times.  And it's for this very reason that I keep coming back to it.

The music has this allure to it, a mystique that drags me in and wraps itself around me.  I can’t seem to get away from it.  The simple repetitive piano tones of Knock Koenji provide an excellent example.  During its five minute run time, the piano chord remains the same throughout, a stylistic choice that could be seen as questionable or even a detriment to the song.

In execution, however, this simple chord is changed into a great strength.  It is interwoven with simple notes, complimenting the chord perfectly.  As the song progresses, a warm synth pad fades in and engulfs the entire soundscape.  It's through this marriage that the initial chord assumes a percussive character, becoming the backbone of the entire structure.  

The remaining tracks all have their own identity, nothing here is put to waste nor redundant.  Usagi and Otooto both have a wonderful excitement to them, and are more active than any other point on the album.  Atmosphere -Space- brings the listener into a minimalistic void of droning tones.  Station (Redux) takes the listener through a remembrance of all the tracks prior,through highs and lows, sadness and joy, activity and peace.  It is an epic and  fitting way to close the album.  

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve listened to Tokyo, Osaka, Kofu.  I still enjoy it as much as I did the first time I heard it, perhaps even more so.  Knowing that I am reliving an important period in No Death’s life adds to the allure of the album.  

I struggled to find the words of how to best close out my journey with this  album.  How do you write something that captures how impactful an album is by living vicariously through another?  The answer came rather naturally as I started to speak with Jack about his No Death project.  Through these conversations came both insight into his character as well as a fitting conclusion:

“The only thing I would like to share at this point is my appreciation for those who spend any amount of time listening to my music. Time is 100% non-refundable, and listeners spend it when they are consuming art. This fact is ever-present in my mind and I can’t say enough about how grateful I am.”

Equipment Used:

Aside from the live bass solo in Otooto, I used only a laptop and midi-keyboard for this album. It was all I was able to travel and perform with in Japan, so that is how I wanted to record the album, too.

Acknowledgments

First and foremost I would like to thank Jack - No Death - for the wonderful conversations we had discussing this album, Japan, and life in general.  I enjoyed these talks very much.  I would also like to give my heartfelt thanks to my small army of proofreaders: Void, Blashy, R Infinity, Kagami, David, Brandon, and Steve.  These reviews would not be the same without you guys.  Lastly thank you to Marcel - Blissmonkey - for your continued support, friendship, and guidance.  These reviews would not be a thing if you hadn’t pushed me to start writing.