By Etan Rosenbloom, Membership/Marketing Associate and Blog Coordinator
The earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan late last week impacted me more than most natural disasters do. I’m not sure why exactly, though I have some theories. One of my very good friends was drowned in a riptide in Panama a few years ago, and there are definitely echoes of his passing in the footage I’ve seen of Japanese cars and homes and people being swept away. Same goes for one of my favorite ever drummers, Mieszko Talarczyk of the Swedish grindcore band Nasum, who was killed by the tsunami in Thailand in 2004. I think it’s especially affecting to see a country that we hold up as an exemplar of technological and engineering achievement be ravaged by the same natural forces that have existed since the beginning of time. Mankind can strive for dominion over the earth as much as it wants. Mother Nature will still take her toll.
Like many of you, I turn to music to help in tough emotional times. Here are a few Japanese artists that I turn to for healing. In the comments field, let us know what music has helped you get through difficulty.
Toru Takemitsu – “Rain Tree Sketch”
This 20th century Japanese composer is famous for the quiet intensity of his work. This jarring solo piano piece expresses both horror and a profound solemnity, two reactions that I had to the earthquake.
Corrupted – “El Mundo Frio” (excerpt)
You might not think of oppressive doom metal riffs as healing, but the Osaka band Corrupted delivered one of the most soulful concerts of my life back in 2008. Their wall of sound overpowers and shakes every molecule of air. It’s at once the sonic equivalent of a destructive earthquake and an immersive, nearly baptismal experience – shocking as it is, this music cannot help but change you.
Boris/Sunn O))) & Jesse Sykes – “The Sinking Belle”
Boris are known for prowling in the heaviest, noisiest corners of the musical spectrum. “Sinking Belle” was a complete about face for both the Japanese trio and their collaborators on the track, drone duo Sunn O))). This song is so simple, so warm and soothing, and yet guest vocalist Jesse Sykes communicates profound sadness.
Ryuichi Sakamoto – “Glacier”
The Oscar-winning composer of The Last Emperor, Sheltering Sky and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence embedded environmentalism into this hypnotic soundscape, drawn from his 2009 album Playing the Piano/Out of Noise. Sakamoto recorded many of the sounds you hear on a slowly melting glacier in Greenland, as part of a cultural envoy sent there to respond to the impact of global warming. Not to say that the recent earthquake and tsunami were related to global warming, but they were both sobering reminders of the fragile nature of our relationship with the earth.
Shugo Tokumaru – “Parachute”
Despite the carnage of last week, Japan is still the land of the rising sun. One-man pop symphony Shugo Tokumaru is a gentle reminder of that – you might not understand the language he’s singing, but this jubilant song, stuffed to the gills with all manner of instrument and random whirligig, will make you smile if you still have the ability.
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