KUROYUME
Early Days
Nakigara o..
MayoeriYuritachi
Cruel
Feminism
Fakestar
DrugTreatment
Corkscrew
Live DVD 
 PV
VHS

KIYOHARU
Aurora
Emily
Poetry
Last Song
Mellow
DVD
Kannou Boogie
Vinny Beach
Singles
FOREVER LOVE

1.星座の夜
Seiza No Yoru

I reviewed this song already over at Vinny Beach
Not much else to say really except it has a lovely rolling momentum to it. The bass is very distinctive too, and it brilliantly counterpoints the guitar.

Seems to be spiralling upwards too, as if it's some kind of heavenly escalator to the galaxies. Just like the dove he releases in the PV is symbollic of the spirit rising to heaven. At a guess...
Great musicians and artists are the true priests. They are as close to "god" as it is possible to get. Of course by "god" I mean Gaia. The Mystery, not some beardy dude in the sky. I love the way so many of his songs are about stars and lakes and the sea and beaches. These are the things worth singing about especially when you have the soul of a poet.


2.シクラメンのかほり
cyclamen no kaori

Here is the original sung by Akira Fuse
Very very pretty :o The feedbacky guitar effects really make it a very unique and special interpretation and his singing is glorious too, of course.


3.泥沼に浮かぶ花
doronuma ni ukabu hana

Looking at the title I'd say it might have something to do with Lotuses. Which of course grow out of the mud (humble beginnings) to become glorious symbols of enlightenment. Or possibly it's just a bunch of flowers that got chucked into a bog and are floating there waiting to be picked up.
As you can see I am still struggling to comprehend. I suspect there are many levels of meaning to everything he does.
At first I was a bit ambivalent about this song, but then its shuffly tune became firmly lodged in my internal ipod and I was hooked! As always Kiyoharus' music is irresistably infectious, even the most seemingly casual efforts. This sounds like it should be on Poetry.


4.深い海
Fukai Umi
Deep Sea
English Translation

Well, this is the best song Kiyoharu has ever written. Which means it might well be the best song anyone has ever written. I am trying not to sound too fawning here but it's very hard when presented with something this incredible O.O
It's very watery and deep, as indicated by the title. And it's so ever developingly and envelopingly good that I am lost for words! Well almost..

I know I've used a shit load of superlatives on this site, but really, I could repeat the same number again in reference to this one sublime song, and not do it justice. So I'm not going to bother.

Just listen to the song. Don't accept anyones' opinion. Trust only your own raw experience. If you listen to this song with an open heart you will be magically transformed for life.

I love it when I realise how stupid I have been, because even though I feel like a total idiot, maybe I can learn to be little less stupid in the future. That is how this song makes me feel.
Out of the stinking mud of my own stupidity arises...perfect enlightenment!

It really is a Peak Experience.

^..^

Fukai Umi translation by:
http://sleeping-pill.blogspot.com/
Thank you so much!! =)

DEEP SEA

Like the all transparent, deep ocean
When did it start? Your eyes are the beautiful ocean

As long as possible -a long time- I wish to see your smiling face
Until the curtains are drawn upon my thoughts

In this quiet love, we will have a conversation
I'll bring you a gentle dream

I'll always trust my glowing heart to you
There isn't a need for answers
The rain will not fall on the two of us

You still haven't seen a world without fear and suspicion
Here, you won't be drowned in sadness

I wrote you a gentle song
In the silent night, you can fall asleep by it

My heart had been broken into pieces - I trust it to you.
There isn't a need for answers.
Since the day we met, the rain doesn't fall anymore.

I have made this new page to talk about all the rest of those amazing solo singles! I wish I could give each single its own page but I am a bit limited by my own retarded web design XD Speaking of which, I must recommend viewing my site in Firefox. I really despise IE and I can't be assed trying to make it look good in there.

I've only written about two of the singles so far, but they are very important singles because they contain two of Kiyoharus best EVER songs. Why he has hidden them away on the B sides of the regular versions I will never understand.

I wanted to update this month anyway. I have started trying to translate some of the lyrics myself and though I am a long way from producing coherent English versions, my understanding and appreciation for Kiyoharus' work has grown immeasurably. He is like an iceberg, sparkling and glittering on top, but with a vast expanse of heart and meaning underneath. To write such glorious and heart breaking songs requires courage, confidence and style. To allow yourself to feel is always risky but damn the risk because life is very short and very boring if you always play it safe. To possess this kind of heart also requires a spiritual depth, because without that it is impossible to make a true soul connection.

He really is the most exceptionally gifted musician, and watching his brilliant solo career unfold and evolve has been a privilege!

^..^

1. 輪廻
RINNE
Reincarnation ....
Yeah, Yeah, It's about Love.
Time to flatten out my Graphic Equaliser. Kiyo is back :)
This song is...all heart. Swirling, shuddering sounds and then those warm velvety vocals just wash right over you like frothy phosphorescent waves. Sensuous and languid but very pure if you know what I mean. Kiyoharu can be either all lust or all love, and this song is most certainly all love. It builds gently and slowly into the ecstatic joyful choruses. I love the Yeah Yeah stuff :D That singing is so lovely! His voice just gets more and more beautiful. This song is timeless and precious. So good to hear the Genuine Star is coming out to play.

2. 窓
MADO
Window....
Open The Window and Let The Sunshine In
A sweet tuneful song reminiscent in style of Kuroyume Feminism era, as my friend Tusk pointed out. Voice is so gentle and seductive. I think what I love most about Kiyoharu, apart from his incredible songs, is the actual sound of his voice. The tones seem to resonate in a very unusual way. Is it because I have listened to him so much? I don't think so. I can remember that feeling the very first time I heard him. It was like deja vu, an instant connection. This kind of experience makes you realise we have been around the wheel many times before, and we remember, in our souls if not in our minds.

3. 飛行船
HIKOUSEN
Zeppelin....
A Ticket To Ride
Well this is from Poetry of course, but thanks to Cardys translation we know he has changed the lyrics somewhat. The style is also different, looser I think and more confident and much more raw and direct. The way he goes off around 7.30 is really reminding me of Michirou Endo. All that endless over the top psychedelia, and even the habit of radically reinterpreting older songs is kind of Endo-like. Not a problem to me of course as I LOVE Endo.
I really love this new version of Hikousen too. I loved the original version, with all it's dreamy floatiness, but this one has a lot more pure visceral impact. I think he's got wilder in his travels. That Zeppelin of Dreams has taken him such a long way since Poetry days.

CONCLUSION: One of those shiningly perfect singles Kiyoharu has a habit of producing. Really it seems the only way is up for him. My only complaint is that this two versions nonsense is annoying. I had to ask Tuskie to take these screencaps for me because of course I always buy the one with the extra song ._.