Skirt (スカート)
Suneohair
genre: indie pop • release date: 2007
8.8
Skirt tackles some of the more nebulous and deeper themes of humanity with simple indie rock by a one-man-band. themes of memory. nostalgia as experienced through the lens of many different emotions. how we should embrace them and celebrate them, even if they can be difficult to revisit. so while the album is constructed of a simple setup, even the performances being quite similar in scope, it results in a focused and very effective sound. Suneohair humbly takes it upon himself to capture these themes as best he can. its nothing ambitious, yet he still manages to find something special at the heart of it. feelings once experienced are brought back to vivid life.
Skirt explores it’s themes of memory and yearning through a slower and meandering format. some of the tracks end up with a signature lingering guitar reverb, Suneohair’s drawn out lyrical deliveries and strong but slow drum beats. a sort of down-tempo unhurried kind of feel. most of these songs are adorned with small affects that give the music a certain small atmosphere. wind chimes, theremin electronica, among other small details help boost the atmosphere around this small world he creates. the effect is that of a dormant memory summoned back from the deep. the real magic appears when he collides these songs with more powerful play styles. by upping the tempo and throwing in an electric guitar, Suneohair embraces nostalgia, give it a battery powered jump start. the album wavers between a soft warmth and an earthy verve, this embrace gives the album a wonderful sense optimism. among the relaxed tempos and the warm synth tones, he poses that memory, even the tough ones, should be looked back on with fondness and appreciation. a worldview i’ve rarely, if ever, seen celebrated. this gives the album a powerful identity, despite its smaller vision.
it is important to discuss the feel and the drive of the album, because beyond this, discussion of the the music in Skirt begin to feel similar. the songs being composed in a close variety of ways. but i do not think that is altogether a bad thing. Suneohair fulfills his purpose, even with a limited palette. at no point do the songs feel too much of the same or ever begin to wear thin. each song feels of appropriate length and each one finds a way to explore its themes in new and meaningful ways. its this ability to reach deeper feelings of humanity with so little that makes the album impressive.
my favorite song, “Aoi Niji (蒼い虹)”, sounds incredibly alien on first listen. yet it also finds a way to be the album’s most poignant song. the opening explosion of the theremin instrument is also one of the only times i’ve heard it used in this way. it brings the song an identity and vibe i haven’t heard represented before in music. the instrument, waving and warbling, paints a mental image of some time long ago. like any memory revisited, there is no true beginning or end to “Aoi Niji”. the song breaks into existence and ends in an uncertain vagueness. no memory has a true end at its fringes, but usually come over us like a cold bucket of water. in between the song finds an unusual progression. tinted in blue melancholy, Skirt feels exemplified by the song.
“Skirt” and “Split” are some of Seunohair’s most well known songs, coming from popular anime at the time. and while they feel like the most accessible of his music, they also keep to the surface of what will be explored later on in the album. not to imply they haven’t earned their place as some of his most iconic work. “Skirt” opens the album perfectly, in the same way a story teller might, with a for of singer-songwriter exposition. the tempo picks up in the later half of the song resulting in an incredible hook making it forever replayable. and “Split” loads the album with an important amount of optimism and forward momentum. Sunehoair pairs an interesting collection of synth noises in conjunction with rock. the first two songs excellently picked, properly setting the identity of the album from the first moments.
“headphone music”, grew a lot on me over time. it keeps the album light and enjoyable. introducing an terrific organ chord riffing at the foundation, the song keeps a poppy, upbeat attitude that the album would be shallow without. it also shows off Suneohair’s really interesting singing cadence. it sits somewhere around a sing-song, almost elementary school song vibe, but never so much that it feels childish. his singing a friendly hand guiding the listener through the song. in the its final minutes, a group of background performers clap and whoop in unison, uplifting an already positive experience even further into joy. the lighthearted mood feels celebrational of life. highlighting the beauty of music and the album’s many themes.
even when the album dips into the more melancholic with songs like “Terminal (ターミナル)”, it manages to only add more layers in fulfillment of the album. “kagefumi” instills an edge that initially feels unwelcome, but manages to justify itself by the time it smooths out. its a song that takes a first attempt to explore the more anguished parts of memory, making the task not all so bad. even many of the other songs not mentioned manage to find just the right place to fit in. their inclusions never feel too perfect or too clean, imitating how life usually never is either. some dip and others soar, finding the answers somewhere in between.
in Skirt, in this small atmosphere it creates, an errant sunbeam catches upon small obstacles on its way to the floorboards. in between its ultimate delivery, it catches on leaves shifting in the breeze, a cracked glass window, an old failing spider’s web, and dust settling in the stale air. the light is not as pure as it once was, now filtered through these pieces of nature, through a new lens. an imperfect yet more beautiful look back at life. love found or lost, joys experienced alone or with others, youth and growth. complicated and insubstantial notions are recalled, on their way back to us, these memories are filtered through Suneohair’s work, through his lens. the result is an unpretentious and honest effort. one that stirs up the past and manages to approach it with earnestness.
written by
Marcus Landeros
- highlights -
Skirt (スカート)
Split (スプリット)
kagefumi
Terminal (ターミナル)
headphone music
I don't know
Aoi Niji (蒼い虹)
track list:
Skirt (スカート)
Split (スプリット)
kagefumi
Solution
Binetsu (微熱)
Terminal (ターミナル)
Yasashii Uta (やさしいうた)
headphone music
I don't know
Aoi Niji (蒼い虹)
SEASON
Taiyō (太陽)
