Live, PuncProsody

The Last Galaxy Suite

I had my alarm set weeks in advance to wake up early and set up the living room to attend ALICE NINE.’s grand finale from afar. I set up a moon light on the windowsill near the loveseat and Scout hopped up to lie down beside it, as though he could sense the gravity and anticipation in the air.

There were audio and connection issues in the beginning and so I missed the first thirty seconds, but then–

アリス九號. never fails to surprise me, and it was in exactly that way that the Last Galaxy live began. I truly hadn’t expected the first song in the setlist to be GEMINI-0-eternal, but when they then leapt right into 閃光 after it I was both delighted and confused at the choice. Until I understood what they were actually doing!

The idea to weave the GEMINI suite evenly among the other songs in the main setlist was an incredible one, not least because it’s something they’d never decided to do before. But Saga is a storyteller when it comes to music.

It truly was a climax of a live the whole way through, with them playing their hearts out during each and every song; they were absolutely bursting with confidence and good humour (or intensity) as they played so many beloved big numbers and classics from their discography. The beauty of this live wasn’t simply the songs they played, but the energy and atmosphere they gave off while playing the flow of this setlist.

Even just watching from home, I was in awe and felt so proud of the amazing live they played — a culmination of their history, their hard work together, and also a celebration of the sheer fun they have onstage performing music for us 九組達.

A celebration of the world of sound they created, one that transports us to imagined realms.

They did two encores… and if you think I didn’t sit on my loveseat at home and clap, chanting アンコール in time with everyone at the venue until they came back on stage, you’re mistaken 🙂

アンコール！アンコール！★ミ

I love that they did the G3 line dance on stage, and from there it just got wilder and wilder! The sheer hotness of Saga headbanging his way through the song… the sheer hilarity of a drummer in a Nao-mask coming to replace Nao on drums so that he could run around in the crowd for a couple minutes… lol! Utter fun to see how this classic retained its roots and grew into something even bigger.

Ending the first encore on 春夏秋冬 was so feel-good and it’s kind of wonderful that the song has mostly stayed the same since the beginning. You might say the song is like a time capsule of their energy from 2005!

I chanted アンコール with great anticipation before they returned to play the second and final encore.

I teared up at the beginning of Waterfall, but by the end was smiling again at how beautifully they brought the song to life. Shou then thanked everyone individually in a quiet, heartfelt MC, during which Saga gave him a hug instead of replying in words. After that, it was time for the big, beautiful finale.

Grace and the beautiful name.

A breathtakingly beautiful flow of songs to purify the heart.

To me, the beautiful name has always been and will always be pure joy.

Next to beauty of Waterfall and Grace, it soared even higher.

言葉にあまりできないほどに、素晴らしかったです…♡

After the live, Saga made sure to point out the two suites besides GEMINI that had been nestled into the live. birth in the death and Living Dead, which were played during the setlist flow between GEMINI-I-the void and GEMINI-II-the luv, form a suite that links the GEMINI album to the GRACE album. Then, at the very end and for the first time, they played Grace and the beautiful name one after the other — the second suite, this one connecting GRACE to VANDALIZE. Thus, Saga explained afterwards, GEMINI GRACE VANDALIZE are not a circle of albums (as I had been thinking), but a line — with I. as the first song and Waterfall as the ending of the album trilogy.

I love Saga, the way he thinks and creates ♡♪

So without further ado, the piece I made inspired by some of the compositions Saga has made that I love most. The day before the live I woke up with an image in my mind and spent the rest of the morning trying to draw it on the page… even colouring the piece in and picking the perfect dried flowers out of my collection to add to the imagery.

The Phoenix of the jelly fish Galaxy

Within a universe of pure white darkness
floats a galaxy like a jelly fish
inside which the life force of a Phoenix
will be burning bright for eternity
真っ白な闇という宇宙には
浮かんでる海月のような
銀河の中で
Phoenixの命の炎が
永久に燃えてるよ

May our Last Galaxy be graced.

For this art piece, I borrowed from the concept of birth in the death and Phoenix again, as well as GRADATION and jelly fish — and I borrowed from the grandeur, love, and beauty of songs like Grace, the beautiful name, GEMINI, and Waterfall… another little homage 🙂

One flower is gently floating off into the void of pure white darkness (a favourite bit of lyric symbolism), and another flower has just bloomed on the jellyfish galaxy. Or is the galaxy a phoenix? Or is the phoenix a universe? Are those little golden raindrops stars or nascent galaxies, tiny-huge nebulas?

I wonder… ♪

Thank you so much アリス九號.… Thank you.

I enjoyed this live to the fullest and I think Saga did too… the setlist was gorgeous.

Until we meet again, let’s protect ALICE NINE.’s world and the songs that made it.

In Spirit

Music

Tomorrow is the big day… Last Galaxy.

Saga with all the other members of ALICE NINE. — SHOU, HIROTO, TORA, and Nao — will take to the stage in a grand finale, thanks to the tireless efforts of their staff and the whole team behind the scenes helping to set everything up and make it as magical as possible.

I won’t be there in person, but I will be there in spirit, thanks to the live broadcast that they’re putting on for everyone who wasn’t able to make it out or wasn’t able to get their hands on a ticket (because they went so quickly!). During his pizza party the other night, Saga said with a laugh that their last rehearsal before the finale had “felt normal” and that’s kind of how I feel going into this live as a fan.

It’s bittersweet to not have been able to manage going in person, but even knowing that it’s their last planned live for some time (as you can never know what the future holds, or what things each member will pursue after the freeze), it still feels strangely normal. Part of that feeling might stem from the fact that I already knew it was possible that the last live of theirs I’d get to attend would be last November — and so I enjoyed every moment then to the fullest. I wish I’d been able to go to the tour this summer… but even having wanted to do that, I don’t regret in any way going in November instead and having the experiences there that I did. It was the right time to go. And it healed something inside of me. And goddamn were those lives ever fun. Incredible. Being bathed in the visceral sound of Saga’s bass lines… 🙂

I know that Last Galaxy is not a normal live, and I know that I’ll feel that fully when I’m in the moment. Right now what I feel is gratitude — that I get to attend this moment from afar. There was no live broadcast for TOKYO GALAXY, and there was no broadcast for their 10th anniversary pre-hiatus live either. But I get to be there in spirit for this historical, emotional, sure-to-be-amazing live.

If Saga felt like the rehearsal was “normal” then maybe that means that he feels satisfied with the setlist he proposed, and that none of them felt rushed or unsatisfied with the flow of the live they are choosing to play together. Sounds like readiness, confidence, and peace to me.

The perfect emotional base upon which to heat up that venue and rock us all out, move us deeply.

I’m so excited to hear, see, and experience this live that as soon as I woke up I started drawing and writing something as a little homage to this momentous occasion. And now I’m off to add the finishing touches 🙂

心からすべてをありがとうね……♡♪

今夜は全力で楽しもう！

Why in the night sky are the lights hung?

Music, Slice of Life

The office surprised me with a pizza lunch the day before my last, and I really do mean surprised. I was working the last thirty minutes til my actual lunchtime, enjoying my music and the stillness of the room as everyone else went to work in another, when my fellow team lead came up to my desk with a serious question and asked if we could go talk. I felt kind of concerned and followed her. She led me to the closed board room door saying we should talk in there and motioned for me to open the door. When I saw that the room was completely full of coworkers apparently having a meeting, I automatically made to close the door, but before it was shut, everyone was saying “surprise!”

Feeling somewhere between sheepish and embarrassed, I went inside and thanked them (my fellow team lead had not allowed me to shut the door and make the tactical retreat I had intended to).

My embarrassment wore off as they started cutting the pizzas, and I thanked them all again (also mock-complained, “you guys really got me!”). Those two huge slices were definitely a tasty alternative to the sandwich that I had brought with me that morning.

Then, finally, it was my last day at the office I’d been working at for years, that I was going in to every day for most of the pandemic. I’d had quite a bit of notice and time to prepare beforehand so all of my responsibilities and jobs had been neatly handed over to others before I left (with plenty of time to train each person and make sure they were comfortable with the hand-over), the result being that I had no regrets upon stepping out the door for the last time yesterday afternoon.

I felt light, ready for the next chapter of my life to begin.

So I decided to kick it off by leaving early and going to Bluesfest for the first time since 2019.

Going back to this music festival after so many years was fun, even comforting — but I am also so much more centered now than I was back then. It didn’t feel like a new beginning, it felt like taking the next step in my life by leaving my old job, and then setting foot in this familiar place, days away from starting a new one.

The weather was warm but the breeze was cool making of the evening a perfect one for going to see some bands play outdoors.

I was a little late arriving to the River Stage for the first act, Pony Girl, so I encountered them mid-song, having never heard them play before. They were having such a blast on stage, it was impossible not to get into their music. When they suddenly played a clarinet solo outta left field, I knew I was in the right place, their songs delightfully unusual — art pop being a music genre I hadn’t been familiar with until their performance. Thumbs up for these talented, energetic, local musicians!

The frontman told the crowd they were having an amazing time playing for us that evening, which was especially important considering the night before had been the exact opposite: their rehearsal space had started flooding… with sewage. Yikes, man. He gave us extremely clear (read: comically roundabout) directions to the merch tent to buy their new album, and then got emotional thanking us for coming out to see them — because there’s nothing quite as special as “playing music with your best friends.”

And it showed. They just kept grinning at one another, sharing said jam session among friends with us, the crowd.

We cheered as they ended their set and began clearing away their instruments and equipment for the next band as the sun began to set.

As the sun continued to set, casting warm golden light onto the stage, Allison Russell came out with her band, beaming at us in her glittering blazer. Though she lives and works in the US, Allison Russell explained (en français) that she grew up in Montréal and that performing at Ottawa Bluesfest had been a longtime dream of hers. A dream so big that she’d missed her daughter’s first performance in a play to fulfil it… and we, the crowd, were grateful for her and her band’s presence that night.

I’d never heard any of Allison Russell’s music before and was touched by her lyrical storytelling through her radiant singing voice and radiant, radical message of love, peace, and acceptance. She spoke of growing up with an abusive adoptive father, of running away from the abuse, finding her chosen family, and of slowly unlearning the shame that her adoptive father had forced on her through his white supremacist ideals. It made the overpowering sense of love, compassion, empathy, and acceptance in her songs that much more beautiful. She introduced each member of the band as part of her circle, her chosen family, and all four of them radiated with purpose as they played, whether the song was sad and heartfelt or whether it was uplifting and euphoric.

They took their final bow to our enthusiastic applause.

The crowd packed in elbow-to-elbow as they cleared away equipment and rearranged the stage between bands; the sun had set entirely when Fleet Foxes came onstage as a cheer went up from the crowd. Their opening vocal harmonies were so soft, so clear, and finally seeing them live I understood that up to four band members would sing together at once for those beautiful, layered melodies, that it wasn’t several tracks layered together as I had figured. It was a wonder to see and to hear. I was also fascinated by all the different instruments they played throughout the performance.

The crowd was utterly thrilled by the performance (me included), singing along to songs, whooping, cheering, calling out to the band — and the band seemed pleasantly surprised by this enthusiasm, with the frontman continually exclaiming “thank you so much!” with a grin after almost every song.

Hey man, that’s our line! 🙂

It was particularly meaningful to me to hear Your Protector, Blue Ridge Mountains, and Blue Spotted Tail live, three of my favourite songs by them. Your Protector gave me chills… Blue Spotted Tail was so quiet and beautiful, the lyrics deeply touching. Something about Blue Ridge Mountain’s lyrics just puts the coziest sort of image in my mind.

I heard about their self-titled album through one of Saga’s entries on his old ameblo. It wasn’t nearly as easy to sample albums back in those days, so I just decided to trust Saga’s taste and buy it on a whim — it became one of the most-listened to albums in my library (especially when I was writing), and is the album that clued me in to the fact that folk rock is one of my favourite genres. Thanks, Saga! ♪

The two other songs I’d recommend (that they didn’t play that night) are Tiger Mountain Peasant Song and Sim Sala Bim.

They played right up until the minute it turned 11, and then they stopped and left the stage… an Ottawa bylaw prohibits loud noises past that time, so even though the whole crowd was ready to call out “one more song!” (and I’m sure the band would have wanted to play one) they wouldn’t have been allowed to do an encore.

It was a gorgeous concert.

I made my way home, tired but glad that I’d gotten to hear such great sets, and went to bed as Saga and アリス九號., on the other side of the world, were setting up to play what would turn out to be a seriously wild and passionate live at 新潟NEXS… ♡♪

Salt of the Earth

Music

Last night I made my way to Red Bird on Bank in order to attend Moonfruits‘ album pre-release party, with an opening act by harpist and singer Éveline.

The music venue and school is a rather new one in the city of Ottawa, having opened its doors just earlier this year, but it is a warm and well-thought-out space, perfect for the sort of intimate folk concert that Moonfruits and Éveline regaled us with last night.

I was so engrossed in site maintenance yesterday evening that I barely gave myself any time at all to throw on an outfit and fly out of my front door in order to catch my bus. But catch the bus I did. And, as luck would have it, I made it on time and was able to settle into an empty seat towards the back of the room before the lights dimmed in order for the show to begin.

Éveline, une artiste montréalais, made her lone entrance onto the stage, sitting down and pulling her harp close. She quietly explained the significance of each song, frequently switching fluidly between French and English mid-sentence, mid-thought. Though she usually plays with a band, yesterday night, it was just us, her, and a plethora of pedals to create effects when needed. She admitted she felt a little dressed-down without her fellows, a little nervous — but she had nothing to fear.

There is something utterly enchanting about the sound of a harp.

Her soft, raw singing, along with the twinkling fullness of the harp’s many chords transported us all to the setting of each song. Coupled with the dim lighting, it would have been enough to lull everyone into a peaceful, dream-filled sleep.

We gave her a big warm round of applause when she finished her set, and then the lights were raised again to allow everyone to mingle and chat while the stage was prepared for the main act. Though I didn’t particularly participate much in the conversation, the three people who had sat down on either side of me had some very interesting connections to one another. One person was the brother of Alex (one half of the folk duo, Moonfruits). The other two people were a chef and a baker who found out right then and there that they actually followed and were fans of one another on Instagram. It was kind of a magnificent coincidence. The chef was there with Alex’s brother, and the baker works at a bread shop that Alex and Kait often frequent, which is why she began going to their shows and how she became a fan.

When they asked me how I was connected to Moonfruits, I had a comparatively boring answer: I saw them perform once in 2016 alongside Georgian Bay at LIVE! on Elgin for their Ste-Quequepart Tour and became a fan of both that night for their beautiful folk harmonies.

Eventually, the lights dimmed again, everyone quieted down, and Moonfruits took to the stage, along with eight other musicians for support, Éveline among them. All of them settled into their positions, and then the main act began. They played their upcoming album Salt, Alex and Kait taking their time to set the scene for each song, delighting the audience with anecdotes (both funny and endearing) while they tuned between, well… tunes.

On a warmly-lit stage, eight support musicians lent their skills to Moonfruits in order to bring the songs on their upcoming album "Salt" to life.

It was an intimate, soulful performance.

They invited us to join in on some of the choruses (We all do well when we all do well), and filled the room with their warm, personal songs, rounding out their performance with a soothing lullaby, Moon Cradle (the video, below, crafts such a down-to-earth and mystical atmosphere around it). We gave them a standing ovation at the end, and were delighted when they almost immediately returned to perform an encore for us.

The final song they played for their encore, their own rendition of the traditional folk song À la claire fontaine, was for them a song with deep significance. Before they began playing, they explained that they had performed it for Alex’s father at his bedside shortly before he had passed away. They invited us all, before taking up their instruments again, to join them in singing along. It was not a surprise that most people in the room did add their voices, though as soon as we got to the refrain, I was so overcome with emotion that I started crying quietly in my seat, finding my own meaning in the words and the melody of the song. It was beautiful.

Il y a longtemps que je t’aime,
Jamais je ne t’oublierai.

Long has it been that I have loved you
Never will I forget you.

Though Moonfruits do not have a version of this traditional folk song online, the following cover, performed in a much different setting, can give you a sense of how beautiful it sounded.

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When, finally, the band left the stage after accepting another standing ovation from us in the audience, a loud buzz took over the room as everyone discussed what a good performance it had been, mingling with the musicians and filing toward the merch table to preorder the album and buy the coffee blend and homemade pickles that were on offer.

Salt is set to release in early October, and I look forward to listening to it again.

It was late, and I had to slip out quietly in order to catch my bus, pensive in the wake of the performance. The bus trundled up the street, picking up other late-night event-goers returning home, like me. And as I disembarked and walked the rest of the way to my apartment, I reconsidered and stopped on the sidewalk of a quiet street to admire the harvest moon, bright and full as it was.

In the bottom right, a very bright moon is just visible in the night sky beside some treetops, their leaves already turning a burnt golden yellow with the coming of fall.

Scout was rather dejected when I got home, this having been the first time I was out nearly past midnight since adopting him this past spring. But he soon perked up with my reassurance and was back to his usual, playful self by the time I turned off my laptop and prepared to go to sleep.

Listening to musicians performing songs in person is truly an experience that has no replacement.

Quelle nuit chaleureuse.

Afterthoughts : C/W LOVERS II

Music

I just had the pleasure of watching ALICE NINE.’s C/W LOVERS II concert via livestream in my living room and it was an incredible setlist packed with rare songs and some very cool new arrangements (or at least ones I’ve never heard before). I was completely enthralled from start to finish.

This was a two-session live, and only the second session was broadcast online. In the first session, they played 夢幻-electric eden- (I’m tearing up just imagining hearing that incredible song in person one day), and カルマ (an extremely cool composition by Saga from the GEMINI era with really fascinating lyrics).

On a TV screen the five-person band ALICE NINE. performs a song a stage lit up in blue. Below the TV, two purple galaxy lights are lit as decoration.

The standard setlist included two songs that they ordinarily reserve for fanclub-only lives (明治 and アゲハ)! And then the rest of the setlist was just pure coolness. If you tuned in to the Christmas live, for instance, it featured a lot of beautiful, emotional songs… but this setlist was made to show off how good they sound just rocking out as a band.

秘密
Neophilia
明治
アゲハ
Solar Eclipse
虹彩ストライプ
Scarlet
SLEEPWALKER
NEMESIS
戦場に花束を
Ray
FOLLOW ME

Show’s a really versatile vocalist, and seems game to try just about any genre; his tone and style have evolved so much over the years and with so much experience… there really is no one else that sounds like him. As the others have often said, Show’s voice is ALICE NINE.’s unique instrument, and the unifying factor in their very eclectic discography.

During the MC, Saga brought up the fact that Show’s singing voice alone on a recording can tell you the era of the recording you’re listening to. True–Show constantly transforms his singing style!

On a TV screen Saga and Show are seen speaking into their mics during an MC portion of their performance. Below the TV, two purple galaxy lights are lit as decoration.

Hearing them play 虹彩ストライプ was really cool for exactly that reason; I’ve only ever heard that song via the studio recording from back in 2004. Hearing the way that Show sings it now was really amazing… and of course the updated instrumentals were just as cool. Saga’s little composition grew up!

秘密 is an incredibly stylish R&B Saga composition that appeared on the Daybreak single (one of Tora’s bright, uplifting compositions), and it really set the tone for the live in a great way. Cool, composed, mature.

Neophilia is one of my favourite songs (composed by Saga during the RAINBOWS era, demo dug up by Show during the PLANET NINE era) both because of the way that it sounds and for the intricate lyrics (translation & interpretation!). To me, the song has a pretty erotic air to it, but the lyrics are sort of intellectual and playful; I love that contrast. Saga’s murky bass solo in this song is off the charts seductive.

Scarlet, another Saga composition, was absolutely incredible. The atmosphere that that song creates during the intro is one of the strongest in their discography, to me. It’s dark and seductive. I first heard that song the first time I ever went to a live, the first time they ever played it, as-yet-unreleased, back in August 2012 at Zepp DiverCity. They played birth in the death at the time too, another song with an even deeper atmosphere. It was just an incredible experience.

On a TV screen the focus is on Saga, playing bass; the stage lights are lit up in blue and purple. Below the TV, two purple galaxy lights are lit as decoration.

So hearing Scarlet again, I got goosebumps. It definitely developed even more flavour over time. Saga’s heavy, grungy bass intro drew all of the other instruments in to set up an incredible atmosphere. He looked and sounded effortlessly cool.

This entire setlist truly did have an adult feel to it, and I loved that.

Solar Eclipse has been a longtime favourite song of mine, because it has a lot of interesting little flourishes, great band sound, and everyone’s part really stands out in it. I’m particularly fond of the way Nao’s drumming and Show’s singing complement each other in this song, as well as the bass-punctuation at 鳴らせ、鳴らせ; this song builds such high anticipation, and the guitar sounds are really reflective and shiny throughout.

SLEEPWALKER really lulls you into a strange trance, and NEMESIS is a Hiroto composition (arranged by Tora), tucked away on the 虹の雪 single… I’ve always really liked this song and so hearing the different-sounding live arrangement was very fun. The lyrics are very thought-provoking.

戦場に花束を’s live arrangement is SO. COOL. SO COOL. It was incredibly cool in their 16th Anniversary Live, and it was incredibly cool in this broadcast. The intro has such a heavy weight to it, it’s like they’re all standing, immovable, on their side of the battlefield (The title of the song in English is Bouquet on the Battlefield). Another great band sound song, a Saga composition, that showcased all of their individual parts!

Ray is one of my favourite Tora compositions, with some of my favourite lyrics about a love that are written in a way that make it feel both grounded and ethereal. Saga’s bass solo in this live performance was emotional and amazing to watch.

「リズムを奏でて君を見続けたい…」♡
“I want to play a rhythm and keep looking at you…”

After an extended MC discussing a lot of very serious things (including how, in the past, they were so incredibly busy all the time, there are songs in their discography they hardly remember recording), they ended the live with the incredibly bright Hiroto composition, FOLLOW ME, from the TSUBASA. era.

What a great setlist, what a great sound!

On a TV screen is a photo of all five members of ALICE NINE. with the text "Thank you!! See you next!!" framing them. Below the TV, two purple galaxy lights are lit as decoration.