Chapter 3.9: Sigure and TK / Translucent Chaos - Chaos -

Sigure and TK

Bands and groups are often loved to the extent that they cannot be compared to the sum of their individual members. The power generated when the members come together is immeasurable. That's why there can be a negative view towards individuals who engage in activities outside of creating music. Given the history of bands where members pursued solo careers, leading to disbandment or hiatus, some people may feel uneasy about something that becomes transparent beyond the music itself.

Personally, I had no prejudice when it came to solo or project works derived from bands. If I liked it, I would listen; if not, I wouldn't. However, when the same composer sings their own songs, there is often a recognition like, "Oh, this song was from their solo work." This can depend on how consciously one listens to the artist, but I can understand the sentiment that "when you hear Thom Yorke's voice, everything sounds like Radiohead."

Having a unique musical weapon, when you hear that voice, the instruments, or the texture of the song, that person immediately comes to mind. However, not all the fine details that the composer intends to convey are perceived by everyone.

Because I personally understand this, I always had the thought somewhere, even when the people around me frequently mentioned the aspect of "differentiation," that "it's not unreasonable to be called 'Shigure' when this voice and guitar sound." While searching for what can only be done as a solo artist, there is also a part of me that doesn't really care.

It's easy to differentiate. By discarding the "weapon," changing the focus, and loosening the grip on the hand you always hold, I can distance myself from who I am. However, I still don't understand the value of creating music for the purpose of "making distinctions."

When I started my solo career, I felt like my own battle had begun somewhere.

We are a band in any situation. No matter how much music I create or arrange, I'm only one-third of it. As such, I stepped into the place called "solo," where I might not be noticed or acknowledged by anyone, in a situation where I couldn't rely on anyone and still had love for the band. That place, which might end up worn out, was my challenge and determination. Somewhere, I desired for all the pressure to be solely on me.

Ling tosite sigure is nothing but Ling tosite sigure.

I exist only within it, now and forever.

We simply pursue the ideal sound that has been excessively depicted within ourselves.

At one point, I realized that the music that slipped through that pursuit was dying. Things that shouldn't have been part of the palette when I tried to envision it myself. While I also made music like soundtracks, I chose solo as one of the outputs.

In solo and band, the starting point in the mind when creating music is different. In the case of a band, I always imagine "how the other two will approach this song." In contrast, when it comes to solo, there are no two people in my mind during production.

From an outsider's perspective, it may seem like a slight difference, but it is an immensely significant one. The process of creating music may seem similar, yet it is fundamentally different.

The concept of "solo" usually implies releasing things that cannot be done within a band and exploding with what one wants to do in solo songs. However, in my case, it's a bit different. I believe that the purity of myself in the band's music is higher than that in my solo work.

This is merely a subjective feeling within myself, but it may be because the person called "TK" within Ling tosite sigure is myself.

In solo work, I invite musicians whom I think are suitable for the songs and arrange them. I provide basic programming that is at a level even an amateur like me can handle, such as piano or violin, and the players add their own arrangements on top of that. As a result, there are often overlapping layers that I didn't imagine. In other words, compared to the band, there are significantly more changes happening through communication with others in relation to the demos I prepared. Simply put, the frames that change through entrusting the demos I made to others go beyond the boundaries of a trio.

Whether the music created can be considered "music that could also be done by a band" is ambiguous without seeing that process. However, for me, the essence lies not in "how close the sound of the final song is" but in "whether the song is born or not." Once the song exists, surprisingly, it is not often focused on.

Whether the song is born or not... This is also something I feel when providing songs to other artists. When someone else becomes the vocalist, I can free myself from my own complexes and restraints. I can inject nuances like "I wish it could be sung like this."

In reality, I receive many offers from people who have listened to Ling tosite sigure, and that genuinely makes me very happy. They listen to that music and, over time, find what they were seeking in me.

When the vocalist changes, I can return to a completely fresh state, just like when I made the first album.

Going back to Ling tosite sigure, there is an overwhelming "Ling tosite sigure-ness" in them.

Of course, when Nakano-kun, 345, and I play together, each of us contributes our cultivated originality to create the "Ling tosite sigure-ness." However, to go beyond that "essence," there is an endless distance. I always have a feeling somewhere that says, "Don't be fooled into thinking that it only works with the three of us playing music."

Perhaps because I am responsible for the recording myself, I know the weaknesses of each of the three members better than they do. I face them. That's why it's interesting in a band to think about how to make that sharp chart the "most powerful one within the triangle."

Sometimes, I make unreasonable demands that leave the other two bewildered. We push ourselves to the point where it becomes chaotic to the extent that laughter erupts.

The potential that the two of them possess is infinite. Miraculously occurring fluctuations change the "Ling tosite sigure-ness" into something that only Ling tosite sigure can do.