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Thursday, September 17, 2015

My new album, Setsu / , is a tribute to Japan and the friends I made there.

Anyone who has lived in Japan any longer than a tourist will be bemused by Japanese friends' and co-workers' constant talk of the changing of the seasons (kisetsu / 季節), along with things that change with them: your wardrobe, the food you eat and, most importantly of course, the leaves. It's also the basis of about 50% of their English textbooks. "Japan has four seasons," I was proudly informed not long after arriving. I pointed out, mentally rolling my eyes, that there were four seasons where I came from too. It's an endearing habit of many Japanese that they kind of think they have a monopoly on lots of things, not just seasons, but skilful use of chopsticks, etc.

But after a while you come to realise that what they're saying is actually more profound: there is something fundamental to the way the year progresses that informs Japanese life and culture much more than where you come from. Sure you have brown and red leaves in autumn or blossoms in spring but they just do it more fully in Japan. And for the people there's a comfort and identity in these things, which are basically a by-product of how recently life there was still a feudal, agriculture-based existence.  

Setsu is an attempt to capture this spirit: twelve stories in twelve months told by twelve characters. The Chinese character Setsu / by itself means occasion or time, so fits the concept of the album perfectly. It can also mean verse, stanza or melody. And, yep, it's part of that word for season, kisetsu / 季節. The title track here, representing September, is emblematic in many ways. But more about that in another post.

I'll be releasing a track a month via Soundcloud and the whole album will be available via Bandcamp (when I finish it).

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