Referring to the predecessor “FLCL”, fans naturally think of the music of “the pillows”. The perfect combination of the two is a model of sound and painting. When the OVA version was launched in 2000, the alternative rock played by “the pillows” didn’t know how many audiences had stirred up. Their music contained some indescribable madness when human beings wanted to vent their anger and accumulate. Wild emotions. .

Fans familiar with the evolutionary history of the pillows should note that their fifth album, “Please Mr. Lostman,” released in 1997, has a 180-degree shift in the band’s genre and past music routes. . The band’s songwriting and lead singer, Yamazawa, called it a leap from Britain to the United States. However, if we look back at the difficult struggle history of the “5 years and 6 years” in the early days of the pillows” in 1989, I am afraid that three days and three nights will not be finished. .

In the mid-1990s, the “Oasis Band” became popular around the world, and Shanzhong was once one of the fans, and was influenced by it, following the example of writing. On the contrary, in contact with American alternative music, the mountains are very late. In fact, as early as 1992, “Nirvana” has been influential on a global scale (the band’s second album, “Never mind” released in 1991, won the “Best Billboard 200”, but at first In the mountains, only the name of the band was heard, and the music of Nirvana was not very controlled. At that time, almost all the mountains were listening to British music. After the “Radio Commander”, he foresaw that it was difficult for Britain to emerge a good band. Soon, in the process of finding new goals, he became close to “alternative music.” Later, I followed the source and tutored the “Little Fairy Band”. In the meantime, the music in the mountains was frequently flashed, and many works were created one after another. “Please Mr. Lostman” is the masterpiece of this period. At this point, Shanzhong finally established its own music positioning. .

According to Shanzhong, the music of the Shibuya is behind, and the rock of “THEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANT” once swept the world. At the same time, the “hard-core punk” of “Hi-STANDARD” was another cultural phenomenon. Although it belongs to independent music, it has achieved impressive sales performance. The musicians who know the Xiazawa area and the mountains seem to be working on the direction and feeling of their music overnight. They are no exception in the mountains. The genre pursued by “the pillows” is not as slow as the “Michelle” (The Beatles), and it is not a “melody”. It can be said that from “Please Mr. Lostman”, the “strong feeling” with the pillows” feature has been established. Although the record companies they signed at the time were not optimistic, the mountains were desperately looking for a strong taste and would never be willing to compromise. Later, it was 99 years ago and “FLCL” smashed each other. .

OVA series “FLCL” theme song “Ride on shooting star”, no doubt added a brilliant moment for the pillows” resume. Looking back on the past, Shanzhong said that he was at the time of allergies to “bringing creations”, mainly because he was often shackled by record companies and took some money to make money, but after all, he did not really want to make music. In the end, The most physically and mentally damaged or injured is the band itself. .

On a certain day, the mountain walked into the recording studio, and at a glance, there was a picture of a robot with a drawing on it, and the heart immediately flashed an unpredictable foreboding. Presumably, readers have already guessed that the stack is the mirror of FLCL. The first reaction in the mind of the mountain is that the upper head has been arranged to make a mess!

In the 1990s, such “supporting cooperation” was the mainstream profit model of major record companies. However, the heart of the mountain has never dared to agree with this. Can’t understand the meaning of this kind of “raw and hard match”? It is often the case that the audience does not buy it, and it makes the songwriter feel uncomfortable. Moreover, “the pillows” is going a little on the right track. The mountain wants to retire. It can be said that it is the cartoon’s supervised crane roll and the music that likes “the pillows”, and would like to ask them to help to compose music. Since the sincerity of the fans who are familiar with the band, the nature can be very different. Moreover, the fans who appreciate themselves are named, and the creative desires in the mountains are also sprouting. What makes him even more gratified is that the other party proposed to remove the theme song, and the song “the pillows” will be used in the drama! Suddenly “gentle goodwill”, the flattered mountain was a bit overwhelmed. .

Before I wrote the theme song for FLCL, I rarely watched cartoons in the mountains, and now it is the same. OVA version he has repeatedly read and repeated many times, to tell the truth, did not understand. For the mountain, it is equivalent to watching a series of MV sizzling that has nothing to do with the songs of the band. Although I didn’t understand it, the mountain still feels very interesting and very stylish. It also understands the confusion that a boy has encountered in the process of exploring, growing, and translating into the unknown adult world. This is exactly the same. The characteristics of rock music. For example, the general narrative songs will appear in the lyrics such as workplace disobedience, frustration, and other figurative descriptions, and on this basis to win the audience’s identification and resonance, and rock music belongs to another different thinking circuit. When I went to the United States to tour the mountains, I heard the most confession of local fans. Although I don’t know how to sing in the lyrics of “the pillows”, I feel that it’s superb. This may explain why the pillows” song fits in with the “FLCL” worldview, and it also allows the mountain to appreciate and monitor the importance of true love. .

It’s worth mentioning that when the royalty of the first edition of FLCL was received, the band members of “the pillows” were surprised that the money actually paid off all the debts the band had owed so far. Change! Ever since, a few small partners could not help but look at each other. .

Speaking of the creation of “Ride on shooting star”, the mountain sighs that he was really “ignorant and fearless”, and he did not understand the position of the crane and the supervisor in GAINAX. At the earliest, the other party asked Shanshan to write “One Life” in the style of “Oasis Band”, but since Shanzhong was already addicted to alternative rock, he wrote himself “Ride on shooting star”. As a result, I heard that his actions were unprepared by the Tsurui Supervisor, but since the song itself was very good, the Supervisor overturned the ED image that had been prepared in the previous period and started from the beginning, which made the mountain very embarrassed. .

But it turns out that FLCL is grateful to Ride on shooting star for being beaten. It is not an exaggeration to say that the extraction of any lyrics has a penetrating power in the depths of the soul. “FLCL” with a variety of chicken blood outbreaks has a tacit understanding of the two swords. In the mountains, “Ride on shooting star” is more important than “One life”. It can be seen that the “naughty tricks” of the eight children are also deeply touched. This coincides with the creative purpose of the mountain. .

Referring to the concept of music creation, the mountain belongs to 100% melody priority. When it is implemented to the specific operation level, it is written first. Therefore, the lyrics are inevitably limited by music and rhythm. The aesthetic orientation of lyrics fully demonstrates the true and self-willedness of the temperament in the mountains. When necessary, in order to sing the slogan, he would rather sacrifice the grammatical arrangement of some words and phrases, and the words will not be made only by the rhyming of the pronunciation. I don’t have the feeling of being sick, but I don’t want to use the ugly words that I can’t look good. The words that have passed the “interview selection” in the mountains are collected into his “personal lexicon”, and then according to the melody of each song, the lyrics of the corresponding situation are synthesized, and later adjusted according to the standard of lyrics, or else Feeling, it is very likely to become a casual sing.

Objectively, “FLCL” not only promoted the popularity of “the pillows” in Japan, even when the OVA version came out four or five years later, when the band visited the United States, many viewers were waiting outside the venue. Of course, they knew clearly in the mountains. Fans are directed at the “FLCL” animation. Another point to note is that the live venues selling alcohol in the United States did not allow people under the age of 21 to enter the market. The fans of FLCL are mostly junior high school and high school students. Therefore, most people can only watch the outside world. Some people came here only to be able to look at them. Some people wanted to ask for a signature. On the other side of the ocean, they were treated in Japan. They were very surprised. In the past, the “FLCL” was very hot in the United States. There is something wrong with it, and now, through the videos that everyone shares on Twitter, you can also appreciate the enthusiasm of overseas fans. .

Later, after seven years of “the pillows” landed in the United States again, the audience increased by three times compared with the past, and the larger tickets for the venue were sold out. While the mountains can’t understand the old beauty, they can’t help but thanking God’s care. Originally, they fell in love with the American alternative rock and imitated it, and the music produced was actually accepted by the American audience. Like a fairy tale, it has also become a driving force for the mountain to create more good songs. In this mountain, I don’t forget to thank FLCL for opening the situation for the band music business. .

References: .

September 18 issue “NewType”.

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  「フリクリ」とthe pillowsの「あの頃」から今までを振り返る！ 新作劇場版「フリクリオルタナ」「フリクリプログレ」公開記念、山中さわお（the pillows）インタビュー

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  濃密なコラボレーションが再び！劇場版『フリクリオルタナ』『フリクリプログレ』主題歌担当 the pillowsインタビュー