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Homemade Escape: i-fls

最近ツイッターで村上春樹についての会話をよく目にします。激しい議論の中、支持する人は彼の表現する「美しい日常」を絶賛しているようですね。確かに村上春樹特有の、ありふれた日常をいかに美しいものにするか、という表現は素晴らしいと思います。私もそのような感性は好きですし、日本のアーティストのi-flsも普通だったら忘れ去られるようなテーマを音楽を通して表現しています。物やサービスがテーマだったり(“Twitter,” “Vocaloid,” “Family Restaurant”)自然がテーマだったり(“Summer Breeze,” “I Saw Raindrops”) 女性の名前が含まれていたり(“Satomi,” “Chiaki Gazed You,” “Yui”)。Garagebandで作られたボーカルレスな楽曲達は、驚く程少ない数の楽器から構成されていて、短くもノスタルジック。まるで気持ちをスケッチしたかのような。i-flsはここ数ヶ月だけでも数多くのリリースをしているのですが、Enhanced GardenというEPに収録されている、飛び跳ねるような”No Adventure”、幻想的な”Stardust”、そしてまるで好きな女性が自分を見つめているような気持ちにさせてくれる”Chiaki Gazed You”がオススメです。”Chiaki Gazed You”は嬉しくも不安なあの気持ちを上手く表現できているのではないでしょうか。i-flsの楽曲はまるで日記のようにシンプルで、日常を美しいものとして表現しています。

Homemade Escape: i-fls

Recently, I watched a debate unfold over Twitter about the quality of Japanese author Haruki Murakami’s work, the majority of those jumping into the fray tearing into his style, in particular his reliance on “magical realism.” I get why some would be turned off to this, but that ability to make the everyday seem special, to turn mundane happenings into beauty. That’s why I enjoy Murakami, the music of similarly obsessed-with-the-everyday artists Lullatone and now i-fls, a Japanese music maker who seems bewitched by stuff most people just shrug off. Song titles range from items and services (“Twitter,” “Vocaloid,” “Family Restaurant”) to natural sensations (“Summer Breeze,” “I Saw Raindrops”) to names of women (“Satomi,” “Chiaki Gazed You,” “Yui”). None of i-fls’ songs feature vocals and they are all produced in GarageBand, yet i-fls wrings a lot of emotion out of a very limited palette of sounds (mostly rinky-dink beats and a variety of whirring electronics). All of the songs tend to be short – sketches of a feeling, perhaps – and most sound lovely, like conjuring up an old memory. i-fls has released a lot of material in the past few months, the latest being the Enhanced Garden EP, which includes the galloping “No Adventure,” the dreamy “Stardust” and “Chiaki Gazed You” which seemingly captures the feeling of having a woman you like look your way, for even a second, and all the joy/nervousness that creates. All the music i-fls has released is like a simple-but-engaging journal, regular happenings made special.