Whispery Feathery Voice: Aoi Teshima

music · 201011

This is a writing by co-reviewer, Chizuru Takamine: Autumn is the perfect time to appreciate music. You grab your light-weight corduroy jacket, your fully charged iPod and start walking the sidewalks strewn with fallen leaves---the chill in the air nipping at your cheeks while the music in your ears warms your heart. You're walking alone, but the comforting blanket of familiar, slightly melancholy refrains accompany you and you feel pensive, but not lonely. I like taking Aoi Teshima's "Because"

Aoi Teshima

"Because" along me on these solo jaunts---there is something about Teshima's whispery, feathery voice combined with the haunting melody line that does me in. Teshima is a 23 year old jazz/easy listening singer from Fukuoka who made her mark releasing the title tune for Goro Miyazaki's Tales from the EarthSea (and also voicing the main character Therru).

"Because" was written exclusively for the Japanese movie "Surely Someday" that hit the box office's earlier this summer and though I haven't had the chance to watch it yet, the previews tell a story of a miss-spent youth, a high school prank gone horribly wrong and many a lofty dream dashed as a consequence.Yet, the kids in question haven't completely let go of their ambitions, hoping that surely someday they will be able to put their disastrous past to rest.http://www.surely-someday.jp/index_pc.html

Lyrics: "Because"

someday, look back
on a, young day
we shared, we learned
we had, we lost

Surely Someday

because you know
tomorrow had another plan
because you lose
the future is all we have left

one pain, one hope
too far, so close
we laugh, we cry
we live, we grow

because
because we know the future is all we have left

one day, somewhere
hold on, somewhere
we stand, we leap
we fall, we go

because you know
tomorrow plays another hand
because we lose
the future is all we have left

because someday
surely someday
surely someday

Yoko Kanno

Composer Yoko Kanno (her impressive portfolio includes writing scores for animated and non-animated movies like Cowboy Bebop and Kamikaze Girls as well as countless Japanese commercials) captures the theme of the movie quite well with the harried tempo, evoking antsy, impatient youth, ready to rebel against authority figures and societal rules. Although the English lyrics are somewhat disjointed, you can tell there are feelings of deep-set regret for past actions while simultaneously yearning for a better tomorrow, a chance to start with a clean slate and to not dwell on the past so much. I think these contradictory emotions are very human, very relatable. As a dancer, I could see how a contemporary dance routine could be set to this melody. Kanno is so prolific that if you lived in Japan and owned a tv (or, if you live abroad but you're an avid gamer), there is really no escaping her music. She's composed more than 500! commercial jingles domestically, so even if you've never heard her name before, you may be familiar with her work.

PS: For more Aoi Teshima, I recommend "The Rose" ---Teshima went through a difficult period in Junior High which she found hard to acclimate to, and Bette Midler's The Rose helped her overcome her adversity (and get her on track to make a major debut!) Talk about tomorrow playing another hand!

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Whispery Feathery Voice: Aoi Teshima

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