There's this thing about music. Music isn't like those gorgeous vinyl records of yours - all Abbey Road, and Surrealistic Pillow, and Electric Ladyland - which sit on your shelf all the live long day, collecting the dust of ages gone by. No, music, in its raw, unrefined form, does not shelter itself in a lowly hovel to age like wine. No, it's out and about, serving its purpose, feeding their perfection directly through the nearest audio outlet and straight to your ears.
Music does, in fact, age like wine. But it ages with play - the more you listen, the more you love. Thus, our elders' songs - the ones made in musics heyday - have the heads up on contemporary music. It's already had the aging process take hold - all the good tastes have begun coming to realization in them - hell, they were there when the songs were first made. Tapping into the ethereal river of sound is gifting yourself with an unprecedented cache of musical miracles. Old songs have a place in contemporary music, that's for sure. Let's capitalise that opportunity.
This is Voilà!'s new Retrospect series of articles. What we're going to do here is tap into those unopened bottles of music that have been aging all this time to see exactly how awesome they've become with the passing of time. And what better place to start than the music that launched a band into international spotlights?
Of course, I speak of "Another Morning" by The Pillows. I occasionally tout The Pillows wonderfully eclectic J-Rock stylings whenever I remember to. But how can I forget that The Pillows are one of the most vibrantly fun musical ensembles to introduce themselves to the musical Ether. "Another Morning" is all about stopping, checking out those dainty white clouds puttering across the sky, breathe a sigh of gladness, and starting a'new.
"Kyō wa atarashii boku no tanjōbi nanda, kinen shashin o tori naosu kara oide yo. Suteki na omoide o utsusu rōsoku wa kesanaide umare kawaru asa ga kita."
For those of us anglophonically inclined, a translation: 'Today's the birthday of the new me. I'm retaking that photo! So come on, I'm going to record these wonderful memories; Don't blow out the candles, cause it's my rebirth day.' The Pillows show everyone how to have a proper new beginning. And a new international fanbase was the new beginning for the Pillows after the creation of this song. Released on Little Busters back in 1998, "Another Morning," as well as many other songs The Pillows recorded were due to be featured in the anime FLCL, which turned into a huge cult-classic of Japanese media. It's how I discovered The Pillows myself, and if you have a bizarre way of viewing the world, it's definitely recommended.
But for now, let's breathe our daily sighs of happiness and joy. Let's glance up at the clouds hiding the sun, and say, "ah, I'm glad to be here today." Enjoy "Another Morning" by The Pillows, today's Retrospection.
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