I am very fortunate to have done deeper dives into each album as part of my research for a presentation I scrapped. Really, their songs playing in the background while I stayed up past midnight was the only reason I managed to finish that presentation in the first place! I would have fallen asleep very quickly without any music in the background.
Thanks to that research, I learned a lot more about Lamp than I knew in the beginning. I learned of their origins, their influences, their albums and the thought that goes into each album. In this blog post, I wish to share with you my favourite albums, the dynamics in the band and songs and the reason I enjoy them so much !!
Who is Lamp?
I can't of course talking about their songs if you don't know who they are! Lamp is a japanese band consisting of Yusuke Nagai, Taiyo Someya and Kaori Sakakibara (Two men, one woman). The best way to describe their genre is Shibuya-kei and jazz pop with hints of bossa nova, city-pop, soul and funk. If you really wanted to summarise you could say the fall under the general classic pop genre, but truly at its core Lamp's music is unique. They have their very own unique sound, which I and many other fans have fallen for.
Someya has said that they drew inspiration for Lamp's music from João Gilberto, Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles and The Beach Boys, as well as general Brazilian music. Despite this, Lamp continues to maintain its own style, often times mixing in Japanese and general pop elements.
The band was initially formed in February 2000 and they released their first album Soyokaze Apartment Room 201 (そよ風アパートメント201) in 2003. They released thereafter 9 albums, 1 split CD single with the Belinda Butchers and their song "Girlfriend", 2 compilation albums, 2 EPs, 1 other single named "Margaret" and a live album titled "A Distant Shore".
Now enough with the facts. Let me tell you about my favourite albums!
#1. Soyokaze Apartment Room 201 (そよ風アパートメント201)
Funny that their first album is one of my favourites, isn't it? Soyokaze is named that way because of the light and airy feeling of each song in the album. It contains 6 songs (that makes this one an EP, technically...) and is something I believe is best played on an afternoon drive just around sunset. My favourite track in particular is Windy Afternoon.
Tracklist:
1. Windy Afternoon
2. Raindrop City
3.The Night Squall
4. Us Tonight
5. Winter Café
6. From The Window
#2. For Lovers (恋人へ)
I fear that we might just be going in order of the albums...
For Lovers contains songs that are softer compared to the jazz pop vibe of Soyokaze. I believe the album is appropriately named considering the feeling of each song in the album. The atmosphere that best fits this album is probably a rainy or cloudy day, although that contradicts a couple of the songs in the album because of their bright and cheery tone.
From this album emerges two of Lamp's most popular songs with overseas fans, namely "For Lovers" and "Behind the Moon Shadow". It is quite hard to pick a favourite from this album, but I like most "Out On A Sunny Day", "Behind The Moon Shadow" and "Last Train At 25 O'Clock".
Tracklist:
1. For Lovers
2. HIROGARU-NAMIDA
3. Last Train At 25 O'Clock
4. Out On A Sunny Day
5. Tomorrow Comes I Will
6. Rainy Tapestry
7. Words of Love
8. Behind The Moon Shadow
#3. Lamp Gensou (ランプ幻想)
When one may initially hear of Lamp, they might come across one of their most recognisable albums of all time: Lamp Gensou. It is from this album of 11 songs that their famous songs 20 Year Old Love (Hatachi no Koi) and Half Asleep (Yume Utsutsu) emerge.
The overall feeling of the album is very dreamy or hazy. It has an even softer feeling than For Lovers and really immerses you in each fleeting melody that is played. My favourite songs from here are Fuyu no Kage wa Kanashimi, Hakuchūmu (my profile theme actually!), Hatachi no Koi, Nippon Shounen no Natsu and End of a Holiday
Tracklist:
1. Act One Of A Fleeting Spring (儚き春の一幕)
2. Hisoyakani (In Stillness/密やかに)
3. Yūgure (Twilight/夕暮れ)
4. The Other Side Of A Rainy Night (雨降る夜の向こう)
5. Yume Utsutsu (Half Asleep/ゆめうつつ)
6. Hakuchūmu (Daydream/白昼夢)
7. Nippon Shounen no Natsu (The Summer of a Japanese Boy/日本少年の夏)
8. Hatachi no Koi (20 Year Old Love/二十歳の恋)
9. Fuyu no Kage wa Kanashimi (Sadness is Winter's Shadow/冬の影は哀しみ)
10. End of a Holiday
11. A Summer Vacation
For this tracklist I used the more commonly known names, which happen to be the romaji versions of the songs.
#4. My Favourite Songs from Other Albums
I realised I really do love a majority of all Lamp songs and albums, so in order to spare myself and you the trouble of reading all about the other albums, I will simply pick a favourite (s) from some other albums.
1. Blue - Blue (Single)
2. Bedoruumu no gogo wa (Bedroom Afternoon) - Dusk to Dawn
3. Komorebi no Kisetsu (Komorebi Season) - On Komorebi St.
4. From The Midnight Shoreline - The Poetry of August
5. Hiyayakana Jōkei (Chilly Spectacle) - Tokyo Utopia Communications
6. Sugiru Haru no (Passing Springtime) - Afterglow
7. Place in My Dream - Tabibito/Place in My Dream
8. A Toshi no Aki (Autumn In City ”A”) - Yume (Dream)
#5. Stardust In Blue (秋の惑星、ハートはナイトブルー。)
An additional honourable mention is Kaede's album "Stardust in Blue". She collaborated with UWANOSORA and Lamp making for a very lovely and serene album. This one sounds best played in the evening. It stands as one of my other favourite albums as well.
The album contains 7 songs (so i suppose also technically and EP) and my favourite tracks are... well... every single song! I suppose you could say this is my favourite album (though it isn't exclusively Lamp).
Tracklist:
1. -Opening- C10Autumn Planet (秋の惑星 )
2. When We Were Young (君が大人になって)
3. Morning Call (モーニングコール )
4. Farewell Is A Heartwork(さよならはハート仕掛け)
5. Sepia September (セピア色の九月)
6. Jupiter (ジュピター)
7. -Ending- Night Blue (ハートはナイトブルー)
Now that all that is over, I thank you for reading about my favourite band: Lamp!!
All albums and songs are available on most streaming platforms I assume. Go support them!
Comments
Log in to add a comment.
No comments yet.