By the end of the year, ACO was back in the studio recording her second album, NUDE, which was released exactly a year after her debut. The album picked up where her debut left off, continuing with the jazz-pop style she was known for. The best-known single from this era was DROP, which combined hip-hop elements with ACO's leisurely vocals. By 1998, ACO had begun moving away from the predominately upbeat sound that launched her career, introducing some darker and more dramatic elements into the mix for her third album, Lady Soul. The album spawned the singles CATWALK and Yawarakai Hada (やわらかい肌), which did little to reflect this creeping style change.
In the winter of 1999, ACO released Absolute Ego, her fourth album and the work that many see as the turning point in her career. No longer singing the songs of a teenage pop idol, ACO introduced trip-hop and electronica elements into her style and began experimenting with her vocals as well. Critical response to the album was overwhelmingly positive. Absolute Ego produced four singles, among them SPLEEN and Yorokobi Ni Saku Hana (悦びに咲く花). A remix album, titled The Other Side Of Absolute Ego, followed in early 2000. It featured collaborations with the likes of DJ Krush (whom ACO collaborated with on his own Tragicomic), Tricky, and Yoshinori Sunahara. A live DVD called Absolute Live was also released.
In 2001, ACO presented her fifth studio album, Material. This album moved even further into her new electronica style, and contains some of her darkest music to date. Singles released included Hoshi No Kuzu (星ノクズ), which featured an Alice In Wonderland-styled PV, and 4gatsu No Hero (４月のヒーロー). The album also included a haunting cover of This Woman's Work by Kate Bush.
ACO's sixth album, irony, followed in 2003. Collaborating with Icelandic electronica band múm and avant-garde artists portable[k]ommunity, the album explored minimalist electronica through the use of layered vocals and delicate microbeats. The album drew comparisons to Vespertine by Björk and produced one solitary single, titled Machi (町).
A new mini-album, Mask, was released in early 2006. It explores a neo-electroclash sound, including a brash recut of Fuan Nano to mark the song's tenth anniversary. During this time, she collaborated with Taeji Sawai and his band Golden Pink Arrow. The songs, which are available through Sawai's website (www.taeji.org), have not yet seen a commercial release. In 2007, she released her first greatest hits album, ACO BEST ~Girl's Diary~, a two-disc compilation featuring all her singles from 1995-2006.
In 2010, ACO returned with Devil's Hands, her first new release since ending her short hiatus. In yet another genre shift, it departs from the electropop of Mask to focus on pop-rock and soft ballads. The moody and piano-driven LUCK followed in 2012, followed by a live album and a collection of self-covers in a new "unplugged" style, TRAD.
Valentine was released in 2015 and marked another sea change in ACO's style, giving her a fuzzy alt-rock sound with raspy vocals. A covers EP in this mode, Sing Sing Sing, followed in 2019.
SPLEEN
Aco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
そいつは何処へ行ったって
私を追ってくる。
意地汚い事を口に出したり
心に踏み込んで
散らかしまわってゆく。
陽気な女である為に
バカね 全て捨ててしまって
この空いた世界を
揺れ動く事はなく
確かな存在になって
あぁ 決して
温めたりしてはいけないの
痛くなるだけだもの...
この想いは。
こんなにも短い日々に生まれた
数えることもできない
この気持ちが
せつなく音もたてず この躰に
流れだしては ゆっくりと
染まってゆく
頬を濡らすこんな日が
何度もひどく絡みつく
七色に染めてよ。
この空いた世界を
揺れ動く事はなく
確かな存在になって
あぁ 決して
温めたりしてはいけないの
痛くなるだけだもの...
この想いは。
In Aco's song SPLEEN, the lyrics talk about a person who chases the singer, even when they try to get away. The person is unruly and says hurtful things while invading the singer's personal space. The singer wants to forget everything and be carefree, but cannot escape the person's presence. Instead, they ask the person to "dye them in seven colors," making them a definite and constant presence in the singer's life. However, the singer warns to never warm up to this person because it will only hurt them in the end.
The second verse of the song reflects on the shortness of life and the vastness of emotions that can be experienced in it. The singer's feelings flow silently through their body, becoming a part of their very being. The sadness that the singer experiences is overwhelming and comes in waves, making them cry often. Yet again, the singer asks for the same thing: to be dyed in seven colors and become a strong presence in the world, but warns against getting too close.
Overall, the lyrics of the song seem to be about a toxic relationship that the singer cannot escape from, wanting the person to always be there but unable to handle their presence in a healthy manner.
Line by Line Meaning
飼い慣らせてないの
I'm not tamed
そいつは何処へ行ったって
私を追ってくる。
No matter where it goes, it follows me
意地汚い事を口に出したり
心に踏み込んで
散らかしまわってゆく。
Saying nasty things, meddling with my heart, and making a mess
陽気な女である為に
バカね 全て捨ててしまって
七色に染めてよ。
Being a cheerful girl, let go of everything and dye it in seven colors
この空いた世界を
揺れ動く事はなく
確かな存在になって
あぁ 決して
温めたりしてはいけないの
痛くなるだけだもの...
この想いは。
In this empty world, become a definite existence without wavering. Ah, never warm it up. It will only hurt…this feeling.
こんなにも短い日々に生まれた
数えることもできない
この気持ちが
せつなく音もたてず この躰に
流れだしては ゆっくりと
染まってゆく
Born in these fleeting days, this feeling that cannot be counted flows into my body quietly and slowly dyes it without making a sound, painfully.
頬を濡らすこんな日が
何度もひどく絡みつく
七色に染めてよ。
These tearful days entangle me horribly over and over again. Dye them in seven colors.
この空いた世界を
揺れ動く事はなく
確かな存在になって
あぁ 決して
温めたりしてはいけないの
痛くなるだけだもの...
この想いは。
In this empty world, become a definite existence without wavering. Ah, never warm it up. It will only hurt…this feeling.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ACO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind