The band members are 櫻井敦司 (Sakurai Atsushi) (vocals), 今井寿 (Imai Hisashi) (guitars, noises, electronics, vocals), 星野英彦 (Hoshino Hidehiko) (guitars, chorus), 桶口豊 (Higuchi Yutaka) (bass) and ヤガミ・トール (Yagami Toll) (drums).
BUCK-TICK's music has changed and evolved hugely over the course of their career. Their early work is what the Japanese call "positive punk". It used simple rhythms and chords, with the songs mostly in major keys and using some English words in the lyrics. Starting with 1989's TABOO, they experimented with a darker sound, which grew more mature with 狂った太陽 in 1991. darker than darkness style 93 delved into a harsher industrial rock sound which continued all the way up through Mona Lisa OVERDRIVE in 2003. With 2005's 十三階は月光, they deliberately adopted a "goth" concept, which they combined with a retro straight rock sound for the albums 天使のリボルバー (2007) and Memento Mori (2009). Their next album, 2010's RAZZLE DAZZLE, then incorporated many instances of dance-rock.
Some elements that persist throughout their music are resounding, jangling guitar chords, throbbing, prominent bass lines, harsh roars of electronically distorted noise, and ambivalent melodies that wander between major and minor keys, as well as Sakurai's distinctive rich baritone voice. Jrockrevolution described the band's style as having gone "from the bubbly sounds of pop to the buzz of electronic cyberpunk to lustful velvety goth to the smooth style of hard rock and back again". Sakurai, who is the main lyricist of the band, is famous for the erotic decadence of his lyrics, but he also often addresses existential psychological themes. His lyrics is also described as "dance in a daydream about reality". Imai, the main composer, has written many songs that read like science fiction stories, involving genetic engineering and computer hackers, but more recently has branched out into love songs.
As Josephine Yun describes them, in 'A Concise Report on 40 of the Biggest Rock Acts in Japan', "BUCK-TICK's music is smashed-together nuances of everything from Depeche Mode and New Order to U2 and The Knack. While wry, it can float and be nebulously melodic. [...] Masked in eye makeup, Atsushi looks and sounds possessed. BUCK-TICK was (and continues to be) and anomaly in the Japanese music scene, a tangle of goth rock diluted with synth and electronica. It's unhappy, dirty music, the musical equivalent of exploded soot and smoke."
BUCK-TICK and their members have performed with, for example, KMFDM, Soft Ballet, Luna Sea, Sheena Ringo, and The Yellow Monkey. The band members have also participated in different side-projects, such as Schaft, Schwein (Sakurai and Imai with Raymond Watts (PIG) and Sascha Konietzko (KMFDM)), and The Mortal.
月蝕
BUCK-TICK Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
噎せ返る 人外の血
目に映る 骸に薔薇
愛撫の様に 喰い込む茨
甘美なまでの 異形の愛
銀のスプーンで 抉り出せば
歓喜の歌は 今や狂喜
贄の夜は 死と交わる 嗚呼 この身を捧ぐ
ああ 煮え滾る ああ 血は滾る
嗚呼 この身を捧ぐ
ああ 煮え滾る ああ 血は…この身を捧ぐ
ああ 煮え滾る ああ 血は…この身を捧ぐ
ああ 煮え滾る ああ 血は滾る
闇となり 月喰らう
贄の夜は 死と交わる
闇となり 月喰らう
贄の夜は 死と交わる
The lyrics of BUCK-TICK's "月蝕 (Gesshoku)" portrays a sense of sinister and ominous themes, touching upon the idea of cannibalism and the enjoyment of it. The lyrics open with "ああ 煮え滾る ああ 血は滾る" which translates to "Ah, boiling, ah, blood boiling". This line sets the mood of the song, the imagery of someone consuming human flesh and enjoying it, getting a high from the intensity of the situation. The following lines, "噎せ返る 人外の血 目に映る 骸に薔薇" meaning "The blood of an outsider chokes me up; roses in the sight of a corpse", places emphasis on the fact that the cannibalism is not of a human close to the subject, but of an outsider or a stranger, perhaps someone who is seen as inferior to them. The use of the word "roses" in the sight of a corpse implies that there is a perverse pleasure that comes along with the act.
The chorus repeats the line "嗚呼 この身を捧ぐ ああ 煮え滾る ああ 血は滾る" which translates to "Ah, boiling, ah, blood boiling, ah, I offer up this body". This shows the willingness of the subject to give themselves over, to offer themselves as a sacrifice, or to indulge in this activity more, despite the fact that it isn't exactly socially acceptable. The final lines again mention the "night of sacrifice" where "darkness becomes the moon" and "death is interchanged", further cementing the idea that there is something eerie and eerie about this situation.
Line by Line Meaning
ああ 煮え滾る ああ 血は滾る
Oh, seething and boiling, oh, the blood is boiling
噎せ返る 人外の血
Choking on blood that is not quite human
目に映る 骸に薔薇
A corpse adorned with roses lying before my eyes
愛撫の様に 喰い込む茨
Thorns that pierce my skin like a caress
甘美なまでの 異形の愛
A love so sweet it borders on grotesque
脈打つは 我が欲望
My desire throbs in my veins
銀のスプーンで 抉り出せば
If I were to scoop it out with a silver spoon
歓喜の歌は 今や狂喜
The song of joy has turned into mad ecstasy
贄の夜は 死と交わる 嗚呼 この身を捧ぐ
On this night of sacrifice, I offer up my body to death
ああ 煮え滾る ああ 血は滾る
Oh, seething and boiling, oh, the blood is boiling
嗚呼 この身を捧ぐ
Alas, I offer up my body
ああ 煮え滾る ああ 血は…この身を捧ぐ
Oh, seething and boiling, oh, the blood... I offer up my body
ああ 煮え滾る ああ 血は…この身を捧ぐ
Oh, seething and boiling, oh, the blood... I offer up my body
ああ 煮え滾る ああ 血は滾る
Oh, seething and boiling, oh, the blood is boiling
闇となり 月喰らう
Becoming darkness and devouring the moon
贄の夜は 死と交わる
On this night of sacrifice, I embrace death
闇となり 月喰らう
Becoming darkness and devouring the moon
贄の夜は 死と交わる
On this night of sacrifice, I embrace death
Contributed by Adrian G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
J Smith
I really love how this song is so melodic and haunting at the same time.
BUCK-TICK FAN
Definitely a favorite of mine! I am seriously addicted to this song!
Blanka71040
Does anybody have guitar tabs for this song? I'd love to learn, but I can't find anything online :(
Sheila Robinson
🥰