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.
ASYLUM GARDEN
BUCK-TICK Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hane o kazashi kurayami o kuri hirogero
Trans sarake dase yokubou o suiagete yaru
Garandou no kokoro wa harizakesou
Taiyou ni se o muke asylum garden aruita
Toki wa tomari kuroi kage ga soko ni aru
Yari tsuzukero itsumademo mo ga ki nagara
Furikaeru na imi nado ni tora wareru na
Trash kimi warui kioku no ito o takureba
Mushi no you ni aidasu kono karada
Taiyou ni se o muke asylum garden aruita
Toki wa tomari kuroi kage ga soko ni aru
Taiyou ni se o muke asylum garden aruita
Toki wa tomari kuroi kage ga soko ni aru
Kuroiroi hikari to canvas no himawari
Kuroiroi hikari to canvas no ito sugi
Kuroiroi hikari to canvas no jigazou
Canvas no jigazou
The lyrics to BUCK-TICK's song ASYLUM GARDEN describe a haunted and surreal world. The first two lines call out to becoming a devil and weakening a lamb, creating a sense of darkness and manipulation. The next two lines show a desire to spread one's wings and embrace the darkness. The phrase "suiagete yaru" means to raise up high and offer, but it can also mean to spike or raise up high and drop something, which creates a sense of danger and unpredictability.
The chorus speaks of walking towards the Asylum Garden while turning one's back to the sun. This could represent willingly walking towards darkness and madness. The black shadow that is always there could represent a constant feeling of anxiety and fear that never leaves. The phrase "yari tsuzukero" means to continue on, but it also can have a sense of aggression, urging oneself to keep going even when it seems impossible.
The verses then describe a feeling of being trapped in one's own memories and desires, unable to escape them even though they hurt. The comparison to a bug on the body shows a sense of powerlessness and disgust. Finally, the ending lines list off what is seen in this world - black light, sunflowers on canvas, and images of people on canvas.
Line by Line Meaning
Akuma ni nare kohitsuji o yowaseru no sa
Become a devil and weaken the sheep
Hane o kazashi kurayami o kuri hirogero
Spread your wings and expand the darkness
Sarake dase yokubou o suiagete yaru
Let out your desires and elevate them
Garandou no kokoro wa harizakesou
The heart of the grand mound is about to break
Taiyou ni se o muke asylum garden aruita
Turn towards the sun and walk in the asylum garden
Toki wa tomari kuroi kage ga soko ni aru
Time stops and there's a black shadow there
Yari tsuzukero itsumademo mo ga ki nagara
Keep going forever with a spirit that encompasses everything
Furikaeru na imi nado ni tora wareru na
Don't look back and don't get caught up in meaning
Trash kimi warui kioku no ito o takureba
Trash, you can pull on the thread of bad memories
Mushi no you ni aidasu kono karada
Move this body like a bug
Kuroiroi hikari to canvas no himawari
A black and white sunflower on a canvas
Kuroiroi hikari to canvas no ito sugi
Weaving black and white threads on a canvas
Kuroiroi hikari to canvas no jigazou
A black and white figure on a canvas
Canvas no jigazou
A figure on a canvas
Contributed by William S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.