BUCK-TICK is a Japanese rock band, originally formed by Imai Hisashi in 198… Read Full Bio ↴BUCK-TICK is a Japanese rock band, originally formed by Imai Hisashi in 1983 in Gunma, Japan, with its current line-up lasting since 1985. They are commonly credited as one of the founders of the visual kei movement. As of yet, they have released twenty-three original studio albums and one of self-covers, nearly all reaching the top ten on the charts. Their most recent album, "異空 -IZORA-", was released on 12th April 2023.

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.

Alice in Wonder Underground
BUCK-TICK Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

愛とか世界儚い
羽をたたんだ皆殺しの天使
お願いだ天使のラッパ鳴り響く
残酷だねダーリン
愛と血肉をむさぼるゾンビーナ
泣いたりしない
愛はネコソギだぜ nightmare
いくよもういいかいまだだよ

君の耳元で息を吐く
Oh! Yeah!
Alice in wonder underground
Devil
Angel and epicurean let's go!
ベッドの中流星
君の孤独を抜け出そうよ今夜
アンドロメダ
タンバリンはピエロ
Up side down
真っ逆さま跳んで
迷子になりに出掛けようパレード
高く高く息を止め潜って
Falling down
高くそう高く沈んでく
君の耳元で囁いた
Oh! Yeah!
Alice in wonder underground
Devil, angel and epicurean
Oh! Yeah!
Alice in wonder underground
Devil
Angel and epicurean let's go!
Enter diabolo
いくよもういいかいまだだよ
君の耳元で息を吐く
高くそう高く沈んでく
君の耳元で囁いた
Oh! Yeah!
Alice in wonder underground
Devil, angel and epicurean
Oh! Yeah!
Alice in wonder underground
Devil, angel and epicurean
Oh! Yeah!
Alice in wonder underground
Devil, angel and epicurean
Oh! Yeah!
Alice in wonder underground
Devil
Angel and epicurean let's go!
Devil
Angel and epicurean let's go!
Epicurean let's go!
Epicurean let's go!

Devil
Angel and epicurean let's go!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to BUCK-TICK's "Alice in Wonder Underground" are cryptic and full of imagery that has a lot of meanings to unpack. The opening lines speak of the transience of love and the world, and the cruel nature of an angel who kills with folded wings. The singer pleads for the angel's trumpet to sound, perhaps hinting at some sort of apocalyptic event. The following lines describe a "zombie" character that is indulgent in love and flesh, and is associated with a nightmare.

The chorus then invites the listener to join Alice in wonder underground, a place of devilry, angelic presence, and the indulgence of pleasures. The following lines describe escaping loneliness in bed, and escaping to Andromeda, a galaxy that is far away but often thought of as a symbol of hope. The tambourine is compared to a clown, and the singer urges the listener to jump upside down and dive into a parade to get lost.

Line by Line Meaning

愛とか世界儚い
Love and the world are fleeting.

羽をたたんだ皆殺しの天使
A fallen angel, bringing death to all.

お願いだ天使のラッパ鳴り響く
Please, let the trumpets of the angels sound.

残酷だねダーリン
Darling, it's cruel.

愛と血肉をむさぼるゾンビーナ
A zombie who devours love and flesh.

泣いたりしない
I won't cry.

愛はネコソギだぜ nightmare
Love is a cat and mouse game, a nightmare.

いくよもういいかいまだだよ
Here we go, you ready? Not yet.

君の耳元で息を吐く
Breathing in your ear.

Oh! Yeah!
Oh yeah!

Alice in wonder underground
Alice in wonder underground.