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.
MOON LIGHT
BUCK-TICK Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Star-dust うそを散りばめ氷の街へ
怜悧なふりで You asked me last-night
Please 'hold me 'love me 'kiss me
止まらない I'm fall in love
Moon-light すべて染める 涙もうそも
怜悧なふりで You asked me last-night
Please 'hold me 'love me 'kiss me
止まらない I'm fall in love
罪な悪魔さ You're special!
Please 'hold me 'love me 'kiss me
止まらない I'm fall in love
二度と戻らない二人だけの夜 一人さがし I'm lonely Moon
忘れるその日まで 眠り続けよう 夢をさがし I'm lonely Moon
怜悧なふりで You asked me last-night
Please 'hold me 'love me 'kiss me
止まらない I'm fall in love
罪な悪魔さ You're special!
Please 'hold me 'love me 'kiss me
止まらない I'm fall in love
二度と戻らない二人だけの夜 一人さがし I'm lonely Moon
忘れるその日まで 眠り続けよう 夢をさがし I'm lonely Moon
きつく抱きしめて 全て忘れるまで この身くだけ散るまで
そっと口づけて とろける様に 別れの夜 こんなMoon-light
Lalalalala Lalalala
Lalalalala Lalalala
Lalalalala Lalalala
Lalalalala Lalalala
In the song "Moon Light" by BUCK-TICK, the lyrics paint a picture of a dark night, filled with uncertainty and deceit. The singer is being asked by someone to hold them, love them, and kiss them, despite their cunning ways. They are overwhelmed by the feeling of falling in love, unable to resist the temptation. The moonlight and stardust blend together, illuminating their surroundings in a delicate yet eerie manner.
Despite the allure of the night, the singer recognizes that this is a moment that will never come again. They are in search of something more, reaching out into the unknown. As they embrace their lover, they make peace with the fact that this moment will inevitably end, eventually disappearing like dust in the wind.
Overall, the song represents the fleeting nature of love and the inevitability of change. While the night may be beautiful and exhilarating, everything must come to an end eventually.
Line by Line Meaning
Moon-light あやしい暗闇 ドレスに変えて
The mysterious darkness is transformed into a dress by the moonlight.
Star-dust うそを散りばめ氷の街へ
Lies are scattered like stardust towards the icy streets.
怜悧なふりで You asked me last-night
With a clever demeanor, you asked me last night…
Please 'hold me 'love me 'kiss me
...to hold you, to love you, to kiss you…
止まらない I'm fall in love
...and I can't stop falling in love.
Moon-light すべて染める 涙もうそも
The moonlight colors everything, including tears and lies.
Star-dust 今宵 闇に二人抱かれて
Tonight, we embrace each other in the darkness like stardust.
罪な悪魔さ You're special!
You're a sinful devil but also special!
二度と戻らない二人だけの夜 一人さがし I'm lonely Moon
The night belongs only to us and will never come back. I'm searching alone, oh lonely moon.
忘れるその日まで 眠り続けよう 夢をさがし I'm lonely Moon
Until the day I forget, I will continue to sleep and search for dreams. I'm lonely moon.
きつく抱きしめて 全て忘れるまで この身くだけ散るまで
Hold me tight until I forget everything, until my body withers away.
そっと口づけて とろける様に 別れの夜 こんなMoon-light
Kiss me gently until I melt away on this moonlit night of parting.
Lalalalala Lalalala
Lalalalala Lalalala
Lalalalala Lalalala
Lalalalala Lalalala
(instrumental)
Contributed by Natalie K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.