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.
VICTIMS OF LOVE
BUCK-TICK Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Odori sugite yuku hada no nukumori
Mune no kodou ga toki wo kazoeru
Tame iki majiri kuchizuke segamu
Togire togire kasu ka ni aegu koe wo kiku
Dakishime aeba mune wa yurameku
Sotto mayoi konda toki no hazamade
Omoi wa umi wo akaku iro doru
Togire togire kasu ka ni aegu koe wo kiku
(...hanarenai de...) hanabira atsuku furueteru
Karameau yubi to yubi no saki ni aoku tsuyameita kizuato
Motsureau shita wo fukaku uzume AH-A torokeru hodo amaku
Togire togire kasu ka ni aegu koe wo kiku
(...hanarenai de...) hanabira atsuku furueteru
Karameau yubi to yubi no saki ni aoku tsuyameita kizuato
Motsureau shita wo fukaku uzume AH-A torokeru hodo amaku
The lyrics of BUCK-TICK's "Victims of Love" describe the complex and unpredictable nature of love. The opening lines describe a situation where a person is smiling even though they are frozen like ice. The warmth of dancing and the throbbing of the heart that measures time are present. Breathing through their nose, their lips are sealed as they sink into their passionate embrace.
The chorus emphasizes the confusion that love can bring. When the two lovers hold each other, their hearts tremble. However, while providing comfort, it is still fleeting. Love can make us feel lost and unsure, but it can be as bright and red as the sea. The song emphasizes the sound of the voices that seem to be breaking, conveying the confusion and indecisiveness that often accompanies love.
The verse about the interlocking fingers and the scars on the fingertips suggests that both people have been hurt in the past, and their physical wounds serve as a reminder of what has been overcome, and also as a warning. The deeper they touch, the sweeter it is, almost to the point of melting.
Overall, the lyrics of "Victims of Love" convey the pain and confusion that comes with loving someone deeply, as well as the joys and intense feelings that are also a part of this complex human emotion.
Line by Line Meaning
Kooritsuku you ni ima mo hohoemu
Smiling coldly even now as if frozen
Odori sugite yuku hada no nukumori
The warmth of my skin is fading away as I continue to dance
Mune no kodou ga toki wo kazoeru
The beating of my heart counts the seconds
Tame iki majiri kuchizuke segamu
Sighing together while we exchange kisses
Togire togire kasu ka ni aegu koe wo kiku
I hear a voice that breaks off and struggles to continue
Dakishime aeba mune wa yurameku
If I embrace you, my heart trembles
Nagusame aeba sore wa hakanaku
If you comfort me, it's only temporary
Sotto mayoi konda toki no hazamade
Until the moment when I quietly hesitated
Omoi wa umi wo akaku iro doru
My feelings dye the ocean red
(...hanarenai de...) hanabira atsuku furueteru
(Please don't let go) The flower petals shake fiercely
Karameau yubi to yubi no saki ni aoku tsuyameita kizuato
At the tips of our intertwined fingers, the bruises were a faint bluish color
Motsureau shita wo fukaku uzume AH-A torokeru hodo amaku
The sensation of breathing deeply enough to melt the tongue is sweet
Contributed by Kylie L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.