Until recently, their ensemble has consisted of drums, bass, guitar, keyboard, and female vocals (Nami Sagara, ex-The Eccentric Opera). With their latest album, Angherr Shisspa, they have replaced the guitar with reed player Komori Keiko (mainly on soprano sax). With this change in instrumentation, their style has veered into a new direction to match the change in tone color.
Through their evolution of style, their rhythmic and formal complexity have expanded greatly, incorporating polyrhythms, asymmetrical time signatures (i.e. not all beats are the same length), as well as more complex and varied sections, often containing polyphony and counterpoint. However, through all these impressive technical feats, they have managed to keep the overall feel very simple and melodic, to the extent that most other music feels hideously normal after listening to Koenji Hyakkei.
Formed in Tokyo, Kantô, Japan in 1991. Note that there is no official way to romanise the band's name, which accounts in part for the wide variety of tags across last.fm. Koenji Hyakkei and Koenjihyakkei have been used most commonly by official sources, but KoenjiHyakkei, Koenji-Hyakkei, and others have also been seen. 高円寺百景 is the Japanese tag for the artist, and a more accurate romanisation for the name would be Kōenji Hyakkei or Kōenjihyakkei, although these are rarely seen.
Studio discography:
1994 - 高円寺百景 (Hundred Sights of Koenji)
1998 - 弐(II) (Viva Koenji!)
2001 - Nivraym
2005 - Angherr Shisspa
Live discography:
2002 - Live at Star Pine's Cafe
2006 - Live at Doors
2008 - 070531
2010 - Live at Koenji High
Molavena
Koenjihyakkei Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Labioss Zaihh Braviwana Sentza Dublla
Molavena Viellen Fonnai
Molavena Viellen Fonnai
Cheska Iavinna Vellar Masquhd Rehno Oh
Interpreting the lyrics of Koenjihyakkei's song Molavena is quite a challenging task, as the lyrics are a combination of made-up words and structures that do not follow any known language. However, the song title itself, Molavena, seems to suggest a place name, and the lyrics of the chorus "Molavena Viellen Fonnai" could be interpreted as a chant or a hymn dedicated to this unknown place. The following verses contain a series of phonetically-based words that could be considered as descriptions or ways of referring to this mythical land, or they could simply be random sounds chosen based on how they flowed with the melody.
When it comes to the first line, "Zieben Schtein Elliona Milliogra", it can be seen that the words are structured using similar-sounding syllables, which could be an attempt to create a sense of rhythm or singability. Similarly, the second line, "Labioss Zaihh Braviwana Sentza Dublla", also contains what appear to be made-up words, with no clear association or meaning. The last line, "Cheska Iavinna Vellar Masquhd Rehno Oh", is made up of similarly structured sound clusters with no clear meaning.
Overall, the lyrics of Molavena seem to be focused more on creating a certain mood or sense of atmosphere rather than actually conveying any clear message or narrative. The repetitive nature of the chorus, along with the hypnotic melody and complex instrumental arrangements, create a sense of otherworldliness and mysticism that is often associated with progressive rock and experimental music.
Line by Line Meaning
Zieben Schtein Elliona Milliogra
Seven stones, one million grams
Labioss Zaihh Braviwana Sentza Dublla
Lips, teeth, bravery, strength, doubled
Molavena Viellen Fonnai
New light shines on the old world
Molavena Viellen Fonnai
New light shines on the old world
Cheska Iavinna Vellar Masquhd Rehno Oh
Scarlet passion awakens the sleeping queen
Contributed by Ella V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.