In 1999, Anis/Aniss (Vocal, Guitar, songs, arrangements) and Ali (Bass, Gui… Read Full Bio ↴In 1999, Anis/Aniss (Vocal, Guitar, songs, arrangements) and Ali (Bass, Guitar, songs, arrangements) met at MTV Japan and ended up forming MONORAL. They debuted with “In Stereo” in 2001 and performed at the FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL two days after the release.

Their second mini album “Ammonite” (2003) debuted at #3 on the national indie chart and remained in the top 30 for six months. After their first successful nationwide tour, they started to attract the attention of major artists in the Japanese music industry, such as Fumiya Fujii, M-Flo, Sons Of All Pussys , L’Arc~en~ciel, Mondo Grosso, Love Psychedelico, and Anna Tsuchiya. After releasing their first album “Petrol”, they survived an intense label battle with minimum damage and decided to sign with HYDE’s label within Sony. Their major debut single “Visions in my head” was used for Canon IXY’s TV commercial starring Hidetoshi Nakata, and they appeared at all of the major rock festivals in Japan. MONORAL achieved worldwide success with the song “kiri” which became the opening theme (the ending theme was provided by Radiohead) for the animation “Ergo Proxy”. By the time they released their second album, “Turbulence”, they were selling out most of their tours in Japan. While recording new material, MONORAL began receiving offers to play abroad. Releasing their long-awaited third album, “Via” on October 29, 2008, they launched their “MONORAL VIA LATIN AMERICA TOUR 2008” tour, journeying through Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, and their nationwide“MONORAL VIA JAPAN TOUR 2009” sold out .

In April, MONORAL kicked off their European tour, “MONORAL VIA SPAIN TOUR 2009” and ”MONORAL VIA FRANCE TOUR 2009” in six cities throughout Spain and France. They concluded their 15 month endeavor in the city of Shanghai. Inspired by this overwhelming experience on the road, MONORAL penned “70 HOURS” and embarked on ELECTION TOUR 2009. In 2010 MONORAL released their latest single, ”Origin”, and went on a tour called “This Tour Has Not Begun”.

MONORAL’s two mini albums and three full-length albums are currently on sale.

www.monoral.com

Sun Shadow
MONORAL Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Can you speak
Can you breathe
Staring at the sun shadows seem to burn
Can't you see
Can't you be
The proof that you were once what I oughta be

Can you speak

Can you breathe
Staring at the sun shadows seem to burn
Can't you see
Can't you be
The proof that you were once what I oughta be
Oughta give

Gotta stop the bleeding
Gotta stop the bleeding
Gotta stop the bleeding
Gotta stop the bleeding

Can you smile
Like they smile
Staring at the moon the shadow seem to gloom
Can't you feel
How they feel
The colors that I pour never seem to blend

Can you smile
Like they smile
Staring at the moon the shadow seem to gloom
Can't you feel
How they feel
The colors that I pour never seem to blend
Oughta give

Gotta stop the bleeding
Gotta stop the bleeding
Gotta stop the bleeding
Gotta stop the bleeding

Gotta stop the bleeding
Gotta stop the bleeding
Gotta stop the bleeding
Gotta stop the bleeding
There's no one to wound

Can you speak

Can you breathe
Staring at the sun shadows seem to burn

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Sun Shadow" by MONORAL are a plea to someone to prove that they once had the ability to speak, breathe, smile and feel like they used to. The imagery of staring at the sun and moon's shadows burning and glooming respectively builds on the concept of an individual who is unable to see or be their former selves. The need for the other person to show how they could be what the singer ought to be creates a sense of yearning for the past, where everything was simpler and better. The singer also speaks of the colors they pour that never seem to blend, a metaphor for their inability to adapt and the monotony of their current state.

The repetition of the phrase "gotta stop the bleeding" adds to the sense of urgency of the situation, where the singer feels that they are slowly losing themselves and need to take action to prevent further damage. The final line, "there's no one to wound" may indicate that the only person they can hurt by continuing to ignore their problems is themselves. Overall, the lyrics of "Sun Shadow" convey a sense of longing for a past version of oneself, while also recognizing the need to take action to overcome one's current state of being.

Line by Line Meaning

Can you speak
Are you able to articulate what's inside you?

Can you breathe
Are you able to live and exist freely?

Staring at the sun shadows seem to burn
Sometimes when we focus on the light, we can also see the dark, and it can hurt.

Can't you see
Don't you realize what's happening?

Can't you be
Can't you become what I aspire to be?

The proof that you were once what I oughta be
Your example could show me what I'm capable of achieving too.

Can you smile
Are you able to find joy in your life?

Like they smile
Like those who seem to have everything together?

Staring at the moon the shadow seem to gloom
Sometimes when we look at the night sky, we can feel an unexplainable sadness.

Can't you feel
Can't you empathize with me?

How they feel
How the people and the world around me feel?