Night Flight
the world of La'cryma Christi
Night Flight
the world of La'cryma Christi
だけど 君の細い指紋のなか 世界中の貝殻
Here's some more information on La'cryma Christi, tidbits about songs, band members, lyrics, and general trivia.
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Is there a La'cryma Christi fanclub? How do I join?
The fanclub is called Simpatia. It costs ￥2,000 to join and ￥4,000 for a yearly membership. When you join you get a membership card and a pin. You receive a copy of the fanclub newsletter three to four times a year, priority ticket purchasing, the ability to buy band goods via mail order, and you can participate in fanclub events. I don't know if joining from an overseas address is possible, but there really wouldn't be much point in it anyway since you couldn't take advantage of the priority ticket ordering or fanclub events.
You can join either by writing the fanclub, by using a form you can get at lives, or by going to a Lawsons convenience store and using their ticket machine to buy a membership.
The fanclub's contact information is:
Fan Unlimited
Simpatia admission office
16-16B1 Oyama-cho
Shibuya-ku Tokyo
151-0065
(a.k.a. 〒151-0065 東京都渋谷区大山町16-16 B1 ファン・アンリミテッド「Simpatia入会希望」係 )
Phone: 03-5452-8673
Fax: 03-5452-8674
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Is La'cryma Christi a visual-kei band?
This is a tricky question because in some CD stores today La'cryma is classified as "visual." When they started, the band definitely was visual-kei, although they didn't go into it as heavily as some other bands. They had their mystical image and it heavily influenced their clothing, PVs, and photo shoots. They really started moving away from this look around the Lhasa tour, however. They kept progressing gradually a more mainstream look until &.U when Hiro cut his hair and their music took an artistic shift as well. Now with "CANNONBALL" and "Hot Rod Circuit" they've changed their look again and I think it's fair to say that the band isn't visual-kei any longer. The only reason they still get classified as visual-kei is because of their past associations.
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Does Taka have a strange way of singing, or is it just me?
Taka has a fantastic voice, an amazing falsetto, and lots of skill but his singing is undeniably a little weird. The main Taka vocal trademark is that he likes to ends lines with an extremely pronounced vibrato, making, for example, an "oh" sound into a "woah-oh-oh" sound. He also pronounces words strangely sometimes. In "Sister mon amour" he says "hikari" as "hi-oo-kari" and in "Lhasa (unplugged)" he says "ame" as "oh-meh." It certainly adds character to his singing, but it makes singing accurate reproductions of La'cryma Christi songs at karaoke a little maddening.
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He actually is on two radio shows as the regular guest personality. The first is a streaming internet radio show called La'cryma Christi's Fish and Chips: Sweet and Bitter and the other is Tokai Radio Midnight Special: La'cryma Christi's Medium Rare. Sadly, I have no idea where they got those titles. However, you can e-mail Taka questions at either show and he might read them on air.
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Taka has done some acting, hasn't he?
Tengoku no Kiss (Heaven's Kiss) is the drama that Taka acted in, around 1999. He played Shu, a rock star whose girlfriend dies, throwing him into a suicidal depression and causing him to swear off singing forever. Basically, Taka plays himself in the show and they even use photos and footage from the Lhasa tour to approximate a Shu concert. Shuse even sneaks in during the clips of the concert. Taka's acting isn't very good since it looks like he takes his stage presence, which is great on stage, and uses it to act, which doesn't work so well in comparison to real life. Sadly, Taka isn't in the drama as much as one could hope. His character is only secondary and ends up being something of a plot device for the main characters' high school romance.
Little is known about Noel (by me) except that since Taka's name on the cover of the DVD is bigger than the actual movie title, I have doubts as to its quality. It might also feature him using a gun at some point, but evidence is scare. I've heard rumors that it's about an assassins guild and I do know that it was filmed at least partially in Okinawa.
He was also in Setsunaku Nakeru Kowai Hanashi, a horror television show released in 2004.
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Do the band members publish any writing?
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Koji writes a regular column called "La'cryma Christi KOJI no keitai katte kudasai" for Music Navi. He also has a book published which is a compilation of his column in Vicious magazine. The book is called Floppy katte kudasai and covers the column from 1996 until 2001.
Taka has a book published that is a collection of essays he's written for the magazine UV. It's called Kanashii cologne no kimi e. He also writes a column for the CD Data site.
Levin writes a column called "Kamiban jiganjisan" for Zy.
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Do any members of the band have a pet?
They certainly do. Levin has a dachshund hound named Data, Taka has a fluffy white dog named Fujiko-chan, and Koji used to have a hamster named Maru-chan but it was tragically short-lived, as most hamsters tend to be.
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Why, oh why did Koji leave the band like that?
Of course the true reasons will always only be known to the band, but from what the band said officially about it it seems like Koji was unhappy with the musical direction the band was taking. Looking back at their past few albums, he had been having a decreasing role in composition (writing only one song each for &.U and Deep Space Syndicate) and had been mostly doing mixing work on the albums and on the last few singles before he left, not even that. Plus, he'd been looking miserable in photo shoots during most of 2004. Hindsight is 20/20 of course, but his decision to leave doesn't seem to have actually been that sudden.
Only time will tell, but his leaving will probably not have that big of an impact on the sound of the band. He hadn't been doing much composing, Hiro can record multiple guitar parts, and they can either get a session player or play to a recorded second guitar part for lives. The main fear of course is that, despite what La'cryma says, the departure of Koji will change things too much and the band will break up. But let's hope La'cryma has another ten years in it yet.
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Have any La'cryma Christi songs been featured in a television show or movie?
"Eien" and "Without you" were used in the drama Tengoku no Kiss, in which Taka played a part as a rock star. "Mirai kouro" was used as the ending theme for the anime series Nightwalker.
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What's the lowdown on La'cryma Christi's lyrics?
Taka is the main lyricist for the band. Recently, he has been collaborating with Shuse quite a bit. All members have written lyrics for at least one song though. From looking at his lyrics, Taka appears to have an excellent commands of written English. It's rare in lyrics written by Taka for there to be a grammatical mistake and the band doesn't cite anyone as helping to check the lyrics. Shuse on the other hand...his English gets a bit strange.
In their early days, the lyrics tended to reflect the mystical and dreamlike image of the band. The mysticism went down as the band progressed, but the lyrics began to have more structure and more original imagery, so it's an even trade off.
The band has a strange trend of ripping off borrowing lyrics from 80s hair bands and popping them into their songs. Good examples of this are "you shook me all night" in "Hot Rod Circuit," taken from "You Shook Me All Night" by AC/DC. Also, in "Hysteric Style" they use the line "born to be wild" from "Born To Be Wild" by Steppenwolf. (And is the line "I love you always forever" in "Zambara" ripping off Donna Lewis?) Is this La'cryma paying tribute to bands they love or is it blatant plagiarism?! Okay, probably not. Whatever they are, at least they sound great when La'cryma sings them.
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La'cryma Christi has never written a bad song...have they?
Opinions may differ of course, but to my mind La'cryma has a couple of misses in their catalogue.
Eien This was only available on a single and was never on an album. It's the main theme of the drama Tengoku no Kiss, which Taka acted in. It's a sappy, smaltzy song and gets old after hearing it even twice, and especially after the overplay it gets in Tengoku no Kiss.
Let me hold you in my dream This is the b-side on the Jounetsu no kaze single and it's just an awful song. Another smaltzy piece here and Taka sounds like a second rate lounge singer.
I Love You Just another overly smaltzy song. The overdone orchestral part in the background doesn't help.
Nemuri gusuri This isn't a bad song per say, but it really derails the Sculpture of Time album. It's long and slow and drags on far too much. Putting this in the middle of the album really messes up the flow of it.
GUM The question is, is GUM a bad song? It's a perky country and western song that sounds vaguely like "Jingle Bells," complete with steel guitars, right smack dab in the middle of the magic theatre album. It commits the same crime as "Nemuri gusuri" of breaking up the album and it's so silly-sounding that it's easy to dismiss it right off. But as a silly country and western song, if that's what the band was going for, it works pretty well. However, the lyrics do lend it a bit more depth.
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La'cryma Christi has one or two misses, but mostly there are a lot of fantastic songs hidden in their b-sides. The best way to hear their b-sides is the album Single Collection which is collection of their singles and b-sides from the Ivory Trees single until the Eien single. The highlights of this CDs are "Egos and Lies" with a great funky bass line, the redone version of "Siam's Eye," the new version of "IN FOREST," and the moving "Lhasa (unplugged)."
They haven't yet released a second b-sides album, but not to be missed are the dark and intense "Down to Earth" from the LIFE single and "Missing Pieces" from the Hirameki single with its fancy acoustic guitar work.
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Who's that chanting in the background in "Israel?"
That would be Shuse!
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"THE SCENT" is a song of of their first album, Sculpture of Time. The band traditionally plays it as their concert-ending song. If you're not sure if the band is done with encores or not at a concert, if they haven't played "THE SCENT" yet there's still a chance for more songs, although sometimes they do give it a miss.
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What's this song "White Period." and why does everyone love it?
"White Period." is a very old La'cryma Christi song. It was a b-side on their first single, Siam's Eye, but only on the third and fourth pressings of the single. It's never been rereleased, so it's pretty hard to get ahold of. However, it's a song that the band plays a lot at their lives. So "White Period." is a fan favorite since the only way many fans can hear the song is to see the band live.
At lives, Taka will turn the microphone to the crowd during the chorus and let the crowd sing the chorus a few times and the energy between the band and the crowd is fantastic. A performance of "White Period." was caught on tape on Live at Lhasa, but catch it live if you can. It's quite an experience!
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Are "With-you" and "Without you" different songs?
They certainly are. "With-you" is the third song on the Lhasa album. It was one of the singles from the album in 1998 and is also featured on a compilation album. "Without you" is a single from 1999 that has never been released on an album, along with its b-side "I Love You." Both songs can be found on the band's Single Collection compilation.
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What do the Japanese titles mean?
カリブで生まれた月 (Karibu de umareta tsuki) = The Moon Born in the Caribbean
情熱の風 (Jyounetsu no kaze) = The Wind of Passion
カメレオン = Chameleon
未来航路（Mirai kouro) = Future Passage
月の瞼（Tsuki no mabuta) = The Moon's Eyelids
鳥になる日（Tori ni naru hi) = The Day I Become a Bird
イスラエル = Israel
ファシズム = Fascism
雪になって消えた二人 (Yuki ni natte kieta futari) = We Turned Into Snow and Vanished
南国（Nangoku) = Southern Lands
偏西風（Henseifuu) = Western Winds
ねむり薬（Nemuri gusuri) = Sleeping Pills
永遠（Eien) = Eternity
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What are some trends in the imagery La'cryma Christi uses in their song titles?
They've got quite a few, namely dreams, mysticism, rain, fruit, and Asia/exotic locales.
Dreams/Sleep: Night Flight, Tsuki no mabuta, Tori ni naru hi, Nemuri gusuri
Mysticism: Sanskrit Shower, Ivory Trees, Angolmois, Lhasa, Zambara, SCORPION GLASS, magic theatre, Siam's Eye, Mystical Glider
Rain: POISON RAIN, Blueberry Rain, lime rain
Fruit: lime rain, Cry Sour Grape, Blueberry Rain
Asia/Exotic locales: A.S.I.A, Karibu de umareta tsuki, Nangoku, Henseifuu, Israel
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How are the two indies mini albums Warm Snow and Dwellers of a Sandcastle different from each other?
Warm Snow is the group's first album. It was released in February in 1996 on an Osaka indies label. Dwellers of a Sandcastle is their second album, released in September of 1996 on a national indies label. Different albums? Yes, but they both have the exact same track listing. However, Dwellers of a Sandcastle is a rerecording, five months later, of all the tracks on Warm Snow and so even though they are the same songs in the same order, they show a different musical picture of the band.
Is it worth it to get both?
Unless you're a diehard La'cryma Christi fan, probably not. Pick up Dwellers of a Sandcastle which is easier to find, much less expensive, and has better audio quality. However, if you love the band and just must have all their work, try looking in used visual CD stores in Japan. If in Tokyo, try Third Stage in Meguro or Closet Child at their three locations in Shinjuku, Harajuku, and Ikebukuro. Price can vary considerably, from around ￥1500 to as high as the store thinks they can sell it for.
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Which songs has the band redone? How are the new and old versions of "Siam's Eye" and "Forest" different?
"Siam's Eye" is a song off of their first single, also named Siam's Eye. It was first released in 1994 for two printings and then was rereleased for a third and fourth printing the same year with an additional track on the single. The song was released again in 1998 as a b-side to the Mirai kouro single. In 2000, when the band released Single Collection, "Siam's Eye" was on the album. So, in total, it's seen three separate releases in two different versions.
"Forest" is a song off of their first indies album, Warm Snow, released in February 1996. A rerecording of it was released on the album Dwellers of a Sandcastle in July of 1996. It was released again on the Forest single in 1997 which also had a radio edit version of the song. In 1998, the band redid the song and released it as "IN FOREST" on the IN FOREST/Lhasa (unplugged) single. The "IN FOREST" version of the song is also on the Single Collection album. It's had six separate releases and three different versions.
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Why can't I find the Mystical Glider single anywhere?
The Mystical Glider single was the first release on the label that La'cryma Christi established in 2003, Majestic Ring. As such, the single was only available for sale at lives. In fact, whether or not the single is on the Majestic Ring label is up for debate, as finding the catalog number is nearly impossible, if it even has one. Deep Space Syndicate is listed as the first release on Majestic Ring, since its catalog number is UMCE-8001. Is Mystical Glider on Majestic Ring as UMCE-8000? The world may never know.
Good luck finding this one anywhere. You might get lucky, but even the most knowledgeable used visual CD stores in Tokyo have no idea how to get it. If anyone finds a copy, let me know!
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Has La'cryma Christi ever contributed songs to compilation CDs? Have they recorded any covers?
But of course. Not counting soundtrack CDs, they have songs on the following albums:
- A Tribute to LOUDNESS, "CRAZY DOCTOR" by Loudness (cover)
- Who's Next Cry-Max Pleasure Super ~Loud,Trance and Violence for Extacy~, ひび割れた鏡に映った私を殺した後 (Hibiwareta kagami ni utsuta watashi wo koroshita ato) This is a redone version of a Strippe-D Lady demo tape song.
- 20 Seiki BEST Pop & Rock History, "With-you"
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