True Life Seek

Anime Boston was in town. I’m not into anime like when I was kid/teenager so I had no reason to go. The only reason was the chance of seeing the pillows play live. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to stand in the long lines that AB had to deal with this year (sorry to all you who were stuck in it). But I was able to find my way into Anime Boston regardless. I eventually got to where the pillows were playing. I heard them play Funny Bunny and Advice as they finished up.

Yes, I heard the pillows live.

the pillows were essentially my introduction into Japanese music. I was casually watching anime for a while. When I came into FLCL, the music of the pillows is what really stood out. Somehow, my musical tastes went from the pillows to Ayumi Hamasaki, a transition that I still don’t understand. That’s not to say that I lost interest in the pillows though. In fact, through all the different genres and tastes that I’ve gone through, the pillows are a rare consistent commodity.

Their early days are sometimes overlooked, which is a shame. I’m not going to get defensive and go all “I knew them before they were popular!!” I didn’t. I was introduced to them during FLCL. However, I really do like their early sound.

Obviously I enjoyed their albums that were used for FLCL.

From Smile on, they have been a pretty consistent band. The style of the band remains diverse, a trait that can been found since their early days. Sweet Sweet Baggy Days may be the best song that they’ve recorded.

You may have noticed that I haven’t really expanded on the music itself. I haven’t found deeper meanings of this song or appreciated the chord or drumbeat at 2:41 in that song. What can I say? It’s not me. I try as much as I can to adhere to the “write what you know policy.”

So how could I express how much I love this band and its music without being able to talk about the music directly? I’m not so sure myself actually. This is a roadblock that I’ve come into often with this blog. I don’t talk about the music itself often. Most times, I really don’t know what to say. I’m open for suggestions on how I can address this situation.

To divert attention away from the pillows, I find it much easier to talk about idols. The music is a part of the package there, but I firmly believe that it is not JUST about the music with idols. I can talk about idols easily. The career of each idol is like a different story. The progression/regression that they take is usually the defining factor of whether or not I like an idol or not. These are topics that I can write about.

The music is something I can’t. This doesn’t mean that I don’t listen or enjoy the music. This is where I leave off with the pillows. I’d consider them my favorite band, at the very least one of. Maybe one day I’ll know how to write about loving music from a non-musical standpoint. I can’t now though.

But I heard the pillows live, and that’s all I care about right now.

Posted on March 23rd, 2008 by broomhead. Filed under Articles.
Tags: Ayumi Hamasaki, Idol Theory, the pillows