Note

“Cycle”, released November 5, 2021, takes the idea of changing seasons and the flow of time a step further from “Seasons” (2019). While “Seasons” expressed the four seasons through shifts in tempo, instrumentation, and lyrics within each song, “Cycle” breaks this down into individual tracks based on the themes of summer, autumn, winter, and spring. For this EP, I avoided heavy multi-tracking and focused on vocals and acoustic guitar as the main core, giving each song its own flow and dynamics. Each track uses a different playing style and minimal added tones, aiming for a more essential, stripped-back expression. The goal was to step away from familiar approaches and bring out the power that lies in the songs themselves. The concept of a season-themed acoustic EP had been in mind even before releasing “Novel / Timshel” (2021), and it took about six months to select the songs and decide on the combinations of styles. I chose tracks with strong personal attachment, beautiful melodies, and atmospheres that matched the seasons or the original context in which they were created. The order—from summer to autumn, then winter, ending with spring that hints at new beginnings—remained unchanged from the initial concept, and the EP was completed in that form. After finalizing the tracklist, recording of the basic parts began at the end of last year, followed by arrangements and editing after “Novel / Timshel”. Mixing and mastering took the summer of 2021, with attention to balancing volume and tone across all tracks. Though the arrangements may feel different from usual, the core style remains consistent, reaffirming my own understanding of the sound I aim for in “Cycle”.

1. Dice

A song themed on summer and fleeting moments of happiness. The original version appeared as one of the core tracks on the second album “Voice Called From Within The Wall” (2004). For Cycle, the vocals were re-recorded in Japanese and many parts were reconstructed. It was written on a summer morning in May 2004, after the release of the first album “November Morning”. The arrangement includes three types of guitars, vocals, and harmonies. The flowing acoustic guitar arpeggios and phrases are heavily influenced by Paul McCartney’s guitar style, such as “Blackbird”, which I have practiced since my teenage years. The electric guitar lines, inserted between the vocals, draw on phrases by Chicago-based musician David Grubbs, whose music I frequently listened to in my twenties. I experimented with tones from single-coil pickups to the thicker humbucker of a Les Paul for a playful touch, while solos and key parts are performed on a nylon-string classical guitar. Wrapped in these sounds, the vocals are softer and more restrained than usual, accompanied by gentle harmonies. The lyrics reflect moments when continuing something you love can be difficult—whether due to impatience, circumstances, or the fact that pursuing your passion has become part of daily life. Even in such struggles, there are rare moments of letting go and forgetting everything, discovering small joys and insights in the process. This song remains one of the tracks I feel most attached to from my early years. Reworked and recorded between spring and summer of 2021, “Dice” serves as the opening track of Cycle.

2. Paradise

A song themed on autumn, exploring where justice really lies in the world. It begins with sounds that capture the shift from a summer evening to fall. The basic A-part phrases and melody were created around 2011 and kept unreleased for a long time, then developed into this full song around autumn 2020. The plucked guitar style, common in many of otom’s other works, forms the core of the arrangement. True to the autumn theme, the song unfolds with descending guitar lines, while rising melodies and introspective lyrics carry the vocals. The B-part guitar phrases and melody were added around 2020 to complete the song. A reverse effect contrasts with the melody highlighted by guitar and vocal unison. By keeping the arrangement minimal, the track holds a simple mood, carrying the faint sadness of the season as it moves toward winter. The lyrics reflect exhaustion from questioning the false comforts and hypocrisies of the world, where honesty and pretense often clash. Amid this shadowed reality, the song expresses quiet sadness, yet still clings to a sense of hope. Reworked and recorded between spring and summer of 2021.

3. Lie

A song themed on winter, exploring the ideas of good lies and bad lies, beginning with the cold, blowing wind. Originally released on the EP “The Night in the Rainbow” (2005), the track features simple acoustic guitar strums, with carefully placed phrases, dynamics, and tempo changes. It was written on a biting cold winter day in 2004, and the newly written Japanese lyrics reflect events from a similar winter day, as well as the turning points, regrets, and helplessness that only become clear with time. Soft electric piano lines, acoustic guitar strums, vocals, and harmonies play together, while an organ fills the space toward the end. The song uses a technique common in otom’s early works, developing melody within minimal chords to achieve maximum effect from simplicity. The lyrics explore the endless questions and struggles of youth and inexperience, and the things lost through stubbornness or immaturity. Vocally, the track includes the high D note, marking the peak of the singer’s range. This song has a close connection to “Hidden Sun” (2016), a Japanese lyric single from the same EP. The anxieties and metaphors expressed in Hidden Sun, inspired by a dream, reappear here. Life’s ups and downs trace an arc, repeating in cycles. Paradoxically, to feel the arrival of spring, the presence of winter is essential and unavoidable. This is why this track, carrying its sadness, takes its place in the EP.

4. Mvsevm

A song themed on spring, beginning with thawing snow and new growth, and about choosing your own path and the awakening of self. Composed around 2010, it remained unreleased for many years, and the lyrics were rewritten in Japanese for this EP. The working title had been “otom”, and the melody remains one of my personal favorites. The intro features delayed guitar to evoke the scene of plants and flowers sprouting. The guitar part is based on a three-finger style inspired by Simon & Garfunkel, combined with chord patterns often found in The Beach Boys’ music. A brief interlude, slightly reminiscent of Durutti Column, creates a comfortable instability through precise playing and playful delays. Over these instruments, the vocals are layered in an earnest tone. The lyrics reflect recognizing the emptiness of blindly following trends and consumer culture, and embracing a renewed resolve to live independently. After wandering through many choices, the song represents one of those points of arrival, capturing the awakening of thought with a spring-like image. The forming of inner strength and will is expressed through rich strings, leading the track toward an ending that hints at the next season. The current title comes from Flannery O’Connor’s “Wise Blood”. You can pronounce it as “Mvsevm” or simply “museum”—whichever feels right to you.