The Night in the Rainbow
- Where Without You (6:17)
- Hidden Sun (6:34)
- Lie (7:14)
- Grapes (5:06)
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Lyrics
Where Without You
明らかに違う 違う 良く見える 良く見える 戸惑いを隠す 隠す 良く見える 良く見える 良く見える 良く見える 全世界をここへ 捨て去った時よ 消えたのは 僕じゃない 僕じゃないよ 掌の向こう側を 覚えている 覚えている — Japanese reworked version for "Without You", written later
Hidden Sun
三日月の朝に 目を覚ます 揺らめく水面に 囚われた光 夢現際の世界 ぼやけた視界 束の間の知識を 焼け付く記憶を 太陽に向かう 雲の柱を ぼくは見た 虹色 灰色 灰色 虹色 重なる未来 重ねる その時 誰もが瞬きしていた その時 誰かが貫かれていた 太陽に向かう 雲の柱を ぼくは見た — Japanese reworked version, written later
Lie
なんでって繰り返す日々は 大きな間違いだったんだろう 暗い通りを彷徨うふりだったの分かったよ 最近ほんの少しは君の事を分かったよ 何で痛いんだ 雪降る街 そこでどうしてたら今は そう云う風に割り切ったいつかよりは ひそやかに鍵をかけるよ 今ならば 曖昧で痛い… なんでってありきたりな問いは 絶えなくそこかしこに積もる 捉えては失う戸惑いの僕らは 少しだけ先の未来と過去ばっかり見ていた 目を覚ませよそれは太陽に向かう雲の柱 曖昧で痛い… そう云う風な答えでも嘘は嘘 — Japanese reworked version, written later
Grapes
道行く人よ 静かな目で堪えている 溢れた砂の 中に見えた瞬きが 夜明けまでに 何処か遠くへ 行けば良い 一つの意図が 垂れる垂れる垂れる 夜明けまでに 何処か遠くへ 行けば良い 馴染みの過去は 終わりにする 夜明けまでに 何処か遠くへ 闇の中で 会えるならば それで良い — Japanese reworked version, written later
Intro
“The Night in the Rainbow” is an EP by otom, released on January 1, 2005. It is the first work since the acoustic-focused second album “Voice Called From Within The Wall” (2004), and marks the moment when otom’s sound and direction became clear. Reverse-processed guitars, layered vocals, and looping phrases began to take shape here, giving this work a strong and lasting outline. “Where Without You” and “Hidden Sun” form the core of the EP, while “Grapes” opens the door to the next work. All four tracks, including “Lie”, were later rewritten with Japanese lyrics and released again as singles or on EPs, each in a new form.
Note
The four tracks on “The Night in the Rainbow” each have a different face, yet they are tied together by a shared language: reverse guitars, layered voices, and looping phrases. The tight tension of “Where Without You”, the slow swell that grows from within in “Hidden Sun”, the quiet and honest tone of “Lie”, and the light, floating feel of “Grapes”. All of them move back and forth between control and release, stillness and motion, forming a single flow across the EP. In later years, each song would be rebuilt in a new form. But at the root of them all, the sounds and feelings born in 2004 are already carved with a clear shape, holding the starting point of everything that followed.
1. Where Without You
“Where Without You” was written between autumn and winter of 2004. It is a mid-tempo track built around thick, short reverse guitar chords with a strong sense of weight. Whisper-like vocals, layered many times with a rough texture, sit against a steady drum pattern with tempo delay. These two elements stand in contrast, shaping the song’s sense of tension. In the chorus, drone-like guitars sway like tape flutter, overlapping to create a floating feel. Edited loop phrases are added on top, forming a full soundscape that seems to wrap around the whole track, leaving no empty space. Behind the song is a strong influence from the sound world often linked to my bloody valentine. At the time, the internet was not yet common, and much about their gear and methods remained unclear. In that setting, otom pushed the reverse effect that otom had used since the 1990s even further, through repeated trial and error, shaping the unique sound image that defines this track.
In 2018, it was rebuilt with Japanese lyrics under the new title “Without You” and released as a single.
2. Hidden Sun
“Hidden Sun” was written between autumn and winter of 2004. It is a mid-tempo experimental pop track that grows from a low, heavy bass line, a kick drum that sounds like a heartbeat, and a looping electric piano phrase. The song starts quietly with a calm tone, then gradually becomes rougher as it moves forward, changing into a more intense sound in the second half. Guitar sounds range from wavering textures that recall tape flutter to emotionally distorted tones, added one by one to push the song outward. The layered vocals are placed to blend into the guitars, creating a melodic, lo-fi sound that combines shoegaze-like floating textures with a strong experimental feel.
In 2016, this original song was rewritten with Japanese lyrics based on the same theme of “a dream seen on a certain day”, rebuilt, and released as the single “Hidden Sun”. “Hidden Sun” remains one of otom’s favorite songs to this day, alongside “Without You”.
3. Lie
“Lie” is built on simple guitar strokes, but focuses on key phrases, volume changes, and shifts in pace. The song was written on a painfully cold winter day in 2004. It looks back on an event from a winter day, a moment of separation that is only understood much later, and the regret and helplessness left behind. The lyrics face what is lost through pride and lack of understanding, born from youth, while holding onto questions with no clear answers. Soft electric piano phrases, acoustic guitar strokes, vocals, and chorus lines move together, with an organ slowly filling the space toward the end of the song. Developing melody within a small number of chords is a method often found in otom’s early works, used to create a strong effect from a simple chord progression. “Lie” is closely connected to “Hidden Sun”. The unease and metaphors that appear in the lyrics of “Hidden Sun”, based on a dream seen on a certain day, appear again in this song.
In 2021, a rebuilt version with Japanese lyrics was included on the EP “Cycle”, which expresses the four seasons through acoustic arrangements and four different performance styles.
4. Grapes
“Grapes” is a mid-tempo dream pop song built around a short reverse guitar loop and a light, steady rhythm. It begins quietly with a rough-textured vocal, then opens up in the chorus as layered backing vocals spread out and fill the space. In solos and key moments, clean guitars with reverse effects are added as subtle accents, giving the song a soft, dreamy depth. The lyrics are inspired by Tom Joad, the main character of John Steinbeck’s novel “The Grapes of Wrath”. As the closing track of this EP, the song also works as a bridge to the next EP, “Ride on the Cloud” (2006), leading into its opening track, “Life Will Work Well”.
In 2017, “Grapes” was rewritten with Japanese lyrics, rebuilt, and released as a single.
Outro
“The Night in the Rainbow” is an EP made to be heard as one continuous flow, even though each of its four tracks has its own character. Reverse guitars, looping phrases, and layered voices slowly change shape as the music moves from quiet moments to rising waves, and from tension to release. It is one of the most important works when talking about otom’s early period. Enjoy.
“The Night in the Rainbow” is available on Bandcamp, with high-quality versions available for purchase.
