Shizuka (band)

Shizuka
A full body bluescale photography of two men and a woman between them. All of them are standing while leaning their backs on a wall made of retangular block rocks. They are straight looking at the camera. From left to right: The first person is a man who has about the same height as the other man; he's white; has long black hair with bangs; is using dark clothes and dark sunglasses. The second person is a woman; she's smaller than the other two people; she's white; has long, black hair with bangs; she's using back gloves; her clothes are dark, but her skirt, which has light and dark tones The third person is a man who has the same height as the other man; he's white; his black hair leans on his shoulders; he's wearing dark clothes; he tightly hold his hands down.
Three of Shizuka's former members.
From left to right:
Maki Miura, Shizuka Miura, Jun Kosugi.
Background information
Also known as
  • 静香
  • 靜香
Origin Tokyo, Japan
Genres
Years active
  • 1992–c. 1997
  • 2000–c. 2010
Labels
  • PSF
  • Persona Non Grata
  • Last Visible Dog
  • Fra, Inc.
Associated acts
Past members

Shizuka (静香, IPA: [ɕizɯᵝka̠]) was a Japanese rock band originated in Tokyo in about 1992 by vocalist and rhythm guitarist Shizuka Miura and her then-husband and guitarist Maki Miura.[1][2][3] Aditional former members were Jun Kosugi as the drummer, Tomoya Hirata as the early bassist, and Tetsuya "Seven" Mugishima as the later bassist.[4] Though a number of lineup changes followed, Shizuka and Maki remained together until c. 31 January 2010, the singer's death date.[1][2]

The Shizuka's musical style was characterized by variations of psychedelic music, acid rock,[5] folk music, free improvisation, noise rock,[6][7] and slowcore, some of which were influences from the underground rock scene in Japan at that time. Therefore, Maki Miura, who was once a member of Les Rallizes Dénudés as well of Fushitsusha,[8][9] played a major role on the band's sound as the lead guitarist and as the person in charge of some miscellaneous work.[2] Shizuka Miura was the main lyricist and her vocals were often ethereal, reverberated, slow and tremulous, characteristics which expressed or suggested, among other things, sadness, a sense of "haunting" and a "gothic atmosthere".[1][6][7]

Through the eighteen years of the band's existence, four albums were produced.[1] Of these, one was a studio album release: Heavenly Persona (天界のペルソナ), from 1994.[10] Moreover, three were live albums: Live Shizuka, from 1995;[11] Tokyo Underground 20, Jul ’95, from 2000;[12] and Traditional Aesthetics (伝承美学), from 2008.[13] They also appeared in some compilations, for example, the Land of the Rising Noise: Vol. 2.[14]

The band produced no more than four audio albums, having "remained largely undocumented and underappreciated".[5] Nevertheless, Alan Cummings, who is a contributor on The Wire music magazine, described Shizuka as "one of the most distinctive groups on the Tokyo psychedelic scene".[1][15][9]

History

Early years (1992–1993)

In an interview dated from the first half of the 2000s, Shizuka Miura claimed that, before forming the band, she "used to write poetry" and had accumulated a number of lyrics, but she "didn't know how to compose music at the time". In the same interview, Maki Miura said that Shizuka witnessed him writing songs and that she gradually learned how to compose music.[3]

"In about 1992", Shizuka started creating music and composed three songs: 流れ星の埋葬 (The Burial of a Shooting Star), パンドラの匣 (Pandora's Box), and あやまち (Ayamachi). Later on, she staged three live performances, which included "renting venues, singing, playing, etc.", all of this was "done by Shizuka alone". The third time she performed, Maki was invited to attend the concert. Maki told he had positive impressions of her presentation. Afterward, Shizuka and Maki formed together a musical duo.[3]

On 21 November 1992, Shizuka Miura performed at a Tokyo live venue named 20000V and, subsequently, self-released a C54 compact cassette with a total of five live recorded tracks, which was self-titled 静香 (Shizuka).[16][17] Furthermore, were also self-released, at least, three other cassette tapes: 静香 II (Shizuka II);[18][19] 静香 III (Shizuka III);[20][21] and No.4.[22][23]

Around 1993, drummer Jun Kosugi joined them.[3] In circa September 1993, the trio appeared in the Tokyo Flashback 3, a various artists compilation album released by PSF Records, with the song ほどかれた娥羅子のリボン (Glass Ribbon Unraveled).[24] Also in about that year, bassist Tomoya Hirata joined the group. The earliest known appearance of him with Shizuka, Maki, and Jun was at the Manda-La2 live venue in Tokyo on 8 November 1993. On 12 August 1994, they staged at Studio AMS, a musical studio located in Japan.[25] These two Shizuka's live performances were recorded in the Hi8 videocassette format, which was remastered by music producer Tetsuya Tanaka and reissued in the DVD-Video format by the label Fra, Inc. in Japan in December 2009, titled Hikyoku no Seiseki: Live at Manda-La2 1993 & Studio Ams 1994.[26]

Release of Heavenly Persona (1994)

On 22 November 1994, 天界のペルソナ (Heavenly Persona), the first and only Shizuka's studio album, was released by PSF Records.[2][27] It has seven tracks,[28] with a total length of 46.27 minutes. This album's concept was made by Shizuka Miura and dedicated to Katan Amano,[3] a recognized master dollmaker in Japan and Shizuka's mentor,[2] who died in a motorcycle traffic collision on 1 November 1990.[29][30] Steven Lowenthal and Peter Kolovos wrote on NPR that Heavenly Persona "features some of the most straightforward — yet equally magical — music within the P.S.F. catalog".[27]

Members

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

  • 天界のペルソナ (1994)

Live albums

  • Live Shizuka (1995)
  • Tokyo Underground 20, Jul ’95 (2000)
  • 伝承美学 (2008)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Cummings, Alan (11 March 2010). "Shizuka Miura". The Wire. Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Jones, Mason (15 February 2010). "Shizuka R.I.P." Ongakublog. Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 ethereal (6 November 2005). "最接近天國的異界之音──靜香" Zuì jiējìn tiānguó de yì jiè zhī yīn - Jìngxiāng [The sound of the outer world closest to heaven - Shizuka] (Interview) (in Chinese/Japanese). Chinese translation by seat. Pixnet. Archived from the original on 30 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  4. ↑ Mugishima, Tetsuya "Seven"; Last Visible Dog Records. "Shizuka Tokyo Underground 20, Jul'95". Last Visible Dog Records. Archived from the original on 1 March 2002. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  5. 1 2 "PSFD-178 Shizuka / Live/Traditional Aesthetics". PSF Records. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  6. 1 2 Aquarius Records; Eclipse Records. "Shizuka Tokyo Underground '95". Last Visible Dog Records. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  7. 1 2 McFarlane, Dean. "AllMusic Review by Dean McFarlane". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  8. ↑ googoogoo2005_01 (19 May 2013). "灰野敬二＋三浦真樹" [Keiji Hano and Miki Miura] (in Japanese). blog.goo.ne.jp. Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  9. 1 2 "Shizuka / Owarino nai yume (DVD)". PSF Records. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  10. ↑ "Release "天界のペルソナ" by 静香". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  11. ↑ "Release "Live Shizuka" by Shizuka". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  12. ↑ "Release "Tokyo Underground 20, Jul'95" by Shizuka". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  13. ↑ "Release "伝承美学" by 静香". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  14. ↑ "Release "Land of the Rising Noise, Vol. 2" by Various Artists". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  15. ↑ "Shizuka's sould oult releases with descriptions". Fusetronsound. Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  16. ↑ "Release "静香" by 静香". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  17. ↑ "Shizuka (2) - 静香 (Cassette)". Discogs. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  18. ↑ "Release "静香 II" by 静香". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  19. ↑ "静香* - 静香 II (Cassette)". Discogs. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  20. ↑ "Release "静香 III" by 静香". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  21. ↑ "静香* - 静香 III (Cassette)". Discogs. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  22. ↑ "Release "No.4" by 静香". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  23. ↑ "Shizuka (2) – No.4 (Cassette)". Discogs. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  24. ↑ "V. A. / Tokyo Flashback 3[PSFD-34]". PSF Records. Archived from the original on 27 May 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  25. ↑ "Studio AMS". Discogs. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  26. ↑ "静香* – Hikyoku No Seiseki: Live At Manda-La2 1993 & Studio Ams 1994". Discogs. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  27. 1 2 Lowenthal, Steve; Kolovos, Peter (28 February 2017). "Psychedelic Speed Freak: Remembering The Blistering Experimentalism Of Hideo Ikeezumi". NPR. Archived from the original on 13 October 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  28. ↑ "静香 / 天界のペルソナ[PSFD-52]". PSF Records. Archived from the original on 27 May 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  29. ↑ "11月1日、天野可淡の命日に寄せて。". Éditions Treville. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  30. ↑ "KATAN RETRO BOX". Éditions Treville. Archived from the original on 11 March 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2018.

Further reading

  • ethereal (6 November 2005). "最接近天國的異界之音──靜香" Zuì jiējìn tiānguó de yì jiè zhī yīn - Jìngxiāng [The sound of the outer world closest to heaven - Shizuka] (Interview) (in Chinese/Japanese). Chinese translation by seat. Pixnet. Archived from the original on 30 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  • "Doll Forum Japan: Vol. 14". Doll Forum Japan (in Japanese). Japan. September 1997. Twitter. Archived from the original on 30 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  • Jones, Mason. "Ongaku Otaku #2". Ongaku Otaku. Charnel Music. Archived from the original on 11 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
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