Shiki OP Single – Calendula Requiem – Review

Review: When one speaks of Gothic music, one would definitely mention the likes of ALI PROJECT, Yousei Teikoku and, for just a short period around 2008, Wakeshima Kanon. Wakeshima awed listeners with her debut single: Still Doll, but melted back into the shadows almost immediately afterwards. After her unbelievably bland second album, her comeback single Calendula Requiem was a surprisingly strong one, consisting of a collaboration with Antic Cafe’s Bassist to bring in an element of rock rivaling that of Yousei Teikoku’s while maintaining Wakeshima’s defining feature: the cello.

The first thing listeners may notice is the change in Wakeshima’s delivery. Instead of the cutesy quality heard in her second album, ”Calendula Requiem” opens forcefully, with a fusion of the strings characteristic to Wakeshima and strong bass beats defining Antic Cafe’s rock music. The compelling and almost hysterical lyrics mirror the somewhat careless way this track is put together, with abrupt transitions and rapid progression which bring out the many fleeting emotions just before death. The various instrumental solos of the cello, guitar and piano carry forth many desires, from the cello’s desperation to find its bearings, to the guitar’s anguish, to the piano’s sense of atonement.

The “Doll House” also proves to be a very memorable B-side, with its consistent beat that Wakeshima’s voice virtually dances around in its whimsical playfulness, while carrying with it an undertone of yearning for one’s freedom. The only piece which was not really to my taste was the second B-side, “Umigame Soup.” Though waltz is definitely something new from Wakeshima, the creepy factor from her dangerously innocent voice was a little over the top for me.

Nonetheless, this single is easily the best of all her releases thus far. The lyrics for the A-side may have been what swayed me a considerable amount, which is why the translation is attached below. But even without the lyrical factor, this single still adds a whole new dimension to Wakeshima’s works, giving other Gothic Rock artists something to watch out for as Wakeshima now proceeds to play on their home grounds.

Rating: Very Good

Lyrics

[spoiler]
I released the flower into the morning sunlight
I waited for the rain that will never fall
As I drifted into a sleep from which I cannot awaken

I hear someone’s voice calling me
Is this dark utopia,
A delusion? A dream?
With my body which is already lost
I tell myself inside my heart
That I want to make an atonement

What can I possibly gain?
With these tears, I’m will take back the remaining
Of my frail and fleeting life
Everything will appear
At this end
Will I fear or lament it?

The calendula is singing for the end of the performance
It blooms proudly in silence
All my hatred
All my sorrow
Roots themselves ever deeper
The calendula is singing for the finale
Embellishing my loneliness
I kept waiting for the rain that will never fall
As I drifted into a sleep from which I cannot awaken

The wails of my memories being torn apart
This evening’s love and hate
The past and the present
Is scattered by the tide of vain
My hesitant soul worries
When I arrive at the edge
What will I get to see?

I will protect myself with these hands
From these endless words of betrayal
I believe in the love that I’ve only seen once
And survive this moment

The calendula is singing for the end of the performance
It blooms proudly in silence
All my love
All my yearning
Envelop me with their words
The calendula is singing for the finale
Embellishing my loneliness
I kept waiting for the rain that will never fall
As I drifted into a sleep from which I cannot awaken

If I ever lose the sense of hope and despair
Will I come to realize where truth lies?

I can hardly breathe
Nevertheless, I still want to be here
Because the creaking of my heart
Proves that I’m still alive

Even if I find only loneliness here

The calendula is singing for the end of the show
It blooms proudly in silence
All my hatred
All my sorrow
Roots themselves ever deeper
The calendula is singing for the finale
Embellishing my loneliness
I kept waiting for the rain that will never fall
As I drifted into a sleep from which I cannot awaken

This flowers which looks like it’s not going to wilt
Smells food of the realm against which it battles
When the requiem for the funeral sounds
It disappears with the dry wind
[/spoiler]