The beauty of Lamp lyrics

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I think I speak for most fans of the band Lamp when I say they are the Bob Dylan of Japanese jazz. (If you haven’t been introduced to the band or their music yet, what are you doing here, Michael? I highly suggest you check them out! Or, even better, read a different article to begin with.)

Ordinary, day-to-day people have described Bob Dylan to be more of a poet than a songwriter. His smooth transitions from line to line make his lyrics appealing to the mouth, the eye, and the ear. As an ordinary, day-to-day person who carries little to no experience with songwriting, I will say that Lamp produces some of the best-written songs I have ever read.

It may be their ability to have you feel the lyrics despite not knowing what they mean. It also may be their nostalgic, delicate, and unexaggerated vocals with aerial-sounding woodwinds to back them up. Whatever it is, by listening to even a fraction of their music, you feel something. Not necessarily relieved, or whatever you may receive. Simply, something.

Please have a read over some (although I recommend all, as it wouldn’t make sense otherwise) of the English translation of 冷ややかな情景 (Hiyayaka na Joukei) A Cold Scene; the third track on their Tokyo Utopia Tsushin album.

High-rise buildings, in the whereabouts of bleeding light
Wetting my shoulders and walking
On a rainy Monday

The night goes on vaguely
A ferry whistle rushes into the city in the distance
Focusing on the rhythm of the waves
A long winter keeps them away
From lips that passed each other

Sad scenery is spilled
The shadows that surrounded the street
Float in the forgotten remains
At night, when the starlight does not reach

In the morning coming soon
You too will be reflected in the drops falling rеpeatedly
And will be washеd away, as I look on
Two people who met somewhere, someday
When I was struck by your uncertain swaying image

Remembering you from a distant journey
The pebbles of light that burst through the night
Illuminate the illusion
At least in a dream, I want to hug you and sleep

Quite an ending, am I right? My interpretation of the song is the transition from late winter to spring. I imagine it is about growing apart from your lover due to personal changes in your lives. The subtle transition from one season to another is almost seamless (if you chose to interpret it that way). You can already assume their writing style by just this song alone. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, in my opinion, unless you’re one to easily get bored.

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When I first found lyrics to this song (which is one of their best, by the way), I pictured an entire picture book in my head. You can envision the scenery, the filter — if documented, and the emotions depicted so deeply. That, in music, is such a beautiful thing. A beautiful thing that unfortunately died out in several modern-day genres. So, appreciate it when seen! Especially you, Micheal.

Another one of their songs which you should read the lyrics of, is a fan favourite. Yume Utsutsu (Half Asleep), the fifth track on their fourth full-length album, Gensou. You may have heard it in the background of a video somewhere on the internet. Its use of seraphic vocals and mellow instrumental captivated many during its breakthrough throughout late 2022 to early 2023.

Stagnant, my room today is stagnant
I don’t even notice the rain outside

The opaque shadow of the room hangs densely on my fingers
I can’t find the words to recall it

Sinking, it sinks into a rainy Monday
I don’t even notice the rain outside

Past the windowpane, clouds pass by
The end of the days I spent with you

The gentle light blue afternoon
I’m half-asleep
Shadows and light rain down incessantly
I like you

Ah, am I not suitable now?
Ah, am I unfit once again?

Once again, everyone will have their own interpretation of the song just like any other song of theirs. It seems to me like the average experience of zoning out at the thought of someone you miss in your bedroom, not to mention it specifically being a rainy Monday. The opening line being “Stagnant, my room today is stagnant” already gives you the overall vibe of the song. Speaking of the overall vibe, the delicate acoustic and light instrumental with its “ti-ti-ti-tap” tempo relaxes you into becoming Half Asleep, too.

In the fourth verse, Sakakibara sings, “Past the windowpane, clouds pass by/The end of the days I spent with you”. The second line seems reminiscent of perhaps a particular feeling received from the time spent with someone the writer once knew. Whatever the case, it is a generally melancholic, hazy feeling song with nostalgic and sweet lyrics.

I chose these two songs to mention and break off pieces of for no particular reason except for the fact that their lyrics are fairly similar. If this is your first time being introduced to them, and you like what you’re hearing so far, I hope to have broadened you music taste even a litte bit. Lamp release quite good music with astoundingly written lyrics, as you have hopefully learnt throughout this article. If you like the sound of the songs mentioned, have a listen to Behind the Moon Shadow, Blue, and A Winter’s Day as well. You won’t regret it, Micheal.