‘PoiL Ueda’ by PoiL Ueda | Album Premiere
Exclusive album premiere of self-titled debut album by the fantastic collaboration project PoiL Ueda, out March 3, 2023 via Dur et doux.
PoiL Ueda is a meeting and a musical creation between the French rock/contemporary music band of PoiL and the Japanese traditional music singer / satsuma-biwa player Junko Ueda. The theme of the creation is around the Japanese epic story “Heike-Monogatari” from the13th century.
The composition is based on this traditional epic singing accompanied by the satsuma-biwa and Buddhist Shomyo chant. This project is a great opportunity to explore a new musical universe by meeting between an European super modern musical formation and a Japanese ancient traditional music. An experimental, yet powerfully common musical expression of both styles which create an exciting discovery.
A new experience where the unbridled experimental rock of PoiL mixes with the calm and sinuous voice, the narrative force and the great charisma of Junko Ueda.
Antoine Arnera (keyboards)
Boris Cassone (guitar)
Ben Lecomte (electro acoustic bass)
Guilhem Meier (drums and percussion)
Junko Ueda (voice and satsuma biwa)
The debut album is divided into two long songs ‘Kujô-Shakujô’ and ‘Dan no ura’.
‘Kujô-Shakujô’ is a sutra that describes the virtues of the Shakujô, a Buddhist instrument with metal rings on the top of a stick. By shaking the Shakujô and creating its sound, we wish that all living things will be liberated from the Six Worlds of endless circle of transmigration and go to the path of enlightenment. The Kujô-Shakujô sutra consists of nine parts (Kujô) in total. In this recording, the first, second, and third parts are sung. At the end of the first piece, a poem by Antoine Arnera is sung.
‘Dan-no-Ura’
This story represents the climax of the Heike Monogatari and describes the last scene of the war between the Heike clan and the Genji clan at the Dan-no-Ura 1 bay. On this sea, the battle is reaching its end. Here, both clans show their last energy and courage. The bay of Dan-no-Ura is fully covered by the boats of Heike and Genji. The scene reminds us of the ripples of a river carrying fallen autumn leaves. As Heike is being defeated, the commander of the Heike is still encouraging their warriors: “This battle will decide our destiny. Don’t cling to your life!” At the end, Heike is defeated completely. Most boats of Heike are sunk or floating aimlessly in the Dan-no-Ura bay. The noble Heike women, dressed in heavy costumes, commit suicide together with the children by plunging into the sea. Among them there is a little boy of eight years old who is actually the present Emperor Antoku and his grandmother Nii-dono (the wife of Kiyomori II who was the head of Heike). Before they plunge into the sea, Nii-dono calms her grandchild saying there is a beautiful capital waiting for him at the bottom of the sea.
Headline photo: Paul Bourdrel
PoiL Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp / YouTube
Junko Ueda Official Website
Dur et Doux Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp / YouTube
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