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Iyowa and contrast
Oct. 30th, 2023 11:49 pmThe themes of contrast and the dissolution of dichotomies are ones that always interested me, and as I grow up and learn more about the world and myself, this interest follows suit. Bringing together opposing ideas and emotions, showing the ways in which they relate and many times are actually interchangeable or come from the same source is just... fun, and very beautiful. So it's no surprise that, for years now, I have been obsessed with Iyowa's music.
Contrast fills the DNA of Iyowa's discography, both lyrically and acoustically.
Opposite themes of happiness and despair, childhood and adulthood, luck and misfortune, learning and confusion, love and hate adorn themselves with esoteric wordplay, brought together in the experience of one singular character. Mundane imagery such as watching movies while laying in bed is contrasted with hard to decipher metaphors and references to quite obscure concepts. Generating an emotional and relatable first experience, which quickly turns into a game of interpreting what these lyrics might be trying to convey.
What gets me the most though is always the production of the songs, which fully supports these opposing ideas through the simultaneous expression of contrasting emotions.
Catchy melodies sang by cutesy high pitched voices on top of seemingly random accompaniments played excitedly on the softest of instruments make up most of Iyowa's discography. Ugly chords smashed onto a piano; nonsensical verses played by an old music box; notes and rhythms bent out of shape to produce an uncanny facsimile of a children's lullaby. All of this grants the music an atmospheric feeling, despite its melodic nature.
The result is a seamless blend of chaos and comfort. Like being enveloped by the warm water of a roaring waterfall. Both falling asleep inside of its trance, and screaming in response to the power of something bigger than one's self feel like appropriate responses to the experience.
Although I have many favorites, one song stands out as a great example of Iyowa's approach: IMAWANOKIWA.
I recommend watching the music video before continuing. It's very beautiful and has english subtitles. You can click on the image or the song title above.
The song is written from the perspective of a girl who lost a loved one, and seeks to express her grief through their sweet memories together and the way in which the premature death made those into bitter reminders of everything she lost, everything she has come to hate. It concludes by calling attention to her sickened hope to see her lost friend once again. The result is a melancholic and despaired expression of a very painful feeling, that manages to paint a dark picture of the character's emotions without having to resort to any sort of graphic imagery.
The ways in which dichotomies are used is rather obvious, love and hate, hope and despair, happiness and sadness are all put against one another. The ways in which they are dissolved also, as they blend together into one singular experience, shown to not be separate entities, but intimately related parts of a whole. Parts which not only manage to coexist, but depend on each other.
As for the production, it includes all the tropes I previously talked about, while also effortlessly switching between moments of calmer contemplation and pained shouting. It's a song that couldn't exist in any form other than through Vocaloid. The inhumanity of the singer is used to great effect, most notably by abusing of its insane vocal range. To this day I haven't seen a person who can sing this song appropriately, simply because its melody climbs higher than a person can endure. This reinforces the intense feelings expressed by the lyrics in a manner only a vocal synthesizer could while also adding to the uncanny atmosphere the song seeks to create.
This is why I love Iyowa's music. It's both cute and grotesque, both fun and scary, all in a manner that's very unique. No one else sounds like him. I don't think anyone else could.
Contrast fills the DNA of Iyowa's discography, both lyrically and acoustically.
Opposite themes of happiness and despair, childhood and adulthood, luck and misfortune, learning and confusion, love and hate adorn themselves with esoteric wordplay, brought together in the experience of one singular character. Mundane imagery such as watching movies while laying in bed is contrasted with hard to decipher metaphors and references to quite obscure concepts. Generating an emotional and relatable first experience, which quickly turns into a game of interpreting what these lyrics might be trying to convey.
What gets me the most though is always the production of the songs, which fully supports these opposing ideas through the simultaneous expression of contrasting emotions.
Catchy melodies sang by cutesy high pitched voices on top of seemingly random accompaniments played excitedly on the softest of instruments make up most of Iyowa's discography. Ugly chords smashed onto a piano; nonsensical verses played by an old music box; notes and rhythms bent out of shape to produce an uncanny facsimile of a children's lullaby. All of this grants the music an atmospheric feeling, despite its melodic nature.
The result is a seamless blend of chaos and comfort. Like being enveloped by the warm water of a roaring waterfall. Both falling asleep inside of its trance, and screaming in response to the power of something bigger than one's self feel like appropriate responses to the experience.
Although I have many favorites, one song stands out as a great example of Iyowa's approach: IMAWANOKIWA.
I recommend watching the music video before continuing. It's very beautiful and has english subtitles. You can click on the image or the song title above.
The song is written from the perspective of a girl who lost a loved one, and seeks to express her grief through their sweet memories together and the way in which the premature death made those into bitter reminders of everything she lost, everything she has come to hate. It concludes by calling attention to her sickened hope to see her lost friend once again. The result is a melancholic and despaired expression of a very painful feeling, that manages to paint a dark picture of the character's emotions without having to resort to any sort of graphic imagery.
The ways in which dichotomies are used is rather obvious, love and hate, hope and despair, happiness and sadness are all put against one another. The ways in which they are dissolved also, as they blend together into one singular experience, shown to not be separate entities, but intimately related parts of a whole. Parts which not only manage to coexist, but depend on each other.
As for the production, it includes all the tropes I previously talked about, while also effortlessly switching between moments of calmer contemplation and pained shouting. It's a song that couldn't exist in any form other than through Vocaloid. The inhumanity of the singer is used to great effect, most notably by abusing of its insane vocal range. To this day I haven't seen a person who can sing this song appropriately, simply because its melody climbs higher than a person can endure. This reinforces the intense feelings expressed by the lyrics in a manner only a vocal synthesizer could while also adding to the uncanny atmosphere the song seeks to create.
This is why I love Iyowa's music. It's both cute and grotesque, both fun and scary, all in a manner that's very unique. No one else sounds like him. I don't think anyone else could.
