Komm, susser Tod_

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Travel In Constants Vol. 22 – The Phoenix Tree
Artist: Mono
Style: Post-rock
Release Date: 2007
Label: Temporary Residence

Mono的最新史诗四部曲, 主题是广岛原爆, 生命的消失以及延续.

　Phoenix tree is a tree. You see a lot in Hiroshima. Even the trees were burnt by the bomb, the roots of the trees survived and started their life again. 60 years later, they are absorbing the energy from the earth, still growing and spreading their branches into the sky. Every spring, the young leaves sprout and blossom with flowers. Every year new life is born for future. It is a hope.
　　The second song is “black rain“. As many of you have already known, the black rain fell on the city of Hiroshima right after the atomic bomb was exploded.
　　The black rain covering the completely destructed town… It must be unimaginably depressing for the survivors who were looking for their families, friends and all the loved ones in the debris.
　　Our friend, Giovanna, singer of Bellini and Uzeda, wrote the poem and read.
　　We asked her because we wanted a lay of light in the darkness.
　　The third song is “rainbow“. After the black rain, a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky. It’s true. The survivors witnessed. (After the rainbow, the fire started in the town and burnt it down.)
　　It must be a happening of a few minutes, maybe less than a minute. What did people feel when they saw the rainbow?
　　We never know, but we tried to express people’s feeling of that moment.
　　The fourth song is “little boy“. It’s the name of the atomic bomb dropped in Hiroshima.

“Black Rain”是燃烧的灰烬, 如黑雨一般覆盖大地, 淹没生命存在的证据, 背景中的西班牙语旁白 更是轻易地将人心融化;
最后一首歌名语带双关, “Little Boy” 既是毁灭广岛那颗原子弹的名字, 也代表了歌者对下一代寄望.

…由”自省”转向比较社会性的取材, 对mono来说也许不太常见罢. ^^