Aurora (Susumu Hirasawa album) explained

Aurora is Susumu Hirasawa's fourth solo album.

Overview

His first main solo album in three years following a period where focus was directed on the Defrosted P-Model, Aurora, which Hirasawa has said can be considered a second solo debut,^[1] is a turning point in his career. Unlike the previous solo albums, Aurora doesn't feature guest musicians, with almost all instrumentation handled by MIDI-compatible devices.^[2] The music was composed with the Amiga The Blue Ribbon SoundWorks programs Bars & Pipes Professional, which he started using for "more natural orchestration",^[3] and SuperJAM!,^[4] whose "Bartok" style he modified by inputting data from his own songs, irreversibly turning its patterns and variations into "Hirasawa" style ones.^[5]

Aurora was created to appeal to the instinctual side of the listener as opposed to the logical, in likeness to tales and myths,^[6] emphasizing vocals and melody. The songs were written so that the album would lack any inherent story or concept, inviting the listener to create their own reading.^[3] However, as he wrote the lyrics out, seven of the album's ten songs ended up having to do with, which accidentally created undertones of a story about two people. Hirasawa wanted to avoid that if at all possible, but felt that was just the way the language worked and left it as is.^[3] Many words representing natural phenomena were included in an attempt to resolve complaints about the lyrics being opaque. Hirasawa chose words that were easy to understand and had a large impact, the word Aurora came from this decision as well.^[3]

The album's booklet is adorned with Buddhist imagery. Advertisements for Aurora used the phrase .^[7]

Track listing

• The official translations of the titles of the songs are stylized in all uppercase letters.
• "Snow Blind" contains a sample of "Oh Mama!" by P-Model, from the album One Pattern.

Personnel

• Susumu Hirasawa - vocals, electric guitar (Talbo), acoustic guitar (Yairi), synthesizers (E-mu Proteus/2, Korg MS-20, Korg M1R, Roland JD-800), sampler (Akai S1100), drum machine (Roland R-8 with DANCE card), Amiga (2500), sequencer (Bars&Pipes Professional), programming, production^[2]

technical

• Masanori Chinzei - recording, mixing
• Motohiro Yamada (Eggs Shep Studio), Harumi Ōta (MIX), Tsutomu Okada (MIX) - assistant engineering
• Masao Nakazato (Onkio Haus) - mastering

visuals

• Kiyoshi Inagaki (d.d.t.) - art direction, design
• Hideki Namai - photography
• Akemi Tsujitani - styling
• Kazunori Yoshida - hair & make-up

operations

• Roppei Iwagami (Pre-Octave) - publishing
• I₃ Promotion
  • Yūichi Kenjo - co-production
  • Masami Fujii - publicity coordination
  • Koosuke Mogi - artist management
  • Takeshi Fujita - personal management
• Polydor K.K.
  • Osamu Takeuchi - direction
  • Tomohide Ishikawa - A&R chief
  • Hitoshi Maeda - executive production

Thanks

• Gallery LS for Mandala (スーナムギャムフォ), Fernandes

Release history

Date	Label(s)	Format	Catalog	Notes
	Polydor K.K.	CD	POCH-1328
	Universal Music Japan, Universal Sigma	Digital Download	none
	Chaos Union, Teslakite	CD	CHTE-0057	Remastered by Masanori Chinzei. Disc 4 of the HALDYN DOME box set.
	Universal Music Japan	SHM-CD	UPCY-6930	Part of Universal's "Project Archetype" (supervised by Osamu Takeuchi & Kasiko Takahasi). Remastered by Kenji Yoshino (supervised by Chinzei) with both original liner notes and new ones.[8]

• "Love Song", "Aurora", "Song of the Force" and "Snow Blind" are included in the NEW SONGS FROM AURORA promotional sampler.
• "Love Song", "Aurora" and "In the Square" are included on the Archetype | 1989-1995 Polydor years of Hirasawa compilation.
• "Island Door (Paranesian Circle)" is included in the vinyl release of the Ruiner Original Soundtrack.

External links

• • AURORA at iTunes Japan
• AURORA at amazon.co.jp

Notes and References

1. Hirasawa. Susumu. 2012. Disc 01－07. Haldyn Dome. PDF file included on Data Disc. Japanese. Chaos Union, TESLAKITE. 37. CHTE-0057.
2. ja:アーティスト研究 平沢進. Artist Study － Susumu Hirasawa. Sound & Recording Magazine. Japanese. 4. Rittor Music. April 1994. 1344-6398.
3. Book: Takahasi, Kasiko. 2010. 1999. 改訂DIGITAL復刻版 音楽産業廃棄物. Music Industrial Wastes Rev.2.4. PDF. Japanese. Hirasawa Side — 卓上のウロボロス [Desktop Ouroboros]. 3rd. Fascination. 21.
4. Web site: 平沢進 - "舵をとれ" / Hirasawa Susumu - "Take the Wheel". 音の帯〜Phonon Belt.
5. Interview 平沢進. Keyboard Magazine. Japanese. 10. Rittor Music. October 1998. 1344-6371.
6. Inoue. Takako. March 1994. http://kyrynyu.tumblr.com/post/133081801720/well-i-made-my-attempt-to-translate-this-interview. ja:目を閉じて犬になり、雲になり・・・・・・. Close Your Eyes, Then You Become a Dog, or Cloud....... Rockin' on Japan. Japanese. 82. Rockin' on Inc. 16 November 2015.
7. Web site: Ad for the release of Aurora. Hirasawa Lyrics.
8. Web site: Takeuchi. Osamu. wilsonic works 41. wilsonic journal. 15 November 2014.