[SONG OF THE DAY] Tycho - "Japan"
photo credit: Scott Hansen
San Francisco soundscape crafters Tycho have returned with a new track, “Japan”, from their forthcoming album WEATHER, out on July 12th. "I had just returned from spending some time in Hakone, Japan with my wife's Japanese relatives," shares project brainchild Scott Hansen. "I was thinking a lot about the kinds of electronic music instruments I had been using when I first started making music in the late '90s. With 'Japan,' I was trying to recapture a part of that sound and combine it with the imagery and experiences from my trip to Hakone. I sent the song to Hannah with nothing more than the title of 'Japan' and she wrote all of the lyrics." As with the recent string of singles they’ve released from this album cycle, the band has offered a 2-pack, which includes the album version and an accompanying instrumental.
Speaking of said instrumental, I wanna talk about how frustrating it was to watch a large portion of the Tycho fandom essentially have a total fucking meltdown about the addition of angelic vocalist Saint Sinner to the mix. As previously mentioned, Hansen has shared how he’s really excited about incorporating the most “organic instrument” on the planet into the Tycho soundscape. I even admitted it was gonna take me a second to get used to the idea. That all said, as someone who lives to watch bands evolve and challenge themselves to push beyond any self or fan-made boundaries, to say I’m disappointed that some folks can’t see the opportunity the band is giving us to reflect on how truly powerful either type of performance is would be an understatement. Hansen is quick to detail the amount of thought that goes into each version, "I wanted to explore the idea of approaching songs from two entirely different perspectives,” he explains, “Similar to 'Pink & Blue,' the instrumental versions are not just the songs with vocals muted, they are different arrangements with different instrumentation and melodies in place of the vocals."
Even before skimming the press release to do this post, just this morning (almost a full month since the “Pink & Blue” writeup mind you) I found myself lost in thought while listening to both versions of “Japan”. I couldn’t help but reflect on how fascinating it is to watch this band begin to be able to articulate into words certain things that maybe their music hadn’t been able to previously. Maybe prior to now Tycho music was akin to those in religious settings who speak in tongues, not sure the exact or best way to fully express themselves, but deep down the sound does enough to speak for itself.
It’s certainly a concept that is worth taking some time to sit with, if only to deepen your appreciation for the band. I hope that those who were upset come around. Personally it just makes me love this band all the more knowing that they’re the ultra meticulous musicians I’ve grown to appreciate them to be busily fretting over every painstaking detail every step of the way with this release.
PS - have you pre-ordered Weather yet? Do you have your tickets for their extensive af world tour coming up? If not, get on that shit, fam!
TYCHO
"WEATHER WORLD TOUR"
2019
JULY
21 - Byron Bay, Australia - Splendour In The Grass *
23 - Melbourne, Australia - Forum Melbourne
24 - Sydney, Australia - Sydney Opera House
26 - Niigata Prefecture, Japan - Fuji Rock Festival '19 *
SEPTEMBER
5 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre **
6 - Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre #
7 - Portland, OR - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall #
8 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre #
11 - Denver, CO - The Mission Ballroom #
13 - Minneapolis, MN - Palace Theatre #
15 - Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom #
16 - Toronto, ON - Sony Centre for the Performing Arts #
18 - Boston, MA - Wang Theatre - Boch Center #
19 - New York, NY - Summerstage #
20 - Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall #
21 - Slippery Rock, PA - Resonance Music & Arts Festival *
23 - Detroit, MI - The Masonic #
24 - Columbus, OH - Express Live #
26 - St Louis, MO - The Pageant #
27 - Kansas City, MO - CrossroadsKC #
2020
FEBRUARY
9 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller #
10 - Stockholm, Sweden - Vasteatern #
11 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega Main Hall #
13 - Hamburg, Germany - Uebel & Gefahrlich #
14 - Cologne, Germany - Live Music Hall #
15 - Paris, France - Elyse Montmartre #
17 - Brussels, Belgium - AB Ballroom @ Ancienne Belgique #
18 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso #
19 - Berlin, Germany - Huxley's #
21 - Warsaw, Poland - Praga Centrum #
23 - Prague, Czech Republic - Roxy #
24 - Budapest, Hungary - Akvarium #
25 - Vienna, Austria - WUK #
27 - Milan, Italy - Fabrique #
28 - Bologna, Italy - Estragon #
MARCH
1 - Barcelona, Spain - Sala Apolo #
5 - London, UK - Printworks #
* Festival Performance
** Chrome Sparks
# Poolside
