© 2025 Lawrence Tuczynski
All information courtesy of Sam Scali
| Title: | Powerful Railway Line 5 |
| CD Label: | BKM |
| CD Number: | G.R.F.T05 |
| Music Performed by: | Bukimisha Weird Secret Society |
| Music Composed by: | Akira Ifukube and other composers |
| Number of tracks: | 12 |
| Running time: | 37:22 |
| Number of discs: | 1 |
| Year of release/manufacture: | December 30, 2024 |
| REVIEW |
June 11, 2025 (Written May 27, 2025 by Sam Scali) This CD-R is the fifth in a series of collections of a cappella railroad songs performed by Bukimisha. This installment, which spotlights Japan's Keikyü Main Line, features an interesting twist, as the odd-number tracks (1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11) are sung variations of the sound produced by the railway line's so-called "Do-Re-Mi-Fa Inverter". An inverter is an electrical device that propels the motor of a train, and Keikyü's N1000 trains were known for the distinctive, melodic tones they emitted during acceleration, which resembled the ascending notes of a musical scale. Bukimisha effectively demonstrates the rhythmic fluctuations in this sound, based on the train's rate of acceleration or deceleration. Another characteristic of railways in Japan is their station theme songs, which are played to alert riders to train arrivals and departures. Track 2 is a vocal interpretation of the outbound theme for Keikyü's Tachiaigawa Station, which begins with the world-famous horse racing fanfare, "Assembly of the Buglers" (a.k.a., "First Call."), coupled with a rousing Japanese interpretation of Stephen Foster's "Camptown Races". Keikyü's Yokohama Station is represented by a version of Ayumi Ishida's 1968 Japanese pop hit, "Blue Light Yokohama" (Track 4), while Misakiguchi Station yields "Rain Falls on Jogashima Island" (Track 6), composed by Tadashi Yanada and Hakushu Kitahara in 1913. Tracks 8 and 10 consist of film music themes composed by Akira Ifukube for scenes that featured monsters wreaking havoc in Keikyü Line locations. The first is the iconic theme from GODZILLA (1954) in which the monster emerges from the sea near Uraga Station and attacks a passenger train. Fittingly, the composition is used today as the station's theme song for arriving trains. The next track combines motifs from VARAN THE UNBELIEVABLE (1958), WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS (1966) and GODZILLA VS. DESTROYAH (1995), all of which depicted monster appearances near Keikyü's Haneda Airport Station. The disc closes with "Railway Songs Collection No. 4: Hokuriku Edition", a spirited anthem that chugs along for over 20 minutes, with each verse representing a different stop on the Hokuriku Line. It first appeared in a five-volume songbook titled "Railway Songs", published in 1900, which helped teach children basic facts about Japan′s history and geography as observed along the country′s train lines. The same recording (along with the other songs from the Railway Songs Collection), was previously released in 2008 on Bukimisha's "Powerful Railway" DVD (G.R.F.T01), and despite its length, it is a unique and enjoyable listening experience. POWERFUL RAILWAY LINE 5 is a fun, engaging release and a worthy addition to Bukimisha's huge body of work. Bukimisha CDs are available to non-Japanese buyers through BOOTH (The International Indie Art Marketplace) by using a proxy service or other intermediary: https://bukimisya-maal.booth.pm/ |
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Powerful Railway Line 5 (G.R.F.T05)
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