11/12/2004

Enya’s Sumiregusa

 

Before I start today’s rant, THE CHARLIE’S BIMBOS are back! Missed them? If you didn’t, you can always recall the good ol’days when they were SCREWED bad by Yoruki by clicking here. As usual, they will simply foul up everything they set out to do…

Yes, the Forum has been up for quite sometime! Do feel free to participate! I must thank Astiel and Lucie for participating so actively in the forums! Thanks a lot guys! You two are the greatest! And both of you really set off new ideas for SKOOKUM! For that I am indebted to both of you! Merci!

I have been an Enya Fan since I was in high school, yup, I was barely 16 when I had committed myself whole-heartedly to worshipping her. I was already drawing manga then, and it had always been my dream to dedicate ALL of my works to her. Of course, I will have to be famous enough for that dedication to mean anything. She had been the inspirational driving force for all my works and I really wish she knows there is a fan whose works had been inspired by her impressive work.

The magical aspect about Enya’s music is that, the songs mean something different to me as I grow older. When I was 15, it was the first time I understood what was it like to be a fan of New Age artiste. As I moved on through college and the military, her music is reminiscent of the more than spectacular times I have spent as a youth in my high school It was through her music that I realised how precious memory is, and I am so glad that I had her music to accompany me throughout the special days.

In the world of arts, one form or art inspires another, and that is how we get a never ending flow of work coming out of the minds of people. That, is the theory of intertextuality – and Enya inspired my works in more profound ways imaginable.

To be an Enya fan is really to be a fan of genuine dedication. We don’t love her for how cool she is, or how many scandals she got into, we love her because she had single-handedly composed over 75 songs or 5 albums, with help from her closest friends Nicky and Roma Ryan. I waited 4 years for A Day Without Rain; every day of those 4 years were worth it.

Her new album is far from complete, but under the request of renowned Japanese electronics company Panasonic, she had composed a NEW single for their commercial. The new song, is entitled Sumiregusa, or “Wild Violets” And, this is the fist time, I repeat FIRST time she composed a Japanese New Age song. It has all the workings of an Irish New Age song, but it is sang in Japanese! The Japanese lyrics were taken from a Haiku written by Japanese poet Basho. I LOVE Enya, and I LOVE Japanese – these two elements coming together is like a dream come true for me!

You can have a look at the new Japanese themed Enya website by clicking here and you can even have a chance to listen to the full track of sumiregusa!

See you next Tuesday (hopefully, if not, Friday! Hee) for the next update!

 

Wataru

 

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