See You Around, the first album by Tetsu the Phoenix, includes a series of songs inspired by Haruki Murakami's The Trilogy of the Rat. The album explores numerous aspects of Murakami's fictional world, ranging from the fantastical elements of Wild Sheep Chase to the earthier Hear the Wind Sing. The band's aim is to express Murakami's literary universe through a new perspective, by way of sound. The album remains faithful to the original narrative.
Drawing influence from The Cure's Disintegration era, Cocteau Twins' Heaven or Las Vegas, and DIIV's Deceiver, highlight track, Full Moon on the Wane establishes a mood which complements its thematic content.
The song describes the protagonist's journey to Hokkaido in the third book, A Wild Sheep Chase, and the circumstances leading up to his departure. An interesting juxtaposition of clean and fuzz sounds intertwines to bring up a sonic landscape which reflects the existential confusion of the main character, and expresses relatable themes of solitude and remorse.
ZR