Aoi Tanaka

A little of column X, all of column Y, even some Z, and potentially the undiscovered 27th letter of the alphabet, the eclectic band of Aoi Tanaka is a large musical outfit consisting of the lead musician and a large, and eclectically composed band capable of strings and Big Band brass play.

Finishing her tour of service after the First Mishhuvurthyar War in YE30, Nekovalkyrja soldier Aoi Tanaka, created on Narita on YE22, was finally relieved of her duty. She'd done her eight years, served well, received a few medals and chose to retire peacefully, ready to give back to the world she'd protected. She cultivated an interest in the arts, particularly that of music, and settled into the life of a musician.

Using her retirement bonds, and some connections from the army and government ministers, she shook hands with Arts patrons and musicians willing to give her a shot after pitching her initial compositions on piano. Not long after releasing a Big Band Brass test album, she and her band were in demand.

Aoi Tanaka and her band received awards big and small for her contributions to the musical culture of Yamatai, sweeping up an awards show in YE31 with her hit album Sheath When Bloody, the album containing the seven songs that made up the Wandering Samurai Suite.

Her current course of exploring the universe and finding new musical styles have lead some critics to wonder whether she is appropriating, plagiarising, and being a musical parasite by taking the styles of others and exploring them for herself and a Yamataian-centric audience, or whether her music provides a gateway further into what she discovers for listeners to pursue at their leisure.

• Wandering Samurai Suite (1:03, 2:24, 4:58, 3:42, 4:15, 5:38, 4:21) - Tanaka's most recognised, and most famous piece outside of Yamatai, the Wandering Samurai Suite is a jazz symphony in seven parts. Each detailing the eventful life of a wandering Nekovalkyrja samurai. No words are spoken, and the flow of the jazz music is left to the listener to detail their events. A series of paintings were released to accompany each movement the next year.
• YSS ShiKaze Suite (23:43) - A long song intended to be cut up into smaller parts that segue into and out of each other, intended for use in the Kirin Games Manufacture release, YSS ShiKaze. Using a string quartet, tastefully understated kettle drums, synthesizers, and marching drums, Tanaka lends her band to the game to provide music for cutscenes, musical stings, and more. Shares some melody with its brother game, NSS DeathWish.
• NSS DeathWish Suite (21:24) - A long song intended to be cut up into smaller parts that segue into and out of each other, intended for use in the Kirin Games Manufacture release, NSS DeathWish. Incorporating Nepleslian instruments like rock guitars, shotguns, rocks of musical quality, and percussion, Tanaka lends her band to the game to provide music for cutscenes, musical stings, and more. Shares some melody with its sister game, YSS ShiKaze.
• It's cool, I've got a vest! (2:56) - A collaboration with take_the_lead, said to be some last words spoken by soldiers who had fought in the war. Who would've thought a rap duet between the leather-lunged Barnes and the soft Tanaka.
• It's Snowing in Hell (3:03) - An instrumental song that always gets used in movie trailers due to how 'photogenic' the song sounds, with a rising string opening and vocal section creating a theme of heroic tension. Some fans deride it for how often it appears around in advertisements for action movies and video games.
• Super Fun Happy Smashvalanche! (3:02) - A dip into Y-Pop with a Para-Para remix of String Smasher's very first song. Once she figured out what the 'lyrics' of the song were, she decided to bury her listeners in sugary sweetness with surprisingly upbeat vocals.
• The Oil Slick Woman (4:09) - A surprisingly 'sludgy' song, taking some influence from the low, growling bass and guitars of High Velocity Parasitic Love after listening to a recording of a concert from one of her band members. It tells the story of an oil tycoon who exploited a town to ruin and was drowned in their own product - emerging as a monster twisted beyond human form by their greed and wrath. Some say its Sargasso's national anthem when they disposed of Wayfield Investments.
• Wall, Interrupted (3:54) - This is the story of a wall, somewhat depressing as it is left to the elements and the weather, and eroding from rain, shine, snow and the people and creatures that interact with it and the changing scenery. Still, the tone of the song would be quietly enduring, as the song doesn't come across as angsty.
• Grow With Me (3:33) - The B-Side to Wall, Interrupted. Carefully listening, the song is a reverse of Wall Interrupted's melody, played at a different time and higher tempo. This is the story of a tree that grew near the wall being interrupted, how it was so happy to have something so stalwart by its side for all of its life, even if its roots weakened it.
• Ralt Ondo (1:44) - An adaptation of a song Aoi heard when she was on holiday at Ralt, a traditional Yamataian drum-driven work song sung by the men and women as they undertake community tasks to raise their spirits. The song is intended to be played on repeat, with short verses and chorus. The small town enjoyed some brief tourism shortly after release.
• Troublemaker (2:14) - Employing a more military drum beat, the brass band here remains quite subdued as they give a mournful dirge of the life of a troublemaker based on someone Tanaka knew during her army days.
• Captain Phoenix Suite (16:49) - Music for the Captain Phoenix Cartoon, used for scenes, musical stings, and more. Some critics state the brassy improv jazz feel of the soundtrack is very out of place in an action oriented cartoon with a masculine, forceful protagonist.
• Blastfigher Suite (14:28) - A soundtrack to a Nepleslian action movie she composed with heavy_driver which ended up being better than the movie itself. Incorporating a mix of heavy synthetics and tense string sections. Noted for a distinctly 'arcadey' feel, as though the listener's playing a game.
• Blastwave Plus SEVENTY TWO (7:22) - A noteworthy contribution to the Super Earbrickers Unite archive, made by the band's resident disk jockey, taken by recording various samples during rehearsals and splicing them together into completed songs. Some of the musicians were not pleased by having their less than spectacular moments sequenced to a catchy dance beat. Tanaka approved, however, at her section.

Any other noteworthy collaborations Aoi Tanaka has performed appear on their respective band's articles. A common joke states Aoi Tanaka is the best musical groupie in the galaxy - in both senses.

Here are the current members of Aoi Tanaka's cadre.

A former NH-22 Nekovalkyrja, now occupying a Minkan body. Blue haired, blue eyed, eccentric in costume at times, and always able to whip the crowd into a frenzy or keep them in awe. Plays the Piano if she isn't conducting the band, and composes primarily using piano-roll music programs. In addition, she seems hard-wired to move through the universe and discover new musical styles.

She has never publicised her military history, and it has lead to a lot of speculation about her past exactly, and her roles, particularly during the war against the Mishhuvurthyar. She remains tight lipped on the subject during interviews, but official records say she was a forward scout who rose to the rank of Heicho (a now defunct rank) and earned a few medals. Rumours are abounds to whether she was more instrumental, or involved in dirtier work.

A band of professional musicians from across space (and possibly even time) organised into an eclectic big band which incorporates a pair of string quartets capable of becoming a string section, and a traditional Big Band-style brass band. It continually expands and contracts. To play in Aoi Tanaka's band is a big privilege, even for one night, putting people on the road to musical stardom.

• Melinda Moore - String Quartet A, First Violin
• Karl Rembrandt - String Quartet A, Second Violin
• Taro Kenichi - String Quartet A, Viola
• Ny'bo Wal'aan - String Quartet A, Violin-Cello
• Jimi Reed - String Quartet B, First Violin
• Svetlana Antonija - String Quartet B, Second Violin
• Bal'do Zlata - String Quartet B, Viola
• Lilly Thompson - String Quartet B, Violin-Cello
• Frigg Salman, Yamada Ichiro, Ishimura Keiko, Laura Scott - Brass Section, Trumpets (4)
• Benjamin Steiner, Farah Lambie, John Podgorny, Gina Abetz - Brass Section, Tenor Trombones (4)
• Isse Nishimura - Brass Section, Bass Trombone
• Dean Morris, Agatha Miller, Batou Michio, Mifune Yui, Ar'kum Hakh'an, Nys'tuu Kalopsia - Backing Vocalists (6)
• Nick Lee - Acoustic Guitar
• Val'to Dhog - Jazz Guitar
• Jim Powell - Acoustic Bass Guitar
• Thereza Ratdko - Double Bass
• Songweaver 34-6722-8354 - Disk Jockey
• Yoshikage Jin - Percussion, Bongos
• Pete 'Chopper' Chopinhauer - Percussion, Drum Kit

rei_and_the_clovers are known interns, and later alumni of The Big Band.

String Smasher seem to be frequent collaborators with Aoi Tanaka for some reason. She finds their Nepleslian sound quite novel and endearing in the same way a puppy's cuteness and innocence is endearing.

Aoi Tanaka performs in all sorts of venues, whether they're back alley bars a cat wouldn't be caught dead pissing in, or vast opera houses festooned with glittering lights, with all the best equipment and acoustics. Worse to worse, she and her band appear as holograms on stage. They had to when Tanaka found herself 'singing' along with High Velocity Parasitic Love!

• YE32 - Still Carrying A Sword - When fans were asking for more like the Wandering Samurai Suite, Aoi responded with a more urbanised version of her sound in the Wandering Samurai Suite, bathing it in dark synthesiser and uneasiness. Sometimes nicknamed the Mercenary's Suite due to its less than savoury and more pragmatic protagonist compared to the samurai, but still determined to see their job through.
• YE33 - Let's Go Exploring! - Aoi Tanaka asked every member of her band to take a holiday for one month. In this month, they were asked to expand their horizons, and listen to all sorts of music across the universe, report back, and play something that spoke of their experiences. Every member of the band came back with something on their respective instrument whether it was a sting, a bar, four bars, or a whole page of music. It was then given to the Super Earbrickers Unite and they were commissioned/asked nicely to make a compilation. They ended up coming up a hundred and eight songs.
• YE35 - Shacking up with the Smashers - A collaboration between herself and the Earbrickers.
• YE36 - name - thing

Luca created this article on 2015/11/26 01:49.

Listen to these bands and their songs if you want to get an idea of how Aoi Tanaka's band sounds.

• Yoko Kanno - Pretty much anything she's done. Cowboy Bebop, Wolf's Rain, Ragnarok 2's OST, hundreds of other songs, soundtracks…
• Masahiro Fukuzawa - The Outfoxies OST