1. 燻銀 / IBUSHIGIN (Aged Silver)

Window poster, only cyan
How come nobody took it down, letting it fade
Dwellings lost over time
What sins have we committed

No matter how betrayed
No matter how robbed of value
Pride alone turns into values
If there's a lesson, easier tomorrow
To overcome, somebody has set
Traps and fences that confine
Candle who forgot how to shine
Downloaded how to find its wick
Where there is pride, flame burns steady
One hundred and eight times one hundred and eight desires
Where there's a compass, no reservations
Any path can be made from scratch
Cross-section of right brain agate
Pineal gland reacts, take notes while sleeping
Consciousness stays awake, pondering all night
Gently take it down at dawn

Damn it, you bastard
I bet you're looking down on people
Stop trying act all big
Stop trying to force aura
Blowing your own horn too much to bear
Exaggerating everything, nothing checks out
Where does your arrogance come from?
Just curious
Learning from behaviors, become invincible
Swaying between confidence and shame
Survive on my own terms
Grit of standing on stage, aged silver
Flashy kings can't draw crowds like pawns
Keep fighting after check mate
Pity and hatred blended well
Fall as far as you can go, let it sink in

2. 柘榴 / ZAKURO (Pomegranate)

My heart, ripe pomegranate
Cut open, myriad of
Colorful seeds made of thoughts
Trigger about to pop
My heart, ripe pomegranate
Peek inside, hung frame
Lizard and skull ukiyo-e
Stylish town, snake coiled in twilight

Semi-basement, dew on window
Seldomly morning bath out of bed
Afternoon lingering same café
Back and forth micro and macro
Be mindful of jaw angle on a stroll
Acceptance of karma
Being always on edge
Sometimes need to unwind
But before you know it, afterlife
Routes sealed off in dark wilderness
Cool desert, incessantly
Wind blows through building alleys
Holes in broken hearts make a flute
Trembling reed, sound similar to
Screech of a bat separated from flock
Enduring banquets of crickets
Faint foxfire beyond crests

Your mole and under eye
Forest owl, hoo let’s make
Warped building blocks without molds
Hundreds of faces pass through railroad crossings
Hollowness in chest cavity?
Probably connects somewhere
Heavy videos on memory media
Overwrite fail lack of space
Wasteful pride zero fill erase
Helpless in desperate situations
Cup poured to brim
Aware for a while now
We’re all alone
Still in a dream state
Mindlessly and silently seeing what sticks
Transcribe last convo before waking
Fleeting illusion of another world

3. 聖 / HIJIRI (Sacred)

Soul nurtured drinking Showa supernatant
Bottom sludge, sour taste
Or dusty manga and novel
Breath of legends left me speechless
Task of extracting meaning
Spaces between lines
Deftly spin gold thumbtacks in palm
Before long, peer into grooves shiny black discs
Philosophy deepen as needles drop
Twenties, thirties, and forties
Trace paths with renewed diligence
Sense of disconnect progressing
Numb senses, pleasant drowning
When experiment breeds conviction
Staircases form thought circuits
Flash of insight, change and reset
Power on keyboard, long hiatus

Two Technics turntables sacred altar
Titanium harder than platinum
Interview dialogue, mirrored author
Reverse engineering denied, intellectual property

Lead quietly serves as weight
Captain steers ship, drop anchor
Calm surface before storm
Narrow gaze at horizon
Quietly spread among surfers
Hummed melody tugs at heartstrings
Hint of journey's end
Bittersweet can’t be recorded
No borders detected in oceans
No discrimination race, gender, or age
Iron sharpens iron
Passion like red magma
Baton of fathers til death we trust
Traverse open seas sails unfurled
Wipe sweat, look back at waves
Ah, foams vanish without trace

Two Vestax turntables sacred altar
Titanium harder than platinum
Interview dialogue, mirrored author
Reverse engineering denied, intellectual property

4. 摩天牢 / MATENRŌ (Skyscraper)

Skyscrapers through cathode ray tube
New York epicenter of breakdancing
Fixed on graffiti age fourteen
Crucial to check everyday
Salvaging equipments used markets
Opening case hacking circuitry
1, 2, 1, 2... actually pronounced one two
Connoisseurs know collection addiction
Gathering records and sampling
Juggling two records on turntables
Finding a break all smiles
Never imitate, avoid monotony
Barricaded in lab, self hostage
Once in zone, all-nighter
Mastering autofocus anti camera shake
When it's finally done, smash steel bars

Hip-hop made possible by mixers
Culture of creativity by genuises
Street literature real experience
Boom bap reach bone marrow

Let's boost motivations
Be testaments for future generations
Right and left wings dual censorship
Ideology weapon, stick to principles
Roki Sasaki four seamer
Shiki Masaoka-style amazing spin rate
Ringing fireball streamlined
1/Sigma stainless steel resistance
Bassline low frequency burn
Midrange and treble distortion
Dopest stuff spread instantly
Crossover so wack
FYI, origin of song title
Mashup of “skyscraper” and Chinese characters
Meaning “scrape sky” and “prison cell”
Studio solitary confinement above clouds

5. 一筆 / HITOFUDE (Single Stroke)

Single stroke of pen, preceding
Irreplaceable utmost high
Something coming down, inspired ideas
Where am I headed?
Who to bump into today?
Only God knows script
Always ringing on higher plane
Sound of glass colliding
Too hard to express in words
Just simply divine
Sipping brewed coffee, heading to next destination
Mind warps while body follows
Sill low-tech but adore analog
Beloved streets, carbon copies
After all, biased society
Reciting songs, gearing up
Woodshedding at home, a hermit
You say that, but I’m squeezing
Fresh lemonade demo tape
Send it to DJ, he made a medley
Right away a new routine
Time for mental training
Gone now, don’t sweat details

Lantern flowers bloom in autumn
Veins of withered leaves, beautiful
Ordinary miracles daily
Why do we forget them?
Held very close
Promise to cherish moment
Suddenly too busy to care
Seasons come and pass
Lackadaisical work unforgivable
Not just talking good game
Fuel like firewood for bonfire
Avoid wasted energy
Realm of enlightenment
Grow older, live at ease
Have no rivals, therefore unrivaled
Overpraise is turn off
Agrression is ignored
Cast a barrier like Shinto priest
Lock up phones
Long for a life basking sunset
Scenery enhancing song, instant classic

6. 静夜思 / SEIYASHI (Quiet Night Thoughts)

Still image room
Naked light bulb sun
Empty glass on desk
Scattered eraser crumbs
Soft shadow across wallpaper
Lose myself in patterns
Then I notice neighborhood silent
Differential of changes in heart
Finally listen to ego
Translate mundane expressions
Detox for true feelings
Average idealism obsolete
Labor for something darker
Expose accumulated vomit
Ambitious wee hours
Rough drafts remain dots

Quiet night thoughts
Quiet night thoughts

Wake up to leaking headphone
Exhausted but more importantly
Clogged area magically cleared up
Things progress smoothly
Remember principle of destiny
In order to nurture gift
Shut out noise
Third lens fight algorithm
Never to be trapped
Quantum mechanics, mercy unrewarded
Master means refining craft
Savoring even slightest freedom
Days before internet, goal undetermined
Suffocating modern times
Revolution split second away
Dawn right around corner

7. 幾星霜 / IKUSEISŌ (Countless Years)

One year, one hundred, countless years
Infinite life, shining illusory moon
Ninety-nine to forever, countless years
Infinite life, illusory

Second hand ticks during struggles
Sacrificing sleep dig info
Confront lethargy, staring at screen
Comparing digital feeds
Opposite of smartphone, dumb
Expiration of hominids approaching
Fetuses once embryonic cells
009 futuristic cyborg
Living fullest until end
Swallowed by whale fermented
Playing with mysterious life forms
Natural silkworms deep ocean currents
Unparalleled world down under
No more distracting theatre
Return to land clear my head
Goodbye to shoreline digging clams

All day long, moderate intoxicant
Angel's share, five-dimensional infatuation
Look up at heavens, tiny existence
Ferns spinning celestial bodies
Observatory, spores release, evolutionary sync
Palpitations wildly
Millions of light-years away
Glittering even when blocked
Universal, everybody is same
No one exempt, pure creation
Life given, surname entrusted
Effort exerted, loyalty cherished
Yin and yang, rule of law
Rhyme and rhythm, kicking a ball
Sophisticated accent foreign upbringing
Poet exclusive neat diction

8. 浮草 / UKIKUSA (Floating Grass)

Little tease turned big trouble
Casual gesture, hint of shyness
Made me unseated, like baby tooth
Now scarred forever

At night her face flashes on ceiling
Irritated mind wanders
Pole stuck in door panel
Draft entering construction sloppy
Why leave life to chance?
Idle hands practice make perfect
Do more study less, reverse fortunes
Supporting actor turn protagonist
It all started one beach afternoon
Caught rumor of ship drifted ashore
Suddenly onlookers gathered
Took detour to nearby cove
Stray cat only companion
Then left side stray cloud
Glistening barrel swayed gently
Seaweed or jellyfish?
Vague human figure appeared
Breathtakingly beautiful woman
Eyelids burned by her visage

Pinch myself, still sane, measured ruler
Insanity, world turned on its head
Could hide her from xenophobia
In other words, protecting this woman
Matter of time before found
Cruel joke of fate, mockery
Will never hesitate to help
Her hair softer than silk
After all, she remains silent
We don’t even speak same tongue
Few days later she suddenly speaks
Voice echoed directly in my head
“Thank you for protecting me
Ever since I came to this land
I did not know a single custom
Thanks to you, you saved me
But our time, river flows
Yearn at night, bubbles burst
Life is but a luxury,
Rope around my neck.”

Can’t remember month or year later
On one rainy day
You suddenly stood up and left
Through kitchen door
Never heard again, leaves fell
Snow came and melted
By clear spring, nobody would believe
Crimson scar on my neck
Gently touched and confirmed each other
Pulled back when overflowed
Maybe just licking wounds or
Grooming furs, messing around

Simple desire to be loved
Disrobe and caress
Can’t throw tantrums as adults
Tell me no, want to do it more
Craving what was denied growing up
Wanting to fill my stomach to limit
Yet empty when satisfied
Floating grass, ephemeral life

9. 私小説 / SHISHŌSETSU (Own Novel)

Immersed in pages like novels
Narrative perspective messages spun
Slide into subway via overpass
Vaporized heat release inside train car
Nod slightly to beat remain silent
Low gaze avoid attention
Hanging ads text consumption
Thinking about bills, dreams fade away
If love is blind then love is greedy
Morality down in gutter
Media desecrates virtues
Grazing sheep with wolves
Remembering help won't arrive
Not a pessimist
Reality a giant gear, where to fit in?
Up to you to decide
Can't blame anyone, depends on how you see it
And how you show it, tangled interests
Once in a lifetime, bold performance
Patience next to none
Those who test, completely mistaken

How many bars I write, never enough
How many bars I sing, never enough
How many bars I write, never enough
Immersed in my own novel, ’tis what ’tis

There were times I was overwhelmed
By abundance of my own ideas
Couldn’t decide where to store them
When I tried to pull them out, they were stuck
Mold had grown in swampy areas
Not uncommon, kept when I had to toss
Habit of hoarding things and bits
Borderline declutter back in storage
Time to stop procrastinating already
Prioritize or trash
Was it only for looking back
Folders too hard to open
Memories weighed it down
Moving forward recommended move
Has it matured while resting
Can it be awoken if prodded
Hit or miss revealed at deadline
Good ol’ cel anime, work mode Tezuka

10. 回想録 / KAISŌROKU (Memoir)

Track cosigned by goddess
Loop and drums locked in
Dopamine rush extreme synergy
Deluge brain dead
Everyday dizzy juggling act
Hustle hard and spend last cent
Impossible to keep high tension
Been a while open sessions
Set tempo on Pro Tools
Playback on repeat
Same loop enough to feed a party
Play count for dozens
EQ is necessary
Bass kick, snare reverb
Slightly boosted hi-hat
Final touch cheat code compression
Put on favorite headphones
Blissful sound reaching both ears
No detail too little to miss
Close eyes merge with sample
Atmosphere of studio audible
Engineer's side profile evident
Above all, soulful musicians
Tool allowing me to feel
Get lost in groove
Head to shoulders, up and down diagonal
Down spine to lower back
Heart is soft, beat is hard
Music like homecooked food
Handpicked ingredients, master of kitchen
Catch me reminiscing
On hilltop nostalgic

Music like homecooked food
Handpicked ingredients, master of kitchen
Catch me reminiscing
On hilltop nostalgic
Dinner made by Mom pure magic
Fried rice with leftovers in fridge
Best table in universe grateful
Sending answers savoring bliss
Clap hands to music
Sometimes walk around foreign ports
Catch me reminiscing
On hilltop nostalgic