Ikebana Online by Bubble Keiki
On βIkebana Onlineβ Bubble Keiki manages to do what only the very best are able to achieve: Give each individual listener the feeling that this was somehow created for them specifically. The album obviously comes from the heart (and a rather unpleasant personal experience, recounted in the origin story to the album), and fortunately none of that authentic energy gets lost in the listening experience.
Right from very first track βJiyukaβ, a slow-building introduction with a serene vocal by the artist himself, the album entrances the listener fully. The rest of the A side is mainly made up of an eclectic string of dreampunk-ish outings, ranging from dreamy moments of dark quietness to reverberatingly epic scenes full of light. The flipside highlights a calmer more ambient approach, with the occasional melody that seems to tell the story of how Ikebana helped the artist on his way to recovery.
Everything is in its right place on βIkebana Onlineβ. Much like the title-giving art of flower arrangement, the album strives to create a perfect balance in every aspect. It's our luck as listeners that he absolutely manages to do just that.
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From the artist's original liner notes:
In 2019 Bubble Keiki got struck down by severe illness. Multiple inpatient hospital stays and finally surgical intervention were necessary to ease the ailments to a tolerable degree.
In this time of uncertainty and pain BK discovered a strange attraction for Ikebana (japanese art of flower arrangement) tutorial videos on youtube. Those videos, albeit being often low quality, had a strange soothing effect on the troubled mind and body of the sickened artist.
This album is inspired by this cumbersome journey. Agitated lo-fi noises meet soothing melody lines and etheral pads mimicking the ups and downs, hopes and troubles, that come with long lasting illness and slow recovery.
Ikebana Online is a symbol of hope. A promise, that relief can be found even during the darkest hours of existence in the most unusual places.
Tracklist
| 1. | Jiyuka | 5:53 |
| 2. | Rikka Shimputai | 5:04 |
| 3. | Moribana | 4:34 |
| 4. | Shoka | 3:39 |
| 5. | Chabana | 4:38 |
| 6. | Rikka | 6:17 |
| 7. | Shimentai | 4:59 |
Credits
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All music, lyrics and vocals written and performed by Bubble Keiki.
Album artwork by the amazing Jens Ingelse.
Tape design by LIMINAL GARDEN.
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Support Bubble Keiki here:
bubblekeiki.bandcamp.com
twitter.com/BubbleKeiki
linktr.ee/bubblekeiki
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Support Jens Ingelse here:
twitter.com/jens_ingelse
instagram.com/jens_ingelse
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Originally released on artist Bandcamp on February 1, 2020
