Issue #2 of Last night's stay in Solitude Hotel Fanzine serues

3. For more details,
follow us on twitter at
@NightStayMBG
To all guests:
A Maison book girl Documentary Series Subtitling Project
Reflection
We hope you’ll continue on with us in our appreciation of what this
group accomplished and how they inspired us, the fans.
“Afternoon Reading” will continue as long as there are those who
wish to contribute, even if the format might vary at times going
forward.
It’s been 4 months now since the disbandment; the members have all
announced their plans for the future and ilie has finally began its
activies taking Sakurai’s sound in a different direction...
But there is much of the group’s output the western audience hasn’t
gotten the chance to experience fully yet.
Some of which they all made sure we’ll never get to.
With a wealth of video content we can look back on,
we’ve decided put forth the effort to ensure that curious fans
of now and the future can enjoy a more complete history of
Maison book girl.

15. I am a professional musician who has been active in many genres for the last 32 years,
and my ravenous search for interesting music led me J-Pop- and to Maison book girl and
Sakurai Kenta’s writing and production.
The first thing I noticed about their output was the time signatures steering away from
straight 4:4 (a commonality in pop music), and the tendency for signatures to change
within a song. Raincoat is a good example – we have the opening riff, and verses in bars
of 5 beats, then a section in 5 beats, the prechorus in 6 beats, then the chorus which
feels like 5 beats. After the 2nd chorus there’s an instrumental section in 8 beats. The
way these bars are rhythmically punctuated and varied keep the listener guessing. This
is unique to see in pop music.
The next thing I noticed is the huge influence of minimal classical music on Sakurai
Kenta’s compositions, and especially that of Steve Reich. Many of his repeated motifs
and chords reference Reich’s. His 10min long instrumental “int” on the “ image” album is
almost like an homage – especially the chords when the voice comes in which are similar
to a couple of minutes into Music For A Large Ensemble. On Raincoat... I’m reminded
a little of sections of Eight Lines (Octet). I noticed this in the finale to amiinA’s “eve” as
well, which strongly references Reich’s “Music For 18 Musicians”.
The other thing of note is his choice of instrumentation – in earlier releases, it was often
made up of simple sampled instruments, like guitar samples, marimbas (another Reich
influence), and a basic drum machine. Raincoat... was the first time I noticed the main
riff was firmly focused on string section samples. On rooms, the strings are there, but so
firmly cut through by the marimba & guitar stabs; I notice them less. The strings on the
opening riff of Raincoat give the piece a different, classical feel compared to other songs.
And from here on you see his sound pallete broaden further.
The way Sakurai Kenta explored these devices, especially in a pop song genre, how the 4
members managed to learn, sing, and dance to them, and how they were incorporated
into live shows which resembled art installations are what set Maison book girl apart.
Already wounded by the disbandment of their contemporaries sora tob sakana and
amiinA in 2020, Maison book girl’s departure is a real body blow to the roster of the
more artistic presenting acts in the alternative idol scene.
minimalism
音
時
間

16. (LastNightremix)
A n i g h t ’s s t a y i n
S o l i t u d e H o t e l

17. Contributing artists:
@tess_something
@displaytoy
@bukugal
@lobfcanti
おかえ
りさよなら
(LastNightremix)
H o t e l S t a f f
remix by francis|cotorie
@unclechristo
www.chrisconway.org
@cotorie
Raincoat, time, minimalisms & sounds
written by Chris Conway