ravings

So, BABYMETAL. The fusion of Japanese teen idol tropes with those of death metal. I've been spending some time with their music, and I've been a little surprised at what I've found there.

For instance, the track, "Megitsune" ("Vixen"). In Japanese mythology, foxes ("kitsune") are trickster changelings, usually female, and often wicked.



The lyrics of this song actually discuss the implied sexism of the kitsune myth and tie it into the inherent contradictions that Japanese women face in their lives. This is not the sort of subject matter you'd expect from a musical act like this (and it's very cunning to sneak tracks like this in with all the Gimme Chocolate stuff). I don't think you'd get away with lyrics like this in the standard Japanese teen idol setting, and you don't exactly see women's issues discussed regularly in death metal either. Another reason this group (and this song in particular) is fascinating as a mash-up of different musical cultures. I think whoever masterminded this is a genius.

My transcription and translation of the lyrics to "Megitsune" is below. ( Read more... )