Abstract
Tin Drum, released in 1981, is the fifth and final studio album by the British band Japan. The members of the band were: David Sylvian, Rob Dean, Richard Barbieri, Mick Karn and Steve Jansen. The musical style of Japan is characterized with combination of new wave, indie and electronic styles, with Asian music influence from instrumentation to subject matter. The purpose of this article is to carry out an analysis of the album Tin Drum (consisting of eight songs) based on: music analysis, that is, melody, rhythm, instrumentation, musical form, the ways of structuring different sections, musical tempo and sound effects; text analysis: content, inspiration, motifs, characters, metaphors; musical–cultural context: analyze the ways and meanings of musical and cultural influences from Asia in the work and identity of the British band Japan active in the years between 1977–1982; and video analysis: the video as visual image and escort to Japan music style (use of Asian landscapes, socio-cultural and political context). An essential feature of the style of Japan is a creation of mix between Western electro pop sound with completely distinctive music culture coming from Asia. The music base is upgraded with the song titles and content of the lyrics, visual images and video releases of certain songs.
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