We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Circlesong

by Aaken / Tôn Thât An

/

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      €10 EUR  or more

     

1.
Ma-hat-nha-ba-la-mat-đa (Prayer) 06:31
info
buy track
2.
Love and Long (thương nhớ ai) 04:28
lyrics
buy track
Hoa thương nhớ ai, Hoa rơi xuống đất. Khăn thương nhớ ai, Khăn vắt lên vai Đèn thương nhớ ai, Mà đèn không tắt. Mắt thương nhớ ai, Mắt mở thâu đêm Does the flower long and love for someone? It has fallen to the ground Does the scarf long and love for someone? It is flung over the shoulder Does the lamp love and long for someone? It never goes out Do the eyes love and long for someone? They are open all night (Translation by Keith Bosley)
3.
Whirlwind 04:38
lyrics
buy track
Wake up in the funhouse Jump into the looking glass Give your mind a switch off Come with me, fall off the map Show me what you want to feel Tell me what you think is real Sneaking through the jungle floor Don't be afraid, step to the fore I'm on a high And turn myself into a whirlwind of more I'm on a high Unleash your spirit from its cell Want to step into you now Float me through your body Sink into the naked crowd Tasting every colour Gliding at the sound of (your zip) Rewind me till you get to one It doesn't hurt, don't stop the fun You don't have to load the dice Time to forget the how's and why's I'm on a high And turn myself into a whirlwind of more I'm on a high Unleash your spirit from its cell Want to step into you now Wake in the funhouse Jump into the looking glass Give your mind a switch off Come with me, fall off the map I'm on a high I'm on a high Tell me what you want to feel (I'm on a high) Tell me what you think is real (I'm on a high) I can be your snoop dog Barking at the wrong tree I can be your game boy I can be your giving tree I'm on a... high Words by Aaken & Lara Arabian, 2001
4.
Một ngày như mọi ngày (A Day like any other Day) 06:04
lyrics
buy track
Một ngày như mọi ngày, em trả lại đời tôi Một ngày như mọi ngày, ta nhận lời tình cuối Một ngày như mọi ngày, đời nhẹ như mây khói Một ngày như mọi ngày, mang nặng hồn tả tơi Một ngày như mọi ngày, nhớ mặt trời đầu môi Một ngày như mọi ngày, đau nặng từng lời nói Một ngày như mọi ngày, từng mạch đời trăn trối Một ngày như mọi ngày, đi về một mình tôi Những sông trôi âm thầm Đám rong rêu xếp hàng Những mặt đường nằm câm Những mặt người buồn tênh Sóng đong đưa linh hồn Có mưa quanh chỗ nằm Mãi một đời về không Trong chập chùng thác nguồn Một ngày như mọi ngày, đi về một mình tôi Một ngày như mọi ngày, quanh đời mình chợt tối Một ngày như mọi ngày, giọng buồn lên tiếp nối Một ngày như mọi ngày, xe ngựa về ngủ say Một ngày như mọi ngày, em trả lại đời tôi Một ngày như mọi ngày, xếp vòng tay oan trái Một ngày như mọi ngày, từng chiều lên hấp hối Một ngày như mọi ngày, bóng đổ một mình tôi... Words by Trịnh Công Sơn A day like any other day You gave me back my life A day like any other day I received the last words of love A day like any other day Life seemed as light and smoke A day like any other day I carried my tattered soul A day like any other day I missed the sun on your lips A day like any other day Your words hung heavy on my mind A day like any other day My life, pieces of agonising life A day like any other day Come and go I am all alone Rivers flow noiseless Seaweeds float in line Street lies speechless Human faces, a sight of sorrow The wave lull my soul The rain rattle round me bed A whole life ends in hollowness Among the mass of springs and falls A day like any other day Come and go I'm all alone A day like any other day Life suddenly grows dark A day like any other day Voices of sadness rise, unending A day like any other day The hourse carriage returned from a sleep of peace A day like any other day A day like any other day You gave back my life A day like any other day I put aside these arms of woe A day like any other day Evening came after evening A day like any other day Shadows spread over my loneliness (Translation by Tâm Quỳ)
5.
Hôm qua 05:07
lyrics
buy track
Hôm qua ra đứng bờ ao, Trông cá, cá lặn, trông sao, sao mờ. Buồn trông con nhện giăng tơ, Nhện ơi nhện hỡi, nhện chờ mối ai? Buồn trông chênh chếch sao Mai, Sao ơi sao hỡi nhớ ai sao mờ? Đêm đêm tưởng giải Ngân Hà, Chuôi sao tinh Đẩu đã ba năm tròn. Đá mòn nhưng dạ chẳng mòn, Tào Khê nước chảy hãy còn trơ trơ. *** Last night I stood by the pond, I looked at the fish, the fish dived, I looked at the star, its light dimmed. Sad, I looked at the spider weaving its web Spider, spider, who are you longing for? Sad, night after night I think of the Milky Way - where the celestial lovers would meet I've been looking at the starry sky These three years past The stone may wear out Flow and flow the brook, my heart will not sway (Translated by Tâm Quỳ)
6.
Nachtreise 05:12
info
buy track
7.
Star in the Sun 06:26
lyrics
buy track
They loved the star lost in light But you looked into your darkness Started walking your own way To be yourself To see yourself Beyond the velvet carpet Venus at the drive-in Platinum smile next door You radiate You scintillate (And) the crowds want more Gave away your jewels In a brown paper bag Nothing had a price tag You cast your pearls Before the swine At Hollywood and Vine Venus at the drive-in Platinum smile next door You scintillate You radiate (And) the crowds want more When your heart was almost shattered For all the hopes they were taking Did your laughter mingle with Power minds Dollar signs You need another line Venus at the drive-in Platinum smile next door You scintillate You radiate And the crowd still wants more And the crowd still wants more Words by Karen Isgrig, 2004
8.
Hell Fire 04:41
lyrics
buy track
Wide green eyes look into me Hair dancing, long and golden In the twilight, in the twilight She is beckoning me To an infant kiss My lips moisten to her opne loins I met the gaze that fixes me A tear falls to replenish my sight To the vision before me With great might I drive into The deep hollow of her musk She laughs to cry Of her heart's desire As we are lost and spent In the wrath of hell fire Words by Devon Ingram
9.
Goovy 04:40
lyrics
buy track
Break what you cannot keep Feel the bleeding When I’m crawling Out of your filthy tomb of lies Peel off the pain No more flying To your gilded paradise Sweep Every inch, every piece of me The tears you show make me smile I hear All the songs that you stole from me I left the face of you behind You can drown In your little pool Pool of darkness Where you tricked me With your sighs in disguise Time to quit the game Your crying Sounds like smoke in the air Grieve On the tears that you shed for me An empty promise I won’t buy I hear All the songs That you stole from me I left the sight of you behind Fake what you cannot feel Does it hurt you? It’s a grain that you missed In your twisted mind Time to look inside Let it find you You can run from yourself anymore Gone All my misery Down To melancholy Drop All this yearning You won’t fool me Words by Aaken, 1999
10.
Healing 05:40
lyrics
buy track
I don't know I don't know why My eyes would never see And why my mouth was dry But never drink The lips that never spoke The heart that never felt Where is the path I'm walking Taking me to? You I see you Soothe All my wounds You I see you Soothe All my wounds I don't know I don't know why My voice would never sing How long has my soul Remained umoved The tear that's never shed The air that's never breathed What is this shining light showing me? You I see you Soothe All my wounds You I see you Soothe Whisper words of healing Come to me Won't you come to me You I see you Soothe All my wounds You I see you Soothe Whisper words of healing Words by Aaken, 2000
11.
Ta thấy em (Rừng xưa đã khép) [Long Version] 08:36
lyrics
buy track
Ta thấy em trong tiền kiếp với cọng buồn cỏ khô Ta thấy em đang ngồi khóc khi rừng chiều đổ mưa Rừng thu lá úa em vẫn chưa về Rừng đông cuốn gió em đứng bơ vơ Ta thấy em trong tiền kiếp với mặt trời lẻ loi Ta thấy em đang ngồi hát khi rừng về nhiều mây Rừng thu thay lá mây bay buồn rầu Rừng đông buốt giá mưa bay rạt rào Ta vẫn mong ta chờ mãi trên từng ngày quạnh hiu Ta vẫn mong em về đấy cho đời bày cuộc vui Mùa xuân đã đến em hãy quay về Rừng xưa đã khép em hãy ra đi Rừng xưa đã khép , rừng xưa đã khép em hãy ra đi Words by Trịnh Công Sơn *** I saw you in a former life, with a dry blade of grass I saw you sitting there, crying in the evening rain Autumns leaves have withered dead, and you're still far away Winter wind comes swirling, you stand there forlorn I saw you in a former life, and the lonely sun You sat there singing, the forest turned cloudy Leaves changed to red and gold, the sorrowful rain drifts by The wintry forest, cold rain pours down, a rattling sound Yet I keep on hoping, and waiting, each day a day of loneliness I keep on hoping, theday you reappear, life will be revels and feast Now Spring is here, please come back The forest of old is drawned to a close, please step out (Translated by Tâm Quỳ)
12.
Un-me 05:32
lyrics
buy track
Gone is my memory Gone is what used to be Buried outside of me All my old beliefs Sky open up for me Light flow out of me Past I no longer need Tell me I’m not my un-me I come from fear Of what I didn’t know Of what I have been told And taught in vain Standing so still Behind my red line Fragments of my life Crash before me Gone is my memory Gone is what used to be Buried outside of me All my old beliefs Sky open up for me Light flow out of me Past I no longer need Tell me I’m not my un-me No guilt no shame For what I haven’t done For what I chose to drown into silence Learning to fall From where I couldn’t see I found I could control my flight I’m not my un-me I’m not my un-me Gone is my memory Gone is what used to be Buried outside of me All my old beliefs Sky open up for me Light flow out of me Past I no longer need Tell me I’m not my un-me I am not my un-me I am not my un-me Words by Aaken, Lara Arabian & Allon Conway
13.
Second Breath 04:58
lyrics
buy track
So still is the street we lived on So still are your lights that once winked at me My eyes strain to catch you familiarity Not a signal you see Not a signal you make How old is the air I’m breathing How vast is the darkness where I cannot be The skin that I fought to hold on to Never taught me to live Never taught me to choose I’ve seen it on the mountain I’ll seek it from beyond, overseas And I’ll sing it Over and over Till the evening falls on my days I wonder how it hurts if I try to live So broken, but not over You let go, you push me on So sweet is my wake from the inside Within comes the good Within comes the strength to go I’ve seen it on the mountain I’ll seek it form beyond, overseas And I’ll sing it Over and over Till the evening falls on my days Words by Aaken & Lara Arabian, 2000

about

Aaken's first collection of songs written between 1998 and 2001. The recording process was done in cities where he had lived, for a long or shorter period of time (Vienna, London, Tokyo and of course Paris), with musicians he met along the way, who would lend him their talent and time and allow him to slowly shape up the sound of the songs.
'Circlesong' also includes two songs by Vietnamese poet and songwriter Trịnh Công Sơn, who gave Aaken his blessing but sadly didn't live long enough to hear how his songs had been revisited.

credits

released October 13, 2005

Written, produced and arranged by Aaken except: 4 & 11 written by Trịnh Công Sơn | 3 & 13 written by Aaken & Lara Arabian | 8 written by Aaken & Devon Ingram | 12 written by Aaken, Lara Arabian & Allon Conway | 7 writen by Aaken & Karen Isgrig | 1 & 9 produced by Aaken & Microthol.

Engineered and recorded by Rémy Chatton (Studio de la Roquette, Paris), Michel Sikiotakis (Oscillo Studio, Paris), Microthol (Microthol Studio, Vienna), Kazumusa Matsui (Studio ‘Rain Drop’ Hz Inc, Tokyo) & Aaken (Flying Home Studio, Paris, Taipei & London) | Edited and mixed by Rémy Chatton
Photography: Philippe Fontaine | Artwork: Aaken

Personal:
Aaken: vocals, piano, synths, programming, drums, percussions & extra beats
Christophe Boissière: Cello solo
Koji Yoda: Violin solo
Nima Tagnadossi: Viola solo
Lea Waldberg, Stefan Sibert: Violins
Christophe Saunière: Harp
Charlie Beklen: Guitar
Allen Yeh: Erhu
Aurélien Aries (from Underwire): Guitar
Yuka Annaka (from Anmitsu): Shamisen
Rémy Chatton: Guitar, bass
Himan Nath: Tablas
Microthol: Electronics, synths and programming
Musoso Akwesi: Drums
Kumi Kindaichi (from Anmitsu): Vocals
Isabelle Thomas: Soprano, vocals
Haïm Isaac, Jean-Marc Colet, Matias Chebel & Daniel Bourgy: Choir

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Aaken / Tôn Thât An image

Aaken / Tôn Thât An 台北市, Taiwan

Aaken is the stage name of Tôn-Thât An, a French born Vietnamese singer, composer, songwriter and pianist.

He blends his love for classical music, an indie pop/rock sensitivity, electronic sounds and beats to his Asian roots and a cinematic approach to music.

His field of action spans music for contemporary dance, theatre plays, film score, and many, many songs ... more

contact / help

Contact Aaken / Tôn Thât An

Streaming and
Download help

Report this album or account

If you like Aaken / Tôn Thât An, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featuring Riley Pinkerton (aka The Rat Queen) from the theatrical NYC rockers, Castle Rat.
listen now