Homo Gestalt

"Homo is the genus of the various species of (relatively) modern humans, including us, the Homo Sapiens. Gestalt is German for “figure, shape, or form” but in English and certain fields it's come to mean a “collection of physical, biological, psychological, or symbolic entities that creates a unified concept, configuration, or pattern which is greater than the sum of its parts (of a character, personality, or being)”.

The concept of a “Homo Gestalt” as such comes from the Theodore Sturgeon novella "Baby is Three", later reworked into the novel More Than Human. [In them,] the Homo Gestalt is a new life form “formed by the symbiosis of four or more humans with paranormal abilities” that's apparently the next evolutionary step of human consciousness.

The song hints at a sort of global or group consciousness. But it could also be about the joys of satellite radio."

Lyrics

 * 1 "The word I translated as “helplessness” also can be used to mean “isolation” or “cut off from others”. (It's actually the word the media has been using to describe people cut off from the outside world after the 3/11 disaster in Japan.)"
 * 2 "“BS” probably means “broadcast satellite”, since the abbreviation was used specifically for an older series of Japanese satellites. These satellites were used in part to broadcast digital radio programs to subscribers in Japan. Most interestingly, there was a satellite radio company called St.GIGA (GIGA again!) that started regular broadcasts in 1991 (preceding the release of the album “Homo Gestalt” is on). The broadcasts used an innovative format that made music flow without interruption like tides. They apparently become very popular among people in the relatively new “ambient, mood, and electronic scene” of Japan at the time. So a “BS tune” is probably a satellite radio broadcast. The “homo gestalt” could be the connection of all the listeners in a music-inspired consciousness. (What is going on in this song, really.)
 * According to Wikipedia, St.GIGA's slogan and such were also inspired by Kurt Vonnegut's novel The Sirens of Titan."
 * 3 "Not sure what a “G” is. Given the “tune" in this verse it could be the musical note with a falling intonation. But “G” is also the symbol for “Giga”. And the symbol for the gravitational constant. And a bunch of other things. Maybe it's just “G” for “Gestalt”."
 * 4 "May also be referring to a megacity."
 * 5 "Presumably “PEACE” is a play on words with “PIECE”. The “you” in this song is maybe an island of peace in this setting or the only thing at peace with itself now, but just one “piece” of something bigger."

Connections

 * This song shares some theming and terminology with "Moon Plant-II".