Stillness and motion beautifully combine in “Syllabus” (シラバス), a recent single from China’s 2nd mini album, “DOCCI”.

Elegant chamber pop of this track is filled with Kyoko Shiina’s sad singing and a little complicated lyrics – not far away from another wonderful Japanese female singer, Cocco.

“We are alive now, but I get sleepy when I’m starving” – she sings with the mood uncertainly swinging between “We” and “I”.

It sounds like a wish when she demands, “You can’t fly away, you should stand upright on your feet, young man”. Later she wonders “where all the swallows have gone, while they are supposed to play around”. But the song eventually sounds surprisingly hopeful, as the group goes beyond stereotypes, and makes us shiver delicately.

Chiina (チーナ) was formed in 2007 and consists of Kyoko Shiina on vocals and piano, Yukako Shiba on violin, Leader on guitars and microKorg, Eri Hayashi on contrabass and Happy on drums. Treating each instrument very individually, they create a unique sound as a band.

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For more information, visit Chiina’s official website or follow them on Facebook. You can also check out Twitter profiles of the band’s members: Kyoko Shiina, Leader, Yukako Shiba, Eri Hayashi and Happy.