Cicada draws inspiration from the sea

"But once under the water, you have to struggle to maintain even the things you take for granted, so there is renewed reverence for the sea."

These sentiments have gone into Cicada's music.

From happy, hopeful pieces to more mellow, sobering ones, Cicada has created two albums on the subject. Most of the songs are "picturesque".

As Chiang says: "After all, we're storytellers."

Their music is also a kind of guide to Taiwan's coastline, as it depicts various terrains - from offshore islands and gravel sand beaches to schools of fish and bubbles rising from the depths of water.

They've also composed a song for Green Island, which is off eastern Taiwan.

With warm undercurrents called the Black Tide, the island and its surrounding seas are different. The island's residents live differently, too.

As Chiang says: "People on the island survive on weekly supplies shipped from the main island."

Ocean Foam, a soothing, thought-provoking piece from their latest album, Light Shining through the Sea, is for Taiwan's Alangyi Trail.

The 12-kilometer trail is one of the island's best nature reserves, displaying the diversity of its flora and fauna.

Describing it, Chiang says: "It's possibly the only place without a highway. After seeing it, we hope to chip in and preserve the rare sight as it is."

The sea-related music project took shape as environmental awareness began to grow in Taiwan in the past few years.

Then, many local artists began to create works based on the natural environment so it's protected and treasured.

sunye@chinadaily.com.cn