Label: Enban – 12EB 129
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: Japan
Released: 2023
Genre: Folk, Electronic
Style: Indie, Folk, Abstract
Happy/sad music for interiors on the cult Tokyo label Enban.
Let’s start with the second-to-last song and work backwards. The jaw-dropping ‘太陽の彼方 (Movin')’ sprawls out from a simple repeated piano and flute melody backed by queasy microtonal violin drone. Imperceptibly it builds, adding and subtracting elements over 11 minutes until it becomes almost unbearably poignant. It’s a domestic-scale minimalist hymn that’s worth the entry price alone. But there’s more. Opener ‘Waltz’, pairs Izumi Hirakawa’s clear, unadorned vocals with grainy percussion and that heartbreaking violin/flute combination again. ‘Slow darn’ is an art film ballad in waiting (scents of Daisuki Tobari's scorched sensitivity) and ‘this heat’ begins softly chugging behind more nostalgic and unsettling strings before stuttering towards an unexpected conclusion. Allowing for the my simplistic understanding of the bewildering complexity of the scene this stuff comes out of, the influence of Tenniscoats and Maher Shalal Hash Baz seems clear. But I can also hear echoes of Flaming Tunes, the Raincoats’ bone-dry music-room post-punk and a sense memory of parlour-music improv hero Steve Beresford. A keeper for sure then, sweet and sharp, perfect music for dreaming in a half furnished room.. (Mint / New - handmade sleeve with insert)
"In winter 2020, I started practicing the piano, violin and flute. Music always brings colors and blooming flowers to my life. Thank you."
Tracklist
1. ワルツ (Waltz) 02:05
2. 帝国とお別れ (Goodbye, Babylon) 01:37
3. スロー・ダーン (Slow darn) 02:38
4. たき火 (This heat) 04:03
5. わたしの心はあなたのもの (My heart belongs to you) 02:14
6. 待つ (You will see) 02:12
7. 純粋 (Pure) 02:45
8. 2 (Two) 03:45
9. 太陽の彼方 (Movin') 11:20
