#i really love the windows and the light flares and the fantasy vibe of it all

[hitorimaron]

Inspired by Science And Progress Do Not Speak As Loud As My Heart by @solitude-of-stars

[thesunlounge]

Reviews 120: 雲の向こう (Kumo No Muko)

Jazzy Couscous take a deep dive into the blissed out balearic textures of 1980s Japan with 雲の向こう: A Journey Into 80s Japan’s Ambient and Synth-Pop Sound. This magical collection is the result of over a decade of patient digging by co-label head Alixkun and sees him sharing some of the wide-eyed and adventurous sounds he’s discovered…sounds that are full of drifting wonder and shining innocence. Every song is a self-contained fantasy universe and the whole compilation recalls pastoral jazz, minimalism, and progressive and psychedelic folk as strongly as it does ambient, synth-pop, and new age. The compositions move with an exciting and often unexpected energy, and several of them (Masaaki Ohmura’s “A Touch of Temptation” and Mami Koyama’s “Love Song”) are now among my favorite songs ever. And accompanying the dreamtime musical journey is a stunning 2xLP layout with illustrations by Lucy Harris. The front and gatefold pieces so perfectly match the vibe of the music and the rear cover is quite unique, with Lucy delivering wonderful hand-drawn renditions of each and every album cover from which the songs were pulled. All in all, it’s one of the years most amazing packages, both sonically and visually.

雲の向こう: A Journey Into 80s Japan’s Ambient and Synth-Pop Sound (Jazzy Couscous / HMV, 2018) Takashi Kokubo’s “Underwater Dreaming” alternates back and forth between two movements: one comprised of radiant waterfalls of glistening harps and echoing chimes backgrounded by swelling romantic orchestrations and glassy pianos, the other focused around dreamy plucked string arpeggios and hollow bass notes, gliding and gliding, with synthetic panpipes floating in the sunlight. It’s ecstatic and joyous, as the senses are overwhelmed by a subaqueous wonderland of shimmering lights and flowing colors. There is a Canterbury feel to “Kitsu Tsuki” by Keizo Inoue, based around a squelching sequence under warehouse reverb, blissed out acoustic guitar locking into 60s psychfolk fingerpicking, and breathy woodwinds dropping pointillist and exploratory solos. It’s rustic and futuristic progfolk for afternoon picnics surrounded by infinitely stretching expanses of flowers, with sunshine raining down and a few storm clouds hovering in the distance. We head further into realms of progged out psychedelia with Nobuyoshi Ino’s “Window”, starting on a weirdly flowing synth sequence sounding like shattered starlight. Then the song morphs deliriously through several varied sections, including pastoral psychedelia with massive bass and kosmische flying saucers, moonlit serenades led by aching cellos, 70s krautfolk with flowing leads washing over gentle chords and liquid bass guitar, blazing acoustic guitar solos like solar flares, and big rushes of anthemic and arena-sized synthesizers recalling nothing so much as Rush that lead to powerful builds and mournful jazz anticlimaxes.

“A Touch of Temptation” by Masaaki Ohmura is stunning, starting with a slow stomping kick drum and wiggling synthbass textures overlaid by glistening pads and repeated chimes, the vibe similar the horizontal leaning moments of Atlas’ Breeze. There are also shimmering ocean guitar atmospheres that cascade alongside seaside pads and unexpected explosions into schmaltzy sax perfection. And as the song really takes off with nostalgic synth fantasias underliyng Café del Mar guitars, it feels like sailing off the coast of some fabulous island with white sand sparkling like a field of diamonds and green palms blowing in the breeze. At the other end of the B-side sits Shigeru Suzuki’s “Silver Snow Shining” and its early post-rock perfection comprised of washing echo guitar riffs, cycling digital pianos, and new age harps. The mix is eventually joined by a tapestry of chimes…like vibrating metallic light, and basslines underlying the ambient dreamscape with fretless fusion spells (and a subtle 50s pop vibe). It all comes together like sunlight refracting off snow, with every single flake emitting a harmonious and pastel-hued rainbow. In between, Miyako Koda delivers a soft lullaby above lustrous strings and glossy chiming synths. This is dip in the pool’s “Kuroi Dress No Onna,” also replete with moments of sliding funk bass and smashing downtempo rhythms. The chorus is like an enveloping dream with shades of Julee Cruise and Twin Peaks…a sparse mix, a gaseous waltz, and a cosmic angel pulling our hearts and souls into a warm ether of light and sound.

Mami Koyama’s “Love Song” is anchored by panning toms, cavernous bass drums, and pads like a majestic mountain mist. The vocals are amongst the dreamiest I have ever heard, dropping intensely emotional melodies of love that wrap my heart in a golden warmth. As the song progresses, the mix grows ever more wide-lensed and spacious, with interstellar fx flying around and sparkling guitar arpeggios raining down like neon shooting stars. And best of all, there is a jaw dropping section where the vocals are replaced by whistles and forest flutes…the beauty of it all becoming almost unbearable. Chika Asamoto’s “Obsession” exudes the atmosphere of a serene tropical bay bathed in moonlight, with everything emitting a lustrous silvery incandescence. Streaks of color move through the water in the form of square wave synth leads and melodious pianos intertwine with synthetic strings. We then flow into the peaceful motions of a towering yet barely there downtempo march, the bass and echoing snare miles apart, with most of the rhythm carried on shakers. And all the while, loving ivory melodies and meditative orchestrations weave a luminous web of harmony up in the sky. For Fumio Miyashita’s “In the Beginning,” drones from the depths of space join mutating currents of interstellar gas. It’s a striking contrast to the preceding euphoria, moving for a seeming eternity until a freaked-out motorik beat emerges. But then we take a surprising turn, as strings fade in and out like breath over a downtempo pulse, sparse chimes dance in counterpoint, and fast circling arps fade in, their shining melodies smothered in hazy filtering. Then, as brass pads swell continuously, we miraculously find ourselves waltzing on the rings of Saturn, our feet kicking up millions of particles of gleaming ice that float away in parabolic arcs.

Yoshui Suzuki’s “The Mirage” sees thick foggy pads and their disjointed yet peaceful chord progressions flowing into 808 drum accents and propulsive pianos. Galactic synths grow in strength and then recede, leaving behind a mesmeric driftscape that orbits some distant star…circling forever and ever. Then comes Yumi Murata’s “Watashi No Bus” and our most overt taste of Japanese pop yet, based as it is around jazzy machine drums and dancing e-piano chords. The vocals are expressive and sensual, sitting somewhere between a soulful croon and a sassy whisper and there are whiffs of prog in the strange stuttering flow, including sections where tapping cymbals support fluttering lounge rhythms. And after the vocals really take off, their eternal beauty backed by subdued organs, whistling tones, and swelling strings, there is a chic trumpet solo that rides the intoxicating vibe to perfection. The upbeat pop energy continues with “Itohoni” by Chakra, ending this spellbinding journey on a note of effervescent ecstasy.  We get another captivating vocal performance…spritely, almost operatic…dancing and darting over drums that move between kinetic propulsion and start/stop dominated downbeat crashing. Glowing pads and a breathtaking yet restrained psychfolk guitar performance support the irresistible singing, with the movements of the voice more akin to birds than human beings. Eventually we burst into a swaying sunshine fusion passage where exotic drums are surrounded by layers of chattering voices and there is even a bombastic ending with wild tom fills and an epic voice calling out to the horizon.

(all images from my personal copy)