Artist : Chihei Hatakeyama
Title : The River
Genre : Ambient
Year : 2009
Date : 12/2009
Bitrate : VBR kbps
Tracks : 10
Label : hibernate
Source : CDDA
Encoder : Lame 3.97
Length : 46:56 min
Size : 53,5 MB
Tracklist:
----------
01.Jade Green River 03:34
02.Under The Sun 06:22
03.Light Drizzle 05:05
04.Mud 01:04
05.Gray Hued Sky 04:45
06.Twilight Gloom 06:09
07.A House In The Fog 02:13
08.Lance And Arrow 04:59
09.A Temple In The Past 02:59
10.Phantasm 09:46
-------
46:56 min
Limited edition 500 CD in a digipack.
Artwork by Alexander Archer-Todde.
Release date: 19th September 2009.
Chihei Hatakeyama is a Japanese artist
living on the outskirts of Tokyo who
produces some of the most beautifully
refined and emotive ambient music
around. With releases on Kranky, Room
40, Under the Spire, Magic Book Records,
Spekk (as Opitope) and now Hibernate
Records, he has quickly established a
solid and unique footing in the genre. I
have followed ChiheiÆs work since his
first full-length release on Kranky in
2006, Minima Moralia, which remains one
of my favorite albums to this day. This
album is full of dense drones and
texture with suggestive melodic phrases
intervening at just the right moments.
The River is a step in a different
direction, with a strong theme and
trajectory from start to finish that
becomes all the more apparent when
listened to in appreciation of one of
ChiheiÆs influences û the film
Apocalypse Now directed by Francis Ford
Coppola. ôYou know why you can never
step into the same river twice? àÆcause
the river is always moving.ö A curious
quote from this film where the Nung
river is the lifeblood for the local
population as well as the occupying
soldiers, but is also symbolic of the
the progression and struggle of humanity
against herself and nature.
In his words, ChiheiÆs productions can
be described as ômemory-evoking
soundscapesö composed ôwith various
recorded materials of acoustic
instruments such as guitars, vibraphone,
and pianoàplayed by hand and processed
time and time again via laptop.ö The
River opens with Jade Green River, a
track that builds with swaying tones in
the higher frequencies, but with relief
provided by a reassuring, resolving
drone in the lower frequencies. This
sets the fluxuating mood for the album.
The music ebbs and flows, interspersed
with soft, warm moments like light
drizzle, to darker, mysterious pieces
like a temple in the past. This is an
engaging piece of work that satisfies
greatly when listened to on headphones,
but also provides an introspective
atmosphere when listened to at low
volume over loud speakers. This is a
real gem of a release û a hopeful sign
of what we might expect in the future
from Chihei and from Hibernate
recordings.
Jordan Sauer (Segue)
Tracklist:
1. jade green river
2. under the sun
3. light drizzle
4. mud
5. grey hued sky
6. twilight gloom
7. a house in the fog
8. lance and arrow
9. a temple in the past
10. phantasm
http://hibernate-recs.com