From kissa bars to city pop, Western fascination with Japanese musical tradition is a well-worn trope at this point. But Portland ambient duo Visible Cloaks have set themselves apart from the trend-chasing masses through their genuinely meaningful contributions to Japanese genre kankyō ongaku, or “environmental music.” Last year, Spencer Doran, who makes up the group alongside Ryan Carlile, curated the Grammy-nominated compilation Kankyō Ongaku: Japanese Ambient, Environmental & New Age Music 1980-1990; and the duo’s latest album, Paradessence, continues to build on kankyō ongaku’s praxis by making music for the world we’re in, as opposed to the futurist utopias. Their first album in nine years, Paradessence, surveys a global landscape defined by genocide, climate catastrophe, and post-pandemic disorder with clarity, weaving unnerving builds with gorgeous, blooming moments best listened to in one fell swoop.
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Ed O’Brien: Blue Morpho [Transgressive]
Radiohead may be back in the touring mix, but that’s not stopping guitarist Ed O’Brien from continuing to nurture his solo work—and, in doing so, grappling with some of life’s hard truths. In a press statement, O’Brien said that his new album Blue Morpho, which follows his 2020 debut Earth, was written during one of “the most challenging periods” of his life, earmarked by a deep depression that wracked him in late 2020 and the hours of daily guitar playing that led to a light at the end of the tunnel. Produced by Paul Epworth and featuring Shabaka Hutchings and composer Tõnu Kõrvits, the album arrives alongside an accompanying short film, Blue Morpho: The Three Act Play.
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