Curveland
Price 24.14 USD
Aus is Yasuhiko Fukuzono from Tokyo, Japan, and this is his fifth solo album. Fukuzono is a mere 23 years of age, and already he has put his name to a quite substantial body of work, developing his production talents from glacial electronic experimentation to pure vocal pop. This latest release shows a sensitive side to Fukuzono"s production and slots in perfectly to the Moteer core sound. Tempered glitches and subtle melodies are draped with ethereal pads and utterly charming female vocals, and it comes as little surprise to hear that the musician moonlights as a soundtrack producer. Indeed, there is something delicately cinematic about Curveland, and not in the way you might think -- there"s none of the menace of Angelo Badalamenti or the forced grandeur of John Williams here, rather, we are treated to the soundtrack of a simple film about love, say, Brief Encounter or fittingly, Lost in Translation. The best comparison might be made with the fabulous Piana (released on Taylor Deupree"s Happy label) who similarly made waves on the electronic scene with her delicate synthetic pop sounds, yet Fukuzono also has something deeply unique. Unlike his contemporaries in the Japanese scene, he seems to fit in perfectly with Moteer"s pastoral and unashamedly British vision -- long green grass, knitted sweaters and hot cups of tea. This bright-eyed homespun sentiment is exactly what makes Curveland so hard to forget -- so don"t resist, let Fukuzono wrap you up with the most gorgeous audio this side of Tokyo.