A clear blue sky, dew, Hoshi No Koe.
Ryan Hennessy | Albany, NY | 06/20/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"What I really like about Japanese elctronica guy Nobukazu Takemura's new is album is the restraint he shows. On the whole, Hoshi No Koe is a very gentle album. I have little else to go on, but it seems to me that Takemura is a very talented guy. Instead of running wild, he sticks with a lot of loops and pretty simple songs with short interludes of noise. But even the noise isn't that noisy.He opens with "One Day," one of the couple short songs on the record that sound like cartoon music. This is the type of thing that plays while the little bunny rabbits are hopping around and just basically acting cute. It fits the album cover well. "Anemometer" goes in a different direction. It loops a simple contemplative synth line throughout and puts in and takes away some soft percussion, bass and piano sounds. "Honey Comb" is the first noise track, although as I said, it isn't that noisy, since silence plays just as big a part as the clicks and whirrs. Takemura's machine seems to labor through this track to get to the next, another cute cartoon melody for curious little kittens."Sign" is the only attempt at catchy pop music on the record, but it doesn't seem out of place at all since it uses a lot of the same sounds from other tracks and makes extensive use of the skipping CD, one of Takemura's favorite instruments. After this there's a couple more songs where I'd basically be repeating myself if I described them. Takemura likes to keep his machines clean and his songs uncluttered. A cup of hot tea, a breath of fresh air, and Hoshi No Koe. Cleansing, refreshing, and pleasant. Put it on while you read."
"Hoshi No Koe" = So-So
svf | 03/28/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Having found Nobukazu Takemura's "Scope" CD one of the most engaging, fascinating, and beautiful things I've ever heard, I was really looking forward to hearing his latest release, "Ho Shi No Koe". After several hopeful listenings, I'm sorry to say it just doesn't live up to these high expectations. The music here is more repetetive, less otherworldly, and just not as interesting as Takemura's "Scope" or his excellent remix of "Proverb" on the "Reich Remixed" CD. The tracks range from seemingly random blips and bleeps to trance-like repetitions of chords with drum machines and processing layered on top. The pseudo-boroque melodic tunes just don't quite work and sound sort of cheezy. While there's plenty to enjoy here, I don't see myself listening to this CD with repeated amazement as I do with "Scope." Perhaps this music is more representative of Takemura's "Child's View" alter ego, I don't know.In general, this is a fairly good release in the "experimental electronica" category, but if you're expecting something as inventive and amazing as the sonic splendor of "Scope," you will be underwhelmed."
Great stuff - childish soundscapes
ytersakita | Denmark | 10/10/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"great deep electronic. Eciting soundscapes that really grows on you. Give it time and you'll see. 'Sign' somehow stands out. track 10 has a simple beuty and track 1, 4 and 9 somehow the most childlike and profound"
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1