A Closer Listen
The new partnership of Ai Yamamoto + Dan West is dedicated to the natural world, and is available on bark or foliage vinyl. One cool aspect of the brown edition is that the grooves are reminiscent of growth rings. In like fashion, the music begins and ends in humble fashion, with a flourish in the center. One can hear springtime approaching, and at the end, receding into a soft, autumnal hush.
“Lichen” begins as softly as the early exploratory tendrils of seeds on the season’s first warm morning. Chimes twinkle in the sunlight above an ambient field. The timbre is sweet and innocent, awash in wonder. By the time the beats enter, an enchantment has been established. Those familiar with turn-of-the-century Morr Music will be ecstatic as they hear the resurrection of these warm electronic timbres.
“Komorebi” ~ a Japanese word meaning “sunlight leaking through trees,” reflects its title with an active forest of microbes and intimations of brass. The sight and the recording are each meant to produce a feeling of reflective awe. In a related fashion, the ambient “10,000 Steps” references the Japanese walking clubs of the 1960s, whose manpo-kei pedometer popularized the idea of taking 10,000 steps a day for one’s health – an idea easily connected to the more recent practice of forest bathing. When combined, these practices, and this track, suggest both movement and noticing.
A swift electronic pulse surfaces at the very end of “10,000 Steps,” foreshadowing a pair of active pieces, each suited to intentional exercise. “Pompo” is the album’s first single, a cheerful piece that references the manga and film “Pompo: The Cinéphile.” As the track develops, the beats and chime notes perform a lively pas-de-deux. “Gossamer” is even more fun, with an 80s synth line, children’s chants and a percussive veneer. One can feel the tug back into childhood, if not physically then spiritually. As children, we are enchanted by nature, allowing the spell to break as we age. Yamamoto and West remind listeners of an earlier engagement, cleverly using the compositional forms dominant in a prior decade when many current listeners were children.
And then, like a fleeting yet memorable experience, Microdoses comes to an end, cycling back to its ambient beginning, lowering itself to the earth like a forest bather to soft, welcoming loam. West’s wistful guitar conveys a sense of gratitude for the natural world, which gives so much while asking for nothing in return. (Richard Allen)
Wed Feb 19 00:01:06 GMT 2025