#parallelisme

"Parallelisme" by Japanese artist Miharu Koshi, off her 1984 album Parallelisme

An art pop staple, Miharu Koshi’s Parallelisme beautifully merged Eighties new wave with mechanical synth pop. It was mixed by the Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Haruomi Hosono. A fact worth mentioning because the mixing here is an astonishing accomplishment unto itself. The first side is poppier, more techno kayō. Opener ‘龍宮城の恋人 [Lover of Ryugu Castle]‘ , has a propellant beat with spiralling, angelic synth leads and squealed guitars. So glamorous and Eighties. It should be messy, but isn’t, thanks to Hosono. Similarly immaculately-arranged is the side’s closer, ‘メフィストフェレスを探せ! [Find Mephistopheles!]’. Something to do with the classic German legend of Faust, it gives a feeling of impending doom among its incredible number of instrumental phases. But that isn’t to diminish this side’s other achievements. The funky synth pop and acid-drenched guitars of ‘IMAGE’ and curiously electronic, jerky and sporadically melodic, yet dramatic ‘Capricious Salad’ are equally exceptional.

The second side, however, is where Koshi really came into her own, moving past the clear stylistic influences of Hosono and into a territory littered with vast instrumentation, extended song lengths and more meditative track concepts. ‘逃亡者 [Fugitive]’ has a slow and meditative side to it; kind of wallowing around in a lovely way, it’s defined by soft piano and subtle phasing. Throughout Parallelisme, Koshi’s vocals are paced, rhythmic, never too high; and this is more evident on the slower tracks. Yet, the highlight of the second side, and of Parallelisme as a whole, is the titular ‘パラレリズム’. It probably most clearly displays Hosono’s impeccable powers of arrangement; its jangly piano and bird whistles are enchanting, so catchy and tuneful and a beautiful pop tune genuinely unlike anything else I’ve heard in Japanese or Western music.