Kenji Kariu, SekaiĀ (Bruit Direct Disques, 2020)
Itās not easy to come across information about Kenji Kariu. I just know he plays guitar in a band called OWKMJ, which, from what I can tell from the videos I found online, is a completely bonkers math-prog-jazz DMT trip of a band. Sekai, though, his 3rd solo album and his debut on French label Bruit Direct, has a very different vibe.
The first feeling you get is that the record isnāt even meant for you to listen, such is the intimacy and fragility that emanate from the songs. Theyāre all built on very essential drum machine beats and a few, sparse chords played on synths or guitars. The star of the show is Kariuās voice here. Everything revolves around simple, almost childish, melodies that are sung in an understated, middle-of-the-night hush tone. Then there are layers of more vocal sounds, used as back up for a 60s pop vibe, or mangled by weird effects for a more contemporary and slightly eerie left-of-center feel.
The more you listen to the record, the more you realize itās not as low-key and demure as it seems, and you really appreciate Kariuās depth of vision: for example, āAtelierā is really an amazing pop song of the 80s throwback variety, shimmering with chorus-laden guitars and with a bassline thatās as simple as it is groovy. But then you have stuff like āBirthdayā, with its very raw home recorded feeling, or āYanaKotoriā, sounding like a childrenās TV show theme. I canāt help being reminded of Kevin Ayers when I think about this approach.
To add to the weirdness, the record is complete with a lyric sheet translated from Japanese. I didnāt read the lyrics through the first few listens, but when I did I was really fascinated: they all seem to operate through a dreamlike, hallucinatory state (dare I say hypnagogic?) with a lot of synesthesia and sometimes funny connections: āThe rabbit came out of the ATM / I left the line, I was confused / It was a good old day, I used to have a centipede.ā Maybe thereās a cultural barrier there, or maybe Kariu is just a genuinely strange and very interesting guy.
Click here to listen toĀ āAtelierāĀ on BandcampĀ or buy the record from Bruit Directās website.
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