I've had the pleasure of listening to and writing about all of Constellation Tatsu's releases (thus far). Every time I fire one up the music is meticulous and patient and the art/packaging is Pro. This label, and the artists they've released, are the real deal for fans of ambient/drone/impressionist sounds. Hakobune is Takahiro Yorifuji and his, The Cowboy Across the River, might one of the "prettiest" drone tapes I've heard ever. It is slow and amorphous like so many others, but there is a spark...a quality of craftsmanship inherent in the tonalities that swath my weary being. The lengthy pieces like the final composition, "Around This Always," disrupt time. I've heard it said, "you can't really stop time," but with Hakobune's music, time DOES change - or at least it becomes something altogether different.
Cankun's Idle is hands down the most fun CT release and probably the one to buy as an introduction to the label. Not that the music sounds like anything else on the label, in fact, it sounds less like the other releases than Hakobune's tape (which shares some similarities with previous CT releases). The reason I like Cankun's tape best is the guitar playing, the SOUND of the guitar is truly psychedelic - in the best sense. It stuns me as a listener and as a guitar player. I actually LOVE the bounce, slash, splunky, slink of the playing. Normally I'm not one for heroic fret work, but Cankun surprised me. I wasn't expecting the "jammy" quality of sorta-kinda Galaxie 500esque leads. The instrumental nature of the music makes for excellent repeat listens. Fuck me...
Buy and Listen HERE.
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