HAKOBUNE “Impalpable Ashes” C40 (Ghost Organics)

Today is Hakobune day. I just finished writing up a quick blurb for his tape In Arboreal Whispering for my (late) coverage of Constellation Tatsu’s fall 2016 cassette batch over at Critical Masses, and I figured I’d hit up his Ghost Organics tape today as well. (Don’t think that link takes you to the review; I’m writing this before it posts, so you’ll just have to look at the front page of the site – with your eyes – to find it.) I like the idea of repeating myself here, too: “His style of layering ambient guitar textures on top of one another results in some of the most gloriously tranquil sonics laid to tape.” Hey, that still holds true for Impalpable Ashes, and what’s weird, there’s a track on here called “Airworthiness,” but there’s a track on the Ctatsu tape called “airworthy”! Pretty cool. Hakobune – real name Takahiro Yorifuji –  is apparently as self-referential as I am. Does that make us best friends? Hardly. At the other end of the spectrum, does that make us insufferable know-it-alls? Well, I’ll let you debate that about me, but it’s certainly not true in Hakobune’s case. He just happens to be personally enlightened, and he projects that enlightenment through his myriad cassette releases. It’s hard to go wrong choosing a Hakobune tape, and Impalpable Ashes looks and sounds as good as the rest of the dude’s oeuvre. Ahem: “Sheer bliss. Keep ’em coming, Hakobune.” Sounds right. So why don’t you take a moment out of your day and zone out to this. Has it gotten better? Are you in a better mood? Now tell me who’s an insufferable know-it-all. (It’s still me.)

Hakobune

Ghost Organics

--Ryan Masteller

HAKOBUNE "In Arboreal Whispering" C33 (Constellation Tatsu)

The sound of plighted mountainside breaking way; networks upon rooted network giving up the ghost, muddy topsoil pushing mercilessly at bedrock’s timid edge, the surrounding fog lining up to give what it can to this violent transition. All of this, but from an ant’s eye view, in slow motion, two feet below.

Japan’s Hakobune has countless (and stellar!) guitar-based ambient-drone albums under his belt, all of which are lyrical and meditative in their own special way, but this newest one via Constellation Tatsu is a bit darker, heavier, slower, thicker; something like a boiling mudflow that refuses to harden, scalding everything in its path. The balance between dissonance and consonance, just like the task of isolating the (nearly) independent layers (and their synchronicity) is a challenge for the most accomplished ear, and one sure to harvest myriad outcomes, depending on depth/mood of listening.

http://ctatsu.bandcamp.com/album/in-arboreal-whispering

and/or

http://hakobune.bandcamp.com/

-- Jacob An Kittenplan

HAKOBUNE “Love Knows Where” C32 (Constellation Tatsu)

Per Discogs, Takahiro Yorifuji’s solo ambient guitar output as Hakobune tallies 55 releases (only half or less of those as splits/comp tracks…in under 5 years) and listening to his own bandcamp page provides listening access to 34 of those. It’s incredibly inspiring to learn that they’re all, every single one, consistently worthy of a mindful, deep listening, too.

One might take special note that this guy was also in the powerviolence band, Whales, and consider meditating on the parallels of the seemingly juxtaposing genres of “powerviolence” and “minimalist ambient” as well as the practice of composing as a “solo project” and “full band”. With enough effort, this mental diagramming proves endless, a beautiful way to engage the brain and mind while listening to these narcotic haystacks of all reverb/no attack guitar dronings, none of which are saccharine, only hinting at implying any sentimentality whatsoever. The overall effect is that of being forced into a reflective state, but stripped of all personal history, not “disassociated” so much as simply ‘freed’.

https://ctatsu.bandcamp.com/album/love-knows-where

and/or

http://hakobunemusic.bandcamp.com

- - Jacob An Kittenplan

Hakobune - "The Cowboy Across the River" & Cankun - "Idle" (Constellation Tatsu)

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.