9.5
/Ambient, Ambient drone, Shoegazetronica, Microtonal, Minimalism, Experimental electronica, Guitar ambient/
Comment: 3-track album by a Japanese experimental musician, Saito Koji, which used to murmur in a minimal yet highly emotive way. Light-hearted synth droning is laced with deluging organic touch and chirpy guitar-based soothing. Fundamental repetitions, more or less elliptically shaped rhythm patterns-loops, beatific reflet exemplified permanently therein are up to standard. Moreover, the issue seems to be the kind of grower. However, if the ending track were speeded up twice as much, it would have chimed as a hallmark of shoegaze music, in principle. In fact, it applies to the other tracks and recent moment either. It sticks out like a warped version of Slowdive`s sound, yet, having existence of full value on its own. A mesmerizing phenomenon indeed.