I have fallen in love with this C.D. How did this happen ? There is no simple answer. Music & love contain elements of mystery that we can never explain. The process of falling in love is always an enigma. Sometimes it occurs instantaneously. At other times, it blossoms slowly & imperceptibly, before eventually coming to conscious awareness. In the case of this C.D, it was the latter. It took a number of listens till it worked it began to work its magic on me & I could really feel the power of this music. The more I listened, the more it resonated with something deep in me.
On the first few plays, it came across only as pleasant, albeit very strange, 'background music'. As I had yet to tune in to it's structures, the music seemed formless & undemanding (perfectly matching the idea of 'ambient music') - something I could have on whilst reading a book or doing some household task. The music didn't grab my attention. Instead, it was just 'there', & was hard even to focus my attention on. However, after each play, I would find myself wanting to play it once more straight away. There was something in me that desired to keep listening to it over & over again.
After a few more listens, I began to 'get' it, & start to feel the astonishing magic of this music. It slowly changed from being mere 'background sound' to being something that I could immerse myself in, & be transported by. With each subsequent listen, the music felt more & more powerful.
I have sometimes wondered why I didn't fully 'get' it on the first few listens. Of course, that doesn't really matter, as many music lovers will have had the experience of growing to love an album that didn't fully register with them on the first few plays, or that somehow sounded or felt 'different' at first.
Perhaps there were a number of surprises I had to get over before I could really feel the power of this music. The first surprise was the length of this C.D. When I stuck it in my player, I was gobsmacked it was only 39 minutes (about the length of an old fashioned vinyl L.P), as Kawabata usually utilises the maximum length afforded by C.D technology, every other C.D I've heard from him being about 70 minutes long.
On playing, time itself seemed to be going at a different rate. The 4th track especially, at 14 minutes, never seemed to be as long as that. This is of course, a testament to the power of the music. Nothing drags, or gets boring, and even a long piece can appear to go by quickly, as you are transported into some eternal present time & the normal passage of minutes & seconds ceases to exist.
The second surprise was the variety of musical textures. Even though I'm familiar with Kawabata's recordings, there is a lot of sounds on this that I haven't heard on any of his other recordings, such as kemenje (a traditional turkish bowed instrument), zurna (a wind instrument from Eurasia), bowed sitar, & even 'water'. One track features a striking use of space & silence (as counterpoint to the instrumental sounds) - space & silence being two elements that I haven't come across on any other Kawabata release.
Even the two tracks that were underpinned by drones (drones being a common musical tool Kawabata uses) seemed very different to other tracks I've heard by him. After a few more listens, those two tracks seemed less strange (& fitted more neatly into Kawabata's overall musical output), but at first they sounded remarkably different to anything else I'd heard by him.
The first track - 'Mou' (9.56) is built atop a simple electronic drone, which subtly changes in timbre, tone, & emphasis. Violin, kerenje & zurna are added. Whilst the playing of each of these instruments is very rudimentary, I see this piece as an exploration of different musical textures. Each of these instruments has a very different sound, and the contrast between them results in none of them clashing, or fighting for the same sonic 'space'. Instead, each instrument can be focused on individually by the listener. This awareness of musical 'colour' is one of Kawabata's great skills, & this can be compared to a great piece of abstract painting in which, even though there may be no obvious 'form', the interplay of the various elements (in terms of colour & shape) is very complimentary & satisfying.
The second track - 'Meii' (11.02) features sarangi, percussive drum & gong sounds, some occasional faint electronic tones, & apparently 'water' (though I can't hear it, but I presume it's being used somehow). The use of space & silence in this track is masterful, reminding me of both Japanese painting, & also a few pieces by Nurse With Wound (who are also masters of the use of space & silence). Even though this track is very freeform. that incredible use of space & silence really marks this out as a musical masterpiece.
The third track - 'Shi' (3.46) just consists of a simple plucked bouzouki motif (apparently backed by cello, organ & vibe, but all so faint you can hardly hear them). Despite it's simplicity & brevity, this is a gorgeous piece, that feels profoundly emotional & heartfelt.
Finally, the fourth track - Kan' (14.09). Even though I love the last three tracks, this final track takes the music to an even higher level. This is an astonishing piece which feels to me like some kind of musical nirvana.
The track starts with a very pleasant buzzing noise, with occasional faint 'chirpings' in the background. This continues confidently for a few minutes, then atop of it sweeps in a beautiful multi harmonic wall of bowed sitar tones. There are so many harmonic layers to this that the mind can't simultaneously take them all in. There even appears to be a deep bass layer that sounds a bit like bagpipes. Despite this being more or less one constant tone / note, these different harmonic layers seem to gently change in individual emphasis. Whether this is down to mixing, or down to just the inevitable results of trying to hold a constant tone on an acoustic instrument, I don't know. However, those with an ear for subtleties of tone will notice these very gentle shifts.
Despite this track being 14 minutes long, it just seems to fly by. This is a truly astonishing piece of music, and is the best solo piece I've heard from Kawabata so far. Listening to this, I am taken out of my everyday existence, and transported to some beautiful other world. It feels very earthy & primal, yet when I listen my mind conjures up images of distant nebulas & the vastness of space.
Overall, this is an amazing album, on which I can't fault a single second or single note. This is as close to musical 'perfection' as perhaps it's possible to get.
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