HACO - Qoosui

Considering Haco's past, the abstractionism that has characterized several of her releases (at times bordering on onkyo and various interpretations of so-called non-music), as well as the deeply ambient allure typical of many of her more pop-leaning or melody-oriented releases (her most recent "Secret Garden" certainly belongs to that category), "Qoosui" can only be considered a full-blown turning point with some difficulty, a reversal of what this extraordinary and elusive Japanese musician has managed to convey over the years. The elements making up her seventh solo album under this moniker have, in one way or another, always permeated the poetics and expressiveness of this multi-instrumentalist and composer; they simply haven't had the chance until now to reveal their full potential, free from external interference or contamination of any kind. For the seven tracks of this new work, devoted to an uncompromising ambient sound with no clear lineage, it's more accurate to speak of evolution, a redefinition of an aesthetic that has never really strayed far from concepts like atmosphere and abstraction, but which here is given free rein to express itself with total freedom, almost entirely untethered from any rhythmic structure or constraint, in an enveloping and captivating sonic embrace. Yet the feeling that this album is more a classy breaking-in period than an actual destination persists even after repeated listens.

Not that Haco doesn't know her craft — after all, the experience built up over decades of a career doesn't simply fade away, and the conceptual and practical motivations underpinning each of her projects have always more than adequately supported every new step in her career. Seemingly small choices in the composition process explain, or at least attempt to provide suitable keys for interpreting, the expressive needs of "Qoosui", its stubborn yet at the same time gentle sonic minimalism that has found a fitting home at Someone Good, the sublabel of Lawrence English's Room 40. Alongside the usual droning patterns and crisp movements redolent of dream-gaze, in the style of the most ecstatic Tim Hecker or the most angelic Lovesliescrushing (the all-encompassing "Anesthesia Love"), it's in the use of voice and countless field recordings that the musician reveals the real points of interest in the work, as well as the subtle enchantment she manages to weave. Like a sort of guiding spirit watching over the entire world, Haco's singing hovers ecstatic and free from constraints, amid whispers, dream-pop fairy-like reverbs, nods to melody, at times shaped to recreate a kind of Zen serenity, a total calm with the surrounding world.

In this sense, the natural samples — from flowing water to rain, passing through sparse but delicate surrounding concrète elements — reflect a global pacification, both external and internal, of the universe the composer has engineered (who also draws on support from members of Gurun Gurun), a serene tranquility that in its own way can be compared to what two true Japan enthusiasts have this year depicted in their evocative sketches straddling Hd electronics, ambient and new age. Compared to Visible Cloaks, though, the sound of the former After Dinner member is more muffled and enveloping, leaves more room for imagination and fantasy, evokes far more global perceptions, at the cost of sacrificing contextual specificity and sharper expressive definition. And this is where the main limitation of "Qoosui" lies: by failing to provide real thematic footholds, the album often falls into a generic approach that dulls its potential, reducing the listening experience to something gratifying but all in all lacking any real jolts, ideal as a placid sonic backdrop. Not that more pronounced stimuli are entirely absent — indeed, on "Circle" the vocal lines assert their own identity, enhancing the hypnotic effect of the underlying drones through the clever use of overdubs and sharper micro-melodic definition. "White Letter From Heaven", meanwhile, accentuates the more spiritual elements of the sound the musician frames, amid threads of reverb, watery references, an aesthetic touch that ranges from the dream-pop of Gutevolk to the sonic cathedrals of Kara-Lis Coverdale.

These are, however, sparse moments in a work that doesn't really manage to assert itself with personality or seriously open a new chapter in Haco's long and multifaceted career. Amid sinuous yet ultimately lackluster nods to the stern expanses of Stars Of The Lid ("Seiren"), gentle cosmic unspoolings ("Shooting Stars In Your Eyes") and scenes of panicked candor (the opener "Kusui", which best expresses the serenity and relaxation the Japanese artist is after), it seems, in short, that "Qoosui" is an uncertain yet fascinating testing ground on which to start getting acquainted with the realm of pure atmosphere, and finally work without filters with all that expressive baggage that was only waiting for the right moment to surface unimpeded. The next album will already have a completely different story to tell.

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10/09/2017