suisei

yui onodera / suisei and/OAR (USA) 2007 CD Recorded & composed in Tokyo, 2006. All sound sources from environmental sound and pump organ. ■Track List suisei 　41:35min ■REVIEWS Suisei translates from the Japanise with a number of meanings. It could be a comet, or the Japanise name for the planet Mercury, or an adjective for "aquatic", particularly with reference to the strength of a river current. In the case of Yui Onodera's album, the watery metaphors apply. Sourced from field recordings and pump organ, Suisei is a meditative album which transitions effectively between humble drips, wet smacks and lulling patter of water tumbling through the landscape. Onodera doesn't pretend that hisfield recording techniques enjoy the pristine fidelity of Chris Watson or a Douglas Quin, rather his mottled sounds embrace the abstraction produced through contact microphones and consumer-grade dictation mics. Sustained drones from his pump organ buttress the quiet hypnosis of these field recordings, thanks to the instrument's woozy oscillations. The organ's harmonics gradually swell as ghostly slippages of sound descend gracefully into compressed wintry din and aquatic percolations. THE WIRE #288 (UK) Suisei is a composition by Yui Onodera that I like very much. Almost tactile like use drone material, a seeming mix of environmental and instrumental sounds (water seems to be a key element, and a pump organ is mentioned). The piece build slowly and inexorably, with a nice sense of pacing. We might think it is over after about a half an hour but happily the work continues even beyond. We never know where the composer is leading us, but we are happy to find ourselves there. Carl Stone and more..