Articles
2009 Artists' Picks
Lymbyc Systym

Albums
Cory Allen
aus
The Bird Ensemble
Canaille
Catlin & Machinefabriek
Greg Davis
Loren Dent
Dirac
Drafted By Minotaurs
Flica
Sarah Goldfarb & JHK
Gown
John Hollenbeck
Viviane Houle
I/DEX
Akira Kosemura
Andrew McKenna Lee
Le Lendemain
LRAD
Lymbyc Systym
Melorman
Muskox
The Mercury Program
Nikasaya
Northerner
nörz
Noveller / Aidan Baker
Redshape
Marina Rosenfeld
Stripmall Architecture
Sturqen
Wes Willenbring
The Tony Wilson Sextet
Julia Wolfe
Peter Wright
Zelienople

Compilations / Mixes
Blackoperator
Glimpse Four:Twenty 03
Kod.eX
Portland Stories

EPs
Molnbär Av John
Tommi Bass & B.B.S.C.
Julian Beau
Colours-Volume 5
Dalot
Echologist
Simon James French
Geiom & Shortstuff
General Elektriks
Geskia
Ernest Gonzales
Gradient
Jacksonville
Joker
Ann Laplantine
Loko
Machinefabriek
Stefano Pilia
Damian Valles

aus: Light in August, Later
Someone Good

With his latest aus collection Light In August, Later, Tokyo-based composer Yasuhiko Fukuzono conjures a natural-sounding electro-acoustic world that's closer in spirit to a becalmed oasis than an untamed forest. As a result, the album's expansive, sun-dappled evocations prove far more seductive than threatening. Though Fukuzono's joined by Viennese musician Glim (Andreas Berger) on a couple of pieces and Cokiyu on others, it's ultimately an aus project in its fullest form.

The equally pretty and calming forty-minute album starts prettily with a sparkling drone prelude (“Different Sky”) that suggests a magical woodland setting before the picturesque soundscape “Urum” appears to evoke a tranquil outdoors locale teeming with processed flickers and softly glimmering static; during the piece, melodic fragments embed themselves within a blanket of shimmering textures and sparse guitar plucks and gentle piano tinkles punctuate the ambiance. While there's a clear unity of mood, there's also variety. In “Later,” bright piano droplets cascade amidst atmospheric electronic processing and choir-like tones; in “Pool,” a deep vinyl groove and a fireplace crackle while treated pianos burble and acoustic guitars resound; and in “Remnant,” gentle electronic slivers interweave with reverberant piano patterns. Adding to the serenading mood is Cokiyu whose gentle voice graces “Opened,” itself already lullaby-like due to its softly sparkling electric piano playing. In the lovely “A World of Dazzle,” blurry piano tinkling and elegantly exhaling string tones swim through a thick base of ripples and static. In fact, “A World of Dazzle” might be the most perfect title aus ever conjured, as it's not just the title of the album's last song but a succinct characterization of his music in general. Listening to the album, one could be excused for thinking that aus's primary goal is to coax the listener into a mesmerized state.

January 2010