Japan has no shortage of music pushing boundaries, Katsuhiko Maeda is an exception on many fronts, being experimental and extremely listenable for long periods of time. He utilizes a surplus of traditional instruments; harp, cello, violin, piano, oboe, guitar, etc. and combines them with the best of what the electronic world has to offer. Upon discovering Worlds End Girlfriend compliments of a friend sharing the Japanese film "Air Doll" for which he contributed the sound track, I was hooked and sought out everything that I could by this Sonic artist including titles released as Wonderland Falling Yesterday and World's End Boyfriend. I could try and define Worlds End Girlfriend as somewhere in between Godspeed You Black Emperor, or Silver Mount Zion and Lexanculpt or Hrvatski, but it is truly its own thing. Classical music is an apparent influence, as well as post rock and electronica. Compositions vary from deep and moody to video game like jubilation, and he often incorporates sound effects, and manipulated material of human interactions (laughter, talking, whispers). The sound dances between beauty and noise, spatially articulated so that dimension features almost as prominently as the notes being played. I highly recommend listening in headphones alone with your eyes closed. Below are a couple of tracks to whet your appetite.
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