Japanese instrumental rock has a peculiar and distinctive quality, a hard-to-put-your-finger-on timbre or texture or mood. e;in bear this cool and modest stamp as clearly as Toe or Lite or Low-pass (with whom they share a guitarist – Takayuki Kanazawa) – a musical colour that combines some of the cheek and playfulness of math rock with an emo-esque sincerity. season for reading lives on this balance, simultaneously calm and intricate, riffsy but atmospheric.
The band’s compositions are multifaceted and diverse, from the stilted waltz-like scarlet to the sombre acoustic-guitar piano duet that draws the listener into the final track. Tracks wander from one interwoven duel guitar-riff-section to another, never settling for long and angular, staccato riffs blend smoothly with interwoven, ringing melodies.
While all parts are played with skill and precision, a note of particular musical excellence must go to Takumi Kuono, whose frenetic drumming carries each of e;in’s songs from height to greater melodic height.
Fans of Low-pass and/or similar instrumental rock bands are heavily advised to check this one out.
File Under
Math rock, soothing, indie, instrumental, tappity-tap, angularity
Sounds A Tad Like
Low-pass, LITE, toe
Standout Tracks
kyokuya, laika
Price
Location
Kyoto, Japan, via meatcube in Seattle