Available
Mariah (japan)
Utakata No Hibi
A legendary yet long lost crown jewel from the early '80s
Japanese electronic and jazz rock scene. New powerful master, much appreciated by the artist. Mariah was a Japanese
outfit in the field of art pop, way back in the very late '70s and early '80s with 5 albums up their score from 1980 to
1983. The album from 1979 entitled as 'Mariah' was actually made before the band Mariah was formed, and was released as
a solo album by Yasuaki Shimizu. The album at hand is the fifth and for the time being last album in this row, released
as a double vinyl back in 1983. Original copies, that are at least in very good condition, are hard to find. This
reissue on Everland comes housed in a Japanese style CD cover with printed innersleeve, obi, and 36x36 cm poster. The
musical basement of 'Utakata No Hibi' is a fusion of dreamy synthesizer pop and haunting new wave music, that could be
found all around the globe back in 1983. In the vein of Tears For Fears or more adventurous David Bowie stuff, with a
touch of Kraftwerk or even Brian Eno here and there, but all this gets spiced up with an atmosphere of Japanese
traditionalism, with a few bits and pieces from the old music from this Far East island, which sounds so magic to us
Westeners. The progressive, wacky art pop of this project was led by the popular Japanese composer and musician Yasuaki
Shimizu, a relentlessly exploratory saxophonist who even dared to rework Johann Sebastian Bach's cello suites for
saxophone.
As brilliant as this man is, the music on 'Utakata No Hibi' turns out to be. And the master himself approved and much
appreciated the brand new remastering of this album by assisting a highly professional team of sound engineers who
dusted off the ancient tape reels. For certain the record sounds and feels '80s through and through, electronic to the
very rhythmical bone of each song sugar coated with catchy melodies that resemble Japanese classic and Enka music, which
is a kind of folksy pop music. The listener gets directly drawn into a feverish dream of steaming Far Eastern cities and
their darkest and most depraved corners where you find everything cheap in sleazy bars and unlighted backyards and
alleys. Double
12" in UV-glossy laminated gatefold sleeve with obi. Includes A1 60x60cm poster and lyric sheet. The vinyl comes in
Japanese Katta innersleeves.
Price
€ 12.95
Genre
Format
CD - 1 disk
Release
17-08-2020
Label
Item-nr
497037
EAN
0710473185103
Availability
Not in stock