Meme Magazine

Anchorsong – Chapters (Tru Thoughts)

What They Say

‘Chapters’, out 28th November, is the captivating debut album by hotly tipped Japanese multi-instrumentalist and producer Anchorsong, on Tru Thoughts. BBC Radio 1’s new music guru Huw Stephens, who has heartily championed Anchorsong since seeing him at SXSW in 2009, recently lifted the lid on the LP with an upfront play of the music, fuelling the buzz for this stunning new material. First single “Ghost Touch” / “Plum Rain” (out 24th October) is gaining rapturous early tastemaker feedback for its fresh and punchy yet deep and organic sound.

Originally from Tokyo, Anchorsong – aka Masaaki Yoshida – moved to London in 2007, via a stint in New York. He has amassed a worldwide following for his hook-laden, idiosyncratic and energetic music, built from multiple layers of live instrumentation and electronic production; his ability to translate this into a thrilling live spectacle further sets him apart.

An addictive listen, ‘Chapters’ reveals more with each play, fusing diverse influences including rock, hip hop and electronica, with every note – from beats right through to strings – played by accomplished multi-instrumentalist Yoshida himself. Attention-grabbing opener “Split” demonstrates a key compositional technique: several instruments (in this case guitar, organ, sitar, Rhodes & shamisen) playing an identical phrase in turn. This can also be found on the incredibly infectious “Darkrum”, “The Blacksmith” and “Before the Apple Falls”. The two digital single tracks display a great range of feeling, with a glimpse of dark underbelly in the highly percussive, edgy beat of “Ghost Touch”, whose spookiness is compounded by Anchorsong’s fancy for using guitar effects, especially overdrive/distortion, to subvert the sound; and evocative beauty in “Plum Rain”, written in Japan during the rainy season – the rich dynamic and non-dynamic textures are shot through with the piano melody, drenching the listener in the atmosphere of that liquid Japanese afternoon.

What We Say

The blurb says ‘an addictive listen, Chapters reveals more with each play’ and we couldn’t agree more. The danger is that people dismiss this elegant and alluring album too early, without really getting under its skin. And there are plenty of skins - Masaaki Yoshida builds layer upon layer of rhythms, melodies and harmonies in each of the exquisitely crafted tracks, and these take a good few listens to really appreciate. The overall feel of the album is one of melancholia combined with a intense purposefulness, two conflicting moods that give a powerful tension to each track. The strings (which, like all instruments on this LP, Massaaki plays himself) are wistful and, at times, foreboding, whilst the beats are deep and unrelenting. ‘Plum Rain‘ is a perfect example of the sort of imagery that the music can evoke, taking the listener straight into a rainy, but beautiful, Japanese landscape. ‘Ornaments’, another of the more laid back tracks, does likewise, with the cello and a bouncing melody providing a compelling juxtaposition of emotions. This isn’t a long album (it comes in at just over 40 minutes) but it deserves much of your time. So listen, and listen well, to ‘Chapters’ – the reward for your attention, we think, will be become obvious. ‘Chapters’ is out now on Tru Thoughts.

Listen / Buy Here

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Listen to ‘Ornaments’ by Anchorsong

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This entry was posted on Thursday, December 8th, 2011 at 8:39 am. It is filed under Featured, Reviews and tagged with Anchorsong, Tru Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.