Kenji Kihara - Scenes of Scapes (2018)

"Kenji Kihara is a musician based in Horiuchi, Japan, a place surrounded by nature near the sea and the mountains. Kenji makes field recordings around his home and integrates those into his lush, drifting compositions. He says, “I am making music as an inspiration for seasonal change, day to day importance.” Kenji imbues his compositions with the tone and timbre of the landscape of his home. There is acute attention to make all the pieces breathe as elements come in and out, ebb and flow. There is a reverance for natural beauty and the natural pace of the non-human world. While not all compositions on this collection are in dialogue with summer, it is still fitting to release the album in summer as it it bookended with two pieces evokative of a warm breeze on a light summer evening."