Aus, otherwise known as Yasuhiko Fukuzono, is a prolific young Japanese musician whose past recordings and projects highlight an ongoing interest in delicately deconstructed and rebuilt melodies and electronica, again showcased on this latest album Light in August, Later.
From this framework, the first three tracks “Different sky”, “Urum” and “Little song at little time”, wholeheartedly embrace such a compositional approach, with instrumental lines winding around each other like home-made string. However, whilst the minimalist clarity and genuine beauty evident on the recording has an innate attractiveness, the album tends towards being twee and quirky for the sake of it. Which is fine if you enjoy twee and quirky together.
Contributing to the twee-ness is the slow and somewhat plodding tempo of many of the tracks, and the constant use of close harmonies is cloying at times. in combination, these musical elements create a heavy aura of repetitiveness on tracks like “A world of dazzle”. Here, the desired hynoptic effect of these compositional tricks slips into a mush of background fuzz.
Moving away from a purely stylistic critique, Aus is able to strike a careful balance in the tonal colours with which he plays – and it here that the recording excels. In “Pool”, glitchy pops and crackles run alongside burbling synth samples, with acoustic guitar and other string sounds layering the aural effects. Electronic and acoustic keyboard sounds are pitched against scratchy noise, providing a dichotomy of timbre, dynamic and texture that ultimately provides the most interesting aspects of this recording.
Melonia Bayl-Smith
