Search - Ayuo :: Aoi No Ue

Psychedelic and Beyond

Orange | 05/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a very unusual album because I really can't think of anything that resemble it. The first and last tracks are kind of like early Pink Floyd or Daevid Allen's Gong or Grateful Dead in their spaciest moments. - a combination of wah-wah guitars, sitars, bouzoukis, exotic flutes, a male choir with fuzzed bass and funky drums all mixed in a stew of stoned psychedelic jamming. But there is an innocent charm here.This isn't something you come across every day.

The main piece is based on a medieval Japanese play. Traditional instruments and singing are mixed with avant garde electronic sounds, which slowly drifts into sounds which are more normally associated with psychedelia and acid folk. There is medieval Japanese style singing on top of glissando guitars. The result is a unique weird world that belongs entirely in its own harmonic sphere.

Ayuo's previous CD, "Red Moon", was also unique in its own way. Sitars, tablas, violins, bouzoukis, and all kinds of guitars with Ohta Hiromi's female vocals gave it the feel of a late 60's Jefferson Airplane gone more exotic. But this is a CD that not only transcends styles, but also description."