Greg Fenton reviews Yui Onodera & Arovane – Stillform – Affin
The collection of nine compositions runs in a sequence of under five minutes each, as if time isn’t standing still and there is always an end in sight. Care and attention to detail are essential here, as formative notes convey a wealth of emotional intelligence through signatures that cross contrasting moods and motivations.
The production provides an open, inviting space for communication, but more than that, the tracks evoke memories of forgotten stories or easily reignited ones. Like sound pictures, the music creates evocative landscapes – pure ambient in form, yet it hits a little harder, playing with moods and sometimes stirring an unsettling, observational disquiet at the edges of its imaginative discourse.
From 4, it is beautifully resilient, playfully delicate, and emotional, with a calm and measured tone.
It’s perhaps more challenging to classify these collections of musical pieces and melodic motifs, as they lack conventional structures; there is a fluid sense of shifting time and ideas that flow freely. Either way, this is an intriguing listen – a pursuit of heartfelt conversations through ideas and unpredictable arrangements, unconventional and brilliant for it too.
Release: April 3
Download/Stream on Bandcamp
Yui Onodera Linktree
Affin Music
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