Kashiwa Daisuke / 88

Review posted on beardrock.com
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I've just submitted my interview with World's End Girlfriend, so it seems fitting that I continue the theme in reviewing another modernclassicalelectronicawithpost-rockinfluenceblahblah Japanese musician. But the fact that Kashiwa Daisuke's music is also hard to classify is not the only thing that ties the two musicians together. Kashiwa is signed to Katsuhiko Maeda's (WEG) label, Virgin Babylon Records.

I was quite interested to hear this, I have been following Kashiwa Daisuke's releases for some years now and had read reviews of others throwing, nonsensical adjectives here there and everywhere in praise, so it looked like something of interest. And when I heard that it was going to be a piano album (the title is based on the 88 keys of a full size piano), I was even more excited to hear where it would take me. So, upon listening the first reaction to this release was that indeed, it is a solo piano affair. The second is that unfortunately, it's not a very interesting one.

I'm not saying he's not an accomplished pianist, I'm not saying it was badly recorded, I just felt like I could well have been listening to a musician in a hotel bar. The fact that included it the “good ol' classic” from The Sound Of Music, “Favourite Things” merely cemented that image in my mind. By the fourth track, the aptly named “Swan Song”, I was resisting the urge to hit the skip button.

One track that really stood out for me though was “The Night of the Kentaurus Festival”. Clocking in at a just over seven minutes, the track takes you on a journey and for a brief period, you can really feel the emotion in what is being played. Finally, after 23 minutes, a track to get your blood pumping.

The album continues with some sporadic gems. The following track “Albireo” has some promising moments and is really quite a touching composition, “Good-bye” is a sentimental sounding piece with a melody that ticks over quite pleasantly, and the last two minutes of final track “In the Lake” really finish off the album well. Yet overall, despite these redeeming features, there is still something lacking and I got the feeling it was all too little, too late. Although I'm setting myself up against a legion of people who do/will enjoy '88', the fact is this; With so many musicians sitting at the piano, all vying for top dog, you have to pull something better out of the hat than an album that Ryuichi Sakamoto surpassed decades ago.

Writer: endote