By
Koji Asano's sixth album it had become obvious that his rule was "no two releases alike" or something like that. After the untampered piano improvisations of Celeste,
Fret delivers a collection of electronic and noise pieces. The album opens with the triptych "Triad," a delicate electronic work in which soft tones with a crescendo attack are arranged to create shimmering music -- one thinks of crystal glass players. The second movement explores sound wave interactions in a way that announces a later fascination. "Arch" pairs field recordings with high-pitched electronic wails -- an unconvincing experiment. On the other hand, "Knoll" offers a stunning combination: What sounds like slowed-down field recordings provide a background for a strange koto solo. "Bise" plays on the awkwardness of a few sound samples that could either be wind slipping through cracks or plaintive voices. Sounds of saliva, breath, and electronics complete the picture, one that blends images of Inuit culture (the wind and breathing sound like throat singing) and the warped universe of sound artist
Christof Migone. More electronics follow, both digital and analog, but the key track would be "Moat," a noisy piece of granular synthesis and painful filtering -- an idea that would blossom into works like Autumn Meadow and The Last Shade of Evening Falls. "Geode" turns listeners back to the first tracks of the CD. ~ François Couture