Bulldog sent me Rain Tree Crow's self-titled album. Pre-listening research revealed that this is actually Japan, who I've never listened to, just under a different alias. So I went into this not really knowing what to expect.
I'm not even really sure how to describe this album. I guess I'll call it a mixture of art rock with some minimalist ambient-like stretches. The first track, Big Wheels in Shanty Town, is incredibly misleading as it reminds me of Mew, while the rest of the album doesn't sound remotely similar (got my hopes up, though). Once you get past that track, the rest of the album consists of Sylvain's deep vocals (which are gorgeous), while the instrumentation is simple yet effective. I particularly enjoyed the drumming throughout the album, even though it never rose above the mix, so to speak. One thing I did enjoy about it is that none of the music seemed forced, it seemed smooth and perfectly natural throughout, even if certain parts did occasionally lose me. I could see how this album could be seen as melancholy, I'm not sure it ever really got to that point for me though. Parts of it were very slow and almost gloomy, but I'd say it more chilled me out than made me sad.
I'll probably hang onto this and give it a few more spins as I think several listens are probably necessary for it to sink in fully. At the moment I'll reserve total judgment on it though. Thanks Bulldog, probably never would have found this one in my own explorations and that's why I love this trading post.
