Haruka Nakamura - Grace Review

YEARS PASS, AS PENCIL WALL MARKINGS BLOSSOM

Though it entered my collection but a mere peck during a more than voracious adding spree, Haruka Nakamura's Grace satiates in ways other, more distinct LP's can't hope to manage. It's sublime, textured, humble. Tender in all the right places, savory in others. Uplifting the dire genre known as Ambient with cross-stitches of Folk, Glitch, and Field Recordings, Nakamura treats listeners to a cerebral assortment of halcyon affection. With its jaunty Singer/Songwriter plucks, 'Every Day' opens the delicate Grace by resembling the warmth yet to come, though the means by which it permeates strays from Nakamura's convention. Here, singer Janis Crunch struggles with pushing the English language through her accent, only heightening the soft-spoken, self-effacing feel. It's passionate, bold, and intrepid. Words not typically associated with reserved Contemporary Folk.

Afterwards, prominent voices drift into the ether, occasionally appearing as conversational backdrops to supplement Nakamura's gentle, homely origins. 'Opus' use children playing merrily, as 'Elm' and 'Lang' invite a communal atmosphere of respectful chatter. Janis Crunch returns, deferential and wistful, on 'Cielo' and 'Grace,' providing excellent accompaniment over starlit synthesizers and bare acoustics respectively. But it's truly Nakamura's command of texture that wins over Grace, as standouts 'Arne' and 'Sign' plod liberally across baroque, Folktronica loops. Layered over an inspirational piano melody and droning strings, the former transcends time and space with soft chipmunk vocals that hypnotize like the best of Four Tet, Gold Panda, or Sora. Just without the benefit of percussion. The latter grows with refined care, like a Studio Ghibli film come to life. Familial love spreads with each recurring loop, eventually blossoming into a sanguine cherry blossom at the height of its season.

Though these two stand at the height of Grace, the album's inner-workings is truly where Nakamura's fondness for simplicity find groundswell. Though don't mistake this for ordinary Ambient, where monotonous repetition disguises ineptitude for the sake of ambience. Even on Grace's weaker points, like 'Elm/2' or 'Cadenza,' texture and variety invoke the passage of mundane life. One can see that best on 'Lang' and 'Lamp,' with their whimsical essence and natural makeup shuffling through periods of stillness, resembling Ambient only in goal. Every inch of Grace is soothed by worn, pastel hands. Like a potter crafting something from the nothing of clay, their quality shaped by peace of mind.