From a varied musical career when she was younger, Haruhi Kobayashi has ventured into many lanes. As a musician, her interest now seems to be in the juxtaposition between stillness and sound. The selections on her new record, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, reveal a command of the post-rock form.
Opener "Bass Extreme 5000" expands outward, the deep tones punctuating the quiet moments, while "Fulius" reveals a clash between natural instruments -- acoustic guitar, mainly -- and samples. The sounds push against each other in a jarring, yet compelling fashion. The epic "CBD Sodawater" finds ambient sounds suggesting an expansive emptiness while beats percolate and propel things forward.
The tunes on Maybe You Should Talk to Someone are deceptively simple. But in her precise approach, Haruhi Kobayashi has found a way to make an impact of sorts. There's modest energy on this record, and it fuels a sonic atmosphere where a beat, or a sample can accent a piece in a way which creates drama. This is ambient in spots, yes, but it's also full of possibility throughout.
Maybe You Should Talk To Someone by Haruhi Kobayashi is out now via Monastral. Details below.
[Photo: Monastral]