In Sakura this album has a strong opener, a combination of the Japan side of sympho with some King Crimson and Camel thrown in. There is flute, female vocals, but also a raw power speaking from the opening instrumental part. The vocals are in Japanese, not always in tune and a bit on the high side. The mellifluous vocal passages are enriched with plenty of synths and gurgling water. There is plenty of tension in the music, also by the vocal flutterings which occur after the sung verses. The instrumental parts are good. Vocal wailings, acoustic guitar and woolly tapestries of synths fill up the continuation. The feel is probably mainly Camel like, but with the tenseness and the mellotron, King Crimson is also a reference. Towards the end especially the guitar gets to have more bite and the keyboards get more rowdy and meandering. Good stuff, no holding back. This is in fact one of the drawbacks of mucj prog from Japan, the bands hold back too much. In that sense, one may think of Gerard here. Haru No Sono is half as long, opening with a strong theme. This is pure symphonic rock again, with vague drawn out vocals. A full sound, quieter during the melancholy vocal passages, on this one. Suzukaze contains the steady line of quality. The vocals are a bit different at times here, faster, less ethereal. Good to have some variation there. The melodies stay good, the music very keyboard focussed, while also acoustic guitar is present. Shinato No Kaze opens in up-beat fashion with nice synths running alongside the drums. The synth work has some elements of Kitaro at times, but the music itself is not that style at all. The vocals are a bit flat here. There is a charming acoustic intermezzo, after which the mellotron sets in rather subduedly. The conclusion features some good vocal material. Takamura is a somewhat longer track again, opening with bird sound, and whats seems to be a folklore string instrument. There is also mellow flute here, again the melody is good. A slow moving song, but I think we are going to get an outburst or two. Ah yes, there it starts with Tullian flute, ELPish organ and some distorted guitar. Anyway, the vocal passages are a bit on the lame side, sometimes a bit offtune too, making this the least succesful song so far. The song does have a bit of bite at the end with spooky synths and keyboards offering quite a bit of tension again. Yukimushi is the final track, and quite long. It opens slowly enough, a bit waltzy with what seems something akin to cello (may be synthetic, may be not). The vocals are a bit unsteady. Melodically this is a bit too easy-going and somewhat overly sweet. The wah-wah guitar tries to undo that opinion, but only succeeds in part. The conclusion is quite rowdy and saves the day. Conclusion From Japan, I get the impression come two types of bands: the melodic ones often with female vocals usually very symphonic and keyboards oriented and the avant type prog band, angular, Crimsonesque, tension rich, and just a little bit crazy. Mizukagami has elements of both, although more of the former. The vocals are indeed female, and at times a bit unsteady, the mood is often Camel like, melodic and a bit sad and soothing. But fortunately, this band also has some more daring, tense elements that make especially the first four songs interesting yet accessible. On the final two tracks, the tenseness is lacking and my appreciation of these songs was lower. Although I think that it will be especially the friends of the pure symphonic type of prog that will want to hear about this one, it also holds something for the others, who need a bit of danger in their prog. Fans of Quidam (but she is not Emilia) and their kin might also want to hear this. c Jurriaan HageMizukagami are a Japanese outfit, and this is their debut album. They play what is probably best described as a mix of symphonic and neo prog, with a hefty dose of traditional Japanese music thrown in. Whilst this may sound somewhat contrived it isn’t, and makes for an atmospheric, thoroughly enjoyable album. Influence-wise, the main ones I picked out (on a musical level) were Camel, Kansas (in symphonic rather than hard rock mode) and early Marillion circa Script For A Jester’s Tear ? the latter particularly in the keyboard sounds. Female vocalist Tanaami Futabi, meanwhile, puts in a great performance ? she has a very listenable voice, and although she sings in her native tongue this is never a problem, and in fact probably adds to the band’s sound. She also peppers many of the tracks with bursts of Andy Latimer-esque flute playing, which again gives the music another dimension. This album doesn’t appear to have been recorded on a tight budget ? the production is good, and the amount of instruments used (including Koto and a range of Japanese percussion) is impressive. Keyboard player (and main songwriter) Junya Anan uses a range of Moogs, Mellotrons, pianos and organs (including Hammond) and you can hear them all ? what’s more, this is never an instrumental showcase, with all instruments used fully in service of the songs. Guitarist is a more restrained presence, but is let off the leash occasionally (on the dynamic Haru No Sono for instance) to good effect. The only criticisms I have of this album are minor ones ? some of the time changes could be handled a little more fluidly, and the album perhaps tails off a tad towards the end. These are all things that can rectified with experience though. Overall, this CD was a pleasant surprise. Given the glut of material Musea releases it would be easy to overlook this album, but that would be a shame, as fans of atmospheric, symphonic prog would find much to enjoy here. Conclusion: 8 out of 10