End of Summer - Espen Eriksen Trio (2020)
The crisp chill of autumn arrives right on cue, gladly the breeze doesn't hold back amid the dazzling sun. The ashy blue sky carries a bittersweet quality, elaborating a subtle tension between mourning summer's departure and embracing the liveable temperature.
Hailing from Norway, the Espen Eriksen Trio is a piano-led jazz trio featuring pianist and composer Espen Eriksen alongside double bass and drums, occasionally inviting guest saxophonists, to craft their tranquil character for the 19th year . On End of Summer, they maintain their core trio lineup. Across the record, their clean, precise arrangements shine through—never showing off technique for its own sake, nor chasing aggressive tempos or rushed transitions. The effortlessly piano melodies flows like a lyrical, vocal-like poetry, while the bass and drums gently cradle the music in just the right spaces, weaving together like a warm, soft bed on an autumn morning.
As summer fades, this relaxed, serene sound is exactly what is needed—like a dry, crisp wind washes away sweat and soothes fidgety, so to steady your breath for reflection and harvest. Their upcoming performance in Hong Kong on October 7 comes at truly the perfect moment.
ixtab - 死んだ僕の彼女 (2010)
My Dead Girlfriend has always been a distinctive presence in the Japanese shoegaze scene. Their bizarre band name and melancholic lyrics are paired with bright, fluid melodies and sweet vocals, weaving youth, death, and dreams into layers of heavy guitar noise.
Named after Ixtab, the Mayan goddess of suicide, the album feels like a dream unfolding in the middle of summer — sunlight falling across a swimming pool, while somewhere in the distance, a dead body drifts on the water.
Recto Verso - Paradis (2016)
Love is Recto Verso, where electronic beats and whispered vocals fill the air, swaying lightly in the afternoon or whispering in the dead of night. The first time I heard the song Instantané from this album, it happened to be three in the morning.The front and back of passion and romance are increasingly fragmented and subtle touches, yet at the same time, an increasingly flamboyant movement. Paradis delivers a kind of effortless romance.
