The more observant among us will recognize Chihei Hatakeyama from his 2006 release, Minima Moralia, on the Kranky label. As I recall, it was a effort that carried the "minimalism" tag and generally succeeded in maintaining the listener's attention in a undemanding manner. Ambient elements mingled with sparseness normally associated to experimentally minded musicians, creating a give and take relationship between spatial development and textural implementation. Hatakeyama lives between genres, in a world where technique and entertainment not only coexist, but flourish; and rather brilliantly, he is able to create music that is as challenging to listen to as it is enjoyable. Now joined by Tomoyoshi Date, who makes his full length debut here, Hatakeyama is set to impress with Opitope's Hau.

In a nutshell, Hau is commodious, intricate, and charming. There's a warmness about it which immediately invites the listener into it the room, asks him to take off his shoes, sit down at the fireplace, and proceeds to deliver the most innocent tales of its youth. Concepts such as composure, poise, and finesse wiggle their way into Hau's interior and are center stage for much of Tomoyoshi and Date's recent creation. The album itself mirrors the passing seasons -- gently swaying like a cool summer breeze one track, and then numbing the senses with a unexpected winter sleeting the next. Conceptually, it's not the most innovative motivation, but I can't remember it being executed much better than this. 

The album itself is introspective, using spatial strength to alleviate the constriction which many experimental artists trap themselves into. Indeed, Hatakeyama and Date perform the course of the album like a duo of escape artists, constantly restricting themselves in minimalist thought and then suddenly expanding into wide open pastures in the blink of an eye, opening up new musical ideas which are then slowly eroded in turn. As such, the album inherits an unusual rhythmic force, perhaps another parallel to the cyclic patterns of nature; I wouldn't be surprised if this is the desired effect the duo had in mind while carefully selecting the track order, which is undoubtedly something that has not been overlooked. Aside from this openness, Hau exerts itself as subtle, which is perhaps a strange decision at first, but this insistence inevitably makes the listener all the more aware of the wonderful qualities he'd otherwise be missing out on -- and there are many. Generally I'd find this move to be cocky and self-defeating given the otherwise humble nature of the album, but there's really just too many great things unfolding to really take note of them all, so Opitope's guiding hand is actually a welcomed presence in this case.

Understandably not everyone's cup of tea, Hau will shine like a beacon in the night to those remotely intrigued by this realm of music. In a perfect world, everyone would be drinking this type of tea, and Opitope would be one of the most respected, refined flavors available. Hau is a stunning debut from Date, and another commendable release from Hatakeyama, who's quickly building up quite the cushy resume. Certainly one of the year's best.

-Jordan Volz