Shin Otowa – わすれがたみ

Well this is a nice reissue facilitated by Chicago’s Eye Vybe Records. While the world absorbs the recent new of Les Rallizes Dénudés works appearing to the public, a much smaller release from the surrounding aura is finding its way back to the world. Recorded by and featuring Makoto Kubota, わすれがたみ, the sole 1974 private press folk release from Shin Otowa has been reissued on cassette and digital by the label this month. Falling in with the kind of American-leaning ‘60s folk that populated Even A Tree Can Shed Tears a while back, this album feels at home with the more contemplative end of the spectrum — Chu Kosaka, Fluid — and captures a rather secluded calm.

The record fits in nicely with a bit of the U.S. private press folk that was finding its way out around the time and aside from contributions from Kubota, it featured Sunset Gang contributors Takashi Onzo and Yosuke Fujita who would take the album from loner folk to a fuller sound. The album fetches a pretty hefty price for originals, though a CD issue was pressed in 2007, though that too is long out of print. This new edition is the first for new fans who might find their way in through Makota’s recent press, or just fans of the fringes of Japanese psych and folk in general. Highly recommended!

Support the artist. Buy it HERE.