Diario

*Back in stock!* Some truly exquisite soundscapes in miniature here, from the label that brought you the 17 Pictures album by Wechsel Garland just a couple of weeks back. Daisuke Miyatani's work takes on fragments of environmental recordings, guitar and other supporting acoustic instruments all finely processed via digital electronics to form a kind of musical sketchbook that brings to mind the shimmering minimalism of 12k/Happy artists like Fourcolor and Piana. 'Rain Melodies' and 'Old Tape' are to some extent self-explanatory, the former piece setting acoustic guitar plucks against a rich background of rainy day recordings, whilst the latter is a gorgeous duet between guitar and xylophone committed to warm, hiss-heavy cassette. 'Hum' is a lengthier track, and that rarest of things: a drone piece that manages to preserve a sense of underlying melody, with harmonious tones suspended in slow motion. An utterly beautiful album from start to finish, Diario comes highly recommended.