One of the problems with listening to a lot of music is that, after a while, it all starts to mesh together. Listening to one unextraordinary release after another eventually wears down the critical eye to the point where it's questionable whether the capacity to recognize a truly great release when it presents itself is still intact. Sure, it’s easy to acknowledge a good album if it's recommended by someone else, but it is perhaps more difficult to come to that conclusion by oneself -- to form an opinion in isolation of external influences. Perhaps it is merely the case that I had not heard a standout minimalist/post-classical album in a while, but I was beginning to worry about my ability  to separate the cream from the crop in this genre, as several of the more high profile releases of late had left me cold. Then, along came label-mates Akira Kosemura and Haruka Nakamura’s new collaboration Afterglow, which put all my fears to rest.

Akira Kosemura, you might remember, was recently given a favorable review by Erich Meister for his debut LP, It’s On Everything. Haruka Nakamura is another young Japanese artist who has yet to release an album, but shows much promise on this effort. Both play similar styles of piano-driven, electronica-influenced minimalism. Separate, they both have their moments of brilliance, as the solo tracks on this album demonstrate. However, when actively working together, they eclipse brilliance and become downright amazing.

Unfortunately, only two tracks appear to be authored by both artists – “Azure,” which begins the album, and “Afterglow,” which ends it. However, these two are real treats. Kosemura seems to have more of a knack for the electronic elements of the music, while Nakamura likes to incorporate guitar as well as piano. On these bookending tracks, the audience gets to enjoy both strengths at once, as well as the masterful piano work of both artists who seem to affect each other synergistically. “Afterglow,” in particular, is actually driven by an acoustic guitar, and after having the piano as front man for every previous song, the guitar sounds incredibly fresh and soothing. It’s a perfect end to a spectacular album.

Though it sounds like an odd combination, this album makes me think both of rainy days and of sunrises at the same time. I’m not quite sure how they do it, but somehow these sparse compositions  encapsulate life in its entirety, and at its most poignant and contemplative. For two such young artists, this is an amazing feet. It’s rather awe-inspiring for me to think of how these two minimalists from Japan will get even better with age and experience. Hopefully, they will continue to work collaboratively in the future, as it’s rare to see two artists complement each other so thoroughly .

-Tom Butcher

Author's Note: There’s another collaborative track for the album, but it’s an iTunes exclusive. I did not consider it for the scope of the review, but fans of the album might want to think about buying this from iTunes just for that song.