Newocean

Description

First ever vinyl edition of this milestone album, cut at 45rpm in a double LP edition for maximum analogue fidelity. Housed in a heavy tip-on gatefold sleeve with UV gloss, strike-though matte varnish and embossed finishing. Black Editions is pleased to announce the release of the definitive vinyl editions of two milestone, career-spanning works from Shinji Shibayama - one of the key architects of Japan's Kansai rock/psych/pop underground: The near-mythic, solitary release by the Hallelujahs, "Eat Meat, Swear an Oath" from 1986, and Nagisa Ni Te's "Newocean" first released in 2020 on the group's 25th anniversary - both beautifully remastered from the original analogue sources and presented in deluxe packaging. From his first releases in the early 1980s to the present day, Shibayama has championed a distinctive sound; embracing simplicity and gentle melodies right alongside adventurous, off-beat experimentation. His music has all the time glowed with a wide-eyed awe and wistful exaltation, a soundtrack for everything from everyday romance to the mysteries of the cosmos. Since their first album in 1995, Japan's Nagasi Ni Te has created an enchanting and deeply personal sound world woven from folk, psychedelia, and rock along with wistful melodies and gentle arrangements. Centred on Shinji Shibayama (Hallelujahs) and Masako Takeda's partnership, the group has created intimate, emotionally resonant music that floats and breathes with an ease that can only come from a sort of telepathic chemistry. Released in Japan on the group's 25th anniversary, Newocean is a clear-eyed, expansive collection of songs evoking love and loss, hazy sunshine and looming darkness, human yearning amidst nature's grandeur.