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"When I was little, I could open the window and go right up to the roof. I didn't have a balcony, so I would lie on the roof and watch the night sky."
A dream to be releasing the first vinyl edition of Yahho no Potori, a treasured recording by one of our most cherished contemporary Japanese folk outfits, Eddie Marcon.
Comprised of the core duo of Eddie Corman and Jules Marcon, Eddie Marcon was formed in Himeji in 2001, following Corman's involvement in noise-rock duo Coa and Shinsuke Michishita's fabled psychedelic outfit, LSD March. Marking a stylistic shift into delicate, acoustic territories, the duo would release dozens of albums and singles, mostly self-released through their Pong-Kong imprint, that have seen little distribution outside of Japan. An'archives helped us source some of their recent 7" singles, while Preservation, who compiled their earliest works in 2005, remains the only other label outside of Japan to have released their work exclusively.
Recorded over a particularly humid summer and autumn, Yahho no Potori sees Eddie Marcon drifting from the delicate psychedelia of their debut EP (2002) into traditional song-based structures, first hinted at in their preceding and debut album, Aoi Ashioto (2005). A document of tenderness, wistfulness and joy, Marcon's deft yet effortless guitar strum sets a stylish backdrop for Corman's voice to ascend. Desirous yet self-assured, Corman breathes life into an intimate space adorned by the elegant instrumentation of Yashuhisa Mizatani, Yoriro Tatekawa, Ran Mizutani and Saya Ueno, whose ingenuous collaborative instinct has been gifted to listeners through collectives such as Tenniscoats, Maher Shalal Hash Baz and Spirit Fest. Here, she also lends her engineering prowess, having produced the entire album.
Devotees of ambitious yet beautifully understated songwriting will find much to adore in the songs of Eddie Marcon, and followers of Reiko and Tori Kudo, Nagisa Ni Te, Ai Aso, and those curious about the wider contemporary Japanese underground, will not be surprised by the inclusion of the album's devastating climax, 'Toratolion', in Morr Music's Minna Miteru compilation in 2020. An intense and heartbreaking piece where Corman's voice takes centre stage, it remains a favourite amongst listeners and a centrepiece of Eddie Marcon's live performances.
Released on June 14 with remastered audio, faithful artwork and Japanese lyric sheet, A Colourful Storm is proud to give new life to a shimmering, underappreciated gem.
credits
released April 8, 2024
Written by Eddie Corman
Produced by Saya
'Crystals of Rabbit' and 'Dead Plant' arranged with Saya
Eddie Corman: vocals, gut guitar, harmonium
Jules Marcon: bass, chorus
Yasuhisa Mizatani: saxophone, flute, metal clarinet, alto recorder
Yojiro Tatekawa: drums, percussion, bass recorder
Saya: piano, vocals, melodica, harmonium, taiko
Ran Mizutani: vocals, glockenspiel
Bunsho Nishikawa: sigh
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Bunsho Nishikawa in summer and autumn, 2008
Remastered for A Colourful Storm by Mark Klon in winter, 2024
Cover painting by Ippei Matsui
Layout by Matthew Xue
Thanks to the Mizutani Family, Tetsuya Umeda, Chameko
supported by 41 fans who also own “Yahho no Potori”
Short and sweet, no wasted moments, subtle guitar lines make it easy to miss how inventive they are. I actually appreciate the live to tape recordings including whatever is going on in the background; it's not obtrusive. And some electronic dabbling. An intimate album fans of bedroom folk, Vashti Bunyan, etc will appreciate and love more with repeated listens. Anthony Childs
supported by 38 fans who also own “Yahho no Potori”
a small but intimate microcosm, with ‘fragments’ as its nucleus, one of the year’s most haunting, indelible songs. overall, an enigmatic work that yearns for the world even as it retreats into hermitage Harrison Phinney