A great look at a key moment in the Japanese scene – an early 70s stretch when musicians were going for a style that was warmer and more intimate overall – which would then lead to all the big changes in music to come, but in very surprising ways! Gone are the more postured rock modes and Anglo-aping styles of the previous decade – and in their place are more confident, personal styles delivered in this mix of acoustic and electric instrumentation that maybe echoes some of the sophistication of the early 70s Cali scene, but which has a very unique approach overall. Most music here is from the first few years of the decade – and titles include "Beautiful Song" by Hiroki Tamaki, "Hitoribotchi" by Niningashi, "Gingatetsudo No Yoru" by Ken Narita, "Man In No Ki" by Takashi Nishioka, "Kawa" by Hiroki Tamaki, "Anmari Fukasugite" by Tokedashita Galasubako, and "Kaze Wo Atsumete" by Happy End. (Japanese, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Dane Donohue gave the world a great AOR gem back in the late 70s, but hasn't done another record since – so it's great to hear him back in action, and serving up a set that still has all the greatness of his debut! Some of the instrumentation and production are a bit more contemporary – but the overall presentation is very classic, and the whole thing shimmers with the blend of soulful inclinations and easygoing grooves that made Dane's debut such an underground classic. There's not much in the way of contemporary work like this that we embrace – and it's almost as if Donohue's been locked in a time capsule since 1978, then set free to step into the studio and create little gems like "Lonely Day In Paradise", "High Life Dream", "Sunrise On The Water", "Own This Heartache", and "Fair Enough". LP, Vinyl record album