IMEARUAT
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Black Ocean, at its core, is an ambient experience. although it spends much of its time spreading out into many forms and scenarios, it never gets away from its core factor. Black Ocean can be a pronounced listening experience, or a very passive one. which is ultimately to its benefit, making it a versatile album as far as listenability. the best part of Black Ocean is its seemingly playful and adventurous spirit. the album can be elusive and mysterious, intimate and cute, and at other times traditional and mechanical.
one of the artists comes with a fascinating history that helps paint the picture on this authored and obscure piece of work. under the project title of IMERUAT, Masashi Hamauzu has been a longtime composer in video games. it wasn’t even until this review that i found out he was the composer for Final Fantasy XIII, one of my favorite entries in the series. funny enough, in high school, i had ordered the special CD soundtrack to the game and would spend the same night falling asleep to Black Ocean. i never even knew the connection. so finding out clicked just why his work comes off as something that would be in a JRPG such as Final Fantasy. a talking angle i originally considered when approaching this review.
the other half of the project, vocalist Mina Sakai, comes from Hokkaido and is of Ainu descent. the Ainu people have a fascinating culture and history which consists of traditions and language incredibly distinct from that of Japan. while i wouldn’t deem to know on any meaningful terms how this reflects in the work, i certainly think there is a through-line element that feels very northern Japan in essence, perhaps reflecting that Ainu descent. across much of the album, such as “6Muk,” her performance feels unfamiliar, in a good way. it invokes a curiosity that leads me to want to understand her history and her heritage more. to understand how it might tie into this album.
sticking with “6Muk,” i think, shows the core values of Black Ocean. the song experiments across pronounced vocals, unique instrumentations like a mouth harp, and some electronica that drive the whole thing. the result is a song that feels married in both artificiality and in a grounded nature. the song ticks along mechanically, but is more like the beating heart to Black Ocean.
“Black Ocean,” the first track, sets the tone of the album quite perfectly. it especially evokes that elegant and ethereal sound that felt so familiar to me coming in from Final Fantasy XIII. distant, lonesome violins give the hardness and intensity of the song a much-needed softness. an echo of a lingering humanity in stark isolation. the album plays back and forth with this concept again and again throughout. songs like “Black Ocean,” on paper, should feel heavy and suffocating, but come off much more approachable than they might initially seem. in a strange way, the album feels almost soothing, cathartic, in its desolation.
as well, “Cirotto” melds tonkori (an Ainu instrument) and piano to further ground the album on its second track. apparently the song incorporates and reconstructs a traditional Ainu song that comes from an old recording of Sakai’s grandmother. it’s here Black Ocean shows its hand. just beyond that freezing expanse, beyond the isolation, is a warmth, just nearby. Mina Sakai’s gorgeous voice is both inviting and like a hot cup of tea in a cold night. as we dive further into Black Ocean, we will find it actually has an inviting nature, one that will beckon repeat listens and accompany you in the background throughout your day.
“Morning Plate” displays the playful diversity of the album as it dives into an almost childlike French café guitar song. just a girl and her acoustic daydreaming about her perfect morning as an old accordion hums away somewhere just around the corner. the song adds an endearing slant to the album that could have been in danger of feeling overly cold or desolate. “Morning Plate” is a little silly but it anchors the album down to an approachable level.
a string connects each of these songs and the greater album as a whole. an obscure and cold exterior belies an internal warmth. while Hamauzu’s arrangements can be alienating and aloof, it is Sakai’s contrast that brings the album to completion. it makes for a compelling work. even as the album runs away into its various little worlds and styles, with its mechanical or computerized sounds, it remains cohesive. the jump from “Black Ocean” to “Morning Plate” might seem a tad bizarre, yet in context i never second-guessed the choice.
Black Ocean is a fascinating album that deserves more time and words to unstring its peculiar yarn. coming from two minds of interesting backstory, each has a hand in building a unique musical experience. while Black Ocean doesn’t swing for the fences, or demand any more of you than you are willing to give, it certainly leaves a lasting impression. what i find most interesting of all is how welcoming this dichotomous album can be. while it may start off frigid and isolated, i always come away feeling comforted, a bit renewed. perhaps it has to do with its well-focused design, perhaps it has to do with the ambient nature of the work, perhaps it has to do with the unique legend behind its making. or perhaps it is simply because there is a humanity resting at the core of the experience.
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Highlights
Cirotto
Black Ocean
6Muk
Morning Plate
Tracklist
Black Ocean
Cirotto
Leave Me Alone
Giant
Haru no Kasumi
Left
6Muk
Morning Plate
Imeruat
Little Me
Battaki
Yaysama
Springs
