Suriak
Nyogen
Chotan
Chorei
Anzan
Mugen

There are times when I fear for my sanity. Either that or my memory is totally fucked. You see I got sent this cd to review and the name was so familiar that I assumed / was positively sure I had something by Mathias Josefson already in my collection that I immediately spent a couple of hours trying to find it without success. Even now I still don’t believe I haven’t got any previous recordings by him no matter what my head keeps telling me. I think I’m losing the plot big time. This of course doesn’t concern you but it sure as shit concerns me.

The press fact sheet reveals that he has released other recordings on various discerning labels that can, at least, spot a talented musician when they hear one. Putting aside my own brain pan problems for moment I had better describe for those of you…and it now seems me…in which area of music Mathias works. "The Leaves of their Songs" is six tracks of minimal ambient textured drone music that conjures up a pastoral visage of lilting haunting music to escape into. Simply crafted with no overblown histrionics to ruin the pieces that float serenely in a world on high forever drifting upward and onward. The illusion of space and time entwined created by the pieces is testament to the artistic flourishes created by the artists. There are times when the music appears so sparse and laid bare that you miss the little touches that have been added giving a greater depth and cohesion to them without you realising it. Think of it as the aural equivalent of a shoal of beautiful translucent glass catfish swimming in a tropical aquarium. Shimmering and undulating under the glow of the internal lighting as the gentle flow of water glides over their majestic bodies. Minimalism have never seemed so intense and resonant.

If you love your music to stimulate the senses and leave you covered in goose bumps then "The Leaves of their Songs" is for you. Pretty much damn essential which ever way you look at it. Of course I now have to try and find his earlier recordings to complete my collection. But find them I shall…and this time I’ll make fucking sure I don’t misplace any of them.

ANM