Sable＜Colored Vinyl＞

A languid and evocative album, Japanese Breakfasts soundtrack to the video game Sable finds singer/songwriter Michelle Zauner further expanding her dreamy, lyrical pop sound. The record, which arrives on the heels of her acclaimed 2021 album Jubilee and memoir Crying in H Mart, accompanies the Shedworks and Raw Fury adventure game, which tells the story of a young protagonist attempting to reconnect with her desert nomad family. While there are several songs that Zauner sings here, the majority of the tracks are new age-inspired instrumentals that nicely conjure the environmental landscapes and moods of the game play. As with some of her primary solo work as Japanese Breakfast, Zauner employs a variety of synthesizers and guitars, along with sundry digital and analog percussion elements to craft her textured and deeply enveloping soundscapes. That said, there are two more traditional indie pop tunes here, including the sparkling electronic theme song Glider and the 70s singer/songwriter-inspired Better the Mask. These are warm, deeply melodic tracks that would fit nicely on any of Zauners other solo albums. That they also evoke the poignant lyricism of a Hayao Miyazaki anime soundtrack speaks to both the underlying atmosphere of Sable and Zauners ability to translate wide-eyed filmic emotions into pop magic. ~ Matt Collar