ニューエイジのゴッドは歌っても唯一無二。アンビエントでゴスペルでDIYな、80年代のおだやかソング集が公開!ワシントン・スクエア公園で演奏していたところをBrian Enoに発見され、そのままEnoによるアンビエント・シリーズの3作目『Day of Radiance』へ起用されたことでその名がひろまったLaraaji。トレードマークであるツィターの演奏を聴けば即座に瞑想空間がおとずれ、ピアノに触れれば時を止めてしまう神がかった存在であり、近年のニューエイジ / アンビエントのあたらしい波をふまえて再評価というか新発見がすすむ唯一無二の人物です。

この『Vision Songs』はもともと84年にリリースされ、限定100部のカセットという仕様でヨガ・リトリートやNYCのストリートにて販売していたとのこと。自室やヨガ合宿のスピリチュアルな寝室などでカシオのシンセと"交信"したことからつぎつぎと曲が降りてきたらしく、キャッチーな作曲者としての才能が開花。しかしそこはこのLaraaji、発掘されては僕たちを喜ばせつづけるこの時期の宅録ポップやニューウェイヴの域を軽くこえた奇跡のような曲ばかりで、渋くてセクシーな声にのった精神世界の言葉、ユルいカシオ音ときらめく弦の融合、そしてこのポコポコしたリズムに痺れっぱなし、、、デモテープ感たっぷりにマイクへ大きく入った息さえも愛せてしまいます。件のOm Namah Shivayaもショート版で収録。

Brian EnoからVisible Cloaksなアンビエント好きはもちろん、透きとおったニューウェイヴ伝説といえばAntenaやThe Durutti Columnに、同80年代のファンクやソウルのデモを発掘する鬼レーベルPPUのファンも大興奮まちがいなし!

発売・販売元 提供資料 （2023/12/12）

Laraaji is a master of countless instruments, and his music has explored numerous styles and moods, but he's probably best known for his hypnotic instrumental works utilizing hammered dulcimer and zither, particularly his Eno-produced opus Ambient 3: Day of Radiance (1980). However, he possesses a rich, commanding voice, and on 1984's Vision Songs, Vol. 1, he recorded an album's worth of avant-garde devotional synth pop songs that sound like nothing else on Earth. The album's songs were all captured from spontaneous recording sessions, and they generally fade in and out, focusing on peak moments of the artist's marathon sessions. He plays peppy melodies on his zither or cool, relaxing tones from a Casio MT-70 keyboard, accompanied by blippy beats provided by a cheap drum machine, which is generally set to the same drum pattern. The lyrics are the focus for this album, and they're usually either mystical mantras ("Hare Jaya Jaya Rama") or words of awareness and enlightenment. None of the pieces are properly composed, structured songs, but he sings them with such spirit and clarity that they resonate more strongly than much of the music on the radio. Many of the songs are catchy enough to immediately resemble songs you've been listening to for years. "Om Namah Shivaya" is particularly moving, with uplifting lyrics ("Be still and know your underlying source of freedom/Your underlying sense of okay/Your underlying source of power/Divine"), sung with such a natural confidence and absence of worry. It's way too short, at less than two minutes, but fortunately he also released an album containing a 40-minute recording of the mantra-like piece. The longest track on Vision Songs, the eight-minute "All of a Sudden," is another easy highlight, similarly showcasing Laraaji's warm voice singing about the birth of a new era of awareness. As divine and spiritual as this album is, the musician (who is also a laughter meditation guru) keeps a sense of playfulness and humor on tracks like "Cosmic Joe" and "Is This Clear? III," where he gradually speeds up the song's pitch. Accessible and friendly yet highly profound, Vision Songs is a truly uncommon work, and easily one of Laraaji's best. ~ Paul Simpson

Rovi