With the sheer volume of albums arriving at TPA, we are generally unable to cover singles or EPs. However, as Yukimushi / Ame Ni Chiru clocks in at around the half hour mark, and neatly ties in with Gen Jitsu Mu, the latest release from Kumorigahara, it seemed appropriate to give it some attention.
A brief rewind to Kumorigahara’s 2021 self‑titled album. I opened that review stating: “If you’ve a yearning for a late ’60s/early ’70s high‑octane blast that’s chock full of overdriven Hammond organs, rip‑roaring guitar/keyboard duels and all powered by energetic and exuberant rhythm section, then look no further than Kumorigahara’s self‑titled debut album.” Research since then has revealed that the 2021 release wasn’t their debut after all. The band self‑released Speak Alone, Laugh Alone (2016) and 3472‑1 (2017), and several tracks from those earlier recordings resurfaced on the eponymous album. Information on the band remains sparse as English doesn’t appear to be their preferred language, and as my Japanese knows no beginning, it has meant the detail has taken much digging.
Following the 2021 album, Kumorigahara have released two singles Whale Song (2022) and Yukimushi / Ame Ni Chiru (2024), and it is with the latter we start this review (at last).
雪虫 – Yukimushi (‘snow bug’) is a reworked version of the track that appeared on Kumorigahara. The acoustic guitar intro is replaced here by piano, but the real transformation comes from violinist Rin Kojima of ‘rock idol’ outfit XOXO EXTREME. Her performance reshapes the piece, adding credence to the band’s own description of their music as ‘progressive hard folk’.
As a brief aside I was interested in finding out more about Rin Kojim. XOXO EXTREME have been active in various forms since 2016, and research proved to be an unexpected rabbit hole. Their EP Adeleid (below) opens with atmospheric textures before diving into oddly metered metal riffage topped with sweet, almost ethereal vocals. The second track veers into saccharine pop‑ballad territory, albeit with tasteful violin from Rin Kojima. Across their thirteen releases, the band roam through heavy AOR, Hammond‑driven rock, prog‑metal, and more, and as is the case with Adeleid, delivered with choreographed dance video. After an hour of listening to XOXO EXTREME I called time on this divergence. It was a strange experience and one I may return too, or likely not…
Back to Kumorigahara and following the refreshed Yukimushi, Ame Ni Chiru (‘Scattered By The Rain’) returns to familiar territory with fiery guitar/keyboard workouts propelled by the muscular rhythm section. Tracks three and four are live recordings from 2021 and 2023, and the EP closes with ‘karaoke’ versions of the opening two songs. Instrumental mixes, essentially, despite the misleading label.
TRACK LISTING
01. Yukimushi (6:45)
02. Ame Ni Chiru (4:48)
03. Triptan [Live at 2021.04.29] (3:58)
04. MufuChitai [Live at 2023.04.08] (3:11)
05. Yukimushi-Original Karaoke (6:43)
06. Ame Ni Chiru-Original Karaoke (4:50)
MUSICIANS
Shota Ishigaki – Lead Vocals, Bass, 12-String Guitar
Viola Ito – Guitars
A_kira – Organ, Piano, Keyboards
Hironori Yamagishi – Drums, Percussion
~ With:
Rin Kojima – Violin (1)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Disk Union
Country of Origin: Japan
Date of Release: 18th December 2024
*A further personnel note: somewhere between the 2021 self‑titled album and Gen Jitsu Mu, Kumorigahara formalised their low‑end duties with the arrival of Nishihira Takumi as designated bassist.
Gen Jitsu Mu
Having been favourably impressed Kumorigahara’s self titled album I was quick to raise my hand when their name appeared in the ‘TPA review request pipeline’. With such a lengthy preamble best jump straight on to the music methinks.
Very much in the spirit of their previous album Gen Jitsu Mu opens with a brief mellotron vignette, here however the track halts abruptly a minute in, more like an editing slip than an intentional pause, before restarting and sliding, somewhat obliquely, into 降り注ぐ百万の残滓 – Furi Sosogu Hyaku Man No Zanshi. Here the band return to familiar ground with the rhythm section driving hard beneath incendiary guitar and keyboard exchanges.
At over fifteen minutes, the piece has room to breathe. A third of the way through, a gentle acoustic guitar and vocal interlude offers respite, followed by a jazzy piano section with busy drumming and a nimble bass line. Just shy of the ten‑minute mark, the mood snaps back to full‑throttle Kumorigahara.
Unfortunately the audio files and EPK never arrived, so I’m guessing here that although Furi Sosogu Hyaku Man No Zanshi, which may or may not translate as ‘The Disadvantageous Dregs Of A Million’, is listed as a single track, it feels more like a suite made up from distinct sections. Once again the Japanese titles offer no clarity and the translations veer from the surreal ‘Hematite Vein Holes’ to the intriguing ‘Sugi Sarishi Expenses Days’. Further attempts only deepened the mystery.
Let’s move on…
Back to the music and Akai Umi digs a deep Deep Purple furrow, channelling Messrs Blackmore and Lord at their most fervent.
Now somewhere between the 2021 album and Gen Jitsu Mu, founding member Shota Ishigaki appears to have handed over bass duties to Nishihira Takumi, now the band’s designated bassist. His presence is felt on Hemataito No Ketsu Myaku, where he lays down an infectious groove, tightly locked with Hironori Yamagishi’s precise drumming. Freed from the bass, Ishigaki focuses on vocals, previously the “elephant in the room”, and although his voice remains an acquired taste, he delivers with far greater assurance across the album. This becomes clear in 過ぎ去りし日々の中で – Sugi Sarishi Hi Bi No Naka De, where blistering keyboards and rip‑roaring guitar ride atop of the solid and imaginative rhythm section, with Ishigaki adding acoustic guitar and vocals to the mix.
The intensity finally dips with Ate Na No Nai Yofuke Ni, a gentle acoustic guitar ballad featuring warm vocal harmonies and a tasteful harmonica solo. Dai Chi No Hate opens with a mammoth guitar riff, yet its vocal phrasing and arrangement evoke a late 60s film soundtrack, albeit sung, like the entire album, in Ishigaki’s native tongue.
Gen Jitsu Mu concludes with a giant album sized track, 夢幻泡影 – Mu Gen Hou You, clocking in at just over 30 minutes. Opening with a sweet mellotron theme which segues into an almost Muse vibe. So as not to repeat myself lets just say in another era, Mu Gen Hou You would have been an LP in its own, and as a finale here it receives the full kitchen sink treatment, every facet of Kumorigahara’s identity thrown into one sprawling, maximalist statement.
Whether Gen Jitsu Mu truly translates as ‘No Reality’ is uncertain, but its appeal is clear. This is a record for listeners who long to rekindle the halcyon days when Deep Purple and Atomic Rooster sat comfortably beside King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer in the record box. With excursions into jazz‑rock, Canterbury‑tinged passages, Floydian atmospherics, and flashes of late‑’60s psychedelia, Gen Jitsu Mu is well worth investigating.
TRACK LISTING
01. Yume No Dan Syo (2:01)
02. Furi Sosogu Hyaku Man No Zanshi (15:22)
03. Akai Umi (4:39)
04. Hemataito No Ketsu Myaku (4:24)
05. Sugi Sarishi Hi Bi No Naka De (5:00)
06. Ate Na No Nai Yofuke Ni (4:13)
07. Dai Chi No Hate (6:57)
08. Mu Gen Hou You (30:26)
Total Time – 73:00
MUSICIANS
Shota Ishigaki – Lead Vocals, 12-String Guitar
Viola Ito – Guitars
A_kira – Organ, Piano, Keyboards
Nishihira Takumi – Bass
Hironori Yamagishi – Drums, Percussion
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Disk Union
Country of Origin: Japan
Date of Release: 24th June 2026
