This Japanese underground group recorded their debut for the PSF label after making a standout appearance on the label's Tokyo Flashback 3 compilation.
Their dark, ethereal sound makes them the perfect bridge between the psychedelic overload of fellow Tokyo underground acts Fushitsusha and the melancholy Baroque-folk of Ghost.
Shizuka's self-titled debut is strikingly accessible, considering that it appears on one of the most courageous of experimental labels.
PSF typically deals in free improvisation, noise, and psychedelia, and while Shizuka certainly address the influence of said genres, they embody this influence in an entirely unique way.
While this trio is certainly falls under the umbrella of the latter -- the spacey ambience and haunting female vocals suggest a gothic atmosphere laced with folk instrumentation.
Piano and cello embellish the simplistic arrangements of guitar and voice delivered in lilting patterns.
At the apex of every song a corrosive Keiji Haino-esque guitar often cuts through the tranquil proceedings, drenching the calm in feedback and noise.
These tantrums of chaos sound just as awkwardly juxtaposed, yet strangely they make perfect sense in expressing the catharsis that the album is always hinting at.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 証拠をみせて (Shouko Wo Misete) | Shizuka Kudo | Play | 04:34 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 2 | さよならの逆説 (Sayonara No Gyakusetsu) | Shizuka Kudo | Play | 04:27 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 3 | Fu-Ji-Tsu | Shizuka Kudo | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 4 | ブリリアント・ホワイト (Brilliant White) | Shizuka Kudo | Play | 05:13 | 11 MB | 32 MB |
| 5 | 裸爪のライオン (Hadashi No Lion) | Shizuka Kudo | Play | 05:11 | 11 MB | 34 MB |
| 23 mins | 53 MB | |||||
| 23 mins | 151 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shizuka | Primary Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |