You Ishihara :: Passivité (Reissue) (Black Editions)

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Nearing its 30 years of age, You Ishihara’s Passivité is seeing the light of day again thanks to its reissue on Black Editions.

The simple approach of this LP is effective

Nearing its 30 years of age, You Ishihara’s Passivité is seeing the light of day again thanks to its reissue on Black Editions. This would easily classify as one of those records that sits on a shelf for decades, accumulating dust and awaiting for someone pick it back up and give it a spin; fortunately for this LP, there may be some more days of glory, as its curated reissue leads to some talk. It’s also not like Ishihara was completely unknown, as his group White Heaven did not go under the radar when it was alive in the ’90s. The band’s fusion of mellow psych rock and fuzzy garage guitars is certainly successful to me; their association with PSF, home to some of the most acclaimed Japanese noise rock albums of the ’90s and early 2000s, did spark my curiosity for Passivité, and so did the quality of White Heaven’s Out, which I’ve grown quite fond of in the past week.

By comparison, Ishihara’s solo debut is a lot more relaxed than anything you could expect from the names listed above. The music is tame and mellow, and there isn’t even an appearance of any drums until the end of side A; Ishihara’s playing teeters between catchy rock strumming, like on “Wednesday,” slower jazz melodies, like on “Nightwalker” or the opening “K,” and moody blues. Versatility is one of the album’s draws for sure, but it always remains cohesive, as its nocturnal atmosphere is tight at all times; the just mentioned “Nightwalker” speaks for itself when it comes to mood, and as soon as it gets a bit warmer in the evening might as well try and take a stroll out while you listen to it.

Fantastic punk ::

There are also moments where Ishihara isn’t afraid to branch out of this mellow tone, mainly on side A. The obvious case is “Crevice,” which is a fantastic punk number full of energy; as straightforward as it is, the song undoubtedly ends up being the catchiest and most memorable on the record, as its dry lead riff creates a loop I can’t resist, while Ishihara seems to be having a lot of fun with his vocals—and boy is that fun infectious.

Side A also offers “Immortal Nothing Blues,” which is my least favorite admittedly, but is another of those tracks that disrupts the album’s general mood to spice things up a bit. There’s some interesting additions of noise here, even if I do find the track to be kind of wearisome overall.

Side B opens up with its second poppiest piece, “Wednesday,” and is quickly followed by the lengthy “Nightwalker;” by itself, this track would summarize the album and Ishihara’s style, with its smooth psychedelic approach and warm comforting vocals. It is a quick fifteen minutes for sure, as the track runs smooth as butter. The foundational bass and drum groove is so simple that it’s hard not ot focus on the vocals and the two guitars, which are where the meat of the track lies.

Similar is “K,” which I only hinted at so far, but is actually my second favorite right behind “Crevice.” The chorus on this piece is wonderful, it builds such a warm quick climax that brightens me up, and the track is so bareboned overall that this moment happens to be twice as effective, despite its simplicity. It’s a really beautiful opener, and again a good case for what would be a great representation of Ishihara’s approach to writing and playing. It’s a track I’d be more than glad to play while gazing at the stars with my back laying on some wet grass.

Even if solo albums don’t generally interest me much, I have to say that Ishihara’s Passivité is something I’m glad I didn’t miss out on. The simple approach of this LP is effective, as it is distinct enough in style and not something you’d write off right away. The moody and melancholic feel of a majority of the songs makes this album a really enjoyable experience, in which you may also get a couple of really nice and catchy tunes. May reissues like this be praised!