ogurusu norihide "modern" press

Junkmedia.org – march 18, 2003

With his well-received debut, Humour (a compilation of the self-released EPs, Study and I), Japan's Ogurusu Norihide explored a clear and restrained musical aesthetic based on simple repetitive melodic patterns comprised of a scant few musical elements -- acoustic guitar, piano, subtle electronics. It's tempting to ascribe Norihide's predilection for simplicity to his formal training as a Shinto priest, but in reality, with its rich, lyrical melodies, his music is as much related to the evocative folk-tronica of fellow Carpark artist Greg Davis as it is to formal Shinto aesthetics (not that I'm an expert on the latter, mind you). Though Norihide may be less interested in exploring the playful, childlike melodies favored by Davis and other acoustic-electric adherents, his approach is far from ascetic.

On Modern, Norihide uses the same list of ingredients and follows a similar recipe as he did on Humour. Indeed, for much of the record, from the opening track "7:07" (as with his previous work, there are no titles as such, just indications of duration) with its lightly processed piano riff and soft-tap percussion to the dreamy guitar-based closer, "1:04", Modern is a lovely, refined, and lightly experimental pop record, full of simple yet evocative melodies.

As on Humour, however, he does occasionally stray from the straight and narrow, though these points of diversion are essentially logical extensions of his basic musical formula. Humour was, in fact, very much a bifurcated record, comprised as it was of two separate EPs. This division was the primary weakness of his American debut, as the I section seemed to drift aimlessly, favoring such a minimal approach as to almost eliminate melody from the equation while generally failing to provide a sense of unity and flow in its place.

Modern does not have such an obvious Achilles heel. As with the I section of Humour, there are moments where Norihide pushes his technique to its limit. In this case, on tracks such as " 10:05 " it is to better effect, as he seems -- to use an annoying but apt cliché -- to explore the spaces between the notes. The album's greatest deficiency is that there are few similar moments on Modern and the album turns blandly pleasant, lacking in either tension or drama.

- Susanna Bolle

xlr8r - april 2003

Seemingly aware of the countless failed mergers between acoustic and electronic music, Norihide’s response is a much-needed erosion of both sounds into their most elementary shapes.  Perhaps he effortlessly combs a sparse, skeletal beat through a few equally faint and finely sketched notes from a piano.  Or maybe his most spectral ambience flutters through soft and paced folk guitars.  Constantly fading away, but always with an air of absolute certainty, the eight untitled works appearing on Modern blur the line between analog and digital so well that the two become, without doubt, one.
- Matt Eberhart

Logo-magazine – march 2003

When you learn that this ambient album was created by a Shinto priest, you would be forgiven for expecting it to be anonymous music-as-wallpaper.  It’s actually the polar opposite.  Norihide’s precise, pristine lifestyle has enabled him to hone his artistry until it’s as sharp as a razor.  The wash of electronica that accompanies the primary elements of acoustic guitar and piano is so understated that it brings new meaning to the phrase laptop folk, while the faintly disturbing “4:04” (none of the tracks are named, they are distinguished instead by their length) is built around an atonal cycle of one extended note, yet is as effortlessly emotional as rachmaninov or satie, an impressive, unique achievement.

- Michael ornadet

Giant robot – spring 2003

Music doesn’t get mellower than this super minimalist pop by Shinto priest ogurusu norihide.  From sparse piano to quiet strumming, each track is a study in restraint, begging you neither to tap your foot nor nod your head.  It’ll make you stare at the wall.  What separates Norihide’s blank-slate compositions from space-age Muzak or new age wallpaper for your ears is the sense you get pieces of a song, and your brain has to connect the dots and extrapolate complex melodies from them.  Is that what one hand clapping sounds like?

-martin wong

The wire – march 2003

Having completed his studies in Tokyo last year, ogurusu has returned to his native Kyoto as a Shinto priest to concentrate on his music again.  Refining the gentle minimalism of his two previous releases, Study and I, reissued together as Humour by Carpark last year, the eight tracks here have a stripped functionality.  Elegance is the key word, and it’s clear that everything from the white sleeve design, evoking the beatles’ white album, to the juxtaposition of sounds from religious rites with digitally produced folk rhythms, has been carefully thought out.  As before, norihide’s meditative performance on piano and guitar remains unfussy, unhurried and direct.

Allmusic.com – march 2003

Self-described as “laptop folk," on Modern, Ogurusu Norihide continues his foray into gentle, spacious melodies and lulling repetition. Echoing the nearly blank, white cover of the album, the music on Modern is a study in the expansive emotiveness of spare composition. On the first track, Norihide uses a simple piano progression to transport the listener into his slow-motion world. Track two employs sunny acoustic guitar chords and distant, sparse, glitch-pop beats to truly live up to genre's description. The third track beautifully connects the dreamy folk of Mojave 3 and Neil Halstead to electronica as subtle atmospheric drones and waves shimmer across the acoustic guitar line. Norihide is a master of the experimental as well — the fourth song on the record takes a soft, electronic moan and blissfully edits it into an exercise in minimalism and the ten minute-long sixth track is composed largely of silence. What Norihide is trying to do, along with label-mates Greg Davis and Takagi Masakatsu, is nothing short of forging an entirely new genre — one that is not a giant digression from familiar musical forms, but still, a gentle, brilliant revolution.

-Charles Spano

Montreal mirror - February 2003
For a completely serene and mellowed-out listen, pick up the latest from Japanese artist Ogurusu Norihide. Upon first listen, it becomes apparent that the title Modern is somewhat tongue in cheek as most of the main instrumentation comes from acoustic guitar and piano. Once again, however, Norihide brings out new qualities and modes from these "traditional" instruments with his minimalist composition and digital processing. An exercise in restraint, the pieces on Modern evoke a certain calm and balance (which makes sense given that Norihide is a certified Shinto priest). This is a wonderfully gentle album perfect for rainy nights of quiet contemplation. 9/10
- Raf Katigbak

Whistlebump.co.uk – march 2003

According to the press release, this album is part of the "burgeoning 'laptop folk scene". Whilst confessing ignorance of 'laptop folk' I find no trouble in recommending this delicate , sensitive and beautiful album by one of it's proponents. Norihide is a qualified Shinto priest living in Kyoto , and although the influence of Japanese music isn't really apparent here, the attitude of serenity and simplicity so often associated with this country is ever present. Sometimes stark as in '10.05' (NB all the tracks are named by their length in minutes and seconds!)with its' singular chords and spacious notes, and sometimes summery on '5.01' with it's optimistic guitar and gentle lilt. I can only conclude that Norihide's music deserves a much wider audience than it'll most likely get. Seek it out and surprise yourself.

- CM