Music is the human soul. We dont know how much exactly birds enjoy each others melody, but to us it sounds good. It expresses what we feel. I am a big admirer of Shigeru Nagata's best work: Umi Ga Kikoeru. An unforgettable soundtrack. What made it so stunning is the rainbow: its thematic range is breathtaking. Jazzy here, funny there, and sweet there. But always nostalgic. Always melancholy and emotional, but never bitter. It entertains me through a train of thought. I have never heard  anything since that is so diverse in musical range. Quiet, reflective, sensitive, deep, perhaps even sweetly painful, depending on how far you need to reach. I think fusion is the wrong word. Cosmic. A star spangled arrangement. While his lively, chirpy syths reminds us what moves and drives us in life, his humble piano which comes close to orchestral also tells us how deep and lonely the ocean it can be. And "Kaze No Namiki Michi" does just that. It's a masterstroke. It takes you along. It's beautiful. It's fragile, but wise. I cannot ever ride my bicycle towards the sea and not have Kaze "No Namiki Michi" in my head. The music is a milestone in the landscape of soundtrack composing which stands alone and holds it well, without the movie. And here, so does his latest work (the first for at least a decade) The Earth series. It's a new work, yet there is still the wondering, seraching nostalgia. The theme and feeling is still evident, but the musicscape is different. But never different enough not to feel what captured my heart in the first place. This is very true of the first track. Dancing in the Snow. Again, fragile, yet sanguinery. Light, yet rich with feeling. Like a hot summer school day long forgotten. It heralds an Ozu like feel for the 21st centruy. I do believe this is my favourite track in the album. It's very happy, but it never counts the chicken before its hatched. It's too humble to make mistakes. The other track on first impressions to note is The Moon. This one I will sit out by the sea. This is the yin and yang companion piece to track one. Fine, delicate, haunting and shimmering. What makes Shigeru Nagata's music so mesmerizing is the vaulted transparency of emotion he conjures. He tells you of the dark and light, which are essentially the same things. You cannot do without either. There's still much to enjoy and taste. I am taking my time. I am savouring The earth. I've waited along time for the return of Nagata music. And I am so very pleased to find I am not dissapointed. He is at his best. Outside Hisaishi and Sakamoto, he along with Yuji Nomi, are the rare, unseen and unsung gems of the Japanese musical world. His music is drinking water. It's fresh and it's mineral. Gushing down from the hills.
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