The most unlikely point of reference to begin thinking about Shuta Hasunuma?s latest release for the Western Vinyl label, ?OK Bamboo? is an album that?s ten years old, ?OK Computer.? It?s not only, I think, the somewhat clumsy title, but a thematic link as well. Both albums explore the hyper-mediated environment that we?re all currently living in, or trying hard to avoid. But whereas Radiohead loaded their touchstone album with angst, Hasunuma?s exploration is a surprisingly un-anxious one.

I say ?surprisingly? because the mere mention of the theme can be anxiety producing for some. How could we think about the constant barrage of man-made images and sounds that are mostly trying to sell us useless products and not have our blood-pressure increase? What?s interesting about this question, and is a line of thought that Hasunuma seems to be pursuing here, is that humans aren?t the only living things that have to grapple with the weirdness that is Times Square or Tokyo at night. It's not just that humans have to negotiate with their computers, but so, too, bamboo and birds are also negotiating with skyscrapers and neon. It?s the negotiations of the birds and bamboo that Hasunuma is interested in here.

It?s electronic music that is both very computer-driven (glitchy, stark, and clipped) as well as organic (lush, smooth, and unprocessed). The unadorned piano anchors the tracks on which it appears. If you?re thinking that it might sound like Fennesz, Four Tet, or the Books, you wouldn?t be that far off. Hasunuma?s work, however, is intensely rooted in the sounds of Japan, and his work clearly plays as that of a resident rather than a tourist.

Some tracks get bogged down here by a glut of ideas, or lack an anchor. But the album so clearly unfolds as a unified piece that these missteps are largely not distracting. As a true album, it?s not necessarily an immediately revealing piece of music. The learning curve is mellow, though; and with just a few listens you can find the rewards it has to offer. 7/10 -- Joel Matthew (24 October, 2007)