The eponymous debut by fossil — the pseudonym of one Hikaru Sekine — is a textured, heavily-acoustic guitar recording with (very) conservative utility of peripheral sources, such as flute and select synthetic colorations. No fewer than five guitars ("and other devices") were employed, including a '68 Gibson SG Special, '82 Schecter ST, and a '94 Sakurai "Gut" model. It's a lovely if quiet collection with, again, an emphasis on texture, and nuance, and melodies, while not absent, are cleverly cloaked and only gradually unearthed with patient listening. A track may involve a foundational arpeggio with a melodic overlay, sans the sing-song "nursery rhyme" histrionics that plague some solo acoustic guitar performers. Variations on the prescribed theme do hit gauge-worthy realms, the widest degree set by a twenty-six second wave of rumbling feedback called "Notice (Outspoken)" to the nine-minute "Wavering Life, Weaving Lines." The latter is one of the album's "busier" pieces, more epic and "roving," with a bare-bones bassline set by metronomic notes on the low E string.
There is little doubt the remaining dozen pieces will instantly echo similar albums and compositions of years past. For example, the introductory theme, "Upper Stream," is a jangly vehicle reminiscent of bits on Steve Howe's Grand Scheme Of Things, while the likes of "Armchair Fisherman" and "The Ascetic" are gentle tracks that recall Will Ackerman. "Tea Ceremony" is a "guitarscapes" type of track, evoking that "cloud guitar" feel that David Torn and Jon Durant — and Bob Fripp before them — have become known for. "Crescent" opens with eerie, quasi-synthetic shades that actually are the multi-tracked pitches of the Muramatsu flute, also played by Sekine, while "River Bank Cyclist" adds texture in the form of layered wordless vocals. "Noble Fish Jumping" might or might not be referred to as Hackett-esque with its interlaced arpeggios and skeletal melody.
No, fossil isn't for everybody, but like the piano, cello, flute and violin — and, of course, the synthesizer — there is an entire genre to cater to the guitar on its own. And yet, a few spare moments will shed light on a niche Hikaru Sekine has carved for himself.
Tracklist:
1. Upper Stream (1:24)
2. 8*7=56 (Recitative) (0:58)
3. Noble Fish Jumping (2:49)
4. Crescent (5:18)
5. Notice (Outspoken) (0:27)
6. River Bank Cyclist (3:49)
7. Tea Ceremony (2:46)
8. Armchair Fisherman (4:01)
9. The Ascetic (3:22)
10. Water Witch (4:14)
11. Wavering Life, Weaving Lines (9:15)
12. A Current In The Vein (3:39)
13. Autumn Rain (3:29)
14. Lower Reaches (1:55)
Total time –47:51
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