fossil - fossil
	Released: 2003 Label: Poseidon Records Cat. No.: PRM-003 Total Time: 47:49
	Reviewed by: David Cisco, May 2004 ”You’ve not seen enough in your life.” – Jadis, 2003 …and they’re right; I haven’t seen enough – or, in this case, heard enough. Being a “rockin’ band” guy for most of my life, I’ve missed out on a lot of great work done by solo artists. Sure, I remember Mike Oldfield, mainly Tubular Bells, but mostly I’ve been listening to songs composed and played in the “popular” – or “band” – style. Well, I’ve gone through some changes in the past three years and, as a happy result, have discovered a whole world of fine solo productions. Of course, in prog, that’s not an uncommon occurrence; many excellent musicians work alone to create albums of well-produced, listenable music. This is especially true among guitarists – Steve Howe and Anthony Phillips spring to mind – and so it is with a marvelous one-man musical venture from Japan, fossil. "fossil" is the nickname for one Hikaru Sekine, who single-handedly crafted fossil the album. All writing, performing, recording, and production is Hikaru’s work, and it is excellent work, indeed. In a world full of superbly produced albums, fossil ranks among the best I’ve ever heard. Hikaru possesses a keen ear for song structure and the studio expertise to construct the right sounds, and every song on fossil bears that out. The instruments – primarily guitars – are nicely layered and given a crystalline production that allows each to stand out clearly in the mix. The songs, with a couple of exceptions, are folk-ish and built on acoustic melodies that derive from an array of styles, from Oriental to Occidental. Electric guitars are used in much the same way, laying a melodic basis for further figures and effects to be built upon. Each song – or in some cases, snippets (“8*7=56 (Recitative)”, “Notice (Outspoken)” – is gentle yet engaging, and sometimes surprising in their depth. “Autumn Rain” is a prime example; acoustic 12-string guitars create a ringing backdrop upon which electric melodies and tones are added, producing a melancholy beauty that reminds of sweetly ringing chimes heard on a gray autumn day. The rest of fossil is equally beautiful, easy on the ear and soothing to the soul. In fact, fossil is so good that it gets a lot of spins in my CD player nowadays, enough that it’s become one of my favorite albums from last year. Heads up: If you enjoy solo efforts, especially those of talented guitarists, then Hikaru Sekine is a man you’ll want to get to know and fossil is an album that you’ll want to listen to over and over again. Beautiful, just beautiful. Rating: 5/5 More about fossil: Track Listing: Upper Stream (1:24) / 8*7=56 (Recitative) (0:59) / Noble Fish Jumping (2:49) / Crescent (5:20) / Notice (Outspoken) (0:29) / River Bank Cyclist (3:51) / Tea Ceremony (2:49) / Armchair Fisherman (4:01) / The Ascetic (3:25) / Water Witch (4:12) / Wavering Life, Weaving Lines (9:19) / A Current In The Veins (3:39) / Autumn Rain (3:29) / Lower Reaches (1:55) Musicians: Fossil (Hikaru Sekine): all guitars, flute, devices Contact: Website: www.musicterm.jp/poseidon Note: will open new browser window Discography Fossil (2003)
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