t e l e p a t h テレパシー能力者 – アンタラ通信
Recommendation: ☀☀☁
アンタラ通信 – translated and referred to as Antara Communication – begins with its centerpiece: an eighteen-minute odyssey through the foggy realm that is inhabited by the codifier of ambient vaporwave, telepath. Like a marriage between City Developer and telepath’s Virtual Dreams Plaza, this album defines the very essence of dreampunk music: gorgeous synthesizer mush that rocks the descriptor “swirly” better than most shoegaze acts.
But unlike shoegaze, it’s less likely that drugs were involved here (that could be wishful thinking) – unless telepath is trying to keep check of his cholesterol levels, with which the fibrate “Antara” would help. Maybe Antara Communication refers to the form of classical music of the northern Indian subcontinent, and that music can be used as a form of communication between humans who have otherwise no connection with each other and have never met, but yearn for connection through the astral plane just the same. If there’s a way for humans to hear and to understand each other through separation of time and distance, then music is as good of one as any.1
Whatever its meaning, Antara Communication is certainly an emphatic and emotional addition to telepath’s discography. As a historical footnote, it’s also billed as the first cassette album of parent label Dream Catalogue, which is co-owned by telepath and friend/producer HKE. As with 肉体からの離脱, it’s one of telepath’s most diverse: tracks are far more than the slushy late night lo-fi with which much of telepath’s work is associated (although there’s some of that, too). “東京， ２０８９” is eight minutes of inner-city mallsoft music, with telepath’s languid pop samples playing against sounds of the metropolis like an isolated subway speaker. “表面の下に愛” is old-school slushwave of the 現実を超えて variety. “美しい沈黙” is a haunting, slow ambient song with a brief piano introduction reminiscent of “ZONED IN” by ECO-WIFI from LIQUID TELEVISION.
Antara Communication is long, and easily almost too long: at ninety-three minutes, it’s one of telepath’s lengthiest solo works. “遠い思い出”, “早朝”, and “発見” probably could have been culled without change to the overall mood, but if that’s an implication of lack of quality, than telepath may consider it a compliment. All three of those tracks are not bad, they’re just a tad unnecessary given the size of Antara Communication. For those looking for a long dive into the lake of musical bliss, these are great waters for one to swim, and their variety is sure to reward repeated listens far past the point that would normally be considered stale. Put on Antara Communication, and let it wrap its ghostly arms around you.
Tracklist
1. 愛の多くの顔 – (17:57)2
2. 感覚変更 – (3:33)3
3. あなたは私の空想です – (5:49)4
4. 東京， ２０８９ – (8:31)5
5. 柔らかい唇 – (4:47)6
6. 表面の下に愛 – (6:03)7
7. 美しい沈黙 – (7:56)8
8. 停電 – (6:30)9
9. 上昇 – (2:32)10
10. 遠い思い出 – (3:50)11
11. 一緒に私たちはスタンド – (3:12)12
12. あなたのビジョン – (4:57)13
13. 発見 – (4:05)14
14. 恋人の高い – (3:43)15
15. 早朝 – (3:12)16
16. ハーモニー – (7:14)17
1Or maybe still, Antara Communication refers to the Antara mental hospital in the Bengalese city of Kolkata (f.k.a. Calcutta). (Probably not.)
2Japanese translation: “Many faces of love”
3Japanese translation: “Sense change”
4Japanese translation: “You are my fantasy”
5Japanese translation: “Tokyo, 2089”
6Japanese translation: “Soft lips”
7Japanese translation: “Lover under the surface”
8Japanese translation: “Beautiful Silence”
9Japanese translation: “Power outage”
10Japanese translation: “Rising”
11Japanese translation: “Distant memories”
12Japanese translation: “Together we stand”
13Japanese translation: “Your vision”
14Japanese translation: “Discovery”
15Japanese translation: “High lover”
16Japanese translation: “Early in the morning”
17Japanese translation: “Harmony”