From the seaside streets around Enoshima and Fujisawa, maya ongaku make music that feels loose in the hands but carefully balanced underneath. Their 2023 debut on Guruguru Brain comes from the trio of Tsutomu Sonoda, Ryota Takano, and Shoei Ikeda, and it has the feel of ideas caught before they harden into arrangements. Sonoda’s acoustic and electric guitars carry most of the movement, while Takano’s bass keeps a sinuous pulse and Ikeda brings saxophone, flute, organ, Rhodes, and synthesizer into the mix. Percussion is everywhere, from djembe and bongos to rain stick, flexatone, and small cymbals.
The opening “Approach” takes its time, with saxophone and hand percussion gradually bringing the track into focus. “Nuska” adds water sounds and a soft Nord synth glow, while “Description Of A Certain Sound” breaks into poetry reading, whistle, electric organ, and sax. “Something In Morning Rain” is warmer, with Rhodes and flute around the guitars, and the short “Rakusui” leaves Sonoda alone with his acoustic. By “Water Dreams” and “Pillow Song”, the music has become gentler without losing its odd edges. Fans of Japanese psychedelic folk, loose art pop, and small-scale experimental recording should find plenty here, especially if they like instruments that sound played rather than polished.
