phenomeNEWS - This Month's Music Review

This Month's Music Review
by Greg Ozimek
music@wwnet.net

The Domo 10th Anniversary Collection
DOMO Records

Exquisite! A greatest-hits collection of (mostly) Far East spiritual-“type” musical recordings from the record label led by legendary musical genius and creative force, Kitaro. The Domo 10th also includes Spanish-influenced guitar-based meditations.

With a humble bow to the cultural heritage Kitaro has displayed to us, we have to acknowledge the tender and dynamically strong recordings from Domo Records short life and comment, “It’s been 10 years? Already? Wow!”

To commemorate its 10th anniversary, Domo has released this CD which features 16 beautiful tracks from the Domo roster and highlights the works of some of the world’s best artists including: Kitaro, The Yoshida Brothers, Luis Perez and Nawang Khechog.

The CD includes a new and previous unreleased recording by Kitaro, Theme for Earthdance.

This Collection is soothing and serene, full of reflective, delicate moments and dreamy, intimate ambience. The Domo 10th is perfect for anytime of the day or night when a sense of inner calm and that grand inspiration Kitaro is known for, is in order.

The Domo 10th Anniversary Collection is a warming display of elegant, intimate, timeless music.

Steamboy Original Soundtrack
DOMO Records

It’s a fun soundtrack of an anime movie simply because it’s fun! And it’s so refreshing to have a good-old-fashioned orchestral recording. Steamboy may be a collector’s item.

Steamboy is the soundtrack to the epic anime film directed by Katshiro Otomo, who directed the anime cult classic, Akira. The culmination of a two-year project and Otomo’s first release since Akira, Steamboy is being hailed as the most impressive anime of 2005.

The soundtrack has a full bodied sound and is composed by Steve Jablonsky, a protege of Hans Zimmer and one of today’s up and coming composers. Steamboy, the film, has a lot of complex animation and CGI making it visually impressive. Jablonsky’s score is equally impressive to meet its challenge. The score is thoroughly orchestral and covers a wide range of styles from racing strings and pounding percussion to quiet, poignant melodies.

Sacred Journey of Ku-kai,
Volume 2
Kitaro
DOMO Records

Ku-Kai (774-835), is the founder of Shingon Japanese Esoteric Buddhism. During his life he lived in the areas of western Japan, particularly the region of today’s Osaka and Kyoto and the island of Shikoku. In folklore he and his legends abound in all of Japan. He is favored and yearned for as one yearns for one’s parents.

Sacred Journey of Ku-kai is the second in a series dedicated to Ku-kai, the legendary father of Japanese culture. This unique and gorgeously composed album contains samples from Japanese temple bells and is intended to inspire spiritual awakening and a profound experience of peace.

With passionate melodies and alchemical sound, Kiitaro’s multifaceted social undertaking of Ku-Kai’s ubiquitous mystical legend is an evocative, rich sonic terrain that documents his continuing pilgrimage to temples on the island of Shikoku, Japan and further extends his intention of spreading peace though music.

This month–Kitaro. Next month–no Kitaro. Enjoy.