Hit Parade of Tears by Phantom Orchard

Many eclectic and eccentric artists emerged from the counterculture of 1970s Japan, cyberpunk pioneer Izumi Suzuki one of the most provocative. Taking inspiration from Suzuki’s subversive science fiction, experimental duo Phantom Orchard transport the listener to absurdist alien landscapes on their new release Hit Parade of Tears (Tzadik Records). These electroacoustic compositions discover new stories within Suzuki’s strange prose, translating her work into otherworldly sounds driven by celestial harp arrangements and non-Newtonian electronica. Suzuki’s unorthodox influence casts kaleidoscopic hues across each track as Phantom Orchard constructs intricate sonic vignettes, richly textured by harmonium, chimes, and small object percussion. Breathing with an expansive cinematic atmosphere, this album feels like an authentic relic from an extraterrestrial world. The tesseractic Hit Parade of Tears blurs dimensional boundaries between Japan’s lost generation of underground artists, modern avant garde music, and a yet-to-be-realized future bizarre beyond imagination. 

- Kalen