Nanosweep 21

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

	Album Title: Nanosweep 21
	Record Label: Nanosounds, Supersweep
	Catalog No.: NS-021
	Release Date: December 31, 2015
	Purchase: Buy at Sweep Record

Overview

NanoSweep is an ongoing series of original music that was initiated in 2004 by various members of NanoSounds and SuperSweep. It usually features members from each of these companies and occasionally a guest composer. This is the twenty-first original album and features compositions by Shinji Hosoe, Ayako Saso, Fumihisa Tanaka, Takahiro Eguchi, Ryo Watanabe, and Taku Inoue. How does this album fare as a whole?

Body

The album opens with Shinji Hosoe’s “Debonair heavy industry,” a tune that features some intricate percussion work, a blend of dark, ethereal synth sections, and intense drum ‘n’ bass. In many ways, it reminds me of the Zero Escape series, albeit more energetic. Following that, Ayako Saso’s “Draft of Whisper” is more of a slow burn, combining ethereality, trance, and bright synths, although it does get a bit drawn out as the piece progresses; the melody is quite upbeat and makes for a nice addition. Fumihisa Tanaka’s “2daysWORKer” is certainly more modern, EDM-oriented, with its trance-inspired tune that combines a beautiful melody with crystalline synths.

 Takahiro Eguchi’s “Lotus” is a much more subdued piece. It’s quite relaxing, featuring a lot of ethereal synth and bell tones. It’s a very soothing piece and also features a great melody. Ryo Watanabe’s “DILATATA” is a typical Watanabe affair, although it does boast an interesting melody and is a bit more intricate than normal in terms of its rhythm. Lastly, Taku Inoue’s “Good Night (feat. Yuriy Humber)” closes the CD with a beautiful piece featuring warm synths, acoustic guitar, lyrics that feature a range of emotions from serious to sad to silly, and a soft electronic accompaniment. It’s certainly my favorite on the album.

Summary

In the end, I would say that Nanosweep 21 is certainly a strong listen. While not every tune hits it out of the park, there is plenty of variety to be had in this outing, and it also features the return of some lesser-utilized members in the Nanosounds collaboration.