Kaito - Hundred Million Light Years

Trance may have gotten a bad name over the last few years (think overblown production, aimless tracks), but Kaito keeps the original idea of trance -- a transportive experience -- and infuses it into his album _A Hundred Million Light Years_. With careful layers and a steady beat, he manages to coax a beautifully emotive sound from his machines, whether with the squalls of guitar on "Color of Feels" or the sustained tones on "Natural Source." Nothing feels out of place: the piano on "Nobody Could Be Alone" seems natural, rather than excessively, and even if "Holding a Baby" sounds a little more energetic than a gentle caress, I'm fine with that. He can get moodier, as well, with the opening of "Life Goes On," which turns out to be less an existential crisis and more a statement of being. And by the time we reach the final track, "The Universe," we've pretty much floated out of our own and into one of Kaito's making. Gorgeous stuff.