Haruomi Hosono = 細野晴臣* – Philharmony = フィルハーモニー

Is the Obi stuck on the cover when it comes out of the factory ?
It is glued on my two copies, I have the same thing on Neuromantic from YT.

it's the japanese 'another green world,' what else is there to say?

Which is better sounding, the OG or the recent reissue?

I uploaded photos for this and the 2019 re-release for anyone looking to play spot the difference. Now having spent some time with both, I think it's fair to say I would be happy with either. In all honesty I’m not sure I could point out a difference sound-wise between the two. The repress is on much heavier vinyl. In terms of packaging, the colour of the sleeve does differ - but this could be due to fading over time.

Both offer near perfect clarity, providing no distractions for what I can only describe as quite an odd day out with Hosono. The album side-steps jarringly between euphoric elation, anxious preoccupation and discomfort ending with the somewhat ambient but completely not of this world “Air-Condition”, leaving you with the sense you’ve really been through something.

The song “Living Dining Kitchen” is a reference to Hosono’s recording studio LDK, set up for him by parent label Alfa as he was spending all of his time at their main studio. The output of Hosono at that time is staggering, driven by an internal force I more than suspect is reflected in this recording. Recommended, however not for the faint of heart.

This is a wonderful album to me. Described as Hosono’s most boundary-pushing and skitzofrenic effort, it clearly communicates his vision of music making. Playful, funky, twisted, funny, innovative, colorful, and truly modern. It’s a great trip. There’s a 50/50 split here between more formulaic but still kinda weird pop songs, and more ambient-leaning efforts with sampling and advanced recording techniques.

Some of this is very reminiscent of My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts, but also just computer game music (which Hosono played a major role in getting into popular music). Never released outside Japan until now, his influence on hip-hop, synth-pop and electronic music worldwide is still a thing, and a great achievement.

This stuff might be too toy-like and abnormal for some, especially if you expect songs to be more of the same (either fully ambient or fully synth-pop). Recommended for anyone who’s into synth experimentation, weird avant-garde pop about junk food and technology, and more abstract ambient sounds, together in sweet harmony.

MY SCORE:
17/20 Yum
17/20 Diverse
16/20 Appealing
19/20 New
18/20 Handcrafted
17+17+16+19+18=87%