Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Minamo - Durée [12K - 2010]

Minamo is a well regarded post-rock oriented band from Japan who mostly use guitar or piano as the lead instrument alongside various electronic sounds, including the use of (from what I've heard) a Nintendo console.  This is a quartet that doesn't have a rhythm section, which is particularly unusual in post-rock, but seems more oriented for ambient music.

I was prepared to give Durée a bad review, but this record actually stands up well with repeated listening.  At first it sounds rather flat and lacking in dynamics, with only minimal notes from the guitar leading the way.  However, like a Clyfford Still painting, what looks monochromatic and unassuming at first reveals some startling textures and other surprises.  There's some noisy feedback on "Helical Scenery", for example.  And there's a shamisen (Japanese banjo) as the lead instrument on "Individual Synesthesia".

So don't expect much from Durée on first exposure.  But if you're willing to take the time to explore it more, these soundscapes do eventually work their magic.

Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5

Lawrence J. Patti
Latest Reviews

Minamo - Durée
Minamo is a well regarded post-rock oriented band from Japan who mostly use guitar or piano as the lead instrument alongside various electronic sounds, inclu...
290126   The Assassination Bureau - T...
280126   Spent Stiletto/ No Fun Harsh ...
280126   Evil Damn - Eons of Horror
280126   Pink Wool/Sado  Ritual - Split
280126   Olion - Glimmers of Hope
270126   King Futile - How To Have Fun
270126   Devil Times Five - Devil Time...
260126   Slaves No More - House Of Dolls
260126   Martyn Ware, Charles Stooke a...
230126   Lee "Scratch" Perry - Black...
Latest Articles

Crude ‘n’ Hope-corroding Wall...
Back in 2024, I got my first taste of Absurd Reality, and I was so impressed by how crude and nasty its take on walled noise was. Behind the project is South...
290126   Crude ‘n’ Hope-corroding ...
231225   Creepy Images Books - Killer Art
221225   Best Of 2025 - Music, Sound &...
041225   The Spectral Sounds of The Pr...
281025   Michael Hurst Interview - Unb...
071025   Xiphos - The Rise And Fall Of...
030925   Third Window Films - A Label ...
130825   HNW fest- Barcelona- 12th Apr...
250725   Raté interview - Walled-in F...
180625   Matthew Holmes - Of razor-sha...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2025. Twenty four years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom