Penguin Kids, by Nao Otsuka

Penguin Kids

by Nao Otsuka

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Full Digital Discography

7

releases

Get all 7 Nao Otsuka releases available on Bandcamp and save 30%.

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Standards, オドレナイテクノ, Hydrangea, Mutter, Tumblin EP, Penguin Kids, and Good cat. , and , .

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1.	A Jangle 04:11	buy track
2.	Fountain 03:24	buy track
3.	Silent Creek 03:35	buy track
4.	Slide On Iron 04:09	buy track
5.	Flow Sound 03:50	buy track
6.	Digital Singing 04:05	buy track
7.	Splash 03:13	buy track
8.	African Frog 05:12	buy track
9.	Home Sounds 03:01	buy track
10.	Abstract Howling 04:06	buy track
11.	Parasol And Stag Beetle Horn 04:41	buy track
12.	Pengiun Kids 04:29	buy track
13.	Guitar And S1000 05:18	buy track
14.	Tape And Insect 10:34	buy track
15.	Snow In The Mountains 08:02	buy track
16.	Call On The Road (Digital Bonus) 04:14	buy track
17.	Clock Chimes (Digital Bonus) 03:44	buy track

about

FLUID RADIO REVIEW by James Catchpole:

Nao Otsuka’s Penguin Kids is a blindingly-bright debut, populated with gentle drones, stone-washed harmonies and coalescing birdsong, resting in the shadows of the Japanese mountains. Shimmering pools of water are mixed in with cooler drones, and the music of the natural world filters in through a series of field recordings, sitting in a state of equilibrium beside Otsuka’s ambient drones.

The gentle ambulation takes in a near-silent creek, slow-walking towards a glinting lake where a set of bright chimes dance upon the water. Deeper vibrations pulsate within the singing bowl’s spheres of infinity, hinting at a meditation practice and at a more experimental pathway, but the notes are perpetually encased in good karma.

Penguin Kids is perfect listening for the summer months – it’s bright and dripping with sunshine, and the soft harmonies are reflected in a pair of aviator sunglasses. The experimental vibes aren’t dissonant or jarring – they melt into the overarching music, becoming one with it. Distant major chords are splayed out among the leaves, appearing as loose, Side B versions as original chords morph into a smooth, outgoing flow of trickling notes. The lines are blurred: when you slow down a chord far enough, the strum loses its shell and you get its arpeggio. There isn’t a single rough edge in sight, but there is an eye-opening spell of clarity on ‘Splash’ thanks to the clearer and sharper strings. However, even the strings are dazed, and the melodies that emerge lose themselves in vast oceans of delay.

The first section of ‘African Frog’ sees Otsuka in experimental mode, but it calms as it progresses. The music sways to the trickling rhythm of a tribal dance. The soft arpeggios of the guitar produce a cool glare against the afternoon sunlight. And the ten-minute ‘Tape And Insect’ is a soothing evening meditation. Sometimes the music is reminiscent of early Tim Hecker, in the pre-glitched days of Radio Amor or Harmony In Ultraviolet, when a radiant luminescence played upon the surface of the track, its emerald colours emitting a healthy glow. The experimentation is light, playful, and tropical. The Orb were right when they called on the world to chill out, and this is the resulting bliss.

credits

released June 27, 2017

All tracks by Nao Otsuka
All field recordings by Takashi Kokubo
studio-ion.com/profile/
Mastered by Early Reflections

Originally released on Shimmering Moods Records
shimmeringmoodsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/penguin-kids

license

about

Nao Otsuka Japan

「水と生き物たち」Part 1, On Shimmering Moods Records :
shimmeringmoodsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/part-1

discography

The Standards

Oct 2023
オドレナイテクノ

Jun 2023
Hydrangea

Sep 2020
Mutter

Jun 2019
Penguin Kids

Jun 2017
Tumblin EP

Jan 2019
Good cat

Nov 2015

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