Necessary vinyl reissue of the debut album from Japanese acid folk loner Aritomo. Originally self-released on vinyl in 2005, the album was recorded between 2003-2004. It’s a magical side, recalling aspects of Go Hirano, the Org catalogue and early Ghost. Aritomo’s vocals have a slurred/alien tongue feel that is nicely drugged and the music moves from avalanching acoustic downers ala Leonard Cohen through weird flute and field recordings that reflect on the more ‘environmental’ aspects of Part Wild Horses Mane On Both Sides and fragile/lucid folk songs that combine gentle ritualistic atmospheres, Hallelujahs-style melodies and a vocal that’s way beyond the blank. A classic side of PSF-styled acid folk. Edition of only 300 copies. Highly recommended.

Vinyl reissue of Japanese folk spirit Aritomo’s second LP, originally released on his own Hakanairo imprint in a long-gone edition of 200 copies. This edition comes with pro-printed sleeves reproducing the original artwork and a four page booklet on parchment paper. Blooming The Ena sails closer to the soft breeze coming out of the whole Org stable, with weightless acid folk arrangements combining acoustic guitar, bamboo flute, piano and chimes with vocals that come out of the Tori Kudo/Go Hirano/Shinji Shibayama approach to naive psych. Some of the arrangements have the same strange free-floating folk feel as Richard Young’s Jagjaguwar sides, albeit with a more overtly stoned/zoned appeal. If a track from this hadda turned up on one of the early Tokyo Flashback sides this guy would already have been canonised. Recommended.