Gonno – Remember The Life Is Beautiful
Take a brief glance over the discography of Tokyo’s Sunao Gonno and you’d be rather surprised. From remixing Jeff Mills, early releases on Ali Wells’ notorious Perc Trax, through to more recent appearances on labels like International Feel and Beats in Space, there’s no doubt he’s been on a musical journey that’s been through its fair share of phases. This musical learning curve has still inadvertently left its mark on his current sound, despite how different it might be these days, for his new full length on the always impressive Endless Flight.
Remember The Life is Beautiful, Gonno’s first album in ten years since My Existence on the now defunct Japanese label W.C. Recordings, is quite an impressive effort and surprisingly uplifting, considering his past sound explorations leaning towards the darker side of the spectrum. Like the title suggests, Remember The Life is Beautiful is quite possibly the most positive affirmation you could hear an artist make this year and musically it follows suit. He draws from a varied sound palette as he takes you on this curious journey over its ten tracks.
You have the shoegaze aesthetic of the opening track “Hippies” for instance, where looped, reversed guitars float over a messed up, beat repeat groove. Tongue in cheek titles are a constant, actually. “Worst Day Ever” continuing on likewise but in a more mysterious manner with its weird ping pong delay accompanying lush synths, ethereal strings and another splash of spangling guitars. It’s somewhat reminiscent of something from the end of Slowdive’s classic Souvlaki; and that’s not a bad thing!
On the other hand you’ve got some delightful house music on offer. Sure, there’s a four to the floor beat, but it’s the rich tapestry he’s woven over the top which makes it that more special. When it’s comprised of glistening keys, serene violins and guitar feedback drones (“Across The Sadness”) or the feelgood vibes of “Revoked” with a rolling, funky bassline and breakbeat, he’s definitely still a DJ at heart. But it’s the tracks where he discards previous conventions completely where he really shines through. The stunning “Beasts In Your Mind” really nails it on his own terms where a soaring guitar solo battles it out with the most blissed out synth arpeggio, taking you into pure freefall for three minutes. There’s proper downtime on the beautifully haunting hammer dulcimer workout of “The Island I’ve Never Been” or the transcending, ambient soundscape of “Already Almost” that are pure bliss.
Gonno aspired to go “beyond the dancefloor” on this album and incorporate new influences, both musical and non-musical. A self-confessed journal of his life over the past ten years, it’s a candid and personal headspace that is absolutely evident on the album and its quite an honour that we got to hear what was in his head. As he boldly declared himself “I don’t have a sense in belonging to something specific. It would mean less freedom, and my music should be always as free as possible.” The album’s odd beauty is timed well too; a perfect soundtrack for the end of summer where we conclude another chapter, taking the good from the bad (or vice versa) but regardless; you can always put on this album and reminisce, fondly.
Nic Tuohey
Tracklisting:
1. Hippies
2. The Worst Day Ever
3. Stop (Album Version)
4. Confusion
5. Beasts In Your Mind
6. Across The Sadness (Album Version)
7. Already Almost
8. Revoked
9. The Island I’ve Never Been
10. Green Days (Album Version)