Review Summary: Muse is a testament to Piana’s discography…
In her latest release Muse, Piana retains her signature sound while expanding to new territory. On previous albums, Piana has frequently used various electronic samples that gave her a heavy electronica edge a la Kashiwa Daisuke. With this release, it seems that Piana has gone for a natural sound, mostly using acoustic guitar and piano as the main instruments. This makes for a more natural accessible sound that dabbles in folk at some parts such as, In Silence. Actually In Silence is reminiscent to Phil Elverum’s melodic works. Furthermore, Piana’s emphasis on organic songwriting makes this album stick out over her previous works.
When it comes to the use of electronica elements, they are apparent on the songs Imaginary Windows, Ruins, and Borderless. The song Borderless is specifically interesting since it features the man Kashiwa Daisuke himself. Interestingly, because of Daisuke, Borderless is the most reminiscent of Piana’s earlier works. The syncopated vocal melodies interlaced with Daisuke’s electronic instrumental is a wonderful throwback, but with better songwriting all around. It should also be noted that Piana is the featured voice on Daisuke’s 9 songs. Actually, their collaborative efforts could actually be traced back to Sky Liner, which was featured in a compilation Invisible Folklore back in 2011.
When it comes to the actual sound, it’s hard to pin down but several western artists come to mind. Imagine a blend of The One AM Radio, The Microphones, and Copeland. This would culminate to a melodic and atmospheric listen, which is really descriptive of Muse. Listening to the album brings to mind a cold winter morning where you feel like sleeping in. The actual album art features Piana cuddled up in blanket and sheets.
It should be noted that most of the songs (except for I Think…) are written in Japanese, so unfortunately the lyrical matter is hard to determine. But because of how beautiful Piana’s voice and vocal melody it seems to transcend any language barriers. Furthermore, the instrumentation of the songs could stand on their own as ambient, electronica, or even post-rock songs.
Overall, Piana crafted an album that carries influences of her early material while exploring a new organic sound. With the recent collaboration with Kashiwa Daisuke, it’s tough to determine whether or not Piana will continue in the organic direction. However, what we could analyze now is that, Muse is a testament to Piana’s discography, in that she is successfully capable of branching out musically without sacrificing the quality of her earlier sound.
