Katra Turana's return to studio in 2022 was very much unexpected and surprising, but very much a thing that is to be welcomed with open arms for all of those who are fans of the always captivating and charming Japanese experimental/prog scene. Honestly it was a long time overdue, the band had been performing some gigs ever since they released their last proper studio album in 1986, alternating between supporting members and kind of hinting (?) at new material or newer versions of classic material from their catalog during those performances. Of course, and as it seems to be custom with Japanese acts performing at Japanese gigs, few of these performances were recorded and distributed on their entirety or at least on a sound quality that didn't make you want to blow your brains out as soon as possible. But at least some gems managed to slip by and bless us with their existence.
This is a rather small set from 2015 performed at the legendary Star Pine's Cafe, nothing too fancy, nothing too full of itself either, just a very charming and digestible livestream that had great sound quality and that was made up by some of the most recognizable and memorable compositions from the band that were given some very nice treatment (sadly never released officially, but that's why we are here). It all ended up in some nice renditions, for the most part, that at times do manage to cross the line by becoming absolute outstanding highlights, indeed proving that this band still has plenty of steam left in the machinery to keep things going for a long while. In particular pay attention to the last few songs, in particular Tendon and The End, with all the band coming together in their calm progression and onstage chemistry, offering some great instrumental bits and also being the track where the vocals manage to work at their best.
It is not really something outstanding or completely revolutionary, even for the Katra Turana formula, but it really is a nice small little thing to sit through and enjoy. Really wonderful atmosphere and the instrumentals really deliver in the end, so it really is nice. Honestly feel that this is a wonderful complementary piece of their new Reboot album, which is pretty close to what was described here. Basically re-recordings of their material with some modern lineup and modern equipment to aid in all, ending up in a record that justifies its length and does so on a great way, definitely being a pleasant listen for fans or appreciators of the band's legacy as a whole.
(Also a side-note, but it really was a huge surprise seeing it released digitally and distributed physically by Telegraph in such a remarkable surprise since most people who followed it thought they had become sort of a living corpse years ago, and also by the Inundow label, which honestly has been on fire with a streak of wonderful releases over these last few years, in particular in 2022 with the absolutely outstanding Gerogerigegege project ">(decrescendo) Final Chapter", so this is definitely a label to keep looking forward to in the upcoming months.) You can listen to Reboot and support Katra Turana here:
1. Epigenesis (4:48)
2. Orange Sunshine (3:54)
3. okies-adutam (4:19)
4. Acid Rain (5:10)
5. Tendon (2:45)
6. Kasawa Umbrella (6:23)
7. The End (14:05)
Download Here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13-wd7V5MT_OAmdsF9ElQgA4cOgXJwDO_?usp=sharing
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