Have a Wine

After slipping away from a reunion party, a young man moves through the bright streets of the city toward a woman's apartment. It is late Sunday night. He lies on the bed, turns the day over in his mind, waits for a call and watches morning arrive. The passage from “Sugiyuku Toki ni” into “Sunday Night to Monday Morning” has enough poise to suggest a whole story without spelling it out.

Char had been called one of Japan's great young rock guitarists, but Have a Wine also reveals a melodic sensibility that the harder image can obscure. “Furuete Nemure” is another lovely example. Even when the guitar cuts sharply across the music, his eye stays on Tokyo's urban landscape. If you know only the heavier Char, this solo record is where to hear the other side of his range.