NAGISA YUKU

A mellow breeze rises from the shoreline. Shozo Ise's first album of the 1980s retains the intimacy of a singer-songwriter record while opening the sound toward sophisticated West Coast pop. Acoustic guitar, piano and chorus are arranged with exceptional lightness, leaving room for the scenery in the songs to breathe.

The title song travels beside the water with an easy stride, while the quieter numbers trace moonlight, distance and memory in restrained colors. The playing never overwhelms the melody. Instead, the ensemble supports Ise's voice like a landscape seen through a car window—clear, calm and gently passing by.