Exposé Online banner

Exposé Online

Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
Covering music from the fringes since 1993.

Reviews

Stella Lee Jones — Escape from Reality
(Bandcamp Dizziness SLJ-002, 2016, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2022-07-12

Escape from Reality Cover art

The second album by Stella Lee Jones came out back in 2016, coincidentally released just a short time after my last visit to Japan. If it had been available while I was there, I would surely have snapped up a copy, and it would have easily been included on my list of the year’s best albums. But as it is, the sheer volume of other music coming out overwhelmed my attention, and it was only recently that I remembered this amazing band. To my great surprise and delight, it’s available on Bandcamp, unlike most Japanese music. (I’ll put that down to the peculiarities of the Japanese music market and label policies, but it’s neither here nor there.) Escape from Reality is a truly wonderful album, surpassing the band’s excellent debut from 2011 — for those who missed it, A Floating Place is also a worthy listen. Stella Lee Jones is, of course, not a person but a band formed by guitarist Satoshi Hirata, who is also known for his work in Electric Asturias and Flat122. He’s joined by a crack ensemble featuring Shinya Sato (piano, keyboards), Hitomi Iriyama (violin), Emi Sasaki (accordion), Shunsuke Sano (bass), and Tomoyoku Tanimoto (drums), plus guest Hitomi Aikawa on vibes and percussion The music is in the same general style as the more electric parts of Asturias, and features lots of tight playing and varied arrangements that even touch on zeuhl a bit. Hirata’s guitar has a worthy foil in Iriyama’s violin, and the keyboards provide both lush backing and more up-front solos. Sasaki’s accordion adds a unique flavor to the music, something unexpected in energetic progressive rock. There’s even a touch of jazz fusion at times hinting at classic Mahavishnu. The players also shine on the delicate “Waking Up Maybe…” which is arranged for acoustic guitar, violin, and piano; the three-part suite called “Yume no Kyokaisen” is a mostly-acoustic affair where the energy is more subtle, and is a lovely example of chamber RIO. Escape from Reality is a modern classic that deserves to be in the collection of any progressive rock fan.

Filed under: New releases, 2016 releases

Related artist(s): Stella Lee Jones

More info
http://stellaleejones.bandcamp.com/album/escape-from-reality

 

What's new

These are the most recent changes made to artists, releases, and articles.