On what is their fifth album since 2020, Fuubutsushi really outdid themselves and crafted together a masterwork rich in tenderness and graceful melancholia.

Fuubutsushi brings together many of my favorite adventurous composers and free improvisers (many of whom had been featured on RCU many times before), with Chaz Prymek (of Lake Mary) on guitars, bass, double bass and field recordings; Matthew Sage (M. Sage) on piano, keys, vocals, drums and percussion, synths, harmonica, accordion clarinet, field recordings; Chris Jusell on violin, mandolin, marimba, and vibraphone and Patrick Shiroishi on alto and tenor saxophones, bass clarinet, accordion, glockenspiel, melodica, and vocals and field recordings.

The material on this double record brings out the greatest strengths of each artist, as they always add the perfect tone, texture or emotion to each piece of music. So you’ll hear traces of ambient country, spiritual jazz, post-rock and folk all combine together in total harmony, creating vast impressionistic soundscapes that move you with each and every listen.

With delicate guitar and piano melodies drifting across atmospheres of keyboards and strings like chains of cirrus clouds caught in a jet stream, the band conjures many wistful scenes and memories. The moods you’ll hear across Meridians might remind you of your first loves, your most cherished dreams or how it feels to return to the home you grew up in. Fuubutsushi seems to be completely tapped into these very raw places of the heart, and the band communicates them sonically in stunning detail.

This group, and all of its individual members, have released powerful, important works before, but Meridians might be their most crowning achievement yet. To enjoy it fully, you must hear the record from start to finish in one uninterrupted sitting. This is music that speaks to your soul, your very marrow. Let it in.

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