Avant-Garde Icon Keiji Haino Collaborates with Composer Shuta Hasunuma for Soothing New Album

In a surprising collaboration, avant-garde icon Keiji Haino has teamed up with composer Shuta Hasunuma to create a new album that feels anomalous for both artists. The album, titled "U TA," was recorded in a studio after Haino and Hasunuma performed an iteration of it live in 2021.

Haino, known for his volcanic, punishing, and relentlessly brutish avant-rock and free-improv music, has taken on a different role in this project. Rather than his usual intense and abrasive approach, Haino only contributes vocals, which Hasunuma's soothing instrumentation forces into a "gentle and genteel" realm.

The album opens with the gorgeous track "Sky," defined by graceful piano melodies and atmospheric synthesizers. Haino's vocals, which often sound mystic or violent, now convey a sense of warm vulnerability, with details like the way his words reverberate in the ether and the sudden wavering of his voice standing out. This collaborative record represents a true anomaly in Haino's vast back catalogue, showcasing a more vulnerable and mutabile side of the avant-garde icon.