This impressive debut from UK bassist -producer Joe Downard offers musical counterparts to seven short stories by Japanese author Jun'ichir Tanizaki. Downard was inspired by Tanizaki's lyricism and by the range and depth of emotion he manages to convey in a short space of time and you can hear those same qualities in these seven tracks, which stitch together passages of shimmering ambience with bold unison horn melodies and strobing alt-rock grooves.

The playing is outstanding and there are storming solos from the whole band, including trumpeter James Copus who has language for days, but what really grabbed me was the breadth of the sound palette. Rupert Cox draws on a small arsenal of analogue synths and Downard has added further effects in post production, as well as working in a few field recordings made in Japan.

There are echoes of Radiohead (one of Downard's influences) as well as the music of LA band Kneebody and the lurid soundworlds of Oneohtrix Point Never. I particularly like the contrast between the synthetic synths and the purity of Will Barry's acoustic piano, used to great effect on the explosive final track, ‘Blind Man's Tal’.