As he enters his 50th year in the music business, Haruomi Hosono hasn¡¯t lost his talent for making you wonder what the devil he¡¯s up to. After using modern studio technology to recreate the sounds of mid-20th century pop on ¡°Vu Ja De¡± in 2017, his latest effort looks to his early career for inspiration.
Following the breakup of Happy End in 1972, Hosono retreated to a house on the outskirts of Tokyo to make his debut solo LP, installing a 16-track mixer in the living room and turning the bedroom into a recording studio. The resulting album, ¡°Hosono House,¡± is one of the most popular in his diverse back catalog: a breezy set of songs in thrall to the sounds of The Band and Dr. John, with a tossed-off charm that has inspired countless indie rockers since.
Hosono never much cared for it, though, so he¡¯s remade it. On ¡°Hochono House,¡± he presents a new version of the album that replaces its no-frills, home-recorded aesthetic with an uncanny digital construct, where the fakery is always close to the surface.
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