KYOUMEI - Harmonic Life By Hiroki Okano

 

KYOUMEI - Harmonic Life

By

Hiroki Okano

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

For the many fans of the music of the Hiroki Okano, who thought that Tenkawa: Pilgrimage of the Sacred Sound was the apex of his career, then you need to take some time out, and take in this scenic pathway, through this beautifully spiritually charged collection of outstanding reveries entitled, KYOUMEI - Harmonic Life.

The cinematic qualities of this album are beautifully portrayed by the artist, and indeed he has a plethora of instrumentation on this album that manifests qualities of sound, tone and timbre like none before it, and like the first track, is a reminder of ones heritage and culture, this opening offering is entitled Dear One’s Heart Ver.2 ‒ Furusato, this grand opus contains the harmonic bliss of the Wuling Senior High School Symphony Orchestra, in Taoyuan, Taiwan. A better starting piece you would not find, highlighted by the Native American Flute of the composer.

The tracks that follow breathe life and love into the world and begin that process of raising our energies once more, Into the Mystic Forest with its natural sound of a stream, this partnered by Hiroki’s expertise on guitar and synths is an outstanding focal point, this is soon followed by the global ethic of Rimpa Myabi ver. 2 and indeed was one the theme from the film PEACE NIPPON.

Never have I had the good grace to bathe in such sonic bliss from the new age delights of the natural well of tone and vibration called Awakening Seeds (Ikujusai I). Here the listener can float with one of the rarest stones the Sanukite, and listen to its pure unsullied spiritual resonance, one manifested into this reality by Reiko Komatsu.

The ambience is continued on this next offering entitled Winds of Vitality (Ikujusai II), and then built on by a layered and sensitive percussive element by drummer Gaku Nakamura, that ladder of rhythm is climbed as the piece then expands further with added vocals and a deeply crafted bass courtesy of Naoki Mitsuoka.

Listeners of this most fluent of albums will be drawn to the beautiful blending of sounds, ones that cross musical boundaries with a simplistic ease, tracks like the new age styled opus Transcending Ego, containing a delicate stream, which leads us wonderfully into an oasis of calm and tranquil wonderment, the combination of Native American flute and synths work so well here, combine that with the uplifting narrative of Eternal Gratitude (Ikujusai III) and you have a winner of a release, this has to be one of the most moving pieces from Hiroki ever, a stylish violin from Shizuka Kashima, a deep well of emotion from the cello of Ranna Sakimoto, and the powerful vocals of TeN, ALŮMA, TOMOKA, partnered symbiotically with the drums of Gaku Nakamura, and you have an opus of total grandeur and class.

The album begins its conclusion with the penultimate track in the anthem styled KYOUMEI - Harmonic Life. The once theme from the film PEACE NIPPON reigns supreme, before the conclusion of the album with the angelic harmonics of an amazing piece called Blissful Shine, a better ending it would be impossible to create. Synthesizer and Native American Flute are both brought to life by Hiroki Okano, and with such a warm genius too, whilst a stunning juxtaposition of musical class is echoed by the vocals of TeN, ALŮMA, TOMOKA.

KYOUMEI - Harmonic Life by Hiroki Okano is in my view the artists best work thus far, the sheer beauty of each and every piece is a journey worth taking, never before has an entire album brought me such balance tranquillity and serenity, this album is a harmonic convergence of outstanding natural beauty, and as such should take the charts by storm, and is without doubt most certainly an award worthy creation.

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https://www.domomusicgroup.com/blog/2025/07/08/kyoumei-by-hiroki-okano/

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