Enlightenment! Everybody wants some. Friends, the path through new musical discoveries leads through phases of darkness and light - at least in Masaki Batoh's world, a difficult place whether or not the gods come to save us, but one with a happy ending for us if we accept the terms and climb the mountain of inspiration through many travails and make it so. Throughout his forthcoming album Smile, Jesus Loves You, Batoh takes us over these great distances and allows us to hear and feel the air around the recording as if it is our own.
 

With new single "Speculum", birdsong echoes lead into a reflective psych folk journey, with layers of electric and acoustic guitars ornamenting Batoh's impressionistic lyrics. Percussionist Hiroyuki Usui's (Fushitsusha) deep-massage full kit explorations work in perfect collaboration with Batoh, drawing from shared depths of classical and prog inspiration. Take a deep breath and prepare to make the plunge - "Speculum" can be heard and felt by clicking here.