Entry 053: "Lineage" by Shigeto

Dear Internet,

                "Lineage" is one of those music albums that I cannot quite place my finger on.  I had gotten it at the request of a friend a year or so back.  It is only now that I am able to actually listen to it.  He was a unique kind of guy that would ask me to try and find info about some of the most underground or unknown musicians.  I would find for him everything from German dubstep to a French electronic style that I would have to call "bubblegum techno."  I have since lost contact with him, but listening to "Lineage" makes me think fondly of his eccentric tastes, which have rubbed off a bit on me I will admit.

                Zachary "Shigeto" Saginaw is a Brooklyn, NY, based artist, and you are probably not going to find much more information than that.  Searching for his name is not going to get about three interviews and less than that artist bios which seem to repeat a lot of information.  "Lineage" is meant to be homage to the man's Japanese ancestry, something that was often played down in his family post WWII.  Hidden within the eight tracks are little nuances that stem from East Asian music styles.  A number of times I thought I was listening to a mellowed out version of Japanese house music. 

                That might very well sum up "Lineage."  It is an album rich in mellowed out electricity.  The songs have no lyrics or even include voice samples, so it does reach into a level of non-verbal communication.  Instead, Shigeto makes use of everything from standard drum beating to cymbal snares to clapping.  Mixed in are a few electronic sounds that could be anything from synthesizers to Theremins.  When the electronic and percussion halves come together, it creates a laid back style that is easy on the ears.  In a way this works for the album but also leaves a lot to be desired.  What happens is that the album can be easily digested as background music.  It is not something meant to be listened to as itself and by itself.  It works well as something to work to or listen to as you read.  I am even listening to it for about the third time as I type this.  But like I said, this works against it.

                As I listened to the album, I realized that there is next to no way for me to distinguish between the various tracks.  Each one does have a clear cut beginning and ending, but you would be hard pressed to notice when a different track is playing if you are busy doing something else.  One track can so seamlessly flow into the next one that the whole album is just one long song with different movements.  I am hard pressed to single out a single track as the highlight of the album.  The album has to be taken as a whole instead of having a breakout song.

                "Lineage" is a fun listen that does nothing all that interesting and plays it safe.  The half hour you spend listening to it will move past you quickly, but not because you are having so much fun but because you decided to go do something else while listening to it.  In fact, that was probably the whole purpose of this collection of songs.  It is meant to be playing in the background while something more interesting is going on. 

Yours in digital,

BeepBoop