Floating Free: Biollante’s Above The Branches

Japanese producer Biollante caught our attention in 2013 with the melancholy, airy Alone In This World, a downbeat affair but a very memorable one. The follow-up album, Above The Branches, has arrived and it sounds a touch more upbeat, a bit more willing to let good vibes sneak in and drift upwards. Biollante’s shift comes across clear on opener “Chrysalism,” a glassy number constructed a bit more loosely and generally sounding perkier than the bulk of what this artist has released before. Not to say Biollante embraced sunshine and rainbows — Above The Branches still features plenty of somber moments, especially hazy cuts such as “Up To You” and “Early,” which owe a debt to Clams Casinos’ earliest work. So yeah, not totally cheery, but then warm moments like “Amethyst” and the subtly funky “Her Bloom” let a little light in. Get it here, or listen below.