There is something almost haunted about Utena Kobayashi’s “En.” It’s already a sparse number, made up of some whirring electronics and sharp percussion and not much else, a backdrop that allows her speedy vocals to flow out free of bother, eventually tripping over themselves. “En” sounds like she’s singing from inside a big, hollow shell, every new element that creeps in reverberating off the walls and leaving a deeper impact. “En” certainly builds, but never to anything wild…her voice multiplies, and soon whispy versions of her singing echo off in the distance, like some out-of-frame spirit. Listen above.
