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"Perhaps this wispy history, built as much upon the shadow ground of myth, rumor and superstition as upon sun-kissed fact, accounts for the spooked air that animates Inaba's every breath. The spirit of personal myth permeates too his lyrics, which at their most opaque seem to float through the mists of a timeless rural antiquity. Heard here in his natural element of a live concert (his previous two albums, "Innen Kaho" on Planktone and "Land of Prayer" on PSF were both studio recordings) we can hear true the spirit winds whistling through ancient cryptomeria groves, stirring the bark shingles on shrine roofs." --from the liner notes by Alan Cummings
"Inaba is a Japanese folk vocalist akin to the rawness and beauty of legendary singer/songwriter Kazuki Tomokawa...The music of Inaba is utterly surreal. Despite being based around simple acoustic guitar structures it doesn't feel like it involves any of the usual guitar marks. In his hands the guitar starts living its own life and it's only with the greatest effort that he can will it to follow his instructions. There is beauty, invention, strength and spirit in every single note of this album and whatever the lyrical issues might be (everything is sung in Japanese) it must be something sad and devastatingly important. Like the intensely evocative closer (translated to 'A Song of Recollection') with masterful vocals making a frozen wasteland sound like a sun-drenched Florida beach in comparison. The organic flow and rural psychedelic touch of these recordings offer enough to keep your ears swimming in contentment for the rest of the year. Nearly perfect."--Mats Gustafsson, The Broken Face #8
Inaba has a way of playing a folk song that sounds traditional and then building it into a whirling cataclysm that sounds traditional only in the way that hurricanes, monsoons, and blizzards are traditional. And somehow he does this with the same acoustic guitar and voice that he began the song with. Nowhere has this been more evident than on this naked solo performance. Includes lyrics in Japanese with English translation by Alan Cummings.