POST-MODERN POP ICON CORNELIUS RELEASES AMBIENT ALBUM 'ETHEREAL ESSENCE' - OUT TODAY JUNE 2
ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF EP
‘BAD ADVICE / MIND TRAIN’ OUT DIGITALLY AND 12” VINYL ON AUGUST 21 - 1ST SINGLE “MIND TRAIN” OUT JULY 10
‘BAD ADVICE / MIND TRAIN’ OUT DIGITALLY AND 12” VINYL ON AUGUST 21 - 1ST SINGLE “MIND TRAIN” OUT JULY 10
'ETHEREAL ESSENCE' AVAILABLE ON ALL STREAMING PLATFORMS HERE
FEATURING THE SINGLES “SKETCH FOR SPRING" LISTEN HERE
"TOO MUCH LOVE FOR SAUNA (FALLING DEEP)" LISTEN HERE / WATCH HERE
"TOO MUCH LOVE FOR SAUNA (FALLING DEEP)" LISTEN HERE / WATCH HERE
WORLD TOUR HAPPENING NOW - DATES ANNOUNCED THROUGH FALL 2024
INCLUDES END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL (UK), THE BARBICAN (UK), FONDA THEATRE (LA), SEATTLE, SAN DIEGO, BERKELEY +MORE
Download Album Assets HERE
"Airy and intricate" -Aquarium Drunkard
"The Japanese pop-rock-electronic-everything musician finds his way onto my sunbathing-playlist every year."-WXPN
"Beautiful" - Stereogum
For Immediate Release – (Tokyo, Japan) June 26, 2024 –Japanese avant-pop maestro Cornelius celebrates 30 years as one of music’s most compelling songwriters, producers, and performers with a world tour and the release of his magical, ambient LP, ETHEREAL ESSENCE. This album marks another turning point in a legendary career that spans genres and eras with aplomb and vigor. The album release follows the resounding success of Cornelius’ enthusiastically received comeback singles, “SKETCH FOR SPRING” and “TOO MUCH LOVE FOR SAUNA (FALLING DEEP)."
Additionally, Cornelius announces the release of the long-awaited EP, “BAD ADVICE / MIND TRAIN,” available as a 12-inch vinyl on August 21. The single includes the funk track “BAD ADVICE,” a collaboration with Arto Lindsay and the 10-minute spacey rock track “MIND TRAIN,” the latter which is also being released digitally on July 10. The EP will also feature a remix of “SPARKS” from the album DREAM IN DREAM by Canadian musician Joseph Shabason.
A shift in direction from his famed alternative pop style to a more ambient and abstract approach, Ethereal Essence is Cornelius’ first full-length album since the critically acclaimed Dream in Dream (2023) and Mellow Waves (2017). Dream in Dream’s singles and videos – "Change and Vanish,” “Sparks,” and "All Things Must Pass" – were received adoringly throughout 2023. Regarding the lead single “Sketch For Spring,” Cornelius says, “This song was written as background music for the tube of PARCO, a cultural complex in Shibuya. The title is a tribute to my favorite guitarist, Vini Reilly [of British post-punk band Durutti Column].”
“Too Much Love for Sauna (Falling Deep)” unfurls like a fractal melody from an otherworldly music box, layering delicate tones and textures organically, enveloping audiences in a sublime experience. “This song was written for the TV drama SADO and has been used as the opening theme since 2019,” Cornelius says. “In the past few years, there has been an unprecedented sauna boom in Japan, sparked by the original manga. I was a fan of the artist and decided to take charge of the project. The single we are distributing now is a newly arranged version that expresses the psychedelic ecstasy of the sauna more deeply.”
Reflecting on the evolution of his sound, Cornelius explains, “I gathered songs that have an ethereal feel from various projects over the past few years and decided to make one album. With the current strange situation in the world and the stressful social life, I feel comfortable with something that fits into the introspection and spiritual world. Last year, I exhibited my work at Ambient Kyoto in Kyoto with Ryuichi Sakamoto and others.” The prestigious festival, featuring Sakamoto and Cornelius, also included Shiro Takatani, Buffalo Daughter, and Seiichi Yamamoto, highlighting Kyoto’s significance in the world of music and art.
The album is a collection of brand new tracks such as “Xanadu,” “Step Into Exovera,” and “Mind Matrix.” It also features rarities never before officially released, including “Thatness And Thereness,” a Cornelius Remodel from A Tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto, and “Windmills Of My Mind” from the tenth Anniversary Commemoration Edition of Nero Magazine’s 7-inch vinyl. Another exclusive treat is “Melting Moment,” a rearrangement of the version included in the fifth edition cassette tape of BYSAKUU, and “Koko,” which was created for Shuntaro Tanikawa’s exhibition in 2018 and is released here for the first time.
Cornelius has been a lifelong fan of ambient music, citing Raymond Scott’s 'Soothing Sounds for Baby', Hiroshi Yoshimura’s 'Music for Nine Postcards', Jonny Nash’s 'Exit Strategies', The Sweet Enough’s 'Marshmallow,' and Steve Hiett’s 'Down on the Road by the Beach' among his favorite ambient albums.
The upcoming tour in support of Ethereal Essence features Cornelius' 20-year compatriots: Hirohisa Horie on keyboards (also a support member for Yukihiro Takahashi’s Yellow Magic Orchestra) and Yuko Araki on drums (also a member of Yoko Ono’s Plastic Ono Band along with Cornelius); and Buffalo Daughter’s Yumiko Ohno on Moog and bass, who joined Cornelius in 2016 on his indelible Fantasma World Tour. Cornelius and his band will play songs from his five previous albums since 1992, beginning with the landmark LP Fantasma. Cornelius encourages both old fans and new to experience this next wave in sound in person. “We are grateful to everyone who has supported our activities. Please come and see us.”
U.S. West Coast Tour Dates
9/21/24 - Music Box - San Diego, CA
9/22/24 - Pappy & Harriets - Pioneertown, CA
9/24/24 - Fonda Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
9/25/24 - UC Theatre - Berkeley, CA
9/27/24 - Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR
9/29/24 - Neptune Theatre - Seattle, WA
World Tour Dates
8/29/24 - End of the Road Festival - Salisbury, England
9/3/24 - Paradiso - Amsterdam, Netherlands
9/6/2024 - Barbican - London, England
Ethereal Essence Track List:
1. Quantum Ghost
2. Sketch For Spring
3. Heaven Is Waiting
4. Too Much Love For Sauna (Falling Deep)
5. Xanadu
6. Koko
7. Step Into Exovera
8. Forbidden Apple
9. Melting Moment
10. Mind Matrix
11. Windmills Of My Mind
12. Thatness and Thereness - Cornelius Remodel (Ryuichi Sakamoto 2023 tribute cover)
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