Harumi

Frank Zappa once dismissed this record as a “flower power album,” and though he may not be too far off the mark, it’s a little unfair. On his 1968 debut album, produced by folk-rock and psychedelic producer Tom Wilson, mystery man Harumi (a Japanese musician about whom very little is known) does make pretty straightforward, pleasant pop songs with a few psych-soul flourishes, but on a few occasions he does go deep into his acid-fuelled trips: “Twice Told Tales of the Pomegranate Forest” is basically a 24-minute tripped out conversation between Harumi and New York DJ William “Rosko” Mercer over sparse japanese instrumentation, while organs and fuzz guitars get their workout on the psych jam “Samurai Memories.” But even the record’s lighter moments, like “What a Day For Me” or “Fire By The River” have an undeniable, naive charm about them. Harumi’s self titled-album might not be the most groundbreaking, but it is lovely.