To be honest, this release came out of nowhere to me. I heard the name once or twice, often near the word “Rachel’s”, and felt I should know what the fuss was about, seeing as I am supposed to be on top of these things. Dutifully I looked up the band's website and within the day I had pre-ordered the album. What we have here are 6 Japanese kids on a piano, viola, bass, guitars, and drums – all worked over with electronics. The members cite influences as varied as Max Richter to Cyndi Lauper, Avro Part to LL Cool J, along with almost everything in between… and it obviously works for them that way because the end result is, for the most part, outstanding.

Mostly due to my expecting to hear something akin to the aforementioned Rachel’s I was a little put out by the first 3 tracks of the album when I did receive it. Anoice have a much more unsettling and jarring sound for these few opening tracks – the title "Aspirin Music" makes it seem likely this is intentional. However, from track 4 onwards the band seems to open up as they break into stunning neo-classical compositions and come into their own. The music is mostly centred on mournful viola pieces with picked guitars and pianos. In fact, the electronics they claim are in there are very hard to detect so readers put off by that shouldn’t be too worried – conversely, don’t expect something like 65DoS. The definite standout tracks are "Liange", which, as a friend of mine put it, is “so Japanese it hurts”, and the Yndi-Halda-minus-the-soaring-gutiars-esque "The Three Days Blow". These two tracks alone are the most breathtaking songs released by anyone this year and should convince anyone of the quality of this release.

Now for one small gripe - every odd-numbered track on the CD is a 2 minute interval called "untitled" and these short pieces are mostly just experiments, whilst by no means terrible, they are really just filler (and of course they will annoy anal Last.fm users because "Anoice – Untitled" will become your top track overall in no time. Trust me). One such intermission is reminiscent of DSCO, which I like, but on the whole these seem like an easy way to pad out a release and hide that there are only 4 ‘real’ songs on the album. I hope any future output by the band focuses more on the heart wrenching melancholia they are so adept at and loses these interruptions.

= Ian Nicholls - The Silent Ballet

I don't think a year would be official without some fun melding of the neo-classical and post-rock genres. Remmings is the first taste of Anoice to US ears, with Important Records formally presenting the sextet to the world. The listener would have to consciously try to not be impressed by the work of these Japanese musicians, whose compositions are a balancing act. Instruments quickly enter and exit the scene, careful not to clutter the fragile tension, but also adding delicate detail work to the pieces. "Liange" is truly breathtaking, showcasing the appeal of this approach and the wonderful compositional skills of the band. Much of the music revolves around the viola and piano, but very subtle contributions are made via guitar and percussion to heighten the listening experience and add depth to the body of work. Unfortunately Remmings is a short listen, made even more so by five inconsequential "untitled" tracks that separate each proper track, but we have high hopes for Anoice in the future.

= The Silent Ballet

With guitars, bass, viola, keyboards and drums, the six Anoice succeed to create incredible atmospheres between Sigur Ros, Arvo part and Rachel's.

= Rockerilla

Even when all of them are going at it hammer and tongs they act more like an orchestra with each player adding their own element to the melody. Anoice hit all the blissful and joyous emotions and only rarely dip into melancholy like most bands of the same ilk.

= Brainwashed

Anoice have produced something entirely different and original, a mature record of great beauty and attention to detail that rises above any clichés and should by all accounts establish them as one of the leading artists today.

= Rockarolla

Anoice Remmings (Important) This Tokyo-based sextet make some really sublime instrumental music. Monumental and subtly nuanced; they all allow plenty of room for each other. Mixing guitars, programming, viola, bass, piano, drums, mandolin, and synthesizer, into the nine varied sonic excursions presented here. Mesmerizing soundtracks to nonexistant films that bloom in the center of your mind. Ranging from very small and soft spoken, to toweringly grand and vast. Some pieces have the feel of chamber music renditions of Mogwai or Spacemen 3 songs; others feel like an accurate aural description of loneliness.

= Dream Magazine

I was sold this record on the promise that Anoice are “like Rachel’s…but they rock…” But isn’t that Godspeed? Well, no because whereas Godspeed dangle you worringly over a cliff for the duration of an album, Anoice frequently drop you, pick you up again and occasionally even make you float. What’s more, there’s often more of a rhythmic framework here. The bass isn’t afraid to groove, the drums do ‘Bolero’ behind the cascades of passionate viola and hammered piano. Anoice, in fact, are as adept at approaching the rock/classical thing from the rock end as the classical end, which gives them more than one string to their bow and potentially makes for some celestial live performances. In places, they sound like an instrumental Arcade Fire. In others – particularly the incredibly beautiful tracks 5-8(Remming) – they sound as good as any living film composer worth his salt. If track 6 (Liange) doesn’t astound you, you are a glacier. There’s a readymade market for evocative, anthemic, cinematic stuff like this, of course, be it on the bill of All Tomorrow’s Parties or soundtracking some intense French film noir, with Emanuelle Beart running down the steps of la Basilique du Sacre Coeur in torrential rain. Even so, Anoice have that something special that could elevate them even beyond that. This is not a group, as such. These people are modern composers.

= Glen Johnson - Piano Magic

Anoice is a Tokyo based six piece group formed by Takahiro Kido, Taku Tanioka, Yuki Murata, Utaka Fujiwara, Takahiro Matsue and Tadashi Yoshikawa who are the multi instruments players, and have been working together since 2004. Their debut album “Remmings” in which Non-Format took charge of art works, was released from Important Records, Boston 2006, while their second album “Out of Season” and third “Ruined-Hotel Sessions” recorded at the ruin hotel, were released from Ricco Label that is their own music label in Tokyo, 2008. Many artists all over the world thought highly of these three albums. Anoice also has some other projects such as RiLF (an alternative rock band formed by the members of Anoice and Calu who is the vocalist of Matryoshka), mokyow (a post-rock band formed by Takahiro Kido, Takahiro Matsue and Tadashi Yoshikawa who are the members of anoice, and the keyboardist Kenichi Kai) and cru (a neo-classical unit formed by Takahiro Kido and Yuki Murata), and some secret projects. And, Takahiro Kido and Yuki Murata who are the members of Anoice, have also released some albums as their solo works. There is the 30 or more number of the albums which Anoice and the members have released or the compilation albums in which they participated on some music labels such as Ricco Label, Important Records, PLOP, Nature Bliss, p*dis, Noble Label, Victor Records, zooooo.jp, as a point of the end of 2012. In addition, Anoice and the members took charge of composing music for many video works (Armani, Louis Vuitton, Rag & Bone, etc.), films ("Internet is a Desert" a prize film of Venice International Short Film Festival, "Honokaa-Boy" in Japan, "Penerose" in Austria, etc.), events ("NIPPON VISION" of Japanese department store Isetan, "Tanzbrucke 2011" a ballet of Czech Republic, etc.), spots for TV or webs (Google, NTT, TRIUMPH, Saito Wood, etc.) of various countries, and joined some films ("Takarasagashi" directed by Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli, etc.), events (Moscow International Biennale, "La Folle Journée au JAPON" classical music festival in Japan, "Argerich's Meeting Point in Beppu" in Japan, etc.), art magazines ("Purple Magazine" in France, "Another" in Netherlands, "POST" in UK, "GONZO" in Belgium, etc.), albums of musicians (Filmes, Michiru, Pleq, Kukikodan, The Watanabes, Sonoda Band, etc.) as arrangers or players of tunes.

Anoice official website ▶ www.fleursy.com/anoice