Kalaido – ‘In Praise of Shadows’ [Album Review]

In Praise of Shadows, the third long player from Portland’s Kalaido, the brainchild of composer and producer Phoenix Glendinning, explores the beauty realized in the sanctuary of the past rather than pursuing the contemporary brilliance of next-ness.

“This record is an homage to shadowy places, to dark spaces, to subtlety, and to Imperfection. During its creation, I stopped looking to the future for inspiration and instead turned to the past. I began digging for records obsessively – jazz harp from Dorothy Ashby, soaring Italian film scores from Piero Piccioni, the rich textures of 1970s Japanese jazz from artists like Hiroshi Suzuki and Jiro Inagaki. Rather than sampling them, I wanted to create something from scratch that honored,” shares Kalaido.

Inspired by the 1933 essay by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows merges live instruments and digital production, but levels up through the use of real tape, minimal effects, and organic textures.

Along with 75 million streams, Kalaido has shared the stage with Flamingosis, Blockhead, Ann Annie, and Tristan De Liege, and collaborated with artists like Elijah Nang, mr. hong, and Nogymx.

Comprising 15 tracks, must listens on the album include the introductory “Offering,” a gleaming, chiming prelude that flows into “Water Candles,” an exquisitely flowing creation made up of gentle, ringing surfaces.

Riding a deliciously low-slung galloping rhythm, “Blessings” features a lush, evocative trumpet and a sparkling jazz piano under sublime control yet at the same time expansively articulate.

The dreamy “Shapeshifter” creates a swaying undulation atop a Latin-like rhythm as beautiful, soaring vocals glide overhead. A personal favorite because of the slinky, sensuous tones of Sam Miles’ saxophone, “Midnight Diner Curry” conjures up the feeling of sitting in a dim jazz club, relishing not only the music but the milieu.

Kalaido in 2025, photo by @endlesstakeout

Another gem of a song, “Elegy” reveals shades of soft melancholy floating on draping tendrils across a twilight sky. There’s sumptuous elegance to the melody, like grace wrapped in compassion.

“Persimmons,” with its hints of ’90s boom bap blended with nuances of bossa nova, provides a luscious Latin jazz aura through wonderfully layered harmonics. Shimmering with quixotic extracts, “Summer Lavender” projects the smoldering arrival and rise of emotional longing.

Excellent and his best yet, In Praise of Shadows finds Kalaido delving into the intricate depths of the quiet images of the past.

In Praise of Shadows Track Listing:

1. Offering
2. Water Candles
3. Blessings
4. Swaying Bamboo
5. Shapeshifter
6. Midnight Diner Curry (ft. Sam Miles)
7. Shin-Osaka
8. Elegy
9. Obon Festival
10. In The Pampas
11. Too Much Umeshu
12. Forlorn
13. Persimmons
14. Summer Lavender
15. Resting Place

Run Time: 45:22
Release Date: May 9, 2025
Record Label: Independent