I’m thrilled that two of my favorite musicians have collaborated on this fuzzy and upbeat LP. This is only the second post-Kikagaku Moyo album from the group’s co-founder, singer and guitarist Tomo Katsurada since their dissolution. Perhaps his work at blog favorite label Guruguru Brain keeps him busy. Inversely, Estonian multi-instrumentalist Misha Panfilov is a prolific composer and improviser who has released some of my all time favorite jazz/funk/library/krautrock albums at a steady pace throughout the 2020s.

This record was created through relaxed long distance collaboration born out of mutual admiration. You can hear how both players appreciate and encourage each other’s signature sounds. There’s plenty of Tomos hypnotic, slowly building fuzzed out guitar, reverberating cello and soft sung vocals. The record mostly moves along at Misha’s usual funky groove, buoyed by his electro-acoustic mix of organs, piano, and guitars.

The sonic aesthetics that are meeting here are a heavenly match akin to chocolate and coffee. Their combined ears for deceptively simple and deeply effective melodies make for a catchy and cinematic record that can’t be pinned down as just psych rock or library jazz-funk. It’s riffs on top of riffs throughout these songs. The mixing is impressive and classically Misha, with rolling reverb everywhere and little melodies that build and recede like the tide. Eternal Almost is a simple but inspired collaboration that’s wonderfully characteristic of both musicians involved. This is an early contender for my favorite album of 2026 that’s not to be missed.