• Music

    Akiko Yano – Iroha Ni Konpeitou – LP Deluxe Edition with 4p insert and OBI strip

    June 3, 2023 - By 

    The ever-fantastic Wewantsounds is giving the gold-star treatment to Akiko Yano, wife of the recently departed Ryuichi Sakamoto and fine musician in her own right, collaborating with Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi, David Sylvian, Mick Karn, Charlie Haden, Bill Frisell, Thomas Dolby, and a host of others. From the label’s Bandcamp site: “Wewantsounds continues its Akiko Yano reissue programme with the release of “Iroha Ni Konpeitou,” another superb Akiko Yano album and one of her funkiest, highlighting her unmissable singing and songwriting talents. Recorded in Tokyo and New York City, the album features a superb line up of the best musicians…

  • Music - Qobuz - Youtube

    Various Artists – A Tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto: To the Moon and Back

    February 12, 2023 - By 

    Your browser does not support iframes. Our heroes age. After the passing of Yukihiro Takahashi last month, it got me thinking about how long we have Sakamoto-san and Hosono-san with us. Both are due a tribute album of some sort. Thankfully, Milan Records has done a sterling job bringing together Sakamoto collaborators, friends, and those who are indebted to the master. Artists like Christian Fennesz and Alva Noto (Carsten Nicolai), who have collaborated on some incredible glitch albums, are joined by his countrymen Cornelius and Otomo Yoshihide, along with old friend David Sylvian, all of whom do wonders reworking Sakamoto’s…

  • Music - Youtube

    Yukihiro Takahashi – Drip Dry Eyes (R.I.P.)

    January 14, 2023 - By 

    The eyes in this house aren’t very dry at the moment.  We lost yet another legend today.  This time, it was the shocking, though not unexpected, passing of drummer and composer Yuki Takahashi, who made his fame as drummer and singer of the Yellow Magic Orchestra.  He first gained fame with the Sadistic Mika Band, which would evolve into The Sadistics before moving on to making solo albums, then YMO, and collaborations with British artists Bill Nelson and Steve Jansen.  He leaves a massive body of work, most of which still needs an assessment outside of Japan.

  • Music

    Yukihiro Takahashi – Saravah!

    July 2, 2021 - By 

    This album works on so many levels.  There is a blend of Italian romance, easy listening, French chanson, sophisticated City Pop, bossa nova, a touch of schmaltz, and electro-pop all rolled into one fine album. Drummer Yukihiro Takahashi had just helped form the Yellow Magic Orchestra after leaving The Sadistic Mika Band at about the time this album came out (circa 1978), and his new bandmates, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Haruomi “Harry” Hosono, ably assisted him in arranging everything from synths and brass.  It’s an elegant album and would appeal greatly to those into everything from crooners like Al Bowlly and…