Multi-talented producer
Susumu Yokota returns to the
ambient realm with the beautiful and diverse
Sakura. When he indulges his fondness for
pop hooks with his dancefloor material,
Yokota's melodic choices are glossy and extroverted, but his music for home listening is focused, controlled, and deeply internal. His knack for blending traditional instruments like guitar and piano with simple
electronics harks back to
ambient music's birth in the mid-'70s; at times
Sakura recalls the work of pioneers like
Brian Eno,
Cluster, and
Manuel Goettsching. The icy
"Saku" sets the meditative tone on
Sakura, with gentle, winding guitar lines, relaxed synthesizer oscillations, and plenty of breathing space for the minimal instrumentation. Beats make their first appearance on
"Uchiu Tanjyo," as smooth, semi-tribal hand drums blend organically with the repeating keyboard figures.
"Genshi" adds
house drum programming to the brew, and
Yokota's knack for reflective
electronic melody on the track rivals the best of
Kraftwerk. Both
"Azukiior No Kaori" and
"Kodomotachi" use vocal samples to haunting effect, bringing to mind the favored techniques of
Nobukazu Takemura without direct reference to machine
glitches. The flow is marred by a misplaced
jazz cutup (
"Naminote"), but
Sakura possesses an austere beauty and should not be overlooked. ~ Mark Richardson
