Tokyo Glow deepens an affiliation between the French reissue label
Wewantsounds and the fathomless catalog of Japan's
Nippon Columbia. In addition to reissuing
Ryuichi Sakamoto's crucial
Thousand Knives,
Wewantsounds previously trawled the margins of the
Nippon Columbia archive for
Tokyo Dreaming. That compilation favored the esoteric side of the label's '70s and '80s catalog. This, selected by Tokyo native
DJ Notoya, emphasizes what is loosely classified as city pop -- relatively commercial recordings across a vast, smooth, and bright landscape of post-disco R&B, adult contemporary pop and soul, soft rock, and even fusion. It therefore complements
Light in the Attic's
Pacific Breeze and
Pacific Breeze 2 sets, making the material accessible far outside Japan and beyond hardcore record collectors. The one artist this has in common with
Tokyo Dreaming is the charismatic and effervescent singer
Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama, whose "Tuxedo Connection" is sophisticated dancefloor funk clearly influenced by
Quincy Jones' early-'80s productions for the likes of
the Brothers Johnson (with a bit of
Skyy's "Here's to You" to it). A few hew closer to art pop, such as the crystalline "Aamar Jabar" by
Midori Hara, the most distinctive vocalist here for the way she stretches notes while wrapping her voice around what sounds like the low end of a Yamaha DX7 held down by a skilled
Chuckii Booker acolyte. The few '70s selections -- from
Sumiko Yamagata,
Hiroshi Sato, and
Makoto Iwabuchi -- all take easy, pleasant strolls down the middle of the road. Among other more fascinating curiosities are
Mizuki Koyama's vivacious pop-R&B hybrid "Oh! Daddy" (with all-English lyrics),
Kumi Nakamura's capering "Kimagure" (somewhere between
Michael Franks and
Seawind), and
Haruo Chikada & Vibra-Tones'
Kid Creole-indebted "Sofa Bed Blues," the only one that whoops it up (if politely so). ~ Andy Kellman
![The Best of Roberta Flack [Pink Vinyl] [B&N Exclusive]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0603497853441_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "The Best of Roberta Flack [Pink Vinyl] [B&N Exclusive]")
![Greatest Hits [Warner Bros.]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0081227959357_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Greatest Hits [Warner Bros.]")
![Rumours [35th Anniversary Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0093624979357_p0_v3_s90x140.jpg "Rumours [35th Anniversary Edition]")
![Go to Heaven [Sea Blue Vinyl]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0603497828456_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Go to Heaven [Sea Blue Vinyl]")
![Rumours [Forest Green Vinyl] [Barnes & Noble Exclusive]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0081227815578_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Rumours [Forest Green Vinyl] [Barnes & Noble Exclusive]")
![Tusk [Transparent Blue Vinyl] [Barnes & Noble Exclusive]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0081227815646_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Tusk [Transparent Blue Vinyl] [Barnes & Noble Exclusive]")
![Moondance [180 Gram Vinyl]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0081227990701_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Moondance [180 Gram Vinyl]")
![Saturday Night Fever [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602557393149_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Saturday Night Fever [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]")
![Now in a Minute [Black Marble Vinyl] [B&N Exclusive]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0848064012108_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Now in a Minute [Black Marble Vinyl] [B&N Exclusive]")
