SPACY

The New York sessions on Yamashita’s first solo album, CIRCUS TOWN, were a trial run; SPACY is where the sound that followed began. RCA and AIR were ahead of the scene, while Yamashita brought a creator’s appetite for experiment, the poise of a singer-songwriter on the MOON label, and the playfulness of a one-man a cappella ensemble. He assembled everything himself into this first album of genuine originality. For all its intricacy, it has the effortless transparency of Peter Sato’s jacket design. Its countless shifting colors and pastel tones are never merely decorative: its high-strung intensity can produce a sudden burst of vivid brilliance. It is a ‘morning haze,’ and the world of Yoshida Minako’s lyrics, too. Even its precariousness is irresistible.

Hosono and Shuichi Murakami pursue dynamic force; Akihiro Tanaka and Yukari Uehara supply a lighter, syncopated pulse. Yamashita builds on these two pairs of groove makers, bringing in players with distinctive voices such as Hiroshi Sato, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Tsunehide Matsuki. It is a lesson in casting. The deft progression from A1 to A2 feels like a magnificent takeoff settling into level flight in an instant. A3, blown along by the wind of Chicago, is a showcase for the work of two guitars. If you want a more forceful thrill, carve yourself a path through the solid beats of A5 and B5. Every song is filled with the creator’s sense of achievement and adventure. The quiet beauty inside side B, enfolded in the language of the piano, is something to sit back and savor.