These songs, however, extend beyond this influence and diverge into various routes. In his most vulnerable moments, Sakamoto sought solace in the little things, such as the mundanities of everyday life, the sounds of the city and of his own musical instruments – doing all of this as if he would die that very moment, and caught numerous vignettes throughout his latest album.įollowing the ethos of his latter-day projects, Async captures Sakamoto both at his most simplistic and off the wall, contrasting greatly in moments that fit perfectly into Async’s blueprint – the solemn “Andata”, accompanied by long-time collaborator Christian Fennesz, builds upon a basic classical dirge before becoming immersed in ethereal digital effects and Fennesz’ trademark hazy guitar, which takes the lead from Sakamoto’s piano rather than merely accompanying it pieces such as “Zure”, “Stakra”, “Fullmoon” and “Life, Life” all harken back, in a way, to earlier works that had roots in more electronic-based modern classical and the synthesized pieces that Sakamoto once created. His first solo record since 2009’s Out of Noise, Async finds Ryuichi Sakamoto three years removed from a life-threatening throat cancer diagnosis (now in remission) and with an increasingly contemplative view on his own mortality in light of the passing of his contemporary David Bowie and the fear that Async could’ve been his final work. It is the soundtrack to a Tarkovsky film that doesn’t exist, as well a record that will be ruled by the narrative of recovery, mortality and identity. Review Summary: No need for a date: I was, I am, and I will be.Īsync is the soundtrack to many things.
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