Susumu Yokota - Wonder Waltz

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this is yokota's finest since sakura. it's heady stuff, to be sure, often sounding like 2-3 different songs trying to dominate the other and then an element is added that brings it all together making you think these seemingly disparate sounds were already in tune from the off. traditional instruments and vocals mingle with judiciously-employed electronic swashes and subtle beats--the overall effect is easily quite staggering in its simple beauty. pretty enough for sunday afternoon with the girlfriend while still pushing forward enough to satisfy the headz. a truimph all around, then.

If the thought of prominent female vocals being added to the warm but pristine sound collages of Susumu Yokota makes you worriy, then give this album a listen. If you want to hear where Yokota's off to lately, this is the right place to begin. These days, Yokota seems to be reliving his pre-techno youth (which I'm guessing was spent listening to Slowdive and the Cocteau Twins). It's a marked departure for the artist who made Baroque, The Boy and the Tree and Sakura, but it's one Yokota seems to believe in. Even the track and album titles of his classical-tinged ambient music are sounding more and more unashamedly emotional (see 2007's Love or Die). But before you take on the 90s shoegazer reprise of Yokota's Mother and "A Flower White" EP, try Wonder Waltz and the collaboration with Rothko first. If you're a fan of Yokota's post-house ambient work, Wonder Waltz will hold the same sunny fascination (Yokota has been floating melodic lines in asymmetrical meters over straight fours since 1994, and the effect always soothes and hypnotizes the listener). Despite the description at the top of this page, Wonder Waltz's tracks aren't all in 3/4, and though that meter isn't as new to this artist as some people think, neither is his rhythmic concept different here. The vocal layering is organic enough to make you think of Yokota's past and sparing use of vocalise (vocals without lyrics). Take the tracks with Ivo Bittova, a famous violinist as well as a singer: Yokota finds just the right placement for both her instruments, and the overall effect won't annoy or disappoint anyone who's attached to his instrumental albums. Caroline Ross is just out of tune enough to bother me on two of the tracks, but those are the only instances on the album and most listeners I've spoken to don't even notice. (And for men who want equal representation, there's the track with Alex from Tokyo.) As a classical musician, I still like Grinning Cat the best of all Yokota's work (as does Philip Glass, according to a recent interview). But there's a lot to like about Yokota's other work, too, and this album is no exception. I play Wonder Waltz often for guests, and most enjoy its calm complexity as much as I do. So, I suspect, will you.

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