SHINTARO SAKAMOTO
HOW TO LIVE WITH A PHANTOM
Sakamoto was the guitarist for Japanese psych rock band Yura Yura Teikoku. Their last album, Hollow Me, came out in 2007. This is Sakamoto’s debut follow up. Now, this isn’t psych rock in the way that a lot of fans of Japanese psych may be thinking. This is no Flower Travelin’ Band, let alone High Rise or Acid Mothers Temple. No, this is psych rock firmly in the Todd Rundgren/ELO school of psych rock, with plenty of spacey effects, tropical rhythms and fussed over sound. All the lyrics are in Japanese, which isn’t really a downside, as one can only imagine how dopey they are. Bright, upstroke guitar pings back and forth in the stereo field, synths swirl gently. This is headphone music of the first order. If you own a copy of Runt, this is an album for you. (Other Music) Aaron van Dorn