Susumu Yokota - The Boy And The Tree (2002)

Date Released: October 29, 2002
Origin: Japan
Genre: Ambient, Downtempo, Experimental, Modern Classical, Minimal

Label: Leaf
Site: http://www.susumuyokota.org/
Tracklist:
1. The Color Of Pomegranates
2. Live Echo
3. Fairy Link
4. Grass, Tree And Stone
5. Secret Garden
6. Rose Necklace
7. Beans
8. Plateau On Plateau
9. Red Swan
10. Thread Leads To Heaven
11. Future Tiger
12. Blood And Snow
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The Boy & The Tree is Yokota’s eleventh album in eight years. The man is not only one of the most prolific musicians of his generation, but also without a doubt one of the most imaginative. He has equally made his mark playing techno, ambient, jazz and electronica, always taking his audience by surprise while building a surprisingly consistent piece of work, making him one of the most respected composers around. Yokota’s follow up to last year’s blissful Ginning Cat and similarly excellent Will is yet another fascinating recording. Contrasted and impressionist, The Boy & The Tree is a delightful collection of radically atmospheric compositions, built around ephemeral sonic trances, in the tribal sense of the word. From the opening moments of The Colour Of Pomegranates to the closing bars of Blood & Snow, Yokota delves into ethnic sonorities, using traditional Oriental percussions and instruments combined with founds sounds to focus on the most fragile aspects of music and life and create one of the most haunting pieces of music heard in recent times. Yokota admits a certain fascination for nature, particularly feeding on the mystery of the island of Yakushima, a designated world heritage site home to hundreds of secular trees, situated in the south of Japan. He also names one of the most successful animated films in Japan history, Mononokehime, a mystical tale depicting the battle between animal gods, as a source of inspiration for The Boy & The Tree. Yokota’s delicate compositions resound with spiritual references. Chimes, prayers and lamentations all contribute to the hypnotic effect of this record, while the tone of the flutes, tables and stings, intrinsic unworldly elements in the constructions, deflects the electronic characteristic of the record by injecting some vital energy at the heart of each track. Ethereal voices are integrated in the lush soundscapes in astonishing fashion, never really being prominent, yet exercising an incontestable pressure on the music by stressing the ephemeral nature of life. Yokota’s mastery at carefully organizing sounds together and crafting intriguing melodies is more obvious here than on any of his previous releases. It seems as if each component has a dedicated role to play, affecting the general mood of the listener while not entirely connecting with the physicality of its source, be it human. Yokota has perhaps produced with this album his most intimate work. Moreover, perhaps will it prove to be too intricate and intense for some. There is no doubt however that The Boy & The Tree is his most soulful and best record to date. A must.

Review taken from: http://www.themilkfactory.co.uk/reviews/yokota_boy.htm

Download link: http://rapidshare.com/files/164397214/Susumu_Yokota_-_The_Boy___The_Tree.rar