Shibuya’s Scrambled Sounds

Hi everyone, I hope you had a nice week. This week’s issue is a long one so I won’t take up too much at the beginning. Welcome to the first issue of The Sushi Platter, a monthly special version of the newsletter where I rank one artist’s discography. I hope you enjoy it!

📖 History and Influence 📖 

Yellow Magic Orchestra, also known as YMO, is a 3-piece synthesizer pop group that officially formed in 1978. The group consists of Haruomi Hosono on bass, Ryuichi Sakamoto on keyboards, and Yukihiro Takahashi on drums, however, they all 3 jump around between different synthesizers and all 3 also trade the mic around like it is a hot potato (but it’s usually Takahashi).

As Haruomi Hosono, originally of the band Happy End, was recording and touring for both his solo albums and Tin Pan Alley, he eventually met both Sakamoto, a studio musician, and Takahashi, the drummer for the band Sadistic Mika Band. Their first recording together was a cover of the song “Firecracker” by Martin Denny.

What made YMO both unique and important was their seamless blend of rock instrumentation and synthesizers (at first), as well as the fact that they were one of the few Japanese groups at the time to see some commercial success in the US and Europe.

I chose YMO as the first group for this new project because…. they kinda changed my life. I played video games a lot as a kid, but when I heard Solid State Survivor right after high school, it felt like this was the source for all of my favorite video game soundtracks. Later, I started to appreciate their knack for great melodies and their occasional bold dares into experimental territories. Honestly, this band is like The Beatles in the sense that they have a colorful discography and also amazing solo projects, which I’m sure I’ll talk about in the future.

(Please note that the links below are of the remastered versions of the albums if you care about that. I really like these remasters and they help make some of the background sounds sound cleaner)

📈 Rankings 📈 

8. Technodon

Spotify | YouTube

It’s kind of sad that their reunion album is my least favorite, but that doesn’t mean this album is bad, it’s just… completely left-field from what you would expect. An ambient/tribal techno record? Yeah, that’s what this is. The one main problem with this album is that the tracks drag on way too long. With that being said, I do think that there are some hidden gems in here such as “Hi-Tech Hippies” and “Chance”. However, this doesn’t feel like YMO, it’s more like a side project of the same 3 members, but under a different name. Definitely only for people who’ve listened to all the other records and are just curious.

7. Service

Apple Music | Spotify

This record gives me, and I’m sure many others such complex feelings. The actual songs that are here are really good. Supposedly, Naughty Boys was gonna be their last album and they were kinda forced to make this one, but the song quality doesn’t suggest that at all. The groovy “Limbo” and “The Madmen“ are two of my favorite YMO songs of all time. This album feels like a slightly funkier version of Naughty Boys and reeks of David Bowie's influence. There are definitely a couple of skippable tracks, but if you like the pop era of YMO I highly recommend this album.

So why is this album so low on the list? Between every track, there are skits. And these aren’t 10 to 20 second skits, they’re sometimes 4 to 6 minutes long. If you’re trying to enjoy this as a full album, it’s borderline impossible. Even understanding Japanese doesn’t help you too much, all the skits are cultural references that only people who grew up and watched lots of TV in Japan in the 80s. If you skip the skits, you have a pretty good to even great album, but if you consider the whole experience, there’s a lot of time that might be wasted.

6. X∞Multiplies

Apple Music | Spotify

This one has the same problem as the last one, where there are skits in between each of the tracks and I think it ruins the overall rating of the album. However, there are two things that make this album above the last one.

First, I personally prefer the era of YMO’s career that this was recorded in, where they felt more like a band and had slightly technical and tight instrumentation. I especially love the cover of “Tighten Up” by Archie Bell & the Drells, which is super goofy but brings in top-tier funky danceability. “Nice Age” is also a top-tier New Wave track that I’m fairly certain might have been my first YMO track. Every track here is good, but I get the feeling that they didn’t know which direction they wanted to go in at the time.

The second reason I like his album a little more than Service is because the skits are shorter, making this an album somewhat listenable from front to back. I still come back to this one every so often, but just like Service, skipping the skits is the correct choice.

5. BGM

Apple Music | Spotify

At one point, this was in my top 3 favorite YMO albums. I think it’s because this would be the album to point to when trying to figure out where they changed from a jammy dance band with rock instrumentation into a completely synth-based sound. Another reason I loved (still love) this album is because it has my favorite sound palette in their entire discography. It’s also worth noting that this is the album where Takahashi comes to the front and becomes a sort of main vocalist for them from this point on.

I really appreciate the daring changes they attempted on this album since it makes this a more challenging listen in their discography. There’s a kinda eery, dark vibe apparent throughout that makes this album stick out in their discography. Tracks like “U・T” with its repetitive drums and “Music Plans” with its screeching synth accents are personal highlights.

To me, the dark undercurrents of this album make this a mood-dependent album. Of course, there are some albums like that that are my favorite in an artist’s discography, but to me, it doesn’t quite suite YMO. Another reason this is at number 5 is because Takahashi sings a lot in English on this album and nothing against his English ability, but I prefer it when he sings in Japanese. Still, if you’re into darker-sounding New Wave, this is a great listen. BGM is higher up on some people’s lists so definitely worth a listen if you’re familiar with the next albums on the list.

4. YMO

Apple Music | Spotify

This is where it started, the beginning of it all. Also, in my opinion, this is where, in my list, the highly suggested YMO albums start, especially if you’re unfamiliar with them or their discography. While the synth sounds of later records are slightly less present, this was still a revolutionary entry and it was really genre-bending at the time. Hosono was just coming off his Tropical trilogy in his solo career, and this record could probably be argued as a secret 4th part to it (this or Pacific, maybe both?).

But just because this album is number 4 doesn’t mean it isn’t a must-listen. I actually really really love this album. It has my absolute favorite tracks such as “Tong Poo”, “Simoon” and “Mad Pierrot”. “Tong Poo” in particular was a life-changing piece of music for me. The piano, the bass, the drums, everything in this song is perfect to me, seriously amazing 10/10 music. This album is the most fun and jammy of their discography and I think their live shows in this era were would have been amazing to see.

I personally love the jam-like feel of this era of YMO. I understand this might not be a top record for some, but to me, this is always a fun yet engaging listen from front to back.

3. Naughty Boys

Apple Music | Spotify

Okay, so I used to think this album was overrated when I first got into YMO. I never understood why it was most people’s 2nd or even number 1 favorite YMO album. But I realized what my problem was, I was thinking of this as a YMO record, but looking at it like that does it injustice. This is an 80’s synth-pop album, just leave it at that and it’s amazing, maybe a contender for one of the best in the genre.

None of the more jammy or challenging tracks that appear throughout their discography are here. But in true YMO fashion, it’s not a typical pop album. I mean, look at how goofy this cover and title are. In Japanese, the title is 浮気のぼくら, which implies that they are all “naughty boys” by cheating on their partners. At the time, Hosono was writing pop songs for Seiko Matsuda (a hugely popular pop star) and I believe that influence (and slight disdain for the music industry?) seeped into this project.

The first track is the perfect example of how light-hearted they were about their pop phase, with lyrics talking about it being the “summer of cheating”. But even though the goofiness and playfulness are here in some of the lyrics, the music itself is expertly crafted. Seriously, this album has the catchiest melodies out of any YMO records, they won’t leave your head for weeks at a time. A particular favorite of mine from this album is “Ongaku”. That sliding guitar-sounding sound gets me every time, and the chorus is so luscious.

This album is a favorite for many people, and if you’re just getting into YMO, this is a potential starting point.

2. Technodelic

Apple Music | Spotify

Some of you NERDS out there might be thinking “Technodelic, really?”, but I also know that there are some who understand what I mean by having this at number 2. To me, this album is so consistent, and it’s the perfect blend of the experimentation of BGM with YMO’s pop-leaning sensibilities. I love the little moments of genius sprinkled throughout the album like the piano runs toward the later half of “Stairs” or the beautiful melodies shrouded in found sounds and bleeps on the obviously Sakamoto-made “Epilogue”.

Also just wanna say that “Taiso” is one of my favorite YMO songs of all time. It’s Minimalist Rock/Pop, but not so Krautrock-sounding. An extremely unique song that is definitely worth a listen if you’ve never heard it before.

However, this album might not be the best start for YMO if you’re new to them unless you already listen to a lot of experimental electronic music. The songs are repetitive and hypnotic, requiring multiple listens. I listened to this album on and off for about 8 years now and this year is when it went up to number 2 for me in their discography. However, if you are new to YMO and want to know where to start other than Naughty Boys…

1. Solid State Survivor

Apple Music | Spotify

This is where you go. This is the quintessential YMO for me, and I think for many people out there. As a matter of fact, the contrarian side of me really didn’t want to put it at number 1, but after listening to it over and over, I can’t help but agree with the general consensus.

This album was revolutionary, the tongue-in-cheek kitsch and disco elements of the first album have been replaced by true synth-pop. The synths aren’t just textures or melodies anymore, they’re nearly everything in the track. This is apparent out the gate with the track “Technopolis”, with its vocoder vocals and synth-arpeggios in the background, the synthesizers have taken over their sound in the best way possible.

But what, in my opinion, makes this record so unique, is that they still haven’t lost all of the danceability of their first album. The next track “Absolute Ego Dance” is the perfect representation of this. It grooves, but also has a space-like vibe to it. The syncopated female vocals that come in around the halfway mark on that track always gives me goosebumps. But it’s not just dance grooves this time, the more subdued darker tracks of “Castalia” and “Insomnia” are two of my favorites on the album.

I’m not usually a fan of covers on albums, but The Beatles “Day Tripper” cover is amazing because they change it enough to be uniquely YMO and it also feels like the perfect changing of the guard from rock instrumentation to the “future” of synthesizers.

If you didn’t notice, this album is a 10/10 for me and a must-listen for any music fan. Especially if you’re looking to get into any synth-based music this is an amazing start. It was the entry point for me and I’m so thankful this record came into my life. If it didn’t, you might not be reading this newsletter today.

Thank you!

Thanks again for reading this issue of Shibuya’s Scrambled Sounds! If you have any feedback or questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out by replying to this email, or the official Instagram page (click the icon below). If you like what you read, please tell your friends, like our Instagram, etc. I hope to eventually be a primary source of Japanese music for the English-speaking world because I want to share my love of music with as many people as possible, and you all would be the way that could happen.

See ya next time! Breakfast is ready.