Samurai

Album review

Samurai is the second album Tigersushi founder Joakim recorded since he moved from his hometown of Paris to New York City, but it's the first where he seems to really explore his new habitat, and all the wonder and excitement of moving to a new location. The album was inspired by unpredictable late-night jaunts around the city, so it has a suitably dreamy, shape-shifting feel to it, with surprises waiting at every turn. Of course, Joakim's albums are always highly eclectic, darting between disco, soft rock, new wave, and other styles, but this one seems somewhat more mature and less goofy than some of his other efforts. Musically, the album is heavily inspired by early-'80s Japanese music, synth pop, and new age, particularly various Yellow Magic Orchestra-related projects and reissues from labels such as Music from Memory and Palto Flats. There's also a bit of a Cluster-like haze dusting these tracks, with ebullient arpeggios and primitive-sounding drum machines adding to the tracks' retro qualities. As such, the album is far less club-centric than most of his work, and seems more heartfelt in its sentiments. The title track is a melancholy love song set to bubbling synths, smooth bass, and percussion which sounds inspired by taiko drumming. "Mind Bent" has more overtly Japanese-sounding melodies, and "Jocho" is a darker, more meditative piece utilizing singing bowls. Several tracks invoke arty downtown synth-funk, with slapping basses, mellow saxophones, and a general atmosphere that seems more appropriate for an art gallery than a discotheque. Joakim hasn't abandoned playfulness by any means, however. "Cannibal Pastorale" is an exuberant, slightly sinister instrumental which seems to channel early electronic pop pioneers like Perrey & Kingsley by way of Dan Deacon. Shorter pieces titled "Late Night New City" and "Through the Prospect Park Arch" serve as brisk, exploratory interludes bridging the poppier songs. Samurai is easily Joakim's subtlest album yet, and it's easy to see why it's such a personal, sentimental statement for him.
© Paul Simpson /TiVo