Tadaima

"Akiko Yano has often been referred to as the Japanese Kate Bush, an unhelpful comparison perhaps for a woman who has delivered a multitude of albums across a variety of styles, but one that bears repeating given their similarly keening vocal styles and shared disdain for rulebooks. Issued for the first time outside her native country, Yano's fifth album, 1981's Tadaima, certainly doesn't shy away from eccentricity (...), yet the bright, wildly eclectic and refreshingly singular album (...) reveals Yano as one of the great pop iconoclasts ... On board to facilitate her vision were none other than the Yellow Magic Orchestra trio of Haroumi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi and Ryuichi Sakamoto (...) who collectively invest the post-punk, disco, and avantgarde-laced synthpop with a futuristic electro buzz. Yano's off-key harmonies and inspired eccentricities are the star of the show though, with the likes of "Itsuka Ojisamaga", "Vet", Ashkenazy Who?", "Harusaki Kobani" and "Rose Garden" among the most strikingly original and brilliant electro pop of the era".